I guess I'm either getting really lazy or really old. For some reason, I haven't been on the computer since last Friday and I had about 150 messages....mostly junk stuff that I had to trash. I always tell myself that I won't wait so long between checking my mail, but sometimes the best intentions go down the drain. Also, when I don't get on, I don't write in my journal so therefore, that gets behind, too. So, here goes: Thursday I had a little get together for the " over 50 " ladies in my church. We had a really good time......ate, talked, played games, won prizes. It was so much fun that we decided to do it again real soon. Maybe some of the ones who didn't show will be persuaded to come out and join us. Tomorrow we'll be joining our sister church, Gethsemane, for a Sweetheart supper at their church and in two weeks, on the 23rd we're having a bean supper at our church. Now, on to more current things. Emily and I are watching the opening ceremony of the winter olympics. It sure looks cold, but it is pretty interesting. Especially the fact that some countries with millions of inhabitants only have 1 or 2 contestants. But Jamaica does have a bob-sledding team. Just like the movie "Cool Run". That ought to be interesting. Well, think we'll go down and eat some apple pie and watch for a while from downstairs. Maybe I can get my brain working again before i try to write again. Right now, everything in my head is so dull and uninteresting. Maybe something really outstanding will happen tomorrow when I go yardsaling that will make for an interesting page. See you!

Lonesome 2/10/02

Sometimes even when I'm with people I get so lonesome. There's a difference between lonesome and lonely. I very seldom ever get lonely, but I do get lonesome. You know, for a tender touch, a hug and a soft touch from someone whom you like/love. I think this is the main thing I miss since Boots got sick several years ago. Even when we weren't on the best of terms there were times when we were close. A hug and just being held or a random touch or tug on your hand, a shared laugh at something which strikes you both at the same time. I really miss having a male around. As much as they try to alienate you, it's still comforting to have a warm body when you need a hug . I know this isn't making sense, but like I said at the beginning.......I'm really lonesome.

Sweetheart Banquet 2/10/02

Last night was the joint Emmanuel/Gethsemane Sweetheart Banquet. Faye, Emily and I went together and we all had a really good time. Who ever arranged and decorated the tables decided that instead of all of "us" sitting together and all of "them" sitting together, we would have to sit with folks from the other church. Emily and I sat with a lady and her son who used to go to Gethsemane and a couple who go there now. We talked and sort of got to know each other and I invited them to our bean supper on Feb. 23, and I also told the pasor's wife from Gethsemane about it and they were real interested, so I sent them some tickets by Pastor Wade. I liked the fellowship and the singing by Crimson was fantastic. I think everybody who went had a good time except for Margie and she was too busy helping in the kitchen to have any fun. Well, when we have our bean supper she won't have to do any work except to make a couple of cakes or something. Think I'll go eat some of my leftover "stuff" from dinner. It was sooooo good. Bye now.

God's Creation 2/12/02

Have you ever been outside on a winter evening when the sun is starting to go down? First a bright glow fills the sky and then all of a sudden the sky turns to shades of pink, from the palest to the deepest rose and interspersed with the pink are all the shades of purple from the palest lavender to the deepest violet. Then all of a sudden, there are shades of yellow, green tints and even blue before it all turns to a steel gray and then night is here. Come morning, if the sky is clear we can see the miraculous saga all over again only this time , not quite the same, because the darker colors are not in evidence. They are waiting in the wings for the evening to put in their appearance. All the bright pinks, golds and reds are in the eastern sky bursting forth to herald a new day that is one of God's creations.

Weekend Again 2/22/02

Here it is!!!!!Another week end. So, what to do? Should I go out to a movie? Out to eat? Go to a dance? A party? Out shopping for lots of new clothes? Shucks, there's just soooo much to do, I think I'll either do it all or do nothing. Duh..........! What I'll really do is finish the book by Tami Hoag that I'm reading, bake a cake for the bean supper, and then get cozy and watch the end of the olympics on TV. And relax.......Until tomorrow morning and then I'm going to a yard sale!

