TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY

A hand-carved Nativity scene from Oberammergau, Germany is on display with about 150 other Nativity scenes from around the world at St. Emma’s Monastery of Greensburg.  Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08359/937268-59.stm#ixzz0acogxPQC

I was prompted by our friend, Michael, to put a post up in honor of the Christmas Holiday that most of us will be celebrating.  Of course I had planned to get this up sooner or later… Being that today is Christmas Eve, I would have gotten to it sometime today. But thanks, Michael.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to remind you of The Reason for the Season.  Let us remember that we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  I love to picture that Beautiful Little Baby nestled in the manger.

LEFT HOLDING A PELT

I thought they were called Suicide Bunnies but it seems I was mistaken.  They are Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley and they are hilarious.  It’s sick as heck when you really think about it but these bunnies are not only determined to cross over, they are total geniuses when it comes to finding a a gazillion different ways.

I came across some of the comics quite awhile ago and I may have mentioned them here.  It was hard to find anyone else who’d heard of them.  And yeah, they looked at me kind of funny when I would say how hilarious it is to watch innocent, cute little bunnies trying to off themselves.

So yesterday when I was Christmas shopping I saw that they have a calendar out.  I would have bought it for someone or myself but it seemed kind of pricey for only twelve scenarios.  (Yes, I am cheap, but you knew that already.)  Now if it had been a daily desk calendar, I’d have paid more for it and I’d be wrapping a few of them for the crazy people I know.  And I’d have to have one myself.  Here is one of my favorites:

Check them out if you haven’t.  Judging by the collective sense of humor of (most of) my readership, I feel safe in saying that you’ll laugh pretty good. I couldn’t find a link that wasn’t to someone’s  blog,  and this was the best one I found, so I must give credit to Mr. Jimmy Ruska for his compilation, here.

MAYBE IT WILL GROW ON YOU

No, I’m not at all happy with the new look of my blog.  I know what I wanted it to look like and I thought it would look better than this.  But I don’t have time to put it back.   It’s kind of like when you’re on your way out the door and you look down and your socks don’t match.  In the whole scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter anyway, now does it?

PANIC AVERTED

Late in November I had a bunch of vacation days to use.  But due to some unforeseen circumstances in the past few weeks, I’ve had to rearrange things and I won’t be having all sorts of days off after all.

I had big plans for those blocks of time off.  Baking cookies, doing cards, decorating, shopping and wrapping.  Unrushed and uninterrupted.  I was feeling all on top of the whole business and looking forward to an easy and unstressed holiday.  I had convinced myself that this would be the best Christmas ever, simply because I would be prepared.  And I hadn’t expected the Juju’s until after the New Year.  That changed and I was even more convinced that everything would be perfect.  Then I looked at my calendar and the scratched off days that had been labeled in big red letters, proclaiming OFF.  The panic started seeping in…

We have no tree up and no indoor decorations.  The living room remodeling is taking longer than planned, mostly because PD is having some rough days and because other things have come up.  And I’m working long hours. (Although this past week we got a short reprieve from the OT.)  So until we can at least put the furniture where it belongs, we shall remain treeless.

I realize this isn’t the least bit entertaining for you.  I apologize for that.  This post is mostly for me, to get some thoughts out of my head.  Which is why I started blogging in the first place.  So bear with me.

Anyway.  I took my mom shopping today and I accomplished so much on my list.  I feel way less stressed about it and I will probly sleep better tonight.

I like to get the frivolities out of the way so when the big day comes I can concentrate on the real reason for the celebration.  I feel like I have a shot at actually pulling that off.  *Sigh*

I should be concentrating on the fact that I got my mom home safely today.  On the way back from the mall, we decided to stop at a restaurant for “nourishment.”  She had cappuccino and peach pie.  I had coffee and a Belgian waffle with whipped creme, strawberries and ice cream.  When we came out, I pulled back out onto the road and it was pure ice.  Of the black variety that I’ve often heard of but never actually experienced.  It took a very long time to get home and there were vehicles all over pulled off to the sides of the road.  All the coaching that PD has been drumming into my head over the years seems to have paid off.  I was quite relieved when I pulled into my driveway.

Looking forward to a long winter’s nap tonight.  You betcha’.

AWAY FOR A DAY

Not that anyone was expecting me to post or anything but I actually did have plans to post the rest of the week.  You see, we got so far ahead at work (hard to believe, I know) that I am temporarily off overtime hours.  For the rest of the week, as it stands now.

And one of the first things I thought of doing with those two plus extra hours a day, was actually sitting down here and pretending it was like old times.

But then something came up and this will probly be all you’re gonna get.

My mom called me this afternoon to share the sad news that her sister, my aunt, had died this morning.  As accustomed as I have become the past several months to hearing bad news, I was not prepared at all for this.

My mom has two sisters and as they have aged, I’ve gotten in the habit of thinking of them as The Golden Girls.  While none of the three particularly resemble Rose or Blanche or Dorothy, their collective personalities are as entertaining and delightful.  I have not been in the same room with the three of them for years but the memories I have of them together are precious to me.   There was never a dull moment or a lapse in laughter when they were together.

One of these days I will post a picture of them and a story or two to go with it.

PD and I will be driving back to my hometown on Thursday to pay our respects and share some necessary Family love.  I need to put my time in at work tomorrow and then finish packing for Thursday.  See ya later, ‘gators.

