Hats

A few weeks ago I wrote about hats under the title 'Church Attire'.  In that entry, I made a decision to begin wearing hats to church again.  Since then, I've dug out my old ones, bought two new ones, and have begun the process of 'decorating' those chapeaus.

I've worn a few of them to worship services and last week one of our men, who sits just behind me, mentioned that he thought ladies hats always had flowers on them. Until then, I hadn't given much thought to decorating them, other than a ribbon hatband.  With Otis' statement ringing in my ears, I headed for my craft room to dig out some silk flowers.  I found a couple, but they weren't what I wanted, so I drove to Hobby Lobby to see what was available.  Fortunately, they had a number of things that were suitable, and better yet, they were on sale, as were the spools of ribbon.

Returning home, I got to work on an arrangement for my white hat.  The ribbon band was graduated shades of dusty rose.  Then I placed some sprays of  small white flowers with pearl centers with some dusty pink rose blossoms. When the design pleased me, I wired the flowers together and clasped it to the ribbon band.  From there, I moved on to organizing ribbon color to flowers, for future millinery use. 

Yesterday I removed the pink things from the white hat, and placed them, instead, on the wide-brimmed black hat, since I was wearing a pink and black outfit. The floral arrangement was placed at the back of the hat.  My efforts were not lost. I was pleased with the look, and many compliments came my way. 

I am still the only one who wears a hat regularly, but it's still early. I have the hope to inspire those ladies at church to wear the hats they've  been thinking about. They've been afraid to be the only one to wear anything on their heads. In the meantime, even if I'm the solo hat wearer, I'm having a grand time decorating my new fashion accessories! 

Coffee?

These days I do not start the day without a cup of coffee. I pour just a little half and half into it, and I'm good to go.  It wasn't always that way.  I used to prefer tea. It's clear and warm and I drank gallons of it per week before I discovered that coffee was a much better waker-upper in the morning.

There was a time when I thought I didn't like the taste of coffee.  I'd always loved the aroma of it, but the taste just seemed bitter to me.  Then I went to work in an insurance/realty office where the coffee pot was on all day long, and it was easier to drink the ready-made brew than it was to fuss with making a cup of tea.  I discovered that coffee wasn't half-bad.  Maybe it was the brand that was used at work, I don't know, but I got hooked.

In other work places over the years, there were choices in 'additions' to the cup of brew.  Some offices offered half and half. Others bought non-dairy creamers, either plain or flavored. Other places had the choice of any of the above-listed items.  Sugar, artificial sweetners, and no sugar at all made their way into my mug at various times. I've weaned myself of the sugar addition, and the half and half is no where near the amount that I first used.  I can use the non-dairy stuff, but don't care much for it. However, when I stay in a motel, that's usually all there is to use, and it'll suffice until I can get a true cup of java.

I'm really not a coffee addict, as some are, though.  One large mug of hot coffee upon rising is all I have throughout the day.  It's the equivalent of two cups.  I don't drink it later in the day because I have enough trouble sleeping through the night as it is.  Rarely, in the heat of summer, I have yielded to a desire for a frappe, but as I say, it's not often.

I don't go to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts to obtain a cup of their stuff.  Believe me, they will never get rich on my purchases! Though the flavor certainly is better than what we have at home, I cannnot justify the cost!  What we have is convenient, and gets my engine reved in the morning, so I'm content!

May 21, 2011...Judgment Day???

Pastor Camping, in California, has been broadcasting on TV and a number of radio stations that today will be the day that the world comes to an end.  If you are reading this...you should know that I've actually written it on Friday, the 20th.  I figured I'd better not take any chances, you know. What if he's right?  (I ask that with tongue in cheek.)

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that since the world was going to end on Saturday, I had only one day and a few hours to spend my children's inheritance.  I knew that would inspire them to respond...and respond they did!  One of them said that I should, instead of shopping, head for the nearest Fed Ex office and send her share out so that she  could spend it before the end came.  Another told me to send hers because she has bills to pay. Another answered by saying that if the end came, there'd be no bills to pay.  Do I know how to prompt a conversation among the siblings, or what? Just mention money.

