Nothing was going to stop these geese, so I strung another, lower string this time, from one end of the pond to the other. They learned to go in between and fly over. I was at my wits end when I decided to call the state wildlife something. I got someone with a very southern accent...VERY, and told him of my dilemma. He asked if we lived on a lot of land...me being so literal and all I was visualizing the farm, and I responded, "Yes." And he said, "Can you shoot?" I responded, "Well, this is North Carolina," to which he responded, "No, I mean can you shoot on your land?" I assured him that would not be a consideration in this neighborhood, and I wasn't quite sure where he was going with his train of thought. He seemed to back down from the idea of me shooting them, and then told me how he and his buddy could come out here and take care of them and we'd never see the Lula Belle's and Billy Bob's ever again, "You know what I mean?" Oh yeah, I got the picture and just visualized them reeling them in and throwing them in trashcans and hauling them off, with the geese squawking and screaming, OR NOT. No, I decided I would try a few more things before I called them again.
I believe we are at Plan E by now. People took to asking me how the "Goose Situation" was coming, people I didn't know, and I started to become nervous, because someone in this frame of mind is first up in the news in Orlando. (The evening news usually started with the animal stories, and I just knew they would take the geese side over ours if the local affiliates ever got wind about what I was doing.)Someone suggested we get a pellet gun and just shoot around them and it would scare them away. That was going to be THE LAST resort, until one day I had had ENOUGH. I stormed in from the back porch and went straight to the garage. I picked up what I thought would do the trick and came back in and said, "OK, Randy, I've had enough. Where are the bullets?" He looked up from the newspaper he was reading, and said very matter-of-factly, "You're not going to get very far. That's a paint gun." I told him to find a gun out of all the "beginner's guns" Matthew had inherited from grandfathers that we kept hidden in the attic and would pass down to our grandchildren someday, and to find some bullets and then go shoot around them...NOT AT THEM. So he found Matthew's pellet gun, along with some pellets, and it really did scare them off, but we had to do it about twice a day, as they would fly out about 10 feet and wait for us to go back in and they'd hop right back up in our yard. It was obvious that they were toying with us, and were trying to use reversed psychology, making us emotionally crazy as I had done to them. (You really do reap what you sow.)
I probably became TOO verbal after that, because people started telling me ways they had heard to get rid of the geese. Plan F involved me going to Sam's and buying the bulk Alka-seltzer. I was told to dilute it and pour it along the shoreline. I tore into those individual wrappers like a dog with a bone, about 100 of them, and plopped, plopped, fizzed fizzed, Oh what a relief it is'd, until I had two huge containers of fizzing, bubbling water to pour about a foot above the water line. (I didn't worry about it making it to the fish because it was so diluted, and it was the Alka-seltzer that was supposed to do whatever it did to repel the geese on the surface.) I poured and poured and had to make some more. It really did seem to work, but as I had to tell my neighbor later on, it rained and the geese were back the next day, and I wasn't willing to do that particular plan again. (By the way, if you need any Alka-seltzers, I have plenty.)
I never made it to plan G. I was at the pool one day, and someone told me one of the geese had been killed accidentally, and ended with these words that were to haunt me until last week, when I heard an addendum to what I heard that day. (To back up, my first thought was, "Oh no. Did I kill it?" and "Can they trace it back to me?")Her words were, "You know they mate for life." No, I didn't know that. I couldn't get it out of my head how sad that must be to go the rest of your life doomed to never have a mate again. Your one true love gone forever. I wondered if they were in the early stages of their relationship or were in their twilight years, which was what I was hoping, but would never know. I came home from the pool and went straight to the back porch to look out to see if the geese were there. To my horror, there was only one goose there. It was the goose in mourning. I burst out crying, and would start up again, every time I looked out and it was there, all alone. I would just stand at the window and watch and pray that the other geese wouldn't black-ball it and it would be doomed to be a lone goose for the rest of its life. There was only one time that I recall that other geese tried to fly into our pond area at that time, and the single goose honked them away. Meditation: We all have our dark moments and just need time alone to recoup sometimes, even when others mean well and try to help. We just need to be respectful of each individual's needs
After about a week, the other geese did return and the loner would just hang out by itself on the outskirts of the flocks. I found myself counting geese everywhere I went to see if there were odd numbers of flocks and I always came up with an even number. It wasn't looking too bright for the single goose. I would see other single geese out and about in town, and started wondering if I maybe got them together, they could make a new policy on the "mate for life" rule. They could just be friends, couldn't they? Maybe nobody had ever tried before and didn't know what they would do if they were given a second chance!
There just didn't seem to be a way I could experiment with the geese, so I just watched and waited and kept counting, until one day, I got an odd number. I recounted those geese five times or more until I realized the goose was out of mourning and back with the flock. They would still swim in pairs, but the goose was obviously included back in. Meditation:"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:20) I also thought of the geese even living out Solomon's general observations in Ecclesiastes 3, entitled, "A Time for Everything." [There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...]
Before I close I need to tell you what I found out last week that just made my week! I got it from goosehuntingtips.com. The male and female stay together all their life; it is one of their most natural Canada goose habits. If one should disappear the living Canada Goose generally finds another mate. Another interesting characteristic is that the family stays together for one year after the goslings are born. However, upon return to the breeding territory the goslings will leave the parents to fend for themselves.They will then fight for a mate and like the parents be with that mate for life. This is another natural of the many Canada goose habits."
