...the rest of the story...

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Amy's MI-5

The Santa Cruz mountains are burning - I live not far from them and the smoke yesterday was crazy thick in the morning. That is my inspiration for this weeks MI-5:

1. What is the worst natural disaster you have personally experienced?

It may sound minor, but it was the 1998 Maine Ice Storm. 90% of the state was without power. Most of us (bloggers) live in a tiny pocket that escaped impact, but you only had to drive twenty minutes to get where they were without power for 21 days in January, in Maine. Since I was working for the Red Cross at the time, I was very much affected by it. No sleep. No getting home at all. Eating when and where I could. Driving over trecherous roads, under falling trees and wires. It was awful.

2. You were forced to evacuate your home. When you are finally allowed back your house sustained fire damage- but isn't a complete loss. What one room do you hope remained untouched by the fire and why?

The dining room. It doubles as my office. All of my important stuff is here, and my book is on the computer. That has taken me years to write and is very close to being submitted to a publisher. I'd hate to lose that.

3. The smoke was so thick yesterday morning until the wind shifted that the sun was shrouded and actually cast an eerie orangish glow over things. Tell us about something or an experience that gave you an eerie feeling.

I guess again it would be the ice storm, when everything was encrusted with 3/4 inch of ice. In some places where I was, I would walk outside or down the road and hear the trees and wires crashing to the ground all around me.

4. Lots of people are discending on the small town of Corrilitas CA to offer support. The small general store has become a makeshift command center where people gather for support and information. Does your community have a place that everyone would gather at? Where would it be?

Small groups would probably gather at the general store and the post office, but the nearest shelter would be seven miles away in Rockland. Lisa and Sue, that would most likely be RDMS. That's where it was for the Patriot's Day Storm last year.

5. I love to cook, but in my wake the kitchen looks like a tornado hit it! What is something you love to make and eat but only do it on certain occassions because preparation or clean-up is a hassle?

Pies from scratch. I completely wreck the kitchen and myself when I'm making five of them for the holidays. I rarely bake at other times.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Bad Bloggers for May 24

Repeat offenders, one and all: Sarah, Brian, Hillary, Joann, David, and Josie. No posts from these culprits for the whole week!

I am posting from Brookfield this morning. The trip down here was uneventful with the traffic not being all that bad for a holiday weekend. No construction and no accidents, though we did see one near miss. A truck lost control and went up on the breakdown lane and the grass beyond, but the driver got it stopped safely. It took us four hours and forty five minutes, just what Mapquest said. Well, that was to Sturbridge where we stopped for coffee. Brookfield was probably another 10-15 minutes. I overshot the driveway again but only by one driveway so that wasn't so bad. Brian made vegetable Primavera for dinner last night. It was delicious. Ma, a non vegetable eater, even got down some. This morning we are having his famous waffles. They are so good! I am the first one up and waiting for coffee. I don't know if it is because I can't sleep anymore or because I'm thinking about the waffles. Sarah and Brian are doing well. Sarah is beginning to pop. She says she has heartburn so she knows the baby will have hair. I remember that. I just about died from heartburn both times and one was bald and one had tons of hair, so I'm not putting too much stock in her prediction just yet. I'm hoping for blond hair and brown eyes. Curls would be nice, but between Sarah and Brian there isn't even a curve so I don't know unless it kicks back to me or some of the other grandparents. Adrian's hair is straight so it might have to come from the Kenny's. I'm counting on them for the brown eyes. I called David last night. He says the leechfield is about 2/3 in place. Maybe it will be done when we get home tonight. We're leaving here at 2 PM and stopping in Portland for dinner so will arrive home around nine or so. Well, guess I'll go downstairs and try to figure out out the Tivo remote control so I can watch the news. Have a good day everyone. Let's get posting out there everyone!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Critters and Creatures

I have often envied Bill's active dream life. It seems like I either don't dream at all, or never remember them. That is in the past. Last night I had a nightmare and I don't care if I ever dream again. It seems I was running some kind of group home or orphanage for children from about eight to fourteen. There was a small goldfish pond on the front lawn around which I was planting flowers, when suddenly the pond was full of paranhas(sp)(little fish that eat people). They were jumping out of the pond and were all over the ground by my feet. I grabbed a shovel and cut them into pieces, which remained alive and coming after me. Some were as big as a crab. I ran into the house only to find that the power was out and there was a violent thunderstorm. I and a coworker decided to evacuate the house. As we were organizing the children, rats with big drooling teeth came from everywhere. We barely made it out of the house. When I looked back, there were big rats all over the house. We took some of the children to Sarah's new house and some to Laura Curtis's. For some reason I was wearing a short white nightgown and didn't have time to grab anything else to put on. Mary Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie was one of the children as was my grandnephew Eben, only he had black hair. There was some ominous reason as to why we all had to go upstairs in the houses. There was some other kind of critter downstairs I think. Then I had to go buy milk and only three of the kids could go with me, so there was an argument over who would get to go. Suddenly, I was incredibly hot and I woke up. Anyone want to interpret that one? I have had three nights in a row of these dreams. I think I won't go to bed tonight!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Sunday Ramblings

