Every morning, without fail, the ladies show up for tea. They wear frocks that are kind of drab. Tea has been going on for awhile, so they don’t feel the need to dress up. I also think they’ve been together for most of their lives, so impressing each other is just passe. I think that because I have wonderful friends who don’t feel the need to wear fancy colors, big hats, or uncomfortable shoes just to sit for tea.
Anyhow, each day one can almost set their clock by it, the gals congregate. They nod, they talk quietly, and abruptly leave, only to return in a few minutes, something I cannot understand. Of course, I’m on the outside looking in, not having ever been invited. They also like to be relatively alone….and move in unison when something or someone comes into view. I’m thinking they discuss things that are strictly intimate because their actions dictate complete privacy.
And then…as quickly as they’ve assembled, the tea is over. It’s like someone is calling. One thinks maybe the kids have come home from school, but the ladies must have teens by now. Oh, well, it doesn’t matter. They speak their own slang, their own language, and even tho it is beautiful, it something I can’t seem to grasp.
Only later in the day do I see each of them again, returning for a simple bath, a quiet time, maybe before starting supper for their brood. They nod to one another, and get a little flustered if the area gets crowded, however all irritations seem to dissolve in the fluttering bath of my tea ladies, the finches who share my yard til they vacation south of the border.
haven’t written for awhile…..seems like time has been filled by other stuff…..good stuff, but stuff….All the time I’m doing my stuff, however, I’m thinking. Thinking of things to write about, thinking of things to help others dream about, thinking of things to comment on, etc. etc.
Yes, things are bubbling inside…..It is true for me, and maybe just me, that I should sit and write until there are no more words coming out of my head. Since the bubbling is annoying, I think that is a sign I should make time to sit and write.
I’m most upset I do not understand the workings of Word Press as well as others….I’d love to have someone set up my ability to get my postings available to others…..I am very personal on one side and don’t want to bother all the people I know with my rantings, however, I would like to be incognito and be able to send out writing in a better way. I admit I thought and still think that ‘booting up’ is a stupid way of saying open or start.
I also admit that hitting ‘send’ to answer a phone is even more stupid……but who am I…..
I’m in need of a new computer…and it is like pulling teeth to get one…why, because there is no one to help me take the info off this one and put it on the other. I’ll probably have to travel and drag around a bunch of computer stuff from place to place….looking like a beggar..to see if they would help me. Am I in the mood for that…..nu-uh. And so it goes.
I finally found a service to fix the old girl (my computer) whenever she went haywire…..and it is worth every penny. Just make the call, and turn it over……they perk the old girl up, take away all her globs of info that we really didn’t want or ask for….clean her disk or disc…..and send her back for another round of emails and googling.
While we’re (I’m) talking….I am pissed at the TV cable too…I kind of think they are like a rental car company I used one time…they don’t take good care of their cars, until one finally bites the dust. When it is finally drug in off highway 395 in February, it is serviced. Kind of like my TV boxes…they never seem to work well, one downstairs is fine, the others are full of sounds and no satellite reception. We understand half of every sentence from 8 til 11PM but when it comes on at 9AM the next day, it works fine……It’s always fun to call, and be helped by some poor gal who has to have an armed guard in her office to keep the peace…..that speaks well for the cable companies, doesn’t it.
Oh well, TV or Computer, cell phone or IPhone, it is there to amuse me and abuse me….I’m gett’on out the can and the string!!
Been shopping this AM….that’s really saying something for me, cause I am not a shopper. No doubt the reason is I don’t weigh 150 anymore, or even 160, or 170. Yes the genes have caught up with me and mine. I know, those skinny genes are with some forever, but not me. I was lucky enough to have them thru the first 55 years or so.
Now I’m sure that some of you are saying, well, hell, she’s 55, over the hill, not club’in, etc, and so why should she care….Listen….we always care, I said ALWAYS! Some of us cover it up better than others, in our clothes, and/or in our souls, but we do cover it up.
I remember 118 well, even 125. We were together alot of years. No matter ow many bags of Taco Chips, or how many hot fudge sundaes I consumed, I was 125. Then came 127 and 129…..you know what I’m talk’in about…..just one or two pounds a year. That’s noth’in, you’d say. I’m still pretty good at 45, etc.
But 2 pounds for 10 years….20 years….30 years, add’em up….it does creep upon your butt, etc.
So now I’m pushing 70, pretty hard too…..and I’m still that 125 girl on the inside but not on the outside. My heart and soul long for even 150 or 160 or 170, but my genes say no. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you gals….only you know what goes on inside….when you are in the mall, or at church, or playing cards, or at work…..it surely is painful.
What I think is the most painful is that the men and women who were blessed with staying at decent weights ….. seem somehow to cast a shadow of doubt on our problems of genes. They know that if we just to Atkins, or just do 1500 calories a day, or carbs only, or protein only, the pounds will just melt off at 2 pounds a week. What we know is different…that it just doesn’t work that way. There is one way and one way only….starving! Even bread and water isn’t acceptable because of the bread. It is just 500 to 750 calories a day and no eating after 3.
