I must have words left over!

My dear friend, Judy R., sent me a note yesterday urging me to read a book called "The Shack" and told me to hang on for dear life. I read a synopsis of it and yes, Judy, you are correct, I need to read the book! I already read the "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger", loaned to me by Linda J. and loved that as well. Amazon sells these two books as a pair, which is why I mention them both. Bye for now, have to run to the store for the book!!!!!

I think you guys are all ganging up on me to make a reader out me...hear that, Christine????

The Story of Us

Set your DVRs or VCRs for a great movie on Lifetime tonight. It's called "The Story of Us" with Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer, from 1999. I know, I know, my son doesn't like me to watch that channel under normal circumstances but tonight, I can make an exception. If you read my profile for this blogsite, you'll find this movie listed under Favorite Movies, so just know I have history with this one.

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I saw this movie on an airplane back in early 2000, which my friend, Jimmie and I like to say "sucked". Not the movie, the turn of the century fluff. Neither of us were all that thrilled with the new millenium, let me tell you! I was still married at the time but had only a short while prior been informed he was no longer "in love", as it were, the whole cliched mess after 25 years of marriage. That was the beginning of the roller coaster we rode until finally "dissolving" in 2004. Pete rode the roller coaster with me, helped me to hang on and held the barf bag when I needed it. So, anyway, I just wanted to set the background for the scenario under which I viewed this movie.

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To not give it away, at least too much, imagine yourself in the situation I found myself and watching this movie in a "theater" from which you could not depart....so I watched. My former spouse was asleep, or at least looked that way, so I was more or less alone with the 400 others on the flight. This trip was something we earned by purchasing X amount of trim and trusses from the lumber company, one we always looked forward to each year. And Hawaii??? Come on!!! Who'd want to miss that? Certainly not me! So, I watched and wept and watched and wept, my whole shirt totally soaked with tears. It was such a good movie, with a happy ending. I can't give it away though, you must watch and then imagine the heartache experienced....like biting on a sore tooth. You just can't not bite on that tooth!

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I'll be awaiting your reviews and comments, even if you didn't get to watch it yet. I have to go check Jami's list of favorites to see if we shared this favorite movie!!!!

Joanne would have loved this!

As I am "perched" here in my window, a substantial osprey just soared past with a big fish in its talons. Lunch! Well, it is nearly noon here! How amazing it is that today the river is quiet and flat, no wind, when yesterday the waves were washing over the break water and the palms bending from the high winds. It is not grey at all, with the water and sky being blue and the trees green, and the birds, well, they are actually grey with some white detailing. A gorgeous heron has landed on the rocks and seems to be looking for some fish as well.

I've heard just about enough speeches already this morning and am now back to the radio, waiting to hear how the markets will react to the decision of the government regarding my financial future. Oh, wait, everyone's financial future. The advisors insist it is not time to go cash out and stuff the mattress but I'll tell you what, it sure is tempting to do something proactively in case the whole world crashes down around us.....

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Justin and I had a lengthy conversation yesterday regarding his schooling and hopes for travel next spring. A couple lady friends had wanted to go with me but now it seems less and less likely they'll scrape the cash together in time, if at all, for a Mediterranean trip. Justin and I have been discussing going to Florence for some time now, Justin going so far as to find me a furnished flat near the Ponte Vecchio bridge. He said, "You can send for me, and I'll come help you decorate." The key word there was "furnished", right? Rats! I'd still "send for him" of course, as it's important to his studies.

This is a picture of the Baptistry doors in Florence which Justin is currently studying in Art History class. These doors, bronzed, tell Bible stories through ornate carvings, relief. and sculpting. Photos do no justice to their beauty and detail. We both regret missing so much stuff in Florence due in part to insufficient information and because of the search for the Murano glass store to buy my chandelier which I'd spotted the year before. When I was ready to give up, he pressed on to find the shop.

Justin is considering changing his major to English and minoring in Art History since his advisor at school told him it might be a good idea. It seems their budget for art and music was so dramatically cut that he's going to have problems finding just the right classes to meet his major at UNF. Another option would be to transfer to another college, but for right now, I certainly have no problem with him changing to English. Not too long ago he mocked me for being "such an English person" because of my punctuation books on the dresser! Now he might be one, too! Justin has writing skills--in fact, a few years ago when I read an essay written by Justin to Pete and Tarren, they both said, "He sounds like you!". Cool, I think!

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Of course, my true preference to go and live for any length of time is Greece but for Justin's purposes, the art and history portion, Italy is where he needs to be. At least right now. They are studying some of the things we've seen there and such, which makes his longing that much more powerful. I think I'd find more suitable foods in Italy anyway, since I can't quite wrap my head around eating fish and vegetables the way they do on the Greek Islands.