What a beautiful day today, after yesterday's rain! So far, this has been a typical Sunday for me. I didn't sleep much last night, but I was still up be 6:30 AM. I had weird dreams all night. David had an early morning today, so by the time I got up, the coffee wasn't very hot. Thank God for microwaves! I made the customary muffins and checked my email and the blogss for the first time of the day. The truth is that I check both about ten times a day! Both Ma and I were ready for Sunday School early today and basically stood around looking at each other until it was time to go. My Sunday School class went well today. The boys were very animated and really participated in the lesson. On May 31, I am taking them to Fort Knox for an outing. They can each bring a guest if they want to. They seem excited about going. I hope my knees hold out with all the climbing that there is to do there! They are disappointed that there is no gift shop at the fort, so we'll probably stop at Perry's Nut House on the way home in Belfast. During the coffee time at church, I ran home and put a roast in the oven. It was done perfectly when we got home. Yes, I'm eating meat again. I tried soy things and different kinds of beans, but I couldn't find much that I liked and the doctor said I wasn't getting enough protein. I'll probably go back on the vegetarian diet in a few weeks. With me, it's just a choice, not a religion or prescription or anything like that.

They are working on our septic tank. The access road is finished and the site is all dug up and ready for the tank, but we have to wait now for the plumbing inspector to say that the site is okay. I'm hoping that they finish it this week, or Ma won't go to Sarah's with me next weekend. I want to go down on Friday and come back on Saturday. Then Sarah and Brian will still have two days together to do whatever they might have planned. If we don't go this weekend, it will have to be some time in June. Yesterday, Ma and I went to the Green Thumb to get flowers for the cemeteries. We got real flowers for Bill and Dad and Aunt Jean, and artificial ones for Nanny, as she is so far away and there is no one to keep them watered. We also got Wasses hot dogs for lunch. I haven't had one of them since last fall. Yum! Last night, I went to Sue's scrapbooking birthday party. We made a fancy little notecard and had cupcakes and cheese and crackers. I left early as I had not brought my scrapbooking supplies with me and the rest of the party was a work session. I walked to dog and that wrapped up the evening. Guess this does it for now. I'm worried. Where is Gretchen? Have a good day everyone. I love you Tilly...and Brian. Hi to Alice, Dori, Marylou and all you bloggers.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

BAD Bloggers for May 17

The following people have not posted in the past week: Sarah, Brian, Josie, Joann, David, Hillary. Gretchen escaped the list by the skin of her teeth! TSK! TSK! C'mon guys. Post something!

Friday Fillin

FRIDAY FILL IN #72
1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to sign a solo in church, although I always have wanted to do it.
2.The Forsythia in bloom everywhere, especially on the corner of the driveway, obstructing my view reminds me that summer is almost here!
3. I cannot live without my children. Things don't mean that much...well, maybe a computer.
4. Water color painting and preaching a sermon are two things I'd like to try.
5. When life hands you lemons get rid of them and try something else.
6. Rocking with my mother in a maple-armed rocking chair that had a magazine rack on the side, where I usually slipped is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working on some rewrites of my book, tomorrow my plans include Sue's Birthday party and Sunday, I want to sew doll clothes.

Melanie's MI-5

Happy MI5 everyone!!!This weeks questions are all behaviorally related. I hope they get your brain churning & are fun to answer. Not to mention fun to discover what people have responded with. Here are this weeks question, Enjoy:

1. I read several blogs written by Pastor's around the U.S. sometimes their posts have nothing to do with the Christian walk but reflect on their own personal life. Like the one I read the other day by Tally Wilgis regarding the alignment of his coffee cup. He stated "I don't know what it is about me that demands this but I always have to make sure the logo on the Starbucks cup aligns with the logo on the sleeve. Additionally, I have to position the lip of the cup so that I drink in alignment with the logos below."Do you have any weird OCD issues?

For me, it is trying to find number patterns in the license plates of the cars in front of me and making sure that things match in regards to color, texture, size, etc.

2. Some of you know that In April, 4 years ago I left my South Florida home of 23 years and drove with all my belongings to Maine to start a new life. The only thing Maine offered me was a job & it's incredible beauty. Friends and family would have to be acquired after I arrived. What major decision/change did you make in your life that surprised your family and friends & how did things work out?