I know the gurus will say no, not right, get on the treadmill, etc, but how many of us 65 to 75 year olds are really ready to hit the gym at 6AM and go for 750 calories……not me. I know should be doing the rah-rahing…for keeping at the old 125, however, they’ll have to find another gal.
I’m sure if I had movie star money, I could go to sleep for a couple of weeks in a great spa and lose the extra pounds. I could be nipped and tucked and de-wrinkled…..but that isn’t happening either.
Truth is, I have to be me…like it or not, it’s what God had in mind this time around, so I had better get used to it.
In closing dears, heavy and light, fat and thin, big or small boned, 10 years old or 70 years old…..take it easy on yourself and don’t be tough on those who don’t fit the size 14-16 that seems to be the norm. Lay off the girl sitting next to you in the cafeteria…or the one who shared her secret of always wanting to be a cheerleader, knowing she was just not what they were looking for. Befriend the boy who did not go out for football and was too slow in cross-country….know he is crying on the inside, even willing to sell his soul on an especially bad day, just to look like the jock who teases and then ignores him.
Lighten up!!! You never now what God has in store for you and your genes. AND FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE……CLOTHES DESIGNERS…..MAKE THE STRIPS GO UP AND DOWN INSTEAD OF AROUND!!
GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!
The best so far since June World War Z by far….tell adults that
are not into zombies….make believe the ‘zombies’ are people with green and yellow heads…..then go see it….You’ll love it
Rate 9 1/2
The Heat……pretty good, could have been better, lots of F-words, but so what. Love the actresses…..sure was alot better than Identity Thief….that was sad.
Rate 8 1/2
White House Down…….okay, like lots of others, some things hard to believe but……it was entertaining,
Rate 7 1/2
Pacific Rim…….was really wanting this to be super dooper, however…. it was just entertaining. We love to see what the robots, and zombies, and creatures really look like, BEFORE they get into the fights of the century. We were able to but it was hard to follow the plot…could scare some little ones
Rate 6
Can’t even remember the title…the one with Adam Sandler and his friends….so bad, so really really bad…..
Rate 1 1/2…..no a 1…..no a 1/2
Looking forrward to RIPD….The Butler….haven’t seen Monster University,and the Interns…..I know, I’m kind of late. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
am visiting a beautiful eastern Georgia town that is full of southern charm, architecture, and history. Such a shame black and white is still so noticeable in people’s lives instead of being just colors in cotton and polyester in Joanne’s
Well, I’m here to say, there is seems no end to this spring party in the Gulf….One doesn’t hear much, but the beaches are jump’in..yes, even ‘in the air’ jump’in.
Now that the little guys have arrived, their extended family have received their invites. It is time for sprucing up the digs, so many hermit crabs are up sizing. Yes, they do outgrow, their studio type homes, so searches go on constantly. People (nice humans) who visit the Gulf, know they should only take one live shell away from the beach each visit……what a shame they are allowed even that.
(another ‘be that as it may’) So it is proper etiquette to lift gently and peek in to these shell homes first, before plopping them into your bucket. If they have set up housekeeping, it is then necessary to put them back, and apologize for making thier little hearts skip a beat.
As spring progresses, many empty shell bodies are found. The tides give us a new view of what the Gulf has to offer, and the waves gently deposit the new, old, and empty shells of life in it’s beautiful waters. It is a fact of life, life and death, and the Gulf of Mexico shows us how the grand plan was put into place. I still wonder, at almost age 70, why things are the way they are, so don’t feel alone, if you wonder the same, now and then.
Discarded shells from other generations do provide exquisite art that cannot be duplicated. Their color, their shape, and their design are the architecture of God. Each is made to house the life inside…and is done so to perfection. Take note…..and know it is a simple joy to ‘stop’ and look at these treasures….they will move you and replenish your soul.
I spent the evening at low tide, picking and choosing my next gallon of shells….What a wonderful and inexpensive habit I have. The warmth of spring, the waters of the Gulf, a good friend, and a bucket. These are the days to remember. Thank goodness I’ve been allowed to realize these moments. Just take 60 seconds…and stop to look around…then take 70 seconds and then 80. Take in all the gifts God gives us each day..for free!!
Wow….or maybe it should be WOW!! It is party time in SW Florida and the city is not one you regularly party in on Fri. night…well, at least not all the time. IT’S THE GULF OF MEXICO, of course. It is springtime in the Gulf and on the Gulf and the place is jump’in.
Everyone who is anyone in the Gulf Kingdom is coming home to reunite with some and partner up with others. It seems they’ve spent the winter in the deeper waters of the Gulf for safety and warmth, but now the beach waters are 80F and the welcome mat is out.
Mother Nature/God sure set it up right. The breezes are mild, the bugs are few and the snow
birds have gone north. The beaches are relatively quiet as big and little couples come to be a part of the large guest list. As in the order of things, there are some who depend on the lunching of others to keep this arrangement in harmony. I plan to ask Mother Nature/God about this when I visit the other side. If I ever come back, I’ll write about what they say.