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When we were talking yesterday and I mentioned my passing thoughts on cashing out and taking leave (of my senses???), he asked if I was going to "pull a Francis"--meaning Francis Mayes, who wrote and lives "Under the Tuscan Sun". The first time we rented it, about 4 years ago, I read aloud the blurb on the back of the DVD: "a recently divorced author with writer's block takes a vacation in Tuscany and buys a villa..." He didn't want me to rent it, being a bit nervous, but I calmed him with, "I don't have writer's block!!" We both think we'd like for me to live far away, in fact, I accused him of trying to get rid of me, but I sure would miss everybody big time! It's hard enough getting people to come visit me in Florida, much less in Florence!!!

Tips for a better life, some secular, some Scriptural

Judy R.!!!! So many of these things make me think of you!!!!!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Buy a DVR and record your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to study God's Word and pray. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.
18. Life isn't fair, bu t it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25.Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business
28. REMEMBER GOD heals everything. He, as Christ, paid it all.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of any thing that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35.Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________. '
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

A very busy week for me

Again the sun is playing games with me, poking out from behind grey clouds. In fact, everything looks grey from a distance--the water, sky, clouds, horizon. Only the palms up close are in color which would make for a great painting, but I don't have time for that right now. I need to paint with words as I have two newsletters due out by the end of the week. Yikes!

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I've already been busy around here, getting things in order for the housekeepers to come and do their thing. The sheets and towels which were in place for leaks are swishing around in the washer right now while the dryer tumbles some of my traveling clothes. It seems more clothes than I actually took, which is true by one pair of jeans and a top. I had to wash my new top already since I wore it for the flight home, and dripped mayo on it while enjoying a hot dog at the airport.

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On the Chicken Noodle Network (CNN), according to Neal, a poll shows one party is blamed two to one for the financial problems being addressed these days. The records actually show that one certain party in Congress has repeatedly voted down reforms which would have prevented this debacle, in part because of the demands for more affordable housing and low-income mortgages being made available. But, no one is really interested in the facts when it comes to pocketbook issues. It will be interesting to see what comes from the big meeting taking place at this writing between Bernanke, Paulson, and the GOP leadership regarding the bail-out. Ugh, I hate this mess!

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The sun is warming my arms when it peeks out and I am tempted to close my doors, which just happened to be open all night long, because the breeze is cool on my feet. I could possibly put my slippers on and keep the door open so it's cool for the cleaners. The dredgers are still at it in the basin area outside my windows and I can't help but wonder what is taking them so long to get their job accomplished. One of my neighbors was out there in his boat and taking measurements, as he has an interest in getting this marina in place ASAP. He reports little progress after all these months.

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Oh, no, I guess I'll have to go live in a home........I did something stupid! I just went to check on my sliding doors, which, as I mentioned earlier, had been open since yesterday late afternoon. The screen doors were not closed all this while, which means I could have had birds and other wildlife taking up residence in my home right under my nose. How in the world did I not notice they were opened?????

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Just when you think it can't get any weirder in this world, you (I) read an article on Drudge about PETA urging Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream be made using breast milk instead of cow's milk........I'm rushing right out now to buy some B & J's Ice Cream. NOT!!! While they purport to be advocates for the family farm, now they are being asked to by-pass the cow's milk for human breast milk. I wonder how often the nursing mothers will have to line up to be milked like cows do? What next? Those two loons are goofy enough anyway, they might just do it!

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Well, now the sun is completely disappeared so my arms are no longer being warmed. A Fish and Game boat just successfully scooted through an area normally closed by sand, but since the river is quite high and not a little bit wild, the boat was able to get through. It looks like it did during the tropical storm in August except it isn't raining at all--yet. Last night at Bible study, I received a lovely book mark from Leanne, who is currently president of my fan club, it seems. She'd watched the funeral video with me a couple weeks ago and remembered the comment I'd made regarding Pastor Prange's use of the verse from Psalm 46 where God tells us to just "be quiet", "I have everything under control". She went in search of this passage on a book mark and found one. "Be still, and know that I am God."

More rooster humor

Yes, I am up to my old, nasty habits of watching afternoon TV! My radio programs are done for the day so I am "entitled" to some down time. Down time from down time, imagine that!

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Other than getting used to the time difference again, I am attempting to re-familiarize myself with some of the items in my house, including the TV remote control and my own computer keyboard. The buttons are not located in the same places on either my desk top computer or on this laptop as they were on my mom's, so I keep moving things which don't need moving or putting funky symbols where I meant to put numerals. The same with changing the channels on the TV---instead of turning up the volume, I am fast forwarding through my recorded programs. Mom's remote controls are different than mine, which I learned to use without looking.

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I did manage to find a recorded episode of "Seinfeld" which I'd not seen before, "The Statue". Kramer pretends to be a cop in order to steal back a statue assumed to have been stolen from Jerry's apartment by the housekeeper. It was so funny. Now there's an episode called "Little Jerry" where Kramer has purchased a so-called chicken in order to get fresh eggs. It crows at sun up which disturbs Jerry's sleep, and Jerry has to break it to Kramer that Little Jerry is not a hen but instead, a rooster! "That might explain the low egg production." Little Jerry is now going to be in cock fight at the store where Jerry's bad check is posted, and if Little Jerry takes a dive, the bad check will no longer be posted on the cash register. Jerry helps Kramer "train" the rooster so his check will be taken down. His parents heard about the bad check being posted and are insisting on sending him money, begging him to go into advertising and give up on comedy! He is screaming at them to not send money but his mom laid the phone down and can't hear him yelling. George walked into the apartment and hears the screaming, and asks, "How's the parents?" and Jerry calmly replies, "Oh, they're good", as if nothing was happening. So, so funny!!! Gotta love those rooster stories!