Actually, there's quite a bit of conversation being generated by this idea of  things ending on Saturday.  Some, most I'd venture to guess, think that Pastor Camping is off his rocker.  I don't think that, exactly, but I do think his conclusion is incorrect.  People of every religious, or non-religious, persuasion seem to have an opinion on the matter.  I'm curious to see how many will head for the hills, or to some 'special' spot to escape (?) or hide (?) or get aboard that 'glory train.'
No matter what happens, no matter what people think or do in light of this 'prophecy', I believe that we haven't heard the end of it.

What will the headlines read on Sunday?  "STILL HERE!!"  or maybe "MILLIONS DISAPPEAR!!!"  or "PASTOR'S PROPHESY FULFILLED" ?   I believe we'll read something on Sunday, and I have no fear that we'll be reading from any place other than our own, comfortable homes.   What do you think? 

I guess we'll have to just wait and see, won't we? 

Allergies

Very rarely, before moving here, was I bothered by anything I could call an allergy. Oh, sometimes I'd get a tickle in my throat as the oak pollens would blow on the Spring breezes, but it wasn't much of a bother.  Here, it's another story.

I've yet to discover what it is that causes my eyes to get  itchy, swollen, red and goopy.  The first time it happened, I went to the doctor, who suggested that it might be something topical and that I should ride it out.  The next time it occured, I thought I'd seek the opinion of an eye doctor. His opinion was that I have 'extreme dry eye' and gave me the name of two over-the-counter products that would cause relief. They do cause my eyes to become more moist, but I don't see that it's alleviating the problem.

Yesterday I felt the condition coming on once again. Before any other symptom shows, my eyes feel very tired. I feel the need for a nap.  It is best to steer clear of me, as I'm not entirely pleasant to be around when I feel that way.  I tried to have a little snooze yesterday, but was unsuccessful, so I opted for an early night.  By the time I retired, I was feeling as if my eyes were falling out of my head. 

I went through the routine of  warm compresses to the eyes, as the eye doctor had told me to. This procedure, apparently, stirs the tear ducts to produce more fluid. Then I put the drops in my eyes,  I took a Benadryl tablet to alleviate the itching, and I toddled off to bed.  After sleeping quite well, I awoke this morning with one eye glued shut, and the other blurry with gunk. Again, I used the warm compresses and drops. This cleared my eyes, but the lids are swollen and itchy.  Since they, who are documented as 'those in the know', tell me that the  condition is not 'pink eye', it is not contagious.  I do not show myself in public, however, until all of this mess disappears, because I look like a frog and I don't care to answer a million questions of "what's the matter with your eyes?"

So...here I am, in front of this little screen, telling you more than you wanted to know about this ailment of unknown cause.  I'll 'ride it out' in the peace of  my home, and hope that it will soon be gone.

A is for.....

Ambition...of which I have little today.  Restless nights do not make for ambitious days.

Aches...those I have plenty of today. Again, restless nights.

Attitude... not bad, considering restless nights. (Are you noticing a theme here?)

Abigail... granddaughter who celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday!

Amy....daughter who is missing us, according to a morning phone conversation.

Affection...lots of that, here and there.

Aggression...from too many callers invading my household with their sales pitches.

Annoyance...toward too many of the above who really are just trying to make a living.

Adjustment....to afore-mentiond attitude. Apparently annoyance needs to be replaced with 'patience'.

Au revoir... that's all there is today, Folks!

Apologies...for a silly blog entry.   :-D

Alive and Well...

The other day I realized that I'm getting old.  How did I come to that recognition, you might wonder. Well, aside from a few more gray hairs in the mirror, a few more lines on my face seen in photographs, a few more snaps, crackles and pops in the morning, there is the realization that I spend a lot of time 'remembering.'

Many of my sentences begin with "I remember when....".  That's not a bad thing, really. I'm glad that I still have wits enough left to remember anything at all!  But, I think maybe I remember more than I do to make remembrances to look back on in the future.  And yes, I fully intend to have a future!

