Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Turning the Page

Yesterday I turned another page in the book of life.  I turned a ripe old (grrr) 69.  It was an interesting day, but a good one.  I had a quick visit from my daughter in the morning. She was in town on business and stopped en route.  Then, my quartet sang at a church member's funeral.  It wasn't the most pleasant way to spend time on my birthday, but when the deceased, who was a cancer patient, planned his service, he didn't know it was going to be on my birthday.  Some things just happen that way.(While I was at the church, I stopped in the preschool classroom just to see what was going on, and 20+ smiling 4year olds sang "Happy Birthday" to me.  How grand was that?)
In the afternoon, I went to my craft group at the local senior center.  There, my good friend, Curley, who is in charge of the group, provided home made cupcakes with butter creme frosting, for all of us.  Delicious!  We had a lot of laughs, even if our projects went more or less untouched.  One of the gals in our group brought an electric yarn winder and she and I played with that gadget for about an hour!  Fun! (I want one)
Later, I treated myself to Asian cousine at a local place, with some friends.  I also rec'd many phone calls, a card, and lots of well wishes on my facebook page.  All in all, I decided that turning 69 wasn't so bad after all.
Peace,
JE

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there who read this blog.  My mom has been gone for 21 years now.  I have to say that not a day goes by that I don't remember her in some way.  She loved family.  She loved to laugh and have a good time with us.  She loved yellow roses.  She was gentle and kind, honest and honorable.  And she was loved.
This morning in church, our Pastor asked us to think of one thing that if someone asked, we could tell others what was special about our moms.  I remembered when Mom taught me how to drive.  I was 12.  We lived in "b f egypt"  (think way out in the country) on country roads.  She used to take me out in the old Chevy and let me drive.  She would sit right beside me "just in case," but that's how I learned to drive.  Driver's Training in school was just a refresher course, and needed to get my license early and a discount on Dad's car insurance.  By the time I was 16, I was driving up and down the country roads, and Mom had moved over on the other side of the front seat!
Many memories come back on Mother's Day.  You see, I was born on Mother's Day,  so that made the day extra special to both Mom and me.
So, I lift a glass (of Iced Tea) in memory of Mom.  Miss ya, Mom!

Peace,
JE

A special Mother's Day to my daughter and daughter-in-law, too.  Thank you both for giving me my wonderful grandchildren.  And to another great mom, Curley.  You and your family are very dear to me!  Love you all!

Saturday, May 03, 2014

The Day After the Night Before

  Because she can't be here for my actual birthday later on in the month, my daughter came into town last evening to treat me to a celebratory dinner and an evening out.  We did our downtown's "First Friday" thing where all the stores and shops stay open later.  It was fun, but chilly walking around and popping in and out of interesting boutiques.  It was also fun seeing many friends on the sidewalks and in the stores, one of the perks of living in the same small town most of our lives.
  Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the local "dollar store" for necessities, then we traveled the 15 miles to another town to my very favorite tavern/restaurant for dinner.  The "Main View" is situated on Main Street in the middle of the downtown area of this quaint, Victorian Era town.  This tavern serves many wonderful dishes, but my favorite is the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.  Last night I splurged and had their home breaded onion rings with it, and a beer (1).  I followed this meal with a piece of peanut butter silk pie.  When our waiter brought the check, my daughter mentioned that it was my birthday.  The waiter said that it is the custom of the bar to serve a "shot" of anything to the birthday celebrant.  I chose a shot of "Crown Royal" at my daughter's suggestion.  I have never had "Crown" before.  Man is that stuff smooth!  Wow!
  After we got home, (with darling daughter driving, of course) we stayed up until the wee hours visiting.  I rolled into bed about 2:00 AM.  At 4:30 I woke up with a pounding headache, my stomach roiling, and feeling generally like hell.  I tossed and turned, and fought the covers.  Sometime around 6:00AM, (I heard the court house clock chime 6 times) I fell back to sleep, waking at 9:30.  All day I have felt, as my dad used to say, "about a half a bubble off plumb."  I ache, my stomach is still roiling, and I have a head full, enough to make my eyes water and become crusty.  Now, I didn't have that much to drink, and I am wondering if it is a result of too much rich food.  (Could it be the Asian food that I had for lunch yesterday when Curley and I did lunch?)  Anyway, it's a yuk feeling and I don't like it.  Hopefully, I will be feeling more chipper tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I think it calls for a cuppa tea, my favorite "bankie" and my recliner!  (I'm getting too old for this s**t!)

Peace,
JE

Friday, May 02, 2014

Book Talk

This week I have finished reading two new novels.  The first one is "Missing You" by Harlan Coben.  It's a gripping novel about murder and mayhem, of course.  Interesting take on internet dating sites.  But it was Harlan Coben at his best, and I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries.  Of course, Coben is on my very special list of mystery writers, and if you haven't read any of his works, please run, don't walk, to your nearest book dealer, whether it be library or book seller, and try some Coben.  You won't be sorry.

The second one is "Power Play" by Danielle Steel.  I haven't read anything by Steel for years.  I used to read all of her novels, but after the death of her son, her novels turned dark and I just didn't want to read them anymore.  On a whim, I picked up this new one at the library.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is a romance, with a twist.  No murder or mayhem in this one, but lots of twists and turns and surprises.  Steel has style of writing that appeals to me.  It's kinda like "Gone With the Wind" that lead us to the bedroom door, and the reader knew what was going to happen behind the door, but we didn't need all the lusty details.  This book is like that in some ways.  I have read a lot of Steel's novels, and while "Power Play' is good, my favorite by her will always be "Fine Things." 

Read on my friends!

Peace,
JE

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Trying Something New

Today I actually tried something new.  As most of you know, I love to craft.  I always have.  I have never sold a piece of my work. I usually make things for others or for myself.  But, today that changed.
Our town is the county seat of our county.  They have a visitor's center for people coming into town.  The visitor's center has a gift shop.  Need I say more?  I now have some of my "stuff" for sale on consignment at their gift shop.  I know I will not get "rich" putting things there.  But the main reason for me doing it is self satisfaction and knowing that what I do is being enjoyed by someone.  I am not pricing my things high.  I want them to sell and I want people to enjoy them.  That, to me, is what my artistic ability is all about.  I will still create things to gift to people, for that brings me the greatest joy, and  putting a little of myself out there in the public, might bring joy to someone I don't know.  How wonderful is that???

Peace,
JE