See, there really was "nothing to fear, but fear itself." By the way...there's more.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Behold the Goose
One of the first things I loved doing when we first moved in was "Goose Watching." I would sit up in my office and gaze down to the pond and watch them congregate by the 100s. After watching for a long period of time I began to recognize their habits. Once it got warmer, they became very regimented. They were obviously getting ready to migrate, because they would have whole days of practicing take-offs; another day they would practice landings. It seemed as though there was a whole day put aside for each focus: eating, bathing/cleaning, fighting, and formations. I wish I had written down "The Priority for the Day." It would have been interesting to see if they did the same thing every day of the week. (I will try to do that this winter.)
Spring was obviously bursting forth, and one day I heard a cacophony coming from up above. I realized that the migration had begun, and even got to see the migrating geese take off in large numbers, circling back around to give the farewell dip before they headed north. I wondered why there were still others sitting on the pond, and assumed the flocks all had their own pilots who determined such things. But summer came and they stayed.
The geese who had looked so beautiful from afar, took on a new light when viewed pond-side in the light of spring and summer. They pooped at a rapid rate of green; multiplied by groups of 22, it seemed, per flock. Our back yard became a health hazard to the dog (Who would think she would like goose poo?) and a minefield to Randy and I as we searched for "clean" grass to step on. Evening pond walks took on a whole new look. Anyone watching us would think we were playing the game TWISTER without bending, or asking, "Mother, may I?" as we took giant steps to the next clear area.
I decided these lazy geese had to go from our backyard. I could tolerate the ones who came and left, but not these. Spring was here and summer was coming, and it would be a long time until fall came again, and they could hook up with the responsible geese again. Dire times call for drastic measures. I decided I would send Mollie, our dog, on a wild goose chase. She learned quickly, that when I let her out and whispered, "Go get 'em," to run to the edge of the pond and scare them into the water. That lasted about 2 days, but I didn't know that. I thought, "That was pretty easy. They know we have a dog now. They won't come back."
Silly me. They eventually walked to the water and would step in and honk at her and spread their wings. I became fearful that they would attack her, but so far, so good, because I warn them she is coming now. I stand on the balcony and scream, "Shoo, Geese, Shoo," at the top of my lungs. (I can't even imagine what the neighbors must think.) That stopped working too, so I had to go to plan C. Randy and I hauled huge rocks from a neighborhood rock pile (We got permission first.) and bordered the whole pond with them. I figured the geese wouldn't be able to step up. (We didn't think WE were ever going to be able to step up again after hauling all those rocks.)I was right, they didn't step up...they hopped up. I began to take it personally.
Plan D was obvious--buy some string and string up a line right at the rock line from one end of the property to the other. I didn't want to have to do it twice so I got hot pink string. The first goose chase with Mollie put them in a tither. They couldn't think fast enough to go under the string, so they had to fly over it. There were so many at one point, though, they couldn't fly all at once, and some ducked under. I went out a few days later and to my horror, there were goose feathers all over the yard. I figured a coyote must have gotten hold of a bunch of them, but all I saw were feathers, no body parts. (We know there are coyotes here because we were awakened one night that first spring to howling and squawking. It was horrible. I don't think Randy and I went back to sleep that night. It was the eeriest sound we have ever heard. The coyotes had found the goose eggs. It's survival of the fittest, so we were glad nature was taking care of itself.)
I was starting to feel sorry for them, because I figured all my master-minding had upset their emotional health, and maybe they were going to think they shouldn't stay in our yard. (I found out they molt all their feathers at once and produce new ones for the next migration.)I didn't want all those feathers to go to waste, so I picked the largest ones up with a glove on both hands, and tied them on the pink string at about 3 foot intervals. My thinking was that they would see the feathers and think, "We'd better not go there. Look what happened to the last goose who did. She obviously made an example out of them."
I am going to stop here for the night, because this is a long story; therefore there are a few meditations that came out of this and I cannot rush, so bear with me, and please do not send me all the ways to get rid of the geese. I need to let you know I am a goose advocate now. Will explain more tomorrow. In the meantime, the "Word for the blog for the day," is "cacophony" n. (ca-cof e ne) Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance. (I loved the comment yesterday. I still am trying not to feel guilty for just browsing in a bookstore and enjoying it so much. It's hard to break old habits.)
Spring was obviously bursting forth, and one day I heard a cacophony coming from up above. I realized that the migration had begun, and even got to see the migrating geese take off in large numbers, circling back around to give the farewell dip before they headed north. I wondered why there were still others sitting on the pond, and assumed the flocks all had their own pilots who determined such things. But summer came and they stayed.
The geese who had looked so beautiful from afar, took on a new light when viewed pond-side in the light of spring and summer. They pooped at a rapid rate of green; multiplied by groups of 22, it seemed, per flock. Our back yard became a health hazard to the dog (Who would think she would like goose poo?) and a minefield to Randy and I as we searched for "clean" grass to step on. Evening pond walks took on a whole new look. Anyone watching us would think we were playing the game TWISTER without bending, or asking, "Mother, may I?" as we took giant steps to the next clear area.
I decided these lazy geese had to go from our backyard. I could tolerate the ones who came and left, but not these. Spring was here and summer was coming, and it would be a long time until fall came again, and they could hook up with the responsible geese again. Dire times call for drastic measures. I decided I would send Mollie, our dog, on a wild goose chase. She learned quickly, that when I let her out and whispered, "Go get 'em," to run to the edge of the pond and scare them into the water. That lasted about 2 days, but I didn't know that. I thought, "That was pretty easy. They know we have a dog now. They won't come back."
