AWOL

Yes, dear readers...I know.  I didn't tell you that I'd be absent...and certainly NOT for this near-week period.  Please rest assured that I'll be writing again on Monday..or at latest, Tuesday.  My daughter hasn't been here since Christmas, and we're 'playing' and talking, and otherwise using our time together, so I know you'll all be forgiving!

See you soon....

Soap Operas...

One of my blogger friends mentioned the demise of the soap opera she watches. It took me back to my early womanhood when I was at home with my babies. It seemed they liked the 3pm hour for their afternoon feedings. I'd turn on the TV, which in that time, broadcast only game shows, talk shows and soaps.  I started watching General Hospital, and I got 'hooked'.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that. But, it is the truth. I watched almost daily, to be sure not to miss a moment of Dr. Steve Hardy and his girlfriend, and later wife, Audrey.  There were twists and turns, sickness, sorrows, deaths, resurrections, weddings, you name it...it was there. Things were written into stories that would never happen in real life!

There was a story line that involved some sort of mafia characters...every story must have a few villans, you understand.  After awhile of talking about the 'Ice Princess' who was the 'head' of the evil operations, she made her first appearance. The beautiful, violet-eyed Elizabeth Taylor did a short stint as the Ice Princess. She hatched a plan (and pulled it off) to freeze the entire area (I've forgotten the name of the city) from an underground weather station. She wreaked havoc, and when the story line was over, those characters were gone for good.

But of course, they were replaced by others.  Somewhere along the line, they introduced Dr Leslie Webber's long-lost daughter, Laura. She stayed on the show for a very long time, and in time, she was the main character. She had a sweet and loving relationship with Luke, and though they went through fire and rain, they ended up married. It was said that more people watched their 'wedding' than any other show to that date. Truth? I don't know, but we who watched were certainly intrigued by the whole thing.

What makes those things so addictive?  Are we so bored with our lives that we must watch a story-book portrayal of life?  I know that the writers of these things give you just enough at a time to draw you back....especially when they give you a 'cliff-hanger'.   All I can say is this, I guess I needed that entertainment and then I got hooked. 

Once I went to work, full-time, that was the end of that. I lived my own life and didn't have time for the nonsence that appeared on the TV screen at 3pm each week day.  And, do you know what? I didn't even miss it. 

Aftermath...

Fortunately Hurricane Irene did not hit the area where my kids live. She did, however, send storm surges and wind from her outer walls.  That did enough to keep the officials and the Highway Dept., as well as residents, busy for awhile.

There will be roads to clear, storm drains to clean out, trees to cut up and remove.  There will be areas near the beaches, owned by the Town, which will need new asphalt. There will be beach patrols to remove the debris and make sure things are safe for people to use the sands again.

As for us, my daughter lives in my Mom's rental house.  There are three trees along the road, owned by the Town, located  fifty or so feet from the house. Correction... there were three trees. Long after Irene's strong breath blew off in a northerly direction, she pulled something unexpected.  There are now two standing and one lying across the roof of my daughter's 2011 Chevrolet and blocking the garage door and the front door. They have one access in and out of the house. I don't know if there's any damage to the house, per se, other than the rain gutters, but once the tree is removed, we'll know better.

Meanwhile, phone calls have been made to the Town and to the insurance companies. There has to be paperwork and claims filed. The Town will have to inspect. The insurance companies will too. Then, I guess it's a waiting game. My daughter will have to get another car, once it is determined how her carrier will deal with this mess. 

I'm 900 miles from home and  my daughter.  I wish that I was closer, so that I could be more help to her. She told me this morning that there's nothing I can really do, but listen to her, and that I am the one she 'dumps' it all on.  I don't mind. That's what Moms are for, isn't it...at least one of our jobs.  

The poor kid has had a heck of a year, thus far. She's the one who had the gangrenous appendix and surgery in May. The loss of work while hospitalized and recuperating affected her finances, already strained. Her medical insurance has a large deductible to be met each time there's a  surgery, so there's a debt load she certainly didn't need. 

There are so many things to be grateful for, even in this. My daughter and her girls are fine, albeit, upset about the situation.  The home they are in is liveable.  The car is fully insured. This could have been so much worse.  In a few years, this will all be forgotten, but for now, there's a lot going on in our hearts and minds. We'll get through it, we always do, but life sure can hand you some surprises!

In Preparation....

All week-long, all over the TV channels reports of  Hurricane Irene have been broadcast: Irene over Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and where she might go next, seas rising and falling and surging against the sands, the storm's projected paths.  All of the East Coast has been watching and waiting.

I am far from the coast, and we have seen no wind or rain. But, still I am affected by this storm and it's fierce behaviors. Because two of  my children and two of Mike's, a number of grandkids and numerous friends are in her direct path, Irene is on my mind too.  I have sent instructions and suggestions, lists and good advice to my girls, who were too young to really know what a Hurricane is like, and what preparations should be made. I could tell when I spoke to one of them on the phone earlier this week, that she was not realizing the importance of it all.  I think she thought I was just needlessly worrying.  This morning, she said she's beginning to get an inkling that there might be something to worry about. 