I am alive. I am well. I am fully capable of getting around, albeit slower than I did once and with a bit of ache here and there. The light bulb went on and I saw that retirement is a wonderful thing, but that it doesn't mean always sitting down and doing quiet activities such as reading, computing and handwork.  It doesn't mean that we need to sit in our comfy rockers on the front porch, talking and watching the clouds go by until it's too dark to see.  There are days when we can enjoy doing nothing more than those things, but hey! We're alive....and well. It's time to live it up!

We've been in SC for nearly five years. We have always loved to 'explore' new areas, to discover what others may ignore or take for granted. Why are we not doing that here?  We go where we need to, and know those routes well. But there is so much out there that we've yet to find!  It's time to unwrap the unknown and live while we may.

I've decided to let my husband know that we need to stop 'wasting time.'  We're all living with a time clock, and it's ticking.  We're going to be dead too soon....and will be dead for a long time. Today's the day to use our lives...to explore, to discover, to be a friend to someone new, to help someone in need. Today is the day to beging living!

Saturday's Sorting

On Saturday while I was meant to be straightening my craft room, I stumbled across a box, still packed from when we moved into this house four years ago.  It was a treasure chest of papers, letters, receipts, bills, and documents saved by Mike's Auntie Lib, after they came into her possession from other family members.  It seems that they'd all saved letters from the writers, and then, when the writers passed away, they would send them to survivors in the family, who handed them down to others in time. 

We are lucky enough to have an unfinished letter from his GrGrandmother, written to her sister,Margaret, on the day her last baby was born, June 16, 1881. That baby was Mike's grandfather, and GrGrandmother Martha, passed away that same afternoon at 5 pm. We have letters from many of the ancestors, some whom I've yet to connect to proper blood lines.  They are wonderful history! They are often difficult to read, the handwriting is often shaky, or small, but they are clues to life in days long before I was born.

On Saturday I sat on the front porch in the shade, while the sun beat down through the humid air, and I went through the stacks of things within that box.  GrGrandfather Thomas, was Martha's husband.  He'd emigrated from Ireland, alone, in 1840 and later, his family joined him. He'd come with little, and worked his way up from stacking firewood on the wharfs in St Louis, to becoming a  a riverboat Captain, with at least eight sidewheelers and multiple barges. Some of the information we had was confirmed by receipts, but as I thumbed through and read the receipts, I discovered new information: boat names, barge names, bills of laden, freight bills, purchases. There was a four-page hand-written contract for the building of a new riverboat in the year 1855. Later, in the same box, I found a two page list of people, Captain, Pilot, crew and roust-abouts, as well as an inventory of all goods aboard when the boat was taken into service of the US Government on Aug 23, 1864, during the Civil War. At least two of GrGrandfather's boats were used to transport troops and supplies up and down the rivers. We even found orders from the Quarter Master, telling him where the boat was to be and when.

There were tax bills which gave us addresses for at least five homes that GrGrandfather owned. I stumbled across a list of the tenants, the rents they paid, the months of the year they were there. I discovered records of employees who worked on the boats, or on the 260 some acres where GrGrandfather grew orchards of apples. The orchard property was across the Illinois River in Missouri, and the farm overlooked the river, from the bluffs.  He'd built a huge T-shaped, two- story farmhouse with front porches on both levels. There were paid bills for materials for the twelve-room home in St.Louis  which he was refurbishing a few years before his death. He changed the gas ceiling lights, repapered and replastered the walls. He had a new kitchen put in, as well as new plumbing and rain gutters. Over the years, he'd been an industrious business man, and become quite an affluent one. 

There were receipts for the tiny white casket, velvet -lined for his 3 month old baby, Maggie, and the charge for the rented buggy.  There was a dentist bill, listing platinum fillings, gold crowns, and other dental work.  There was a receipted bill for a brand new buggy, with a full leather top and rubber sides that rolled up and down which would protect from the weather. I also found a jewelers receipt for a ladies gold watch and chain, $125, which was bought prior to his wedding to Martha in February 1869.  She is wearing the watch in a photo we have of the family.

There is nothing like this box of treasures to give us a true glimpse into a person's life. With every bit of paper, I felt as if I ws getting to know Capt. Thomas L. Mortland in a more intimate way. I think I will organize these things to give me a cohesive look, and perhaps put together a biographical sketch of GrGrandfather and his family members. I wonder what he would think, if he were here.