I never liked butterflies; well, I've never liked bugs, and butterflies are just bugs with wings. I know it sounds crazy, but I swear, they fly right at me. (*shudder*)
What do you think of whenever you see a butterfly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beverly at How Sweet the Sound hosts a Pink Saturday. She had a terrific idea to feature something pink on her Saturday posts, and then she invited others to join her with their own pink items. I just participated for the first time this past Saturday, and it was fun.
My favorite color is blue. So, I thought, "why not have a Blue Monday?"
Every Monday, I'll have a blue post, starting tomorrow, and I'd like to invite you to participate. All you need do is:
1. Post about something blue on your blog. It can be pretty, ugly, funny, old, or new as long as it's blue.
2. Drag the Blue Monday button from here, and place it on your blog.
3. Return here and leave your URL (blog link, or address to your blog) in the comment area. (I will have a Mr. Linky installed.) 4. Visit other blue participants by simply clicking on their links. Sound like fun? Gather up your blue items and we'll play together.
Beverly at how sweet the sound hosts a Pink Saturday, and I've joined in the fun this week. Although I'm not a pink person, I have found something to share with you.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! I collect apples, and this is one of my first. When my children were married, I began to go to college. I went for four years, got my degree, and began to teach. My daughter bought me this beautiful apple to commemorate that special happening. It's a soft opaque pink with a clear green stem. I just love it.
This pink apple does not show well in pictures. I worked so hard to get a good shot. It hardly showed up at all sitting on my kitchen counter, so I moved it to my white kitchen table. (You know I'm not a very good photographer.) This apple has a crackled look to it and is a clear, pink glass. I'll admit, it kinda looks like a squashed pink tomato here, but it really is quite pretty.
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
PS I've decided to do a Blue Monday. Every Monday, I'll have a blue post.
I'm getting a pair of custom made, leather shoes--every woman's dream-come-true. However, not mine.
Another blogger wrote a post lamenting the loss of her ability to wear pretty shoes. She wrote about having to toss out all of her shoes. I know the feeling; I've been there. I left a comment, encouraging her a bit, and promised her I would post on this subject.
When I was eleven years old, on the 4th of July, I had sparklers and jumped up and down, making the lovely swirls in the darkening sky. I'm the most nonathletic person you'll ever meet, and as proof, I landed on my right ankle. My mom heard a snap. My family did not have money for doctors, and so it was decided that the ankle was just a bad sprain. I could not walk for over three weeks; I hopped on my left leg until my mother insisted I stop babying myself. It hurt to put weight on it, but Mama said to begin to stand. So I walked. My ankle was painful; it swelled every day for a while, but eventually life went on.
Many years later, x-rays showed a broken bone that had healed, leaving me with a badly deformed ankle. The bottom of my foot slants! I've had problems throughout my life with my feet and legs. (Don't even talk to me about wearing high heels!)
As I aged, I became bow legged, and my knees had to both be replaced. When the right knee was done, the doctor was proud of how well he straightened the leg, but because that ankle was deformed, my Achilles Tendon couldn't take the additional strain and tore off the bone! In fact, it tore three times! I had two surgeries for the first two tears and then wore leg braces for a long while.
The first Achilles Tendon surgery damaged a nerve, and my right big toe now thinks it's a mountain. It protrudes such that I can no longer put my foot into a shoe--even a diabetic shoe. Therefore, I need the custom made shoes.
I went last Friday and had casts made of both feet. My new shoes should be ready in another week.
I will be grateful for those shoes. I will!
"The wear pattern on your running shoes suggests that you watch too much TV."
PS Please don't take this as me feeling sorry for myself; it's just my story and how I came to be what I am today. God is good. I will have shoes, and I will be grateful.
ALERT! Don't miss this fantastic video over at Melodie and Hymn Songs of a mama moose and her twins visiting a backyard with a sprinkler going!
If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?
Or, um, is it just me?
Yes, I read for the story. I think that's the main reason I am turned off from romance novels--so much pablum. Girl is alone. Boy is alone. Girl meets boy. Love happens. (boring!) Or run-of-the-mill mysteries that are easily solved by the third chapter. If you know what happens next, or who did the deed, why bother reading?
I appreciate authors who know how to turn a corner in the plot and give me something unexpected. In addition, I like to experience new things.
I'm currently reading Dark Star by Creston Mapes, a story about a rock star on trial for murdering his psychic. It's written in first person in a flip-flop style as the young singer finds success and then flips to the trial. I find it a gripping read, because I want to discover not only what happens next, but how did it come about?
