I'm getting older and thinking...

 

Hello dear friends,

I've been thinking about some things.  One being that my birthday is coming quickly.  I will be 60 years old.  I don't know exactly when that happened but here it is.  Growing up, I couldn't imagine myself being 25 much less 60, could you?  I never imagined my hair would be graying and there would be an old woman in my mirror every morning.  It never crossed my mind that I would have adult children...nor did I think I would have the most precious grandblessings in the world.  

All I thought about was running barefoot through the woods and riding my bicycle to every curious place in my daydreams.  I dreamed of living the life of a fairy or a princess.  I spent my time climbing trees and going on adventures through the many books I read...sometimes I combined the two.  I spent days making flower crowns and mud pies.  Oh and the pine straw houses!  Every room was laid out perfectly!  I imagined they were big mansions or small forest cottages, depending on where my head was that day...or what book I was reading.  I was a free spirit back then.

Of course, marriage changed all of that.  I became a no-nonsense wife and mama.  Someone who had a real home rather than a pine straw house, that needed to be tended to.  I had diapers to change, appointments to be kept, and meals to be prepared.  I became a stranger to myself...

Then a failed marriage made me over into a hard-working, OCD, anxiety-riddled, walking panic attack, with an attitude and anger in my heart, replacing the dreamer child and the crazed no-nonsense wife/mama.  This person has lived inside me for more than 30 years, now.  

It bewilders me as to how I let that happen.  It seems so far away, those days of running barefoot with a flower crown on my head.  So, I've been thinking...maybe it's time for that to change.  I don't imagine the change will happen easily or quickly...or even fully.  But maybe...just maybe...I can find that once free spirit just for a minute, just for a day...or even only in my mind.  I will start intentionally doing small things like writing my name in the dirt or walking through a puddle.  Maybe...just maybe...my inner fairy will come out for a visit.

No matter who I become next, I will celebrate turning 60!  I will embrace it and romanticize the life I am blessed with.  

Maybe it is time for a change...even on this blog.  I can't say if I will continue here but with a different focus or if I will start something new altogether.  I will think on that more.

Grace & Peace,

Pam

Wednesday HodgePodge

 

1. Hello Summer! In the northern hemisphere anyway. What's something on your summer bucket list? Do you have an actual summer bucket list? If not, use your hypothetical list.

Hmmm...I don't have a bucket list but I do want to go see my sister in Texas and perhaps fly somewhere...any old place will do but beaches will be the cherry on the top.

2. What for you is the defining scent of summer?

Although I use a clothesline all year, there is something special about sheets dried on the line during summer.  

3. What's a (music, food, wine, or flower) festival happening in your part of the country that you would like to attend if tickets/travel/timing was no object? 

Nope...not interested!  Undoubtedly, there would be too many people, it would be too hot, and the noise levels would make me doing something ugly.  Y'all have fun, though!

4. Apparently a military whistle blower claims the US has a UFO retrieval program. What say you? Do you believe aliens are out there? 

I don't care much about that, one way or another, but surely God would have had that info written in the Bible if there were.  

5. Besides your wedding day and the birthdays of any children you may have, what are three of your top experiences in life? 

Hmmm...I've lived a pretty unremarkable life but giving my life to God is the most and best experience!  Of course, when my son was so sick and nobody could figure out why and then the subsequent surgery to repair one of his kidneys, ranks at the top of those experiences I will never forget.  I lost many years off of my life with that one.  And then when I was going through a very dark time and God told me to just hang on because He had something more...something special...a gift especially for me, and then my granddaughter was born and He said..."This is your gift.".  Best gift ever!  And I am so thankful to still be able to enjoy that gift 13 years later!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

That was a crazy ride.

Hello Dear Friends,

So much has happened since I last posted.  I won't get into all of it, right now, but Saturday night/Sunday morning was quite the ride, around here.  We had the strangest storm, come through, that I have ever seen in all 26 years of living in Oklahoma.  Winds clocked at over 100MPH.  Those were straight line winds and not tornadic.  Our porch swing stood straight out like a flag blowing in the breeze!  Tree limbs flying by the windows, lights going off and on, and rain that wasn't falling to the ground.  It was blowing sideways and a lot of it, too.

