stop I say...STOP IT.

i have never googled single men in my area.
i've never googled single men in anyone's area.

so please stop sending me ads for some such nonsense.

i have a man. 
his name is brown-eyed-handsome-man.
and he's mine.
not sharing.

also not looking.
one man is enough for me.

so.... in the continuing 
"i married a good man" series..
here's one of his latests.

me: " i regret not having a college degree"
he:  " why?"
me: " i might need to take care of myself financially someday"
he:  "yes you might." slow pause
he: " but isn't it nice you've not had to," 
said with a pleased grin on his face.
me: " yes. i've been blessed."


 


       
 
 
 

i am a "space cadet"

really i am.
i have the ability to totally space out what i'm doing..
if i get side-tracked. 
and i DO get side-tracked.
for example:
on this dark chilly morn i decide
i want to light a candle.
am ready for a bit of fall fragrance.
okay. simple right?

the thing is i want to put this candle in a
certain candle holder. 
one i think of as Fall.
not a problem, except...
i couldn't find that one the other evening,
so why do i think i'll find it now?

optimism of course.

the hunt begins.
open kitchen cupboard checking once again
to see if it magically appeared.
no... now think here lady. 
okay.
go to laundry room cupboard
checking to see if it was hiding behind
something i was too lazy to move the last time.
nope. sigh.

well while i'm here might as well get the candle.
pull down those containers. 
"wow i have more tapers than i knew.
when did i get these? "
too bad i was looking for a certain votive. 
: )
candle located.
SCORE!

now back to holder hunt. 
go to living room closet,
get frame box out of the way so i can
get to the candle holder box.
look inside frame box, see photo of mom
on top. " hello mom".
put lid back on.
get c. h. box. 
go to dining room table...
look inside..
nope. not there.
but maybe i should get rid of some 
of those i don't use.
STOP.
don't get side-tracked.
stay focused.

turn off tea kettle.
 :-)

walk down hallway
turning on hall light at one end.
get to the other end and 
automatically turn off light.
stand in the dark for 2 seconds..
laugh at self.
LOUDLY.
turn light back on...
look in linen cupboard for that
certain candle holder...
nope...sigh...
wait...that looks like it's the iron base to 
"the prize"...waaay in the back.
move those things out of the way,
smelling candles, pondering why
i still have some.
but GET FOCUSED.
 
EUREKA!!!
"ahhh sweet mystery of life at last i found you."

bring it to dining room.
set it on counter.
fix hot chocolate.
see computer open...
go back to reading facebook.

i am not even remembering the sweetly scented Fall candle 
or it's holder by now. 

something on f/b prompts my memory.
oh yeah... i wanted a candle!!

spacecadetspacecadetcpacecadetspacecadetspacecadetspacecadet

are you still reading?
2 points for you. 

can you say 
flowerpowermomma--YOU are a major 
SPACE CADET?

certainly, thanks for noticing.
i shall put it on my resume'. 






 

light a candle in support

i just found out today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
we are all being encouraged to 
" light a candle near a window 
at 8 p.m today to show support for suicide prevention,
to remember a lost loved one and
for the survivors of suicide."

this hits too close to home for me.
in october 2007 one of my cousins
took his life.
his only child had died the october
before of cancer. 
it was more than he could handle.

and a few years before that another 
of my cousins lost her young teenage 
son to suicide.
you can see this has affected my 
family deeply.
the emotional impact is really 
beyond my comprehension.

death is hard.
but when someone you love
makes this choice,
it compounds the pain of those
left who loved them deeply,
and will miss them forever.

big hugs to my family, 
daily missing their kids.
and many others who live with this too.

and remembering two great Christophers today.
especially at 8:00 pm when 
there will be candles burning at my home
as i think about them both,
all day long.
and miss them deeply.
always.

 
 
 

 

i married a good man part.... 8?

not often enough do i take off my me hat
and put on the thankful hat.

sure makes it easier to appreciate the blessings
i have when i do though.
one of them is brown-eyed-handsome-man.
he's a pretty good critter for sure.
the latest thing is: we went to the movie on saturday.
sure we squeezed it in between chores and 
making a call on some people.
who doesn't multi task these days?

what movie?
hope springs.
the one about 'adding spark to your marriage'
after 31 years. 
sheesh we've been married 35 years!

it was a funny movie. 
i'm one of those people who laughs out loud in 
the theatre, even if no one else does.
i can't help it if they don't.
handsome man laughed too.

there are lines, scenes in this movie that
are funny because they are true.
it's what happens some times.
i really appreciated the line about
how she didn't marry the espn tv channel.
some days i think i did.

anyway.
brown-eyed-handsome-man didn't put up 
a fuss. 
he willingly went to see the movie with me.
(it was my turn to pick anyway.)
he's cool like that.
i appreciate it...lots.
and sometimes i need to be reminded to
remember to appreciate him.

later in the day he made this observation
re: the movie..
" you know, if they would just communicate with 
each other, it would work out better."

sure 'nuff honey-pot.
good, gentle, non-finger pointing communication
is what it takes to keep all relationships healthy.

that and commitment.
even in the hard times.
we make those choices to make the relationship
work. 
end of story.
no..
beginning of story.
or 
continuation of story.
it's a daily choice.

happy thursday!
go laugh and hoot somewhere today.
and be thankful for
who sits around your table .

 
 

 

technical help requested...honest

for real.

i would love others input here.
my 75 yr.old aunt wants a computer?
i pad? tablet? or some such thing 
so she can check email and have internet.

i have a cheap hp tablet
but really don't know much about anything else.

she used to have a laptop and got help from
her computer saavy son, but they are both gone
now, so ...
tell me whatcha know.
please
and 
thankyou. 