I've been tagged by Rachel at Christians in Good Company to list 6 Quirks about myself.
Here are the rules: 1. Link to the person who tagged you 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. List 6 unspectacular quirks. 4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking to them on your post and then commenting them to let them know that they are "it!" 1. I'm a neat nut. I'm forever adjusting and tweaky things. I go so far as to straighten the canned goods on grocery shelves and to fold sweaters from a department store display! (However, I would never straighten another person's things. I didn't say I was RUDE!)
2. I use a post-it for a bookmark. It works much better as it doesn't slide all over the place like a regular bookmark. 3. I go far beyond hate when it comes to bugs. I simply cannot tolerate them. My poor husband knows that if EVER any bug--no matter how small--finds its way into our home, there is no sleep until it has been destroyed. Further, the ENTIRE house must then be drenched with bug spray. We may one day die from poisoning, but we'll be bug free!
4. I sleep with socks on my feet. What can I say? My tootsies get chilly.
5. I eat the same thing for lunch every day: Martha's Vineyard Salad from Arby's. I used to eat Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad, but switched when I learned that the Arby's was lower in calories and carbs.
6. I must have a totally straight back chair to sit in as I've had back surgery. Therefore, if anyone else rides in the passenger side seat of our car, they will find the seat in a uncomfortable straight up position.
Killlashandra at Full Time in New Mexico has given me this award! I am so pleased that she deems me worthy. I've drooled over this award quite a bit during my journeys around Blogland. I think it's beautiful.
Remember the game of gossip where you whisper a sentence into a person's ear and then that person tells the next, and so on until the last person repeats what she has heard--usually quite a different sentence? That has happened here! Something looked missing from the rules so I determined to get to the origin of this special award. Impossible you say? Ha--fooled you! Nothing is impossible if a person is willing to sacrifice untold hours! I did find the original name and rules, which I've listed here.
1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and which also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog so that it can be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link of the blog that presented him/her the award.
4. The award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link arte y pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award. [If my high school Spanish serves me right, this is translated to mean "little art."]
5. Show these rules.
So many of my blogging buddies already have the Arte y Pico award, and even though they are eligible to receive it more than once, I'd rather give it to one who has not yet had the pleasure. The winners, in no particular order are:
Drop by these blogs and see if you don't agree that they are deserving of this beautiful award.
Patty at Pip Stitch presented me with this colorful commenter award. Now, does this mean I talk too much?
Patty loves things vintage, especially aprons. She is a crafty person--the good kind who has an informative blog, and she's eager to share ideas and patterns.
I appreciate this because I really try to make positive comments on the blogs I visit, and it's nice to be noticed. Blogging is a conversation, and to visit a blog and not leave a comment, is just like visiting in a home and not speaking to the hostess. Therefore, I try to always "put in a word."
There are many who deserve this award, but I'm limited to five. I pass it along to these terrific commenters who often make my day:
The first time I remember hearing the expression "Blue Monday" was around l958. It was a wildly popular rock and roll song sung by Fats Domino. Ah, we had REAL music then! The lyrics aren't the greatest; I'll give you that. I've copied them here so that you can sing along.
However the song, as we kids used to say, "has a good beat to dance to." That was all that mattered in the 50s--being able to dance to the beat. As Kathy reminds me, we used to stroll to it. Take time to enjoy some good music.
Blue Monday how I hate Blue Monday Got to work like a slave all day Here come Tuesday, oh hard Tuesday I'm so tired got no time to play
Here come Wednesday, I'm beat to my socks My gal calls, got to tell her that I'm out 'Cause Thursday is a hard workin' day And Friday I get my pay
Saturday mornin', oh Saturday mornin' All my tiredness has gone away Got my money and my honey And I'm out on the stand to play
Sunday mornin' my head is bad But it's worth it for the time that I had But I've got to get my rest 'Cause Monday is a mess
To answer Diane, yep, Fats Domino is singing and living in New Orleans.
This would never might happen where I worship as my church is a contemporary one, so we sing a good song like Our God Reigns. Okay, okay, forgive the old gal with swiss cheese for a brain! We sing it. We sing it!
After twenty-five years in the same parish, Father O'Malley was saying his farewells at his retirement dinner. An eminent member of the congregation--a leading politician--had been asked to make a presentation and a short speech, but was late arriving. So the priest took it upon himself to fill the time, and stood up to the microphone:
"I remember the first confession I heard here twenty-five years ago and it worried me as to what sort of place I'd come to. That first confession remains the worst I've ever heard. The chap confessed that he'd stolen a TV set from a neighbor and lied to the police when questioned, successfully blaming it on a local scallywag. He said that he'd stolen money from his parents and from his employer, that he'd had affairs with several of his friends' wives, that he'd taken hard drugs, and had slept with another woman and given her a disease.