The tornado sirens were going off even though there was no tornado.  Everybody knows Oklahoma for being in tornado alley, right?  Well, apparently, the sirens also are activated when winds reach over 90MPH so that is why they were sounding off.  That has never happened since we've been here, that I remember.  Usually, Sirens going off - Tornado hits the ground!  It was all very surreal.

On top of that, we have all these big trees surrounding our home and I wouldn't go to bed because I didn't want to wake up with a tree branch sticking out of my head so I stayed up until the storms passed around 2am.  I really wanted to go to sleep but those trees...

Speaking of the trees.  We did indeed have quite a bit of tree damage and probably will lose two or three large elms and a hackberry, before it is all said and done.  That breaks my heart because I am such a tree hugger but what's done is done and I am just thankful there was no more damage and nobody was hurt.  

Many throughout our city, had lots more damage and some injuries.  There are still over 185, 000 without power and clean up will be happening for the rest of the year, more than likely.  Again, I'm just extremely grateful for God's protection over our lives and property.  

We already had one tree that had died for whatever reason, and needed to be cut down.  Wouldn't you know that one had not even a twig fall off!  Funny!  Needless to say, our weekends are planned out for us for quite awhile, but what a bonfire to roast wienies it will be once everything is cut down and cleaned up!  Y'all come on!

Here are a few pictures of some of the damage.  Doesn't look like much but we had already started cleaning up before I thought to take pics.

Barely missed our camper that I am going to transform into my She Shed/Craft Studio.

This is the tree that was already dead and going to be cut down.  See!?  Not a twig missing!  That limb next to it is from our big hackberry up by the house.

Oh!  By the way...we were the only ones out here that had any large damage.  My neighbor there, across the way, had a few small branches down but that is all.  More strangeness but I tell you, the way my attitude has been lately, I needed a good swift kick in the pants, from God, to get my act together!  More about that later.

After all this happened and as we were dragging limbs, I uncovered a bit of unexpected beauty.

Merely fungus but isn't it beautiful.

Looks like a fairy swimming hole doesn't it.

Isn't God good at showing us the beauty of the storms?  

Grace & Peace,

Pam

Saturday NiNe

 Big Spender

Joining in on "Saturday 9" Hope on over to the blog and read other's answers!

Saturday 9: Big Spender (1966)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) In this song, Peggy Lee invites a gentleman to join her for fun, laughs, and a good time. What will you be doing for fun this weekend?

Probably not much.  I've had some kind of allergic reaction to a new med and every joint I have has been swollen and sore for the past few days.  Until the new med gets out of my system and the swelling goes down, I won't be doing much of anything.  I've had pain but this is something else!  Hopefully, it is just the meds causing it and not something else!

2) Peggy was blessed with perfect pitch. It's estimated that just 1 in 10,000 has this gift. Tell us about something that comes naturally to you.

Well, It sure isn't singing!  I suppose cooking would be the one real thing that comes somewhat naturally for me.  Honestly, I don't struggle with much...except singing...or anything musical for that matter.

3) Peggy was an influential performer whose fans included singers as diverse as Carly Simon, Petula Clark, and Joni Mitchell. Bette Midler even did a Peggy Lee tribute album. What songstress do you listen to most often?

Hmmm...I mostly listen to instrumental music.  If I had a favorite it would be a Christian songstress such as Lauren Daigle or CeCe Winans.

4) Paul McCartney was also a big Peggy Lee fan. In the 1970s he was invited to meet her in her London home. He arrived with a carefully chosen hostess gift: a bottle of champagne and an original song ("Let's Love") which she recorded and he produced. Have you more recently given or received a gift?

Yesterday, I gave my daughter a coffee mug for her birthday.  It's been a long minute since I've received a gift...😞

5) Cy Coleman wrote the music to "Big Spender." Unlike Peggy Lee, who never took a music lesson, Coleman was classically trained and studied composition, conducting, and orchestration at New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts and at the New York College of Music. If you could take classes in anything that interested you, what would you choose to learn more about?

I would love to learn to play the piano or learn a foreign language...Cultural History also interests me.

6) Coleman met lyricist Dorothy Fields by chance, at a party. Though Fields was more than 20 years his senior, they hit it off immediately and he invited her to work with him. Their collaboration resulted in two Broadway shows including Sweet Charity, which featured "Big Spender." Think about the person you spent the most time with last week. Were they older, younger or about the same age as you?