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Today I have my doors opened and the wind is blowing through. It sounds like a tropical storm out there, the way the trees sound. The sky is still cloudy but not overcast at all. It's a decent temperature now, too, cool, but not long pants weather. Tomorrow is expected to be in the low 80's which might not exactly be pool weather but could easily be warm enough to sit pool side! Our low temp tonight is predicted to be 66 which is chilly by our standards. Our temps are showing to be lower than average, with rip tides and rough surf taking place for some reason. Some sort of frontal system moving through, I guess.

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My neck is itching me from my haircut earlier. I should have changed shirts right away but it didn't seem to bother me at first. After the beauty shop I stopped at the bank, McDonald's, and then Great Hang Ups. As I walked in the door, Julia told me the radio was playing "In the Arms of the Angels" and said my timing was perfect. They didn't realize how long I'd be away, even though they knew. Somehow saying two weeks and experiencing two weeks are quite different. We had a great catch-up visit and Dee told me to get out to the Thrasher-Horne to see the Art Guild display, to see my picture in the show. I'll have to see what Martie can arrange, because she wants to go, too. Perhaps Thursday will work for her, since she's off work, I think. I'll take a picture of my picture so I can post it on the blogsite. It's not been inside my home since I painted it, since it went right to Island Realty for display after I had it framed. It's wonderful to go to Hang Ups and have my spirit renewed, built up, as it were.

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Oh, goody! It's going to get back up to 87 by the weekend! Life is good!

Presently there's a lake wind advisory and surf cautions in place at the beaches. The winds are at 25-30 miles per hour. I wonder what's causing this, other than the front moving through. Or is that enough? Maybe it's time to figure out the remote control and change the channel?????!!!!!!

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On the 19th I'm invited to an Open House given by Julia and another artist, Donna Grasso, at Donna's home. It works out that the Jags are on a Bye Week that day, so yes, I accept! Julia is going to show her ceramics alongside Donna's paintings, and should be a fun time! I really miss my friend, Joanne, who's been out of town tending to her father for many months. When I last spoke with her, she thought she'd be coming back this month, but nothing yet. I'll give her a call later to see what the plans are. I'd offered my spare room to her since she had to move from her rental home before it was foreclosed upon, but she's made other housing arrangments already. She's lived with me on several occasions in the past and knows my door is always open in case she needs a port in a storm. Joanne has lots of storms, and it sounds like I need to change this channel, too!

Catching up...

....on some things left unsaid. Really? She left something unsaid???

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Jill told me the other day that the lady whose photo I'd taken at the ice cream parlor, posing with the garishly dressed giant cow, came back to ask Jill if her sister was still in town because she'd hoped to return the favor by taking my picture before the cow was "undressed" again. Jill was surprised, but shouldn't have been, that this lady came in asking for me! I tell everybody I see in Manty about Jill being the manager of the ice cream parlor by the big cow, so it's no wonder this lady knew to come back there.

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I've gotten a number of e-mails from friends welcoming me back home again. One in particular arrived this morning from Leanne: "...YOU'RE HOME!!! I HAVE MISSED YOU BIG TIME. I HAVE CANDY CORN FOR YOU. IT REMINDS ME OF YOU EVERY TIME I SEE IT. I'LL BRING IT Sunday. I CAN'T WAIT TO HUG YOU. LOVE YA" It's great to be home again! We will see each other at Bible study tonight, "Angels and Demons" as our subject matter. I missed on Sunday and we cover the same material during the week in the evening for those who aren't able to make study on Sundays. What could be more perfect?

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Rosalie and her Internet is up and running again, so things have somewhat returned to normal for her in Houston. Thank the good Lord for sparing my friends from tragedy! The President is going to speaking at the UN at 10:30 but I'll be in the beauty shop when he does so. I can catch it on the computer or a replay later today. At this moment Neal Boortz is interviewing Sen. McCain on his radio program, and before he's letting him go, Neal is asking him about supporting the Fair Tax. Neal just asked him to do lunch after he's sworn in so they can go over the Fair Tax and get it into place....oh, that Neal, like he'd be invited to lunch at the White House. Yes, he's been to lunch and meetings at the White House during this present administration! He thinks he has a standing invite now!

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Time to dress for the day. The sun is playing peek-a-boo with me but I did wake to a clear sky and bright sunlight. During the night there was heavy rain because I woke enough to hear it. I think I heard dripping in some part of my house but wasn't interested in going to check on it. My towels and sheets are still in place so it's okay to let it rain. I should write a song called "Let It Rain".....oh, wait, someone already did!