Silly me. They eventually walked to the water and would step in and honk at her and spread their wings. I became fearful that they would attack her, but so far, so good, because I warn them she is coming now. I stand on the balcony and scream, "Shoo, Geese, Shoo," at the top of my lungs. (I can't even imagine what the neighbors must think.) That stopped working too, so I had to go to plan C. Randy and I hauled huge rocks from a neighborhood rock pile (We got permission first.) and bordered the whole pond with them. I figured the geese wouldn't be able to step up. (We didn't think WE were ever going to be able to step up again after hauling all those rocks.)I was right, they didn't step up...they hopped up. I began to take it personally.
Plan D was obvious--buy some string and string up a line right at the rock line from one end of the property to the other. I didn't want to have to do it twice so I got hot pink string. The first goose chase with Mollie put them in a tither. They couldn't think fast enough to go under the string, so they had to fly over it. There were so many at one point, though, they couldn't fly all at once, and some ducked under. I went out a few days later and to my horror, there were goose feathers all over the yard. I figured a coyote must have gotten hold of a bunch of them, but all I saw were feathers, no body parts. (We know there are coyotes here because we were awakened one night that first spring to howling and squawking. It was horrible. I don't think Randy and I went back to sleep that night. It was the eeriest sound we have ever heard. The coyotes had found the goose eggs. It's survival of the fittest, so we were glad nature was taking care of itself.)
I was starting to feel sorry for them, because I figured all my master-minding had upset their emotional health, and maybe they were going to think they shouldn't stay in our yard. (I found out they molt all their feathers at once and produce new ones for the next migration.)I didn't want all those feathers to go to waste, so I picked the largest ones up with a glove on both hands, and tied them on the pink string at about 3 foot intervals. My thinking was that they would see the feathers and think, "We'd better not go there. Look what happened to the last goose who did. She obviously made an example out of them."
I am going to stop here for the night, because this is a long story; therefore there are a few meditations that came out of this and I cannot rush, so bear with me, and please do not send me all the ways to get rid of the geese. I need to let you know I am a goose advocate now. Will explain more tomorrow. In the meantime, the "Word for the blog for the day," is "cacophony" n. (ca-cof e ne) Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance. (I loved the comment yesterday. I still am trying not to feel guilty for just browsing in a bookstore and enjoying it so much. It's hard to break old habits.)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Reason for the Season
Our first Christmas here at Brookberry Farm was a life-saver for me. It took my mind off of myself. I have learned that when a person starts to focus too much on themselves, unless they are trying to sort through giving up an unwanted personality trait like selfishness, etc., then they could be getting ready to step into the "depths of despair," we've all heard about. It doesn't take long go get to the "depth" part, which usually entails just putting your foot into the hole to begin with. It often starts with a thought, and peering into the "What if?" and then before you know it, you are swirling through the tunnel with all the mud and rocks around you, and wondering, "What am I going to do now?" I say this because there were years where I was singing right along with Elvis that I was going to have a "Blue Christmas." And I did. I let the hurry-scurry of the holidays deplete my joy. I was too tired to be happy. In fact, there was one Christmas where I hurriedly fixed Christmas Eve dinner for everyone, herded them into the car to go to the Christmas Eve service, and sat fuming in my seat, saying, "I hate Christmas," to myself. Our pastor looked back at me sitting in my sulkiness and mouthed, "Are you OK?" Every part of my body yelled, "NO," as my mouth formed the word. In fact, I couldn't wait for Christmas to be over, because if "Jesus was the reason for the season," I was not seeing Him anywhere, so why bother?
I've since realized that my expectations for myself and others were way too high. Everything does not have to be perfect. Go with the flow and you will be a happier person. Have you ever gone down "The Lazy River" at a water park? (The word "lazy" is what entices me, because it insinuates no responsibility on my part.) What's the point? You let the flow of the water take you wherever it will because you know there is a force that carries you and you will eventually end up right where you started, or you can even just keep on going, and can hop out wherever you want. You may bump into a few people, but nobody's yelling at you, because they all know that the current affects each one of us. It's a journey. Why not just do what you can to maneuver your inner tube, out of kindness to others, and then enjoy the ride?
I've got another saying on my wall right below the pictures of Leah and Matthew upstairs, which reminds me not to worry about them down in Florida. It says, "Life is a journey and only God holds the map." It used to say, "and only you hold the map." That is a terrifying thought to me...that I would be solely responsible for my future. I AM totally responsible for my actions, but I am so thankful that I KNOW who holds the map.
We had a marvelous time together that first Christmas here in Winston Salem, but it just went too fast, and our children were back in Florida before we knew it. Connie & Larry stayed an extra day, so we took them to see one our many North Carolina wineries. If you've never been to one and want to just drive up and look, it's OK. We've done it many times. The vistas are absolutely beautiful, especially in the summer when the grapes, in all their luxuriance, are hanging on happily to their vines, anticipating there is a greater purpose than for others to just behold their beauty. They are ripe for the harvest, and therefore ready to fulfill their purpose for being. Meditation: We have to remember that the grape is not evil in and of itself, but the magnitude of its use is what we must consider. Eating too many grapes or too much grape jelly or jam (sugar) is not good for anyone, especially a diabetic, or someone who is overweight. The same with wine and grape juice, or anything else for that matter. These things may make you ill, as can anything in excess. This is an area where each person must look within to determine what is best for them. Abstinence may even be your path, and that's never a bad thing if it keeps you healthy and out of trouble. I challenge you to give yourself a healthy once-over to see if there is anything that has an excessive hold on you. It may not even have anything to do with what you eat or drink, but may concern how you think and act. If you find something, turn in the other direction and walk away from the hole. You won't regret it.