You can imagine what I thought. However I'm pleased to say that as the days passed I soon realized that this sad fellow was a frightful exception, and that this parish was indeed a wonderful place full of kind and decent people."
At this point, the politician arrived and apologized for being late, and eager to take the stage, he immediately stepped up to the microphone, pulled his speech from his pocket, and began: "I'll always remember when Father O'Malley first came to our parish," said the politician. "In fact, I'm pretty certain that I was the first person in the parish that he heard in confession."
When I was a child living in Washington, D.C., my father came home with two chickens that he won in a card game. Yes, he had been drinking! Chickens are not allowed in the city--after all, this is the nation's capitol! We could not keep them. We didn't have much money for food...well, you get the picture.
Not too many days later, my mother, a city gal, who had no previous experience with farm animals, wrung one of the chicken's neck. I stood and watched. I am still traumatized by the memory of that headless thing flopping around the backyard.
Next, using scalding hot water, she removed the feathers. Whew! What a smell! I don't think that thing EVER took a bath!
Chicken dinner was served that night, but I ate none of it.
All childhood memories are not pleasant, are they?
Whether you usually read off of your own book pile or from the library shelves NOW, chances are you started off with trips to the library. (There’s no way my parents could otherwise have kept up with my book habit when I was 10.) So … What is your earliest memory of a library? Who took you? Do you have you any funny/odd memories of the library?
The love of reading is a gift my mother gave to me. She often took me and my twin brother with her to the library. Just before our fifth birthday, she took us on a special day. We were going to get our own library cards!
To obtain a library card, the rules were that you must be at least five years old, and be able to sign your name on the application. I could I could print my name; Mama had taught me that, but I had a rough time writing it in script. My twin brother, who always seemed to be ahead of me, signed his name with no problem; I struggled, but just could not grasp it. The librarian and Mama kept encouraging me. Finally, the suggestion was made to draw little connecting lines between each printed letter so that it looked scripted.
I got my precious library card! Card in hand, I remember turning the corner of the room, seeing all those books available, and being told that I could read "any book" I wanted. That day, I took home five books, and I determined then and there to read all of the books in the library.
I must admit, I've adjusted that goal. (My husband, looking over my shoulder, grumbles, "I don't think so; you still want to read all the books!")
When my children were nine and fourteen, I began working--in a high school library as a clerk. I loved that job, being surrounded by books every day. Of course, many came home with me for a visit. Talk about Reader Heaven!
Carol at Charli & Me shared these two awards! I love getting awards. It's a blogger hug and kiss! And who among us doesn't need more love?
Carol is a nurse, who lives in Michigan with her husband and a pretty, little Schnauzer named Charli. She, like me, has grandchildren. Unlike me, she has a backyard filled with flowers and butterflies. (Butterflies! Yuk! The only thing she and I disagree about!) I met her through Booking Through Thursday, a terrific meme for those who love reading. We stayed in touch not just on Thursdays but throughout the week. She always has something interesting going on in her world.
Carol and I just clicked, and I feel that if we were next door neighbors, we'd be BFF (best friends forever)! But isn't that what blogging is all about? Blogland allows us to become friends with people whose faces we may never see. Instead, we get to know and care about the real person, and as my pastor says, "do life with them."
Keeping with Carol's tradition, I give these awards to all who pass through my corner of the world. If you read my blog, and especially if you leave a comment--I do love comments--please accept these awards and know that you are much appreciated.
Where I live, today is the first day of school for this year 2008-2009. It's a couple of days late because of Tropical Storm Fay. I won't be going, and I'm a little saddened by that fact.
As a child, I always dreamed of becoming a teacher. But, I married shortly after graduating from high school at age seventeen. (I skipped fourth grade.) When my two children married, I enrolled in college, keeping my dream of teaching alive. Four years later, degree in hand, I began to teach. I am one of those fortunate enough to live my childhood dream! I taught high school for many years. People used to tell me I had courage to teach in high school. Not so--it was pure joy. I loved teaching! It's not an easy job, but it's a rewarding one.
I know that on the first day of school, parents and students are anxious; teachers are too. I don't know of any of my colleagues who ever got a good night's sleep before the first day. Exciting times await! Today is a good day to pray for your child and for your child's teacher. It should be a very good year.
Do you have memories of the first day of school?