I was hoping they would join together in one of their homes or the other, but it seems they're planning to stay in their respective places.  I suppose it's up to them, but I'd be happier thinking that they are together.  Of course, being 900 miles away, there's not much I can do to help them prepare...or listen.  There's nothing Mom can do to 'fix' anything so that they stay as safe as can be. It's one of those times when I wish I could control things, but can't.  

So, I've done what I can, and hopefully, they have all done what they can do to clear their yards of furniture and things that can propel through the air on a stiff wind. I pray that they've found what food they need should they lose their power, and not be able to cook anything. I hope they've got enough ice to keep their perishables cold enough that they won't need to throw too much food away. They've got books to read by flashlight and camping lanterns.  They've got games they can play. They will be 'locked down' together, my daughter and hers, my other daughter and her friend (s). 

And...they, as with all my friends who are in the line of the hurricane, will be in the hands of the protective Lord, because I've already placed them there...in preparation.

This Morning

"Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day!"  This August day is starting out with temperatures in the 70's, which will rise to the mid-80's. It's clear without a sign of that horrendous humidity we've suffered with this summer!  It is glorious out there!

The front door is swung open, and the fresh air comes through the screen door.  It feels so good, and has already taken the inside temperature down by three degrees. It doesn't feel stuffy in here any more!  I long for days like these, and I believe I'd be quite pleased if it stayed this way year-round. No, I wouldn't. I'd miss our one yearly snowfall and the crisp, cold, short winters, and the brisk Fall breezes that cause the brilliant colored leaves to dance.  I'd miss the summers too. Really, I would, as much as I gripe about the awful heat! It is actually because of each season's misbehaving that I appreciate the good days that we see!

There is a cacophony of sound coming from our front porch. There's enough breeze this morning to move the windchimes quite well. As the long copper pipes join, the deep, mellow notes fill the air, reminding me of the cleats hitting the  aluminum masts in the harbor back home.  The other windchime
is smaller and higher-pitched. It seems louder, and the sound goes through my head, almost causing me to take them down.  But, I don't...because it's quite melodic when it plays with the deeper one.

That just made me think about people.  Some are easy to be with, some are not. We might like to eliminate those difficult ones from our lives. But they are here, in our lives, for some reason. If they work together with others, the harmony of life can be so sweet!  If they work against everyone they meet, it may be more uncomfortable, but having them in our lives will be giving us something to grow through.  That is not a bad thing, however uncomfortable, is it?

So, this morning is a joy! It is a wonderful entry into another day of activity, of lessons and growth. I'm already enjoying the presence of it and I thank the Creator for it!
!

Late, but still grateful!

I am taking part in BlessingtheElements   Attitude of Gratitude blog entry each Saturday, but I'm late! (nothing new about that!)  This is my offering for this past week.

It is not difficult to share what I am grateful for this week.  My heart is thankful....for grandchildren, for the sweet things they say, the funny things they do, the love they offer without measure, the unconditional acceptance of their old family members. 

I'm grateful for the reasons they give me to smile!

What are you grateful for?  Put it in your blog, and then run over to http://blessingtheelements-mi.blogspot.com/2011/08/attitude-of-gratitude-you-simply.htmlis   and let her know that you're grateful too!

Creative Work

There is a saying that goes, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." It's not often that my hands are idle. Nor is my mind. I'm always turning the gears in my head with a list of ideas of what I'll do next. Many of those things get forgotten, because I don't write them down, and I've moved on to other things.

I'm a part of a group of ladies on a decorating website. We 'chat' on an electronic bulletin board, sharing photos and ideas of our projects and decorating. It's a nice bunch. Every so often, someone decides to organize a 'swap' for a specific season. The first time I was a part of the swap, it was "Christmas in July" where ten of us exchanged handmade ornaments for our future Christmas trees. The only real 'rules' were that they should be 'primitive' looking (it's a primitive country decorating site) and the sending dates. This time there was a 'Fall' swap.

It took me awhile to make a decision as to what to make for the July exchange...and I finally settled on mini- broomstick horses. They were well received, and I've now got a few orders for some of them for Christmas gifts. This time, I was wracking my brain for something different. I thought I could make some salt dough and make hanging things like leaves or pumpkins, using cookie cutters. But I thought someone else might do something like that. Then I thought I'd make some sachet-type items, scented with spices and shaped like acorns . I toyed with the idea of a banner to hang over a door way, saying, "Autumn!" or some catchy phrase or line from a poem. Finally, a lightbulb went off over my head, and I thought, "MASKS!"

So, on one of my trips to take care of some errands, I picked up some black felt, some white, and a few fall colored pieces and some black grosgrain ribbon. I came home and made a paper pattern, placed the eyes, and cut out a bunch of masks. I cut black and white together, so that the lining would fit the outside. Then I decorated each mask differently.

They are seven finished ones, and I'm still thinking that I might throw in a little something else when I send them to the gals. I did get some tiny little shopping bags in black and in orange, and I'll put a little something in those as a 'treat'. They need to be mailed before too long, so if I'm going to make something else, I'd better get crackin'.

When that project is finished, I think I might make a couple of other masks for my grandkids. They will enjoy that.