I've since realized that my expectations for myself and others were way too high. Everything does not have to be perfect. Go with the flow and you will be a happier person. Have you ever gone down "The Lazy River" at a water park? (The word "lazy" is what entices me, because it insinuates no responsibility on my part.) What's the point? You let the flow of the water take you wherever it will because you know there is a force that carries you and you will eventually end up right where you started, or you can even just keep on going, and can hop out wherever you want. You may bump into a few people, but nobody's yelling at you, because they all know that the current affects each one of us. It's a journey. Why not just do what you can to maneuver your inner tube, out of kindness to others, and then enjoy the ride?
I've got another saying on my wall right below the pictures of Leah and Matthew upstairs, which reminds me not to worry about them down in Florida. It says, "Life is a journey and only God holds the map." It used to say, "and only you hold the map." That is a terrifying thought to me...that I would be solely responsible for my future. I AM totally responsible for my actions, but I am so thankful that I KNOW who holds the map.
We had a marvelous time together that first Christmas here in Winston Salem, but it just went too fast, and our children were back in Florida before we knew it. Connie & Larry stayed an extra day, so we took them to see one our many North Carolina wineries. If you've never been to one and want to just drive up and look, it's OK. We've done it many times. The vistas are absolutely beautiful, especially in the summer when the grapes, in all their luxuriance, are hanging on happily to their vines, anticipating there is a greater purpose than for others to just behold their beauty. They are ripe for the harvest, and therefore ready to fulfill their purpose for being. Meditation: We have to remember that the grape is not evil in and of itself, but the magnitude of its use is what we must consider. Eating too many grapes or too much grape jelly or jam (sugar) is not good for anyone, especially a diabetic, or someone who is overweight. The same with wine and grape juice, or anything else for that matter. These things may make you ill, as can anything in excess. This is an area where each person must look within to determine what is best for them. Abstinence may even be your path, and that's never a bad thing if it keeps you healthy and out of trouble. I challenge you to give yourself a healthy once-over to see if there is anything that has an excessive hold on you. It may not even have anything to do with what you eat or drink, but may concern how you think and act. If you find something, turn in the other direction and walk away from the hole. You won't regret it.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Last of the Foot News
I had my last doctor's visit today, in regard to the bunion removal. I had gotten a call on Friday that my sweet doctor was not going to be available for a while, so I looked forward to meeting his son. He didn't look a thing like his dad, but he sure did have his bedside manner...attentive and kind. They x-rayed my foot and I could hardly see where the break was, even though the two pins they inserted were quite apparent. My foot looks all flaky and great. They both look like twins again, albeit fraternal ones. Dr. M., Jr. said I could go into a real tennis shoe on Friday. He suggested a good brand, and off I went to Dick's for a proper shoe. (By the way, everyone needs an arch, so invest in a podiatrist's opinion if you are having any foot pain. You won't regret it.)
I told him my other foot had hurt far more than the surgeried one ever did, and pointed to where I thought the tumor must be. I even went so far as to tell him that a quick zap with a laser would pulverize it and I didn't care if the minuscule pieces found their homes in my surrounding tissue. One difference between he and his dad...he didn't appear to have the same sense of humor Dad had. He suggested a shot instead, but quickly assured me that I wouldn't feel a thing, as he was going to cool it down first. He did, and after he had leaned my chair back so I couldn't watch, he s l o w l y injected the medication into my heel, and found out more than he wanted to know about our children. (He asked, mind you. I didn't just start talking about our kids!)
The good thing is I really had some good stuff to tell him...Matthew's appointment to the Student Government Association as a Justice (Seat # 4) at University of Central Florida, and Leah's just-hot-off-the-press announcement that she will be leaving for Singapore in early December to help open the new Universal Studios there. She'll be there through the end of March and we are all quite excited about it. I guess I am probably most excited about the fact that we will all get to spend Thanksgiving up in GA this year; something we haven't done in a long time. We will celebrate Christmas early and exchange phone calls probably A LOT!
To change the subject, it's cold in Winston Salem now that the darkness has come. We are expecting a frost here tonight; therefore I had to bring in orchids, and a variety of other tropical plants that I have placed all over the yard. We are expecting it to get down to 34 degrees tonight, but you wouldn't have known that on the walk I took with Mollie just 2 hours ago. The best way to describe the weather is it feels exactly equidistant from winter, into fall and spring. Do you know what I'm talking about? In the fall it feels like the beginning of winter, and at the epicenter of winter, this day is equidistant from spring. If you don't get it, I could explain it, but if you don't get it then it doesn't really matter. It does to me. I remember doing my water aerobics into late September down in Florida. Every early fall prior to our last fall there, I would sense a time where the thermostat had changed from the day/week before. The very last year we lived there, I remember sitting in the pool and saying out loud, "I just felt the thermostat change!" It was a marvelous experience and one I will never forget. Truly a flick of the switch. The light dims just a little, like a film has been placed over what we see, and the temperature lowers and dark and light grapple for who is going to win just a bit earlier. Check it out as spring approaches if you want to see for yourself. There are all kinds of things to look for, but I'd rather you discover them for yourself.
