walking across egypt

I fell in love with Ckyde Edgerton about 40 years ago at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville.  It's something that I would have never done on my own but I tagged along with some teachers and experienced the joy of meeting writers and buying their books.  At the time I had a piano and played often so I sat down and played the song that Edgerton had written which was in the back.  I thought about that today at church when Mary Beth continued our journey through the Bible with Exodus.  I seriously needed that refresher on the Old Testament because, well.  I am not a scholar. We heard about the evil pharoah and how he was so alarmed at the number of Israelites that he ordered for babies to be killed to quell the population explosion.  Enter Moses.  You know the story about the baby in the basket in the Nile?  Yeah.  That one.  He promised to take the Israelites to the promised land from slavery in Egypt long after Joseph and his kin had died.  God is abundant and God will provide a way. I watched SNL on Sunday which is the only way I can get my humor on without live TV,  Not that I'm up at 1030 on Saturday night.  Ya' know?

We are all in this together and for the life of me I can't figure out why folks don't want to play nice and help each other.  When something bad happens, everybody wants to "help" but what about doing the next right thing?  My washer is stuck on rinse and spin so I'm trying to pull it out of the little cubby to unplug and reset.   I seriously need some muscle for that but it's just me so there ya' go. At least I have electricity and water, praise be ^j^

first light

I woke up today early and had a bag leak due to pancaking.  I changed it and went back to sleep.  All I saw after a day of rain and wind was a few pecan limbs laying willy nilly out in the yard.  Others, however, woke to find that their lives are changed forever by Helene.  They have lost their homes, businesses, lives, and much much more.  What is so scary to me about this storm is that it moved so far inland and created havoc.  It is the inconvenient truth that Al Gore warned us about years ago.  Our infrastructure is crumbling and nobody cares.  At least nobody in charge.  

As a country, we put out fires when disaster happens rather than investing in pro-active measures.  FEMA. National Guard. All the things that do search and rescue when something goes bad wrong.  Imagine a world where dams are repaired before they bust and flood towns.  I live about 15 miles from the Mighty Mississippi and have seen my share of flooding and such.  Much of this disaster is man made and due to poor oversight of resources.  Back in the 60s the Forked Deer river was channeled by the corp to prevent the yearly floods that plagued Samaria Bend Rd.  It feeds into the Mississippi and Obion so when one floods all the others do as well.  I remember as a child going to town to live for a week when the water got too high to navigate.  On more than one occasion.  Even when I lived on a hill, when the river flooded in 2010 and 2011 the road was not passable.  

The river makes for rich farm land in the bottoms but is normally not ready to plant until late May or early June except for higher elevations.  By August those bottoms are pure dust in the wind.  I have lived here most of my life and seen the changes from year to year.  There are levees in place now to protect the crop land following a few blowouts.  Bubba took me down to see the work going on several years ago.  It cost a fortune I'm sure.  

Reaves is living in a new house that is bigger and probably pretty strange to her right now.  I miss her and I miss Lauren.  My vision is getting worse by the day which means it's hard to write and hard to drive.  Hell it's hard to see what's on the counter or the desk!  I tend NOT to whine but sometimes you just gotta' vent.  Much of my physical health is related to my life choices and genetics.   Having an emergency ileocolostomy five years ago put me into renal disease which has a whole 'nother set of problems.  I get my labs done on a regular basis and right now my creatinine is a bit high and my GFR is low.  But, it's better than it was two years ago.  I think my biggest problem right now is that I am B vitamin deficient.  Since the pills don't digest well considering my gut situation, I'm getting a shot every month.  We shall see.

I am asking for prayer right now for many people.  One of them is my friend Lorna who is suffering mightily.  If you read the list in the DFUMC newsletter, you know she has been there for months and months.  Keep praying people.  This woman needs some peace ^j^

sticker shock

I have been gone from home for almost a week and the cupboard was bare so I headed to Kroger this morning.  Not only was the inventory pitiful but the prices were outrageous!  I got a lot of food and household essentials but it cost me almost 250 bucks.  And no, I don't blame Biden.  I blame corporate greed.  My search was focused on things that don't take a lot of effort to cook but I ended up with lots of ideas for recipes  that I love.  Like easy chicken pot pie and warm spinach parmesan dip.