Be that as it may, these wonderful creatures come home with great folly. There are schools of little fish…just new babies who stay close to each other or Mom/Dad. Some come from long egg pods that look like snake skeltons…and are they a work of art. Others look like the rubber seals that keep canned peaches tasty.
In the sky, parent and child Osprey glide and squawk during daily lessons. As in our species, many children carry on something terrible when mom quits bringing the daily meal. Goes to prove that leaving the nest is not exciting for everyone.
The skates come to visit for the summer in April/May of each year. They definitely add a ‘shuffle’ to our step when we take our daily walks. You see, they love to nestle in the very shallow waters of the Gulf….looking for tasty morsels. After finding a spot, they wiggle/shiver into the sand and do whatever….maybe take a nap.
However!!
When someone or something comes by unannounced, these tiny darlings become a little startled and whip their tail around to barb whoever is nearby. Well, dang, I can vouch for the fact that THAT HURTS!! Keep in mind, however, I’ve been coming here for 35 years and have only been stung once…and it was my fault….not shuffling in a skate zone. No ticket given, but 45 min of pouring super hot water on the spot to ease the toxins, taught me well.
More later…….your correspondant, from the beach says tootle
Remember the old song….In The Garden?…..I come to the garden alone…..while the dew is still on the roses….and the voice I hear, falling on my ear….the Son of God is calling…..
And He walks with me, and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own….and the joys we share, as we tarry there, none other will ever know.
Chapter 15 talks to us about this new Son of God and why the whole idea of Jesus’ death and resurrection is so important if one wants to be a Christian. So simple and yet so difficult to hold on to, because we are human…we want the facts, we want the whole story, we want the news as it happens, we want pictures and background, and family responses….. That’s how life is today for us, instant, real, proof in the pudding of FOX and CNN.
But Paul says stake your life on the faith, words, the promise of those who lived before…..and BELIEVE! Christianity is not a half-way belief…it’s the whole package. Christ came for me, He lived for me, He died for me, and He provides a garden filled pathway to heaven.
Resurrection example…..given in ‘The Message’…is so good…..Part of it reads…”What does the ‘resurrection body’ look like? If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do not have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a ‘dead’ seed; and soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.” It goes on to say “We are only looking at pre-resurrection ‘seeds’—-who can imagine what the resurrection ‘plants’ will be like.
So here we are…..as Paul signs off in chapter 16, planning to come to the newly formed churches for a visit, we still have the words of this wonderful book to rely on. He taught us in so many ways, with so many descriptions, about the wonderful works of God and His son, Jesus Christ. He scolded us and prodded us, embarrassed us, and then praised us in the next sentance.
As we Christians struggle through these days of loss, death of our beloved on a cross, and yet of promises so amazing we cannot properly comprehend. We must keep the this faith…the belief…the beauty…and the prize of what Christ has so graciously presented us.
Believe…..yes you will fall, yes you will fail miserably, but there will be days that you rise to the occasion in thought, word, and deed. Christ shows us the way..he asks us to walk the path with him, regardless of bumpy it may be, and to remember that beautiful garden and the walks we’ll share together….forever.
In the chapter discussing the resurrection, I see Paul at his very best. He has been kind, humble even, in some chapters and then very authoritarian in others. He has begged and borrowed to keep the new churches aware of their responsibilities. I can see him writing into the night, maybe as the first glimpse of a sunrise comes through his window. He is working so hard for God..and his church.
And now the resurrection…..the reason, the argument, the motive, for all the previous work….. This is the magnificent ‘closing’ of Paul….the real story…the real reason he has been preaching for days and weeks, about Christianity……IT IS THE RESURRECTION!
And he says it so straightforward, so simple…..If you don’t believe, after all this, that Christ is alive, risen from the dead….then there is nothing more to say. If there is no resurrection, there is, quite frankly, no nothing….It’s a hoax, a good idea, a dream, a lie, a wish even…. Seems it is still kind of simple….this teaching of life ever after…..If there is a Christ…if He did die for our sins and has been resurrected, then everything is cool!
As we move toward Palm Sunday and Easter, this chapter is just what the doctor ordered…good reading, good lessons, good common sense. We are getting prepared…ready to come to terms, once again, the wonderful accounting and belief of the resurrection….how delightful…what a great closing to a new beginning in our lives…
Chapter 14 is long…very long, but full of good info. It (to me) discusses the language of love, prayer, and healing. There are all different kinds of language, some spoken and some unspoken.
It is good to pray in private, to empty your heart and soul and to ask for a refreshing response. It is just as good to use what Paul calls the prayer language in church…a language that speaks to everyone, for everyone. Language that excludes, does nothing. Why keep God a secret?
That is where I say the KISS principle comes in…..Don’t make the discussion of your side by side trip with God, so difficult that no one can understand your point. A language of enlightening might be done in song, by a gentle touch to comfort, or in the ‘local’ slang.
What makes it important is to say how wonderful God is, what He has done for you and what He can do for all. One can speak all day in English, but if other only people listening speak in Spanish, how can the God point be made.
Keep your churches open to all….preach to and pray for all….be a disciple…..
seriouslyscorpio 