Bossy Mates 2/26/02

Every spring since we've been in this house, there have been little birds who come and build nests in the corners of the awnings. They do this on the front porch and also under the awning on the kitchen window which I can see from the sink when I do dishes. I'm not sure of the kind, but the male has a rosy pink breast and some red on his crest and the female is just a dowdy brown. I think they are called rosy breasted finches. They are very small and I believe they mate for life. It seems as if the ones who build their nest at the kitchen window have been doing it for quite some time. It's really funny to watch them. The lady sits on the awning support and "tells" her hubby something and he flies away only to reappear in a few minutes with stuff hanging from his beak. She then "tells" him something else and he starts to place the straw, string, sometimes plastic flower stems, once the plastic off a six-pack of soda, in the corner. Then he flies away again and comes back with some more stuff. After a few trips, he has enough to start making a good nest. She is still sitting there telling him how to do it. Then, all of a sudden, she gets really shrill and he flies off again and she goes to the corner and pulls everything out of the corner and drops it in the parking lot. Seems he has done something wrong or else he's not following her instructions to the letter. He comes back with some more stuff and they start all over. Finally, after several starts, he does it the way she wants it done and she proceeds to sit on the nest and wallow around until it gets comfy. Then she lays her eggs and he brings her food all the time she sits on the eggs. However, as soon as the eggs hatch, they take turns sitting on the nest and feeding the babies. It's really an amazing process from start to finish.I saw the male out there the other day scoping out a site, so I guess it won't be long until they're back to start the process all over again.

Bad Dreams 2/27/02

Have you ever gone to sleep and all of a sudden you are terror stricken? You are being chased or stalked by something so evil that you can't seem to get your breath? You want to run or scream and it's impossible to do either and the "monster" is getting closer and closer. No matter what you do you can't get away from that something and you know that if you don't make a move soon, that you're a goner. Then, just in time, you awaken, and you realize that it was all a horrible dream but you're still so scared that you can't move; and if you do you can still see that thing that was in your dream and you wonder if you're really awake or not. When your heart finally slows down to a normal beat and you see that everything is OK you still have the urge to cover your head and lie real still "just in case" that monster is still out there. This is really bad if you happen to go to sleep on the sofa and after the bad dream you have to get up and go up the stairs to bed because they are all sorts of hidey places for monsters before you can make it to the safety of your bed. Do any of you ever have nights like this?

Kids ........Now and Then 2/28/02

I get so tired of hearing little kids saying, "I'm bored"! I didn't even know what the word meant until I was grown! I remember when my brother and I were little......the one closest to me in age......we were never bored. I remember I had a pair of those old timey metal skates that had toe clamps and a skate key. Well, I could skate and we had a good place to skate. We had a fairly long and smooth sidewalk and if we were lucky, we could sneak down the street to the railings and go down the first flight of steps leading to the mill gate where the cement was worn slick as glass by thousands of feet heading to the mill. I would put a skate on my right foot and Connie would put the other one on his left foot and we put our arms around each other's waists and we skated just like the Olympic skaters. Or so we thought!! It's a wonder we didn't break our necks but we survived childhood. One of our other things was to get old socks and make a "ball" out of them and play..lots of things. Batting it with a broken bat we found somewhere, or using it as a volley ball or hitting it with a piece of plank, as in tennis. It didn't go far, but we were having fun. One hot summer day we decided to build us a swimming pool in the back yard. Daddy had a stack of those asbestos shingles like we had on the roof and we decided to dig a BIG hole and line it with the shingles and then fill it with water. Well, we were digging away in the backyard when Daddy looked out the window and saw us and came to see what we were doing. Needless to say, that was the end of our pool, but he did hook up the hose pipe and drape it over the clothesline and let us play til we got cool and pruny. I remember being the only girl who wore guns and holsters and a cowboy hat. My brother and I and our cousin Harry would always take on the other boys on the street in cowboys and Indians.We had our backyard and the big field behind it and Harry's yard and the big "parking" lot behind it and we had such good times being the good guys. I realy don't remember ever being bored.......either then or now!