 

having the mind of Christ? not always.

the mind of Christ...
talk about being tricky on a good day!
on monday this is what my mind was saying.

I'm in a rotten mood today,
a really rotten mood today,

I'm feeling cross,
I'm feeling mean,
I'm jumpy as a jumping bean,
I have an awful attitude-
I'M IN A ROTTEN MOOD!
I'm in a rotten mood today,
a really rotten mood today,
I'm in a snit,
I'm in a stew,
there's nothing that I care to do
but sit all by myself and brood-
I'M IN A ROTTEN MOOD!

I'm in a rotten mood today,
a really rotten mood today,
you' better stay away from me,
I'm just a lump of misery,
I'm feeling absolutely rude-
I'M IN A ROTTEN MOOD!
~Jack Prelutsky, poet,  

 

that attitude adds challenges to 

having the mind of Christ.

 

bird told me to pray.

i had.

i even repented.

i thought of the 'count your blessings' hymn

too. 

 

but then i got busy.

i cleaned out some messy spots in the garage.

and in the garage closet.

filled a trash can full.

and i felt better.

sometimes cleaning helps me get rid

of not only dirt, stuff, but

rotten moods.

 

tuesday i was out of sorts...again.

sigh.

i'm sure i did something,

but don't remember what.

 

wednesday was 'george washington day"

hahaha.

i was chopping down trees!

okay not trees, 

back to taking out those dumb

bushes that have decided to die.

if you are a plant, shrub, etc in my yard

this year. 

and if you've been sitting on the fence

about living or dying...

i'm putting you out of your misery.

whack-attack.

you are history.

no more babying around, 

no more tlc.

you don't play by my rules..

off with your head.

i count 4 bushes that have left.

 

the irony of my no-tolerance

for dying things is quite apparent to me.

probably a result of moms death,

that i couldn't control....

so  i am controlling the plants.

 power!!!

 

hah.

 

still working on the daily, hourly mind of christ

thing. 

(although i bet he didn't have the brain lapses my 54 

year old mind does. )

i've had many opportunities to practice

christ-minded-ness.

more needy people have come to the door or

called this week. 

 

may i be remembered for compassionate responses

to their needs.

 

So.....

off to the farm today for some daddy-time.

also gonna sneak a few tulip bulbs under the silk

flowers we have on mom's grave.

dad doesn't think it's a good idea.

i do. 

hence the sneakiness.

 

thankful to report..

didn't wake with the rotten mood attitude today.

maybe this mind of Christ thing is working.

 

cheerio to ya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

standing on holy ground

 sometimes i just miss my mom.
on the hour long drive home today 
was one of those times.
the road takes me past the cemetery
where we put her "shell".
i usually drive in, swing past her headstone,
often make a comment, then move on.
which i did today.
i know she's not there, but that's where 
we put her shell, so ..

the radio was playing inspirational hymns and chorus's.
made me think of mom.
mom on earth
and mom in heaven.
she was a grand singer.

but here's the one chorus that took me down
"we are standing...
on holy ground.
for i know that there are angels
all around.
let us praise Jesus now.
for we are standing in his presence
on holy ground."

a few years ago this was played at the 
funeral of a sweet friends mom.
i was so blessed to be in that presence then.
it felt like such an honor to be there.

and the week mom died,
there were times i felt like i was on holy ground
when i was in the room with her.
it was so evident she was talking with God.
i said she had one foot in heaven, and she did.
and then we were on holy ground when 
she slipped away...
so fast we almost missed it.

however, today
when i think about my mom, it's rather
ripping-out-the-heartish. 
i know she's having a blast in heaven.
and for her i am happy.
it's me.
and dad.
and bird.
and all the rest of us.
we miss her.

and wouldn't you know that chorus
was played 2 times in that one hour!
yup. 
2 times to cry and be glad the road wasn't 
full of cars. 

i recently told one of my kids that there 
is no time line on emotional healing.
and there's not.
and last week i told you to talk about 
the people in your life who have died.
talk about them with others who are missing
them.
like my sweet poppa does.

man oh man...
talk about hard.

breath in
breath out.

yes his countenance may crumble,
his eyes may water.
but he will know you have
remembered the love of his life.
because rest assured he does
multiple times a day. 
it doesn't have to be big things.
for example:
today bird offered to put ice in my glass and
how much did i want?
me : "just a few. not like mom, but like dad"
i knew she would know. 
she did.
and we acknowledged our mom's preferences..
such a little thing,
but mom was remembered.

***
we cleaned on the pool today.
we talked of mom. 
how she would do it all by herself often.
bird and i take turns running the vacuum.
mainly because we can. 

we looked at old photos of mom, her folks,
her siblings.
she was such a skinny kid.
i wished she was there to tell us the stories
behind the photos. 

***
she would have been happy to see the
school bus picking up her great grands 
at the farm. 
how many years has it been since that happened?
stories we might have shared as we remembered
our many years of bus riding.
and our folks drove a "bus"for the one room
school we went too.
(it was really a station wagon full of kids)
but the concept was the same and they got paid.

dad, bird and i had talked about that last week,
remembering those years...long ago,
in the late 50's and early 60's. 

i still wish i could call her up to chat.
i can hear her say.."well the big yellow bus
drove up the drive earrrly this morning.
i bet the kids were excited. i prayed for them 
and their day. will be fun to hear about it
sometime." 

my sweet momma.
loved deeply
and often.
oh how blessed we all were.

how blessed heaven is now.