I left my job at the Red Cross, which I loved, for no apparent reason other than that I felt the God's hand is in it and this is what he wants for me. It has only been six weeks since I left, so I haven't found out the whys and wherefores yet. I don't know how it is going to work out. I'm just trying to be obedient and patient.

3. We often learn certain behaviors by the folks we spend time with. An accent you pick up, words you add to your vocabulary, a certain way of washing your car, tying your shoes or folding your socks. What is something you picked up and who did you pick it up from?

Folding laundry from my Aunt Corine, especially men's underpants, towels, and knit shirts so that they don't wrinkle.

4. 2 years ago I was online looking up hiking trails and discovered the sport of Geocaching & found an instant addiction after the 1st time I played. What is something you discovered by accident but has enriched your life?

Dressing 6 inch baby dolls. I have no idea how I got started but I really enjoy designing and sewing the clothes for them, and constructing cribs for them out of wood scraps and paint.

5. Often we are frustrated by the actions and attitudes of others. If you could influence a behavioral change in someone else, what would it be and how would you go about doing it?

Bigotry and self-importance would be the attitudes that I'd like to see go away. I don't know how I would go about it. It seems that both have been around forever.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I See You

Well, at least I will be able to soon. Today I ordered my new eyeglasses. It has only taken me a year to get around to it. Ma and I went to Augusta to get them at WalMart's Vision Center. They are the only ones who accept my vision insurance. The glasses should arrive on the 22nd, when I will have to go back to Augusta to get them fitted. The insurance covered about $265 of the tab, leaving me with only $146. That's pretty good for trifocal progressives with new frames. They are not drastically different from my old frames but are a little smaller. We also hit K-Mart, the Dollar Tree, Big Lots, and the Christmas Tree Shop. Had to skip Target because Ma was too tired. I'll get in there next trip. We had lunch at Denny's where I qualify for the Senior Menu. I get a hoot out of that. I blew $20 of my Stimulous money but we had a good time. Got home around 5 PM. Rusty has a sore leg so we didn't go for a walk. He wanted to but his leg was really bad. He can barely put any weight on it. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. He needs a rabies shot anyway. David has tomorrow off so he can help me take the dog. I can't hold him if he sees another big dog. Also, tomorrow Robin is coming up to go to lunch. She usually wants to hit TJ Maxx. Friday I have to go to Brunswick to the doctor at 11:00, and then be at the other doctor in Rockland at 2:15 for the next round of injections in my knees. Then Friday night I'll clean the office because it is being used on Saturday. One of the guys is coming tomorrow about the septic tank so that they can get started on it. Seems they sent the permit to Ma instead of to him by mistake. We thought it must be a copy but it isn't. Figures. A friend of David's also said that he would cut down the big tree out back, but he hasn't done it yet. Ma wants it down because it is touching the roof. Guess this is the extent of the excitement in my life tonight. Night Tilly. Night Everyone.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day

Sarah arrived around 1:30 PM on Saturday. She met the rest of the group at Applebee's for lunch. The was Joann, Tina, Ronnie, Ma, Lisa, Dwane, Eben, Caleb, Sarah, and me. The services was VERY slow, but the food was good, or at least my fish was. Sarah and I also split some appetizers, mozzarella sticks, nachos and spinach and artichoke dip, and shrimp. They were all delicious. Sarah came bearing sonogram pictures. My grandchild is a boy and he sucks his thumb already. Consequently, now that we have seen him, we went to Rockland today to get him a few things. That was fun. This morning was pretty typical for Sunday. muffins, Sunday School prep, Sunday School and church. We stayed home for lunch because Sarah wanted macaroni, tomatoes, and hamburg and Ma makes it the best. Then we went to town. Ma had to exchange some things that didn't fit and I had a gift card burning a hole in my wallet. I bought a couple of shirts and a suit for the baby.Tonight it was church again. Sarah and David went to Camden to visit their father for his birthday. I expect them home soon. Sarah and I need to go to the bank in the morning and then she is leaving for Massachusetts. It has been a good visit, I just wish it didn't go by so fast. Next time I hope Brian can make it too. It's nice to have everyone together. Guess there's no much else going on for me. Night Everyone. I love you Tilly. Hi Dori!

Food Log
Saturday: Brkfst: multigrain bagel and coffee
Lunch: fish and chips
Dinner: cereal
Sunday: Brkfst: 2 muffins and coffee
Lunch: macaroni, tomatoes, and hamburg (yes, I cheated...I ate meat)
Dinner: vegetable soup

May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!