Prayers appreciated for my uncle, my cousin, the grand daughters, my mom and my other aunt.  Thank you.

ENCORE

Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man

I’m pretty sure I posted this once already but it’s so freakin’ awesome I had to do it again in case you missed it the first time.  Caution: bad word.

OBSERVATIONS

PD and I spent last weekend with the Juju Clan  (not linking to Juju’s blog, it seems to be in a state of repose…). It was great.  The littlest Juju boy turned 3 years old.  We sang Happy Birthday (quietly while he covered his ears and closed his eyes- doesn’t like being the center of attention, obviously) and ate cake and ice cream and he opened presents in the traditional way that we  celebrate birthdays.  It was great spending time with them on a happy occasion.  I just happen to have the most awesome grandkids in the world.

There always seem to be some interesting sights and occurences on our way to and from NY.  This time was no exception.  The only thing missing was the usual gorgeous sun and clouds that always seem to be present over Interstate 79.  This time was just gray gloom.  Oh well.

I am not one to buy much into stereotypes such as the ones that you may or may not associate with truck drivers.  But I don’t believe that I’ve ever noticed a truck driver who was of the Oriental persuasion.  Nothing wrong with that, just an observation.  Kind of like a blog I used to read, “Black Men Don’t Ride Bikes.”

Coming down 79 between mile markers 161 and 162, there is a small stuffed gnome strapped to a pole.  That was pretty cool.  Hope he’s keeping warm at night. And not missing his family too much.

There was only ONE BOAT on the lake at Moraine State park.  It wasn’t terribly sunny but it wasn’t cold, so I was surprised.

Saw a license plate on a fancy car (maybe a Lexus?) that read: PRAYD4IT.  Thought that was kind of sad, myself.

A conversation between PD and me on the way~

PD: There’s an unmarked State Police car.

Me:  Question: What’s the sense of an unmarked car if people like you can tell it’s a police vehicle?

PD: (no answer)

Me: How did you know it’s a police car?

PD: It said on the side.

Me: (wth?) Then it wasn’t unmarked, now was it?

PD: Well, there were no lights on top.

It’s just these sorts of exchanges that make me wonder how we get along so well.

Then there was this~

We’d come out of a rest stop.  PD had been waiting for me, reading the front page of USA Today.  There was an article about a bomb-sniffing dog that had been lost in the Afghan desert for a year and he read me the the headline.  I had been thinking about something and what he’d said only half-registered in my busy brain. He told me that when they found the dog they honored him with a regular hero’s welcome. It suddenly occurred to me that it seemed highly weird that they would train an Afghan Hound to sniff bombs.  And how in the heck would one survive for a year in the desert?  Yeah, this is how my brain works.  And why PD deserves your prayers.  And more of my undivided attention.

 

 

THINGS CAN CHANGE

I was never a fan of Norah Jones.  That is, until I heard this song.  Then I fell in love.

Norah Jones – Chasing Pirates

NEW TATE VID

This just in.  The ink is still wet…

One of my favorite songs in a brand new video that the band made themselves.  I have that on good authority.  They told me.   *wink wink*

Enjoy.  And don’t try to dance with your coffee.  You’ll spill it.  I know.

The Airborne Toxic Event – Gasoline: Majordomo Version

DAD’S PLANT (Part 2)

So yeah, I’ve had the plant since my dad died April of 1998. It was the only plant from the dish garden that survived so I was very careful about tending to it. In fact, when we would go to the family park each year for our family reunion, PD fills up jugs with water from the creek there and I would use that to water it each and every Saturday morning. My dad probly played in that creek or fished in it and I figured he might appreciate some of that “down home food” for the plant. I got to the point that I would be devastated if anything happened to the plant so I tried numerous times to take cuttings, hoping they would root and I’d have a “back up” if anything ever happened to it. It took me all this time but I now have two full-sized plants and a baby that I’m tending with love and care.
The really cool thing about this plant… All of a sudden one day after I’d had it for awhile, it bloomed. Little wee tiny white flowers. I don’t remember how long the blooms lasted the first few times. But after a time, I noticed that there was no pattern to when it would bloom. After another time, I noticed that it would bloom when there was something good going on in the family, such as when a baby was born or a marriage, different milestones in the family. I started to interpret the flowers as Dad’s way of saying to me “This is good.” After a few years, I got used to it and could predict when I could start watching for the flowers. You can understand, I think, why the plants have come to be so important to me.
I have a cousin who grew fascinated with the plant a while back when I told her that it bloomed right before she told us she was expecting. A couple of years later when she found herself once again in a family way, she would call me from time to time to see what Dad was “saying.” As it so happened, she called one day and I reported that the plant was indeed in bloom but I was amazed this time, to see that the flowers were not white, but lavender. She laughed and told me she knew why. When I asked how she could know such a thing, she told me that she had painted the baby’s nursery lavender that morning. So of course, the next time I see her, I’m gifting her with the baby plant. I know she’ll appreciate it and take good care of it. And I think Dad would like that.

There have been times that my mom was struggling with health issues or some other type of stress. I love to be able to tell her that the plants are blooming and that Dad is saying “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
I’m sure there are those out there who may be skeptical about this kind of communication I have with my Dad. But I don’t care, it’s between him and me and that’s all that matters.
It’s Saturday morning, time to go water the plants. : )