My heart is a lot lighter now that Roe has a new home and is happy there.  I felt soooo bad about failing her but it just didn't work for either of us.  It takes a village and she ended up where she needs to be.  As usual, this too shall pass.  My SS class has been praying about our situation, bless their hearts.  I reckon that prayer was answered.  

The state of our world is kinda' sorta' scary right now on all levels.  I gave that to God a long time ago so I'm not worried.  When my time comes, I know that I have lived a good life and had a lot of joy.  Sure, things have been hard at times but that is when we grow in faith.  I find comfort in knowing that those who have gone before me will welcome me to the next life.  

Y'all stay safe and remember who you are ^j^

roellen

Me and her spent a couple of really interesting weeks together here on the farm.  Shari brought her to me about the time her sixth litter of puppies was weaned. There were seven but two of 'em died.  Shari got them all places because she is the dog whisperer,  so to speak.  Girl has plenty on her plate but will always do the next right thing for an animal or a person. It was just yesterday that I came to understand that Roe living here was not a good idea for either of us, or Rosie.  After I posted that she was leaving, a whole bunch of folks chastised me for giving up too quick on her.  None of them know my situation and thus placed blame on me for not trying hard enough.  Go back and mind your own biz, and judge not.  

That judgment is what bothers me the most whether it be in church or in politics or both. Many voters have an agenda. Many Republicans embrace pro-life stuff, except when it comes to mass shootings at schools.  Legally speaking, if a woman is on her own and can't take proper care of the child, it punts to the state.  In Tennessee that pretty much is a wash.  At least now Medicaid pays for diapers.  That was not the case when Reaves was a baby.  I reckon Medicaid got expanded somewhat.  But not nearly enough. 

I watched the debate on YouTube and had to stop in 

about halfway in.  It was like a reality tv series where smart woman smacks down elderly idiot with a bad tan. I never imagined in my 69 years that I would see Roe v Wade handed over to the red states to police reproductive healthcare for women.  Cue *handmaids*

I am rambling but this is about Roellen.  I love her so much but I know my limits.  She deserves better than being in the house all the time and crated when I'm gone.  Should I have thought it out more?  Sure.  She followed me every step I made and ran like the wind in the empty field across the road.  She loves other dogs but not so much cats.  Poor Rosie was traumatized from the get go and spent about 3 days on the steps to the attic.  It is not Roe's fault.  She's a street girl and deserves a better life than what I can give her.  I feel sure she will be placed where me and the rest of her  tribe can visit and bring treats.  It takes a village ^j^

church hugs

They tend to be on one side but always a treat!  I showed up at court this morning and thankfully did not get picked for the day's trial.  Can't speak to the details because....shhh.  I ate breakfast at Daves and walked on over to the courthouse.  There was a bunch of us all sitting together waiting to do our civic duty.  I needed to pee and empty my bag. True story.  Roellen was crated last night which works better for us.  She did eat one end of the couch but I'll buy some blankets from the 'gentral to cover that up . It's what we do.  I sing that song every day while I go about life.  Must be a faith thing.

I pray for all those people who were at court today and got picked in the middle of a monsoon to decide a guy's fate for being stupid.  I just watched the presidential debate today and, well.  She kicked his ass 9 ways to Jesus.  And he was pitiful recounting all of the falsehoods of his presidency.  I cut it off about halfway in.  

It is important to be educated about politics right now.  Watch.  Listen. Learn.  And please don't let somebody else make your mind up before you vote ^J^

birthday girl

Poopster is now offically in the last year of her sixties.  How did that happen?  I had an unusually great day and felt better than I have in weeks.  So many people reached out to me, and not just on Facebook.  My birthday fundraiser was for Paws 2 Care and the donations hit exactly on the day.  Yaya brought me lunch and I got many calls and texts.  Plus, Bubba gifted me with some beer.  He who doesn't "do" birthdays.  He always tells me it's just another day to him.  The older I get the more precious it is to make it another year around the sun.  

