Random Musings

Yesterday, in honor of Melissa Lewis ' one year cancer anniversary (typed that several ways and still can't find a way that doesn't sound odd or horrid), it was "eat ice cream for breakfast" day. I had mentioned it to my healthy-minded husband, who did smile, but wasn't for the idea. So I told him I was going to get up early and make biscuits and chocolate syrup (an Alabama special occasion breakfast dish), and that he could just eat the biscuit. I must have really been looking forward to it, because I dreamed about cooking biscuits ALL NIGHT LONG! I even woke up at 5am, but decided the biscuits would be cold if I made them that early, and by the time I got up, it was the normal no time to waste kind of morning. (I should add that we had a very late night Thursday.)  So on the way home from the many errands I had to run, which included the grocery store, I picked up some ice cream, the kind that mixes my favorite junk foods, and I had one this morning. It'...

This past Monday night we headed to Meredith college for the panel discussion titled: Religious & Political Dimensions of Same Sex Marriage in NC.   There were 5 speakers, two males for the amendment and three women against. (I couldn't help but wonder whether or not Tammi Fitzgerald or other NC women who are for the amendment were intentionally not asked to come.) I think the word "contentious" would be a good description for the audience. The panelists all at various points showed constraint and toward the end the professionalism for some started to ebb as emotions flared. I will say it went a lot better than I was expecting, though I would have preferred a moderator who actually moderated. Dr. Maxine Eichner started well, going over some of the basic legal terminology, and it was clear she is accustomed to teaching the younger generation, using power point with a lot of imagery. I would have enjoyed hearing more of an explanation for some of her reasons why it ...

This morning I got to combine two of my favorite activities: walking with a friend and shopping. Exercise is not high on my list of fun things to do, but walking with a good friend helps take some of the focus off the aches and pains. Some ladies in our church are in charge of a consignment sale that started at the mall today, so we walked the mall before the sale started. Then we had fun browsing and looking, then headed to the State Fairgrounds for the annual Wake County Library Book Sale. Every year, books that haven't been read in a year or more (or best sellers where they need multiple copies in the beginning but after a few years only need one or two copies) are culled from the shelves. Patrons donate books from their own shelves (which they claim make up about 60% of the books), and sell them for small amounts. This year, I was pleasantly surprised to find 9 Trixie Belden books. 2 of them were hardback, like the above, and the others were paperback. Two years ago for...

The geese are fighting. The lawnmower repairman is coming. I need to call the plumber. And my ironing pile is overflowing. If the kitchen table gets cleaned off before supper, then I'll label today a success. :) Happy Hump Day!

The whole situation concerning Trayvon Martin greatly bothers me, on so many levels. When something hits close to home, it's hard not to become passionate or emotional about it. But our justice system is not based on emotions or passion. So here's the questions I've had the last few weeks that the media is not answering while "reporting" the story. 1. What is the crime rate in the gated community where this tragedy took place? 2. Did Trayvon bear the same level of defensive wounds as the shooter? (I'm not talking about the fatal gun shot here; if there was a skirmish as the defendant claims and the police reports detail, he should have had some bruising/markings as well.) 3. What about his behavior was so suspicious? 4. Do the local and county police who investigated and found the situation to be within in the law have other complaints of racial basis lodged against them? Anytime I hear a parent say "My child doesn't..." or "My childr...

I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm a little excited.  We're officially headed to Beaufort, NC . I hope my Civil War aficionado is not disappointed. It would not surprise me in the least if after he retires he chooses to BE in the reenactments and not just watch. We're not sure how wheelchair accessible the bus tours will be, nor if it will rain us out of the outdoor activities, but we're going to give it a try!

The Heart of a Soldier, by Capt. Kate Blaise is NOT a vacation read. What I liked about the book: she's open and honest about her beliefs she's transparent with both the good and the bad about military life her only agenda is processing her grief and remembering her husband it shows the true sacrifices of our servicemen it illustrates how no job is too small, even though we don't often think that way I can relate to the small-town mentality/upbringing Overall, it's a book worth reading to remember that our freedom is not free. We say that a lot, but it's another thing to be reminded of the cost. That book does that. I sobbed through the last two chapters, and really felt bad for her as she had to deal with the media and people's political agendas at a time when her only priority should have been grieving and her family. I was reminded of how stupid we can become when we allow policies and procedures to trump the very people they were designed to prote...

One of my (many) favorite books as a child was Where the Wild Things Are. My mother didn't like it AT ALL, but it still remained a favorite for me and my younger siblings. Years later, while taking a children's lit class (Mom went back to college when I did to finish her elementary education degree...after teaching for 12 years) Mom called me and said she suddenly saw that book in a different light. As a parent she just saw it as a child being disrespectful and then punished, as an educator of children examining it through a child's eyes, she realized it was much more than that: disobedience, consequences, emotions, fatigue, imagination, parental love and security. That's a lot for such a little book. So I was quite excited to see a while back that it was made into a movie. Target really had the movie for $4.75, and while sick last week I actually watched. And I was terribly disappointed. Had the main character looked more the age in the book (4-5) as opposed to 9...