Randy's out in Branson, Missouri re-acquainting with old friends from all over the U.S., and beyond. He and a few others are receiving recognition for their part in starting food service theme-park yearly meetings years ago, that changed the face of how themeparks went from just hamburger and hotdog fare to hiring chefs and utilizing the culinary arts in their food service departments. I am very proud of him. They helped a lot of the small parks provide good food and effective managerial skills.
Speaking of which, one of our news channels suggested we "Shop the Triad," the name for our three adjacent cities: Winston Salem, Greensboro & Highpoint. (I hope.)Randy and I have felt more than ever that we need to support our local businesses. I want to challenge you to go offline between now and Christmas and shop locally if you can. I try to use every coupon that comes to this house that represents a small business, if I am in need of that business's services. I went to a small town store yesterday,with my coupon in hand, and the owner told me she was just trying to hold on to get through this quarter. I made my purchase, and promised to get the word out to shop at her establishment. If everyone just buys something small or recommends the business to another, it helps. The newscaster pointed out that it wasn't our large department stores that support our silent auctions, etc., that help profit our local charities, so we need to be cognizant of that. I know it's a Catch 22, but do your best, OK?
Phrase for the blog for the day: "Catch-22" (Taken from Widipedia) "a common idimoatic usage meaning 'a no-win situation" or a 'double bind' of any type. Read Joseph Heller's book of the same title for more examples and a good read.
I told him my other foot had hurt far more than the surgeried one ever did, and pointed to where I thought the tumor must be. I even went so far as to tell him that a quick zap with a laser would pulverize it and I didn't care if the minuscule pieces found their homes in my surrounding tissue. One difference between he and his dad...he didn't appear to have the same sense of humor Dad had. He suggested a shot instead, but quickly assured me that I wouldn't feel a thing, as he was going to cool it down first. He did, and after he had leaned my chair back so I couldn't watch, he s l o w l y injected the medication into my heel, and found out more than he wanted to know about our children. (He asked, mind you. I didn't just start talking about our kids!)
The good thing is I really had some good stuff to tell him...Matthew's appointment to the Student Government Association as a Justice (Seat # 4) at University of Central Florida, and Leah's just-hot-off-the-press announcement that she will be leaving for Singapore in early December to help open the new Universal Studios there. She'll be there through the end of March and we are all quite excited about it. I guess I am probably most excited about the fact that we will all get to spend Thanksgiving up in GA this year; something we haven't done in a long time. We will celebrate Christmas early and exchange phone calls probably A LOT!
To change the subject, it's cold in Winston Salem now that the darkness has come. We are expecting a frost here tonight; therefore I had to bring in orchids, and a variety of other tropical plants that I have placed all over the yard. We are expecting it to get down to 34 degrees tonight, but you wouldn't have known that on the walk I took with Mollie just 2 hours ago. The best way to describe the weather is it feels exactly equidistant from winter, into fall and spring. Do you know what I'm talking about? In the fall it feels like the beginning of winter, and at the epicenter of winter, this day is equidistant from spring. If you don't get it, I could explain it, but if you don't get it then it doesn't really matter. It does to me. I remember doing my water aerobics into late September down in Florida. Every early fall prior to our last fall there, I would sense a time where the thermostat had changed from the day/week before. The very last year we lived there, I remember sitting in the pool and saying out loud, "I just felt the thermostat change!" It was a marvelous experience and one I will never forget. Truly a flick of the switch. The light dims just a little, like a film has been placed over what we see, and the temperature lowers and dark and light grapple for who is going to win just a bit earlier. Check it out as spring approaches if you want to see for yourself. There are all kinds of things to look for, but I'd rather you discover them for yourself.
Randy's out in Branson, Missouri re-acquainting with old friends from all over the U.S., and beyond. He and a few others are receiving recognition for their part in starting food service theme-park yearly meetings years ago, that changed the face of how themeparks went from just hamburger and hotdog fare to hiring chefs and utilizing the culinary arts in their food service departments. I am very proud of him. They helped a lot of the small parks provide good food and effective managerial skills.
Speaking of which, one of our news channels suggested we "Shop the Triad," the name for our three adjacent cities: Winston Salem, Greensboro & Highpoint. (I hope.)Randy and I have felt more than ever that we need to support our local businesses. I want to challenge you to go offline between now and Christmas and shop locally if you can. I try to use every coupon that comes to this house that represents a small business, if I am in need of that business's services. I went to a small town store yesterday,with my coupon in hand, and the owner told me she was just trying to hold on to get through this quarter. I made my purchase, and promised to get the word out to shop at her establishment. If everyone just buys something small or recommends the business to another, it helps. The newscaster pointed out that it wasn't our large department stores that support our silent auctions, etc., that help profit our local charities, so we need to be cognizant of that. I know it's a Catch 22, but do your best, OK?
Phrase for the blog for the day: "Catch-22" (Taken from Widipedia) "a common idimoatic usage meaning 'a no-win situation" or a 'double bind' of any type. Read Joseph Heller's book of the same title for more examples and a good read.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fast Forward to the Present For a Minute
What a mix of emotions these last two days have been. Yesterday was the funeral of one of our brave police officers who was killed in the line of duty. He and another officer were shot on October 7, in response to a domestic violence call at a local Bojangles restaurant. Sgt. Mickey Hutchens died this past Monday. It was very sad. His pastor said, "He was a great family man. He loved his children and his wife and his family. Mickey loved his family because he loved the Lord. He knew what love was."