Roellen and I are still in training.  We take one step forward and two steps back.  The dog from down the road that knocked me down and drew blood came back around yesterday and I called 311 for dog at large.  Hopefully his owner got the message.  That dog has followed me from the house on the hill to down here which is a looong time.  

My free computer is kinda' dragging the past few days.  I'm not sure if it's the connection or the laptop and I don't know how to figure it out.  Yes, I am tech illiterate.  I feel grateful just to be online however slow it is.  

I put in a request for some refills from my PCP this morning and as I was shopping at Pet Sense his nurse called and said I needed labs before they could do that.  It's been awhile so I told her I would be right over.  Being an ex lab person I gave high praise to the phleb who actually got it the first time with a straight needle!  I have actually grown a vein in the left arm where the big one was scarred to hell from donating blood.

I ain't gonna lie....I feel my age. Not in my head, but in my body.  I am slow, clumsy, can't see well and tired all the time.  But really, that is nothing new.  I am clumsy by birth!  I reckon I'm always in a hurry.

I got Roellen some oats and brown rice bones at the doggie store and she is currently shredding one in the yard after I kicked her out of my bed.  I will give Sadie one when she comes to visit.  And I will keep the faith ^j^

(im)perect timing

I got up this morning with all intentions of attending Sunday school and church.  Roellen had other plans for me.   I let her out early to roam the yard and noticed that she didn't come back in a few minutes.  When I went outside to investigate I found her across the road in the soybean field with a dog that lives 2 miles down the road, running and playing.  She had not been fed yet so I took the food bowl on the porch and shook it.  Both dogs came running.  Lerd.  I finally got her on the leash with other dog trying to knock me down and drawing blood.  Then Roe got off the leash dropping me on the steps.  Ouch!  Finally I managed to get her inside and other dog went away.  I don't have the owner's phone number or I would have called him to come get whatever its' name is.  

Somewhere during that struggle my bag came loose and leaked all over me.  By this time I was bleeding, stinky and disgusted.  I texted some of my SS peeps to let them know I am indeed alive and haven't left the church!  There were assurances of prayers going up for me.  I had settled down to watch the service online when I heard the lawnmower roar.  Now, I have not had a mow in a month so I was not about to tell Lee I was "having church."  He was pleasantly surprised that the grass was not thick and just a bunch of weeds.  He dragged several HUGE pecan limbs over to the edge for Ryan to pick up when he's off work at the steel mill.  Bring a chainsaw dear.

My left ear has been off and on infected for months and I've been giving it the peroxide and alcohol treatment.  This morning the eye on that side was draining and puffy. Back to the doctor I go, probably on my birthday.  In addition to all that, I have jury duty with a possible trial on Thursday.  I can just see me explaining to the judge that I was absent because the dog ate my homework.

In spite of all this mayhem, I am grateful.  The washer is running and the dryer now works.  My wounds will heal.  And God is good.  All the time ^j^

a tale of two roes

Rosie the cat has lived with me for several years after being rescued from a friend's flower bed as a kitten.  She is potty trained, very affectionate and freaked out at the moment.  Enter last Friday, stage right, Roellen the street dog.  Also a rescue, she is probably happy to have a home but doesn't realize that the other Roe lives here too and they have to get along.  I have been very mindful to give Rosie time with me away from the newbie and I know she does appreciate it.  Yesterday was a full on cat and dog fight and Rosie smacked Roellen in the face multiple times with her paws and hissed a lot.  Currently Rosie is hidden in my bedroom with the doors shut.  I learned that trick from LP and JJ.  When I can coax her out I'll take her outside and feed her.  She had begun staying out all night and coming in during the morning before Roellen ever came.  Roellen is on trazodone to calm her down during the transition.  