One crazy thing about being sick last week, and at home, is that I couldn't remember what day it was. Even though yesterday was a "normal" day for me, having revival last night threw me for a loop yet again. So today is...not Thursday. Core class creates sore stomach muscles. Coughing doesn't help. If my body lost weight and sculpted to the tune of how I feel, I'd be wearing a size 2 right now. Sally the rabbit started tunneling near the garden. I'm thinking "great; what a waste of my time" when Bobby pointed out she's tunneling AWAY from the garden. Now I'm baffled, though I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere that thing eventually makes a u-turn and I am once again running Ruthie's Restaurant. The chickens have scratched away 2 of my blueberry bushes. I made out a list of things I need/want to do outside around the house before the kid's Easter party. My husband just gives me one of those blank expressions, which I've l...

The last few days while I've not felt like doing much of anything, I've done a fair amount of reading. One of the the books I've had on my dresser for some time is My Turn by Nancy Reagan. I was in middle school during the Reagan years, so most of what I remember about that era was filtered through a young child's perspective. After finishing the book, which included the uproar over the White House China, I got to thinking that I had never seen the Reagan china. So living in the google era, I found it. It doesn't look anything like I anticipated. There's lot of pretty settings from different presidents, but I was surprised to find that one of my favorites was from the Clinton era. If you're crazy like me and enjoy this kind of stuff, this link will show you different White House China.

Today my life resembles a Disney cartoon. I am Doc, choosing cold meds and cough drops, hot apple juice and naps. I am Grumpy. Being sick was NOT on my agenda this week. I am Happy. Neither sickness nor schedules can separate me from the love of Christ. And that is awesome. I am Sleepy. Cold medicine, even the non-drowsy, makes me wish for Sleeping Beauty's un-interrupted sleep. I am Bashful. After reading Michael Reagan's Twice Adopted , it made me realize just how much I have to be thankful for, and how much about life I still have to learn. It's not easy reading. I am Sneezy, though Drippy would be a much better name for me today. and I am Dopey. You know how cold medicine gives you a bit of a brain fog?  That's me today. It's probably best if I don't balance the checkbook right now.

For over a year, our church has been praying for a young mother (Kim Sappington Wilson) who is fighting scleroderma , one of the ugliest forms of auto-immune disease there is.  She is now off of chemotherapy, and is being treated by John Hopkins. The lung damage is irreversible, but there may be hope for her heart. To help offset the costs of travel to the hospital, a fund has been set up in her name. If you click on the red box to the left of this page, it will take you to the donation page. And if you can't give, please pray for the doctors as the pursue treatment options, for her emotions as they've been on a downward spiral lately, and for her family as they watch her suffer. On a much brighter note, my brother-in-law has accepted the pastorate at a church in Washington, NC (hooray for being closer to my sis!). While we'll never understand this side of heaven all the steps that lead to this move, I have to rest in the assurance that God does have a plan, even when it ...

Well, today I was supposed to add three little biddies to our household, but it wasn't to be. Last week I went to Fuquay, only to find out the store was carrying two breeds, one which we have already and the other I don't want. Today the Garner store had everything up and ready, only to receive word from the hatchery "Not today. Maybe Friday or Saturday." Perhaps we'll make it to the Flock Swap on Sunday, but I really don't want another batch of straight run biddies. (you get what's there, not knowing whether they are male or female). So no cute, cuddly pics of Ameraucanas, Tetra Tints or black Australorps today.

For those of you who haven't heard about the "Nugget-gate scandal" in North Carolina, last month a preschool child (from one of the More at Four programs, which is a modified form of welfare daycare) was given a school lunch instead of eating the lunch packed by her mother. Stories differ widely from the parents, the teacher, the principal, the health inspector who deemed the packed lunch "inappropriate", the local district superintendent and the media. Evidently this happened to four children on the same day, this is an on-going problem, and despite all the letters and press releases that the health inspector/social worker and the teacher were both simply doing their jobs, the teacher is now suspended.  Two of the children were supposed to only be given milk to drink (the missing ingredient from their lunch), but instead were given an entire lunch, of which the kids only ate the chicken nuggets. I won't digress on a commentary on this. So now you know the...

I never know whether to sigh or laugh when someone uses daffodils as an example of how "warm" our winter is this year. Granted, we have had a very warm winter, but daffodils ALWAYS bloom in January. It's what leads to the old southern tale that after the first daffodil bloom there'll be snow in 2 weeks. This year was unusually warm, and many daffodil shoots started poking their head out of the ground in December, but this beautiful flower reminder us that winter isn't forever always come in January. And the rest of the cycle continues. January - Daffodils bloom February - Tulips, crocuses, and camellias start growing/blooming March - Trees (dogwoods, Bradford pears, etc) begin to bloom.   April -Usually by Easter dogwoods are flowering and fruit trees begin shooting out their leaves and flowers. Then you know it's seasonally spring (even though it's "officially" spring March 21). Plant the summer garden at the end of this month.  May -...

There's nothing like Facebook to be able to see what's happening. When the earthquake shook NC a while back, Facebook updated everyone long before the news media. And when a tornado hit Huntsville, AL this morning (in the Madison area where my cousin lives), it was on Facebook before the weather stations carried it. In lieu of the storms, I'm posting the words to a song that is a favorite back home. Almost every music group sings it; almost every 5th Sunday night singing (where the congregation got to choose the songs) it was requested. And given the tragedies of this last year, it's so very fitting. In the dark of the midnight, Have I oft hid my face; While the storm howls above me, And there's no hiding place; 'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry; "Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by." 'Til the storm passes over, 'Til the thunder sounds no more; 'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky, Hold me fas...