There was a memorial service at Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University. Randy called while I was out, and during the service, and told me not to go toward 40 or Silas Creek due to the traffic. I was en route home and decided I could at least go OVER a bridge that would show the procession to the burial site. I just felt a need to pay my respects to his family and law-enforcement in general. I was amazed at how quickly I made my way to the bridge. NOTHING could have astounded and overwhelmed me more to look on both sides of the bridge and see police cars of every make and color with their blue lights flashing in silence. It was a steady stream as far as the eye could see in both directions. I've never seen anything like it. People were stopped on the other side and were paying their respects with their hands over their hearts. I just said a prayer for the families and added another prayer for the family of the man who shot them. My heart goes out to them every time I see them on the news. He was killed in the mayhem and they are left to clean up the mess on his part. As I looked at the stream of well-wishers, I couldn't help but hope that Winston Salem could be the first small/large town in the world to just say and mean, "We've had enough. We will no longer tolerate anything harmful to another. We will practice the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Today, on the other hand, just flipped the page to what makes Winston Salem a fun place to live. It was a beautiful overcast, cold, fall day. The Bowman Gray, Jr., estate on Brookberry Farm had an auction. It was open to the public and yours truly was there front and center. I arrived at 9:35 AM to see people milling about looking for a treasure they would hopefully take home. I registered and got my number, lucky 47, and couldn't wait for the bidding to start, which it did right after 10:00. The auctioneer started with the Bob Timberlake limited edition pictures in the sitting room and then went to other originals and the rugs. I raised my hand a few times to drive up the bids, and could have kicked myself a few times for not being THE LAST NUMBER. But who knew?
I started to get the hang of hearing the auctioneer's voice go into the final drone, and stopped living in the "you snooze, you lose" realm. There was a Limoge box that went for $5. and a Tiffany tray with beautiful tulips that went for $30. HELLO! Don't pity me, I'm slow, but I did finally get it. I got a set of brass andirons for the fireplace for $7., some Limoge and Royal Doulton coffeeware, four mahogany chairs for my game table upstairs, and Mrs. Gray's coffee carafes in which she served coffee and breakfast to her guests in bed when they visited. You know what I am going to be doing with them...you may not get breakfast in bed, but I sure will make an effort to have coffee at the door as you prepare to come upstairs or downstairs.
Randy stayed home until lunch time, then brought me a heavy jacket, chair, lunch and a coffee. A lot of the neighborhood showed up, but the women could not even fathom using the Porta-toilets, which I thought was hilarious. I am of pioneer stock and it sure comes in handy in times like this. Porta-toilets have come a long way, so girls, give it a try. You really don't know what you are missing...like that deviled egg tray that you've never seen another like anywhere.
Randy called right at the end...he's so intuitive, and made the 4 minute drive to the estate just as I was lifting OUR new game table chairs over the splitrail fence. I love this place and don't want to miss out on one opportunity of this fun adventure we are on. Beware future visitors...I will probably challenge you to a game of Scrabble. In the meantime internalize your new words and the word for the blog for the day (which I sometimes forget to put in) is: "satiated or sate;" [v.] both are generally interchangeable, and mean to satisfy an appetite or desire FULLY. Sentence: Winston Salem satiates my hunger for the arts and creativity. May the Lord satiate each one of you in ways that glorify Him and bless you and others. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20.
Oh, by the way. I have to tell you that my foot got a LOT of attention. People stopped me left and right wanting to know what had happened. (I'm telling you...these people are so darn nice.) I got to hear all their foot stories; some good and some just down-right horrible (like the lady who didn't get to shower for 2 years because her feet were in such a mess) and I even have a message for my sweet Dr. Welby look-alike on Monday, my last visit, you'll be happy to know. He will be getting asparagus in the spring as soon as it comes in. The auctioneer even said he liked my shoes, "by the way." I had on my new boot and a hot pink galosh. (It was only one.)I'll tell you, I'm going to have a hard time putting this foot in a shoe, so I may just extend the boot time a little. I'll keep you posted.
There was a memorial service at Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University. Randy called while I was out, and during the service, and told me not to go toward 40 or Silas Creek due to the traffic. I was en route home and decided I could at least go OVER a bridge that would show the procession to the burial site. I just felt a need to pay my respects to his family and law-enforcement in general. I was amazed at how quickly I made my way to the bridge. NOTHING could have astounded and overwhelmed me more to look on both sides of the bridge and see police cars of every make and color with their blue lights flashing in silence. It was a steady stream as far as the eye could see in both directions. I've never seen anything like it. People were stopped on the other side and were paying their respects with their hands over their hearts. I just said a prayer for the families and added another prayer for the family of the man who shot them. My heart goes out to them every time I see them on the news. He was killed in the mayhem and they are left to clean up the mess on his part. As I looked at the stream of well-wishers, I couldn't help but hope that Winston Salem could be the first small/large town in the world to just say and mean, "We've had enough. We will no longer tolerate anything harmful to another. We will practice the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Today, on the other hand, just flipped the page to what makes Winston Salem a fun place to live. It was a beautiful overcast, cold, fall day. The Bowman Gray, Jr., estate on Brookberry Farm had an auction. It was open to the public and yours truly was there front and center. I arrived at 9:35 AM to see people milling about looking for a treasure they would hopefully take home. I registered and got my number, lucky 47, and couldn't wait for the bidding to start, which it did right after 10:00. The auctioneer started with the Bob Timberlake limited edition pictures in the sitting room and then went to other originals and the rugs. I raised my hand a few times to drive up the bids, and could have kicked myself a few times for not being THE LAST NUMBER. But who knew?