That would be my husband.  He is slightly older than I am...5 months, but I call him Old Man until My birthday puts me at the same age!  

7) In 1966, when disc jockeys were playing this record, consumers were discovering garage door openers. These transistorized devices weren't cheap. Typically about $150 in 1966, that would be more than $1,000 in today's dollars. These days garage door openers are far more affordable and common. Can you think of something that was a luxury item when you were a kid that today you take for granted?

Having a second vehicle would definitely have been a luxury.  Nobody had more than one vehicle and some of the old folks didn't have cars at all.  I lived in a very small town and there really wasn't a need.

8) 1966 found Jacqueline Susann atop the best seller list with herd steamy novel, Valley of the Dolls. Though it was savaged by critics, countless Americans enjoyed the book. Do you have a similar guilty pleasure? Is there a book, movie, TV show or song you enjoy, even though you know it has little artistic merit?

Nope.  I'm very picky when it comes to what I read watch or listen to.  That's not to say I don't enjoy such but I do my best to keep and clean and well written.

9) Random question: When at a Mexican restaurant, what's your go-to order?

Most definitely chips and salsa but I will usually get a couple of street tacos if they are made right.

Tuesday 4

 

Yummo...Candy!

Another Tuesday has arrived bringing you another Tuesday 4 kept in memory of Toni Taddeo.    Let's discuss sweets.. candy, cakes, pies, pastries,  all manner of confections.

1. What are your favorite candies?

At the moment, I am in love with Twix minis and a lovely dark chocolate that I bought when my grandblessing was doing a school fundraiser.

2.  What kind of pie, cake and pastry tempts you the most? 

I'm not in love with those things but give me a old-fashioned homemade peanut butter cookie and I'm going to be your best friend!

3. How often do you have dessert? Or how often do you bake goodies?

I don't have dessert hardly ever but I do bake goodies for my grandblessings.  I might sneak a bite here and there, though.

4.  Your choice for dessert today:

1. New York Cheesecake
2. Tiramisu
3. Cannolis
4. Chocolate Mud Pie
5. Creme Brulee
6. Hot Apple Pie with Ice Cream
7. Churros con Chocolate
8. Big Brownie with hot fudge sauce, ice cream and whipped cream.

Which one are you picking from this menu?

I not going to pick any of those but put an old fashioned homemade peanut butter cookie on the list and boom...I'm there!

I hated to do it but...

Hello friends!  So nice to see you.  

Do you know what happens when you fill your canisters with fresh flour and sugar, then go back to work and don't bake for a year?  

Unfortunately, everything gets stale and will need to be replaced...even if the canisters are full to the rim!  Oh, it killed me to have to throw out all those baking ingredients but I don't like using old food products so in the trash it all went.  Now, I will need to buy new flours, new sweetners, and spices.  There went my grocery budget for this week.

The only good thing to come of all this wastefulness is that all the canisters are clean!  Now, on to the grocery store for new provisions!

Grace & Peace,

Pam

Thankful Thursday

I don't normally post on Thankful Thursday.  Not that I'm not thankful on Thursdays but I am simply thankful everyday of the week!  Today...though...I am extremely thankful and it just so happens to be Thursday, so...!

It has been a year since my last routine mammo and I am usually ready to get it done!  It's not because I like having the girls slammed in a car door or anything but my Mama was first diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 59...guess how old I am?  This year, I was a bit more apprehensive than in other years because of that.  

You know how it is, when you're concerned about something you feel every little ache, twinge and itch!  That has been me for the past 6 months!  God reminded me a few weeks ago that I had just had bloodwork done and if there was anything going on, that would have showed it.  That calmed my nerves but I was still a bit concerned.

So, this morning I went and had the mammo done and the first thing I am thankful for is my hospital.  They are on top of everything and efficient as all get out!  I was in and out within 15 minutes!  Can you believe that?  That, in itself, is a miracle these days!  

The second thing I am thankful for is the fact that they have results the same day!  I had some errands to run while I was out and by the time I got home just a couple of hours later, I had my results via email!

The thing I am most thankful for is that everything is normal and I can breath easy for another year.  God is always so good to me.  He never fails me!  Even if the results had been different, I can trust God to always be right there with me!  Thank you, Father, for loving me that much!

So friends, on this Thankful Thursday, I am going to remind you to get your mammogram if it is time!

Grace & Peace,

Pam