PS The powers that be removed this video from yesterday. It's too good to miss! There's a sport called kite surfing. You grab a bar that is attached to a giant kite and strap yourself on. Here's an example of why you should NOT do this during a tropical storm. Notice, please, the other people on the beach who are not blown away.
The foolish fellow is in critical condition in a local hospital. I'm sure the sand in his mouth will remain for awhile.
Beverly is a blogger who shares. She conducts a meme called Pink Saturday and another What's My Question Wednesday.
Beverly shares the Tree Of Happiness award. "You have just received the tree of happiness. It is scarcely a small plant, which depends on you to grow firmly and strongly. Plant it on your heart, water it with smiles and kindness, feel the aroma of its flowers, savour the sweetness of its fruits and protection under its shade whom you love."
Thank you to Beverly for thinking of others.
This award requires you list 6 things that make you happy right at the moment.
1. I am happy that blogging has introduced me to so many kind folks. 2. I am happy that Tropical Storm Fay decided to dump on Lake Ochechobee instead of on me. The lake supplies water to much of Florida and is down several feet. So this is a good thing. 3. I am happy that school will begin tomorrow, and our local world will get back to normal again. Some of my grandchildren are homeschooled, and others attend public school. I'm grateful that all of them love learning. 4. I am happy that I have a husband who understands and supports me with the time I spend on the computer. Of course, he is thankful that he gets to watch sports! 5. I am happy that my mother gave me the gift of reading. Whenever she had a minute, she always had a book or a magazine in her hand. I have the same love of reading. 6. I am happy knowing my family is safe and healthy.
I heart your blog award is the second award that Beverly shares. The rules of the award are:
1. The winner should put the award on their blog. 2. Link to the person that gave you the award. 3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4. Add links to the blogs you nominate. 5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you've nominated.
Using Beverly as an example, I am sharing these two awards with each of you reading this post. Please feel free to take these and pay-them-forward. Please let me know if you post the six things making you happy so that I may share in your happiness.
No school again today. Tropical Storm Fay isn't out of breath yet. We're still standing just fine, though. I had someone who will remain nameless (Justine!) beg me to take pictures. I tried to tell her it's just RAIN. Why does anyone want to see rain? Well, to shut her up make her happy, I took some, but you know what they look like? Yep, RAIN! Dark, gloomy, blurry--rain. So sorry, no pictures. Please don't hate me.
However, to placate those of you who want--really want to see how windy it gets, I have a video. There's a sport called kite surfing. You grab a bar that is attached to a giant kite and hang on. Here's an example of why you should NOT do this during a tropical storm. Notice, please, the other people on the beach who are not blown away.
The fellow is in critical condition. I'm sure the sand in his mouth will remain for awhile.
We should experience gusts up to 60mph soon. It's rained all night long--heavy rain, but Johnny and I slept through it. The good news: it will pass over Lake Okeechobee, our natural lake that provides water for the state. We've had drought conditions lately, so this is a very good thing. God is good. We need the water, and we're getting water. The bad news: some people have their electricity out; that's irritating. I've done that before, and it's no fun. However, it should be restored today. Tornadoes are predicted, and there's the real problem, but they're not BIG tornadoes like Kansas sees. We get category one tornadoes. Enough of this. On to more interesting news.
Remember the week of June 28-August 1, when there was a Bloggy Giveaways Carnival? There's one every three months. The time before that one, I entered a bunch of giveaways, but I did not win a one. However, I had fun trying! Truthfully, it was all about winning then.
However, this time, I have a blog, and I had even more fun. I gave away a $10 Target gift card, and I had fun meeting the winner and her family. That's the real fun of the carnival--meeting all the wonderful people in Blogland.
This carnival, I won three prizes! Take a look: Daisy sent me a computer game, Brainiveristy that is going to go to some already smart grandchildren. I tell you, if it worked on a Mac, I'd have kept it for myself. (Yes, I am that selfish!) Cindy sent me this book, Help Me, I'm Married! It is written by Joyce Meyer and is out of print. People stand in line wanting to get a copy of this book of gems. Killashandra at Full Time in New Mexico created and made this jewelry. I received it in this beautiful lavender bag. My camera is one of those cheap ones, so I do apologize. The red blobs are delicate red roses, my favorite flower. The carnival is a great idea. It stirs up excitement in Blogland and allows the opportunity of meeting even more friends. I have only been blogging since June, and I am amazed at just how many new people I have grown to care about--people I talk to every day. There'll be another carnival coming up in October. Have you entered this giveaway? Did you give something away? Have any good results? Start thinking now about what you might plan to giveaway.