I started to get the hang of hearing the auctioneer's voice go into the final drone, and stopped living in the "you snooze, you lose" realm. There was a Limoge box that went for $5. and a Tiffany tray with beautiful tulips that went for $30. HELLO! Don't pity me, I'm slow, but I did finally get it. I got a set of brass andirons for the fireplace for $7., some Limoge and Royal Doulton coffeeware, four mahogany chairs for my game table upstairs, and Mrs. Gray's coffee carafes in which she served coffee and breakfast to her guests in bed when they visited. You know what I am going to be doing with them...you may not get breakfast in bed, but I sure will make an effort to have coffee at the door as you prepare to come upstairs or downstairs.
Randy stayed home until lunch time, then brought me a heavy jacket, chair, lunch and a coffee. A lot of the neighborhood showed up, but the women could not even fathom using the Porta-toilets, which I thought was hilarious. I am of pioneer stock and it sure comes in handy in times like this. Porta-toilets have come a long way, so girls, give it a try. You really don't know what you are missing...like that deviled egg tray that you've never seen another like anywhere.
Randy called right at the end...he's so intuitive, and made the 4 minute drive to the estate just as I was lifting OUR new game table chairs over the splitrail fence. I love this place and don't want to miss out on one opportunity of this fun adventure we are on. Beware future visitors...I will probably challenge you to a game of Scrabble. In the meantime internalize your new words and the word for the blog for the day (which I sometimes forget to put in) is: "satiated or sate;" [v.] both are generally interchangeable, and mean to satisfy an appetite or desire FULLY. Sentence: Winston Salem satiates my hunger for the arts and creativity. May the Lord satiate each one of you in ways that glorify Him and bless you and others. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20.
Oh, by the way. I have to tell you that my foot got a LOT of attention. People stopped me left and right wanting to know what had happened. (I'm telling you...these people are so darn nice.) I got to hear all their foot stories; some good and some just down-right horrible (like the lady who didn't get to shower for 2 years because her feet were in such a mess) and I even have a message for my sweet Dr. Welby look-alike on Monday, my last visit, you'll be happy to know. He will be getting asparagus in the spring as soon as it comes in. The auctioneer even said he liked my shoes, "by the way." I had on my new boot and a hot pink galosh. (It was only one.)I'll tell you, I'm going to have a hard time putting this foot in a shoe, so I may just extend the boot time a little. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Excitement of the Holidays
We arrived in Winston Salem one cold and frosty morn. I just like the way that sounds, but it's true. We got in about 1:30 AM on October 30. For whatever reason, I had pillows and blankets in our car, possibly from spending the night at our children's condo the night before. We had told Peggy and Jonathan that we would be coming in and they were fine with it. The porch light was on, as was the heat, and there was orange juice and muffins for breakfast the next morning. Just another indication of how thoughtful these Winston Salemites are.
We walked the house in wonder one last time before going to bed, not believing it was finished and we were finally there. We decided to sleep up in the library because the floor looked so inviting. Mollie was thrilled to have us on her level. We awoke to something that we had not experienced too much in all our years of living in Florida...frost! I barely had Mollie, who was in my arms, out the door before everything on her started to tremble. She was just a black mass of shaking fur as the cold took the breath from both of us. I put her down and heard the crunch of ice as she struggled to find a place to potty. It was Halloween.
We spent the day buying essentials and I anxiously anticipated giving out candy on our first Halloween night. We looked out the window at one point and all the little trick-or-treaters were by-passing our house, even though I had every light on inside and out. We were truly lit up like a jack-0-lantern...empty on the inside, but with lots of light flowing out. I finally ran out into the driveway and yelled, "We may not have furniture, but we do have CANDY!" That's all it took; we were on the way to meeting our new neighbors.
The movers arrived bright and early the next day and all went well. I told Randy to make sure all the Christmas trees were convenient, along with all the fall decorations, because I had a plan. It involved buying a new dining room suit. It's like I told Randy when we gave Leah our old one. "I settled before because of price. We're buying for life now and I want mahogany." You do know that NC is the furniture capital of the world, right? We went to Boyles Furniture Store and I found just what I was looking for after having looked for weeks and not seeing just what I wanted. We purchased a table,10 Chippendale chairs, a china cabinet, and a sideboard, which now sits in the entry way. "By the way," I told the saleslady, "I need it by Thanksgiving," which was a week away. She looked at me as though I had just grown 2 more sets of ears. She wasn't going to make any promises, but she'd do the best she could, she told us. You see my sister, Linda, was coming with her family and grandchildren, along with my sister, Pam, and her daughter. I wanted everything to be perfect because Thanksgiving had always been in GA while my mother was alive, and this was the first time we would be getting together since her death. I wanted it to be a true THANKSGIVING.
I decorated the house for fall, and had decided that we would eat on the breakfast table and bring in a patio table if we had to, but, much to my surprise, the table and chairs came moments before everyone arrived. I had baked and planned menus in between unpacking and hanging pictures, so we were pretty much ready to entertain. I have to tell you that having my family walk through the doors reminded me of what my mother must have felt as we all gathered together at her house every Thanksgiving. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this because I had never seen it from her perspective. I was too busy anticipating family dynamics going awry and wanting to get back to my little safe-haven in Florida even before we had arrived. This was one of my first "meditations:" negative thoughts often become self-fulfilling realities; therefore I was going to see to it that everyone was going to be allowed the freedom to do what they wanted while there that would fit their personality or "bent."
I decided to put it in action right after we ate our Thanksgiving dinner. I happily declared that anyone who wanted could help decorate the Christmas tree that Randy had ready and waiting in the garage. Needless to say, the kids couldn't wait. (That didn't last long, but we had Play Mobile toys and other fun "new things" to capture their attention.) Linda had brought her monogramming machine and was busily monogramming bath towels for our bathrooms as a housewarming gift. Pam and Laurie, and Leigh, Linda's daughter, helped with the tree, and Randy stood ready to help when needed with David downstairs, who was watching a game.
I can still recall the magic that enveloped the house as the Christmas music played; the fireplace and Christmas lights added an extra warmth to the great room that was already warmed by our familial connectedness. There was a feeling of contentment. Laurie and Leigh stopped decorating at one point and went into the kitchen to make hot chocolate "concoctions" as they called them. Pam and I talked about our most favorite Christmas memories since we were closest in age, and Linda just kept on sewing. Her two grandchildren, T.J. and Erin wandered in an out and kept us entertained. I want to tell my mother that I get it now, and trust that because she now has a heavenly perspective, that she is praying for me, my sisters, our children, and grandchildren...praying that we will teach and model to them the things that are truly important in life...and that is relationships, and that we will meet others where they are rather than try to put them where we want them to be. And that's harder than it sounds. Happy 61st Birthday, Linda. I love you.
We walked the house in wonder one last time before going to bed, not believing it was finished and we were finally there. We decided to sleep up in the library because the floor looked so inviting. Mollie was thrilled to have us on her level. We awoke to something that we had not experienced too much in all our years of living in Florida...frost! I barely had Mollie, who was in my arms, out the door before everything on her started to tremble. She was just a black mass of shaking fur as the cold took the breath from both of us. I put her down and heard the crunch of ice as she struggled to find a place to potty. It was Halloween.
We spent the day buying essentials and I anxiously anticipated giving out candy on our first Halloween night. We looked out the window at one point and all the little trick-or-treaters were by-passing our house, even though I had every light on inside and out. We were truly lit up like a jack-0-lantern...empty on the inside, but with lots of light flowing out. I finally ran out into the driveway and yelled, "We may not have furniture, but we do have CANDY!" That's all it took; we were on the way to meeting our new neighbors.
The movers arrived bright and early the next day and all went well. I told Randy to make sure all the Christmas trees were convenient, along with all the fall decorations, because I had a plan. It involved buying a new dining room suit. It's like I told Randy when we gave Leah our old one. "I settled before because of price. We're buying for life now and I want mahogany." You do know that NC is the furniture capital of the world, right? We went to Boyles Furniture Store and I found just what I was looking for after having looked for weeks and not seeing just what I wanted. We purchased a table,10 Chippendale chairs, a china cabinet, and a sideboard, which now sits in the entry way. "By the way," I told the saleslady, "I need it by Thanksgiving," which was a week away. She looked at me as though I had just grown 2 more sets of ears. She wasn't going to make any promises, but she'd do the best she could, she told us. You see my sister, Linda, was coming with her family and grandchildren, along with my sister, Pam, and her daughter. I wanted everything to be perfect because Thanksgiving had always been in GA while my mother was alive, and this was the first time we would be getting together since her death. I wanted it to be a true THANKSGIVING.
I decorated the house for fall, and had decided that we would eat on the breakfast table and bring in a patio table if we had to, but, much to my surprise, the table and chairs came moments before everyone arrived. I had baked and planned menus in between unpacking and hanging pictures, so we were pretty much ready to entertain. I have to tell you that having my family walk through the doors reminded me of what my mother must have felt as we all gathered together at her house every Thanksgiving. It brings tears to my eyes as I write this because I had never seen it from her perspective. I was too busy anticipating family dynamics going awry and wanting to get back to my little safe-haven in Florida even before we had arrived. This was one of my first "meditations:" negative thoughts often become self-fulfilling realities; therefore I was going to see to it that everyone was going to be allowed the freedom to do what they wanted while there that would fit their personality or "bent."
I decided to put it in action right after we ate our Thanksgiving dinner. I happily declared that anyone who wanted could help decorate the Christmas tree that Randy had ready and waiting in the garage. Needless to say, the kids couldn't wait. (That didn't last long, but we had Play Mobile toys and other fun "new things" to capture their attention.) Linda had brought her monogramming machine and was busily monogramming bath towels for our bathrooms as a housewarming gift. Pam and Laurie, and Leigh, Linda's daughter, helped with the tree, and Randy stood ready to help when needed with David downstairs, who was watching a game.
I can still recall the magic that enveloped the house as the Christmas music played; the fireplace and Christmas lights added an extra warmth to the great room that was already warmed by our familial connectedness. There was a feeling of contentment. Laurie and Leigh stopped decorating at one point and went into the kitchen to make hot chocolate "concoctions" as they called them. Pam and I talked about our most favorite Christmas memories since we were closest in age, and Linda just kept on sewing. Her two grandchildren, T.J. and Erin wandered in an out and kept us entertained. I want to tell my mother that I get it now, and trust that because she now has a heavenly perspective, that she is praying for me, my sisters, our children, and grandchildren...praying that we will teach and model to them the things that are truly important in life...and that is relationships, and that we will meet others where they are rather than try to put them where we want them to be. And that's harder than it sounds. Happy 61st Birthday, Linda. I love you.
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