Funny story and true!  Her foster called in a script for said drug at my pharmacy and when I visited the doctor yesterday the nurse brought up my "new drug."  I had to think a minute and said "Oh, that's for my dog."  Her reply was "Like the dog ate my homework?"  I about died.  I told the doc about it and he laughed.  Then I shared the story of how she came to live with me.  He was filled with admiration for my devotion to rescues which I am beginning to doubt!  A girl can only take so much.  She has lived here for exactly one week today following a spay the day before.  It's all new to her and we are working on a routine.  I tend to sleep later then her foster so that's an adjustment.  Last night she slept in the kennel and did fine while I snuggled with Rosie.  And this morning, all hell broke loose!  

Shari showed up with food and her toys while she had Rosie cornered in the bedroom.  She took her for a walk and bonded a little in her new surroundings.  And she gave her a good talking to about being a good girl.  We shall see.  I believe that she will come to love it here, and in fact, already does.  It just takes time.  And patience.  And me learning to put things up high!  Yesterday she pulled over a big bag of dog food and ate a few pounds off the floor.  She wasn't even hungry this morning.  Imagine that!

I watched Roellen as she rolled in the grass this morning and marveled at her beautiful coat.  Not too long ago she was a street ho and now she has a furever home.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  It puts me at a disadvantage when it comes to my personal freedom but this too shall pass ^j^

total chaos

Me and Roellen are getting used to our "loose" routine thanks to anxiety meds and whatnot.  I crated her this morning when I went out for a couple of hours to do interviews for SHE. When I got home some guys came to work on my dryer and told me that it was "poorly vented" and a fire waiting to happen.  That is fixed now thanks to Jason Butler.  Roe was excited at first but calmed down in spite of the noise.

I checked the news when I got home and it was all bad.  Another mass shooting and Israel being hard ass.  Not our circus no matter what Biden says.  When did we become rulers of the world and send money to save it?  Oh, it was back when during all the wars. Vietnam was a trigger point for me.  I remember watching it on our black and white TV thinking WTF??  I was just a teenager but it made an impact.  Those vets were treated horribly when they came home from service.  Same for all of the others.  PTSD everywhere and no support from our government for their service.  Presidents will come and go but support of veterans is major.  Agent Orange.  Burn pits. All the things.  War is hell. Putin is bad.  And you know who loves him.

My rant is over.  I draw about 1700 a month from SS which I earned while working.  It is not an entitlement. I saw the money come out of my check every month plus FICA.  I never dreamed that my retirement would be like this.  Next week I will be 69 and inflation plus healthcare costs mean that I have less disposable income for food and gas.  This is because of corporate greed.  I don't qualify for food stamps or other assistance because of my SS income.  Some people say I want something for nothing and that is not true.  I just want to survive and keep the faith ^j^

what have i gotten into!

It is day 4 with Roellen and things are kinda' dicey.  I had to leave this morning to get my tire fixed and when I got back she had destroyed the living room.  I tried to lock her in the bathroom but one of the doors doesn't shut so she escaped.  She is currently kenneled in the kitchen to settle her ass down.  And she ain't taking it well!  In her defense, she is used to being outside at the foster's house with a fenced yard so we are on a major learning curve.  She ran the cat outside who did not return to eat until this morning.  Poor Rosie.  She and Oscar got along because they were here together for the past 3 years and he was old and used to her.  This is a whole 'nother story.

Happy Labor Day to all!  This is opening day of the Dyer County Fair and the weather looks good for the entire week.  By my birthday it will be highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s which is what I call perfect weather.  This month looks very busy and I am not at all up to it but I'm trying.  At some point I need to go see my girls because I'm missing them like crazy.  It has been one thing after another with the car, new dog and lack of energy.  Once again, what was I thinking??  I did not anticipate how hard it would be taking in a new dog.  We sleep well together but....

My tire had a hole in it but nothing was found like a screw or nail.  Tammy told me that it bothered her and if it went down again to bring it back at no charge.  My liberal self got treated to a waiting room full of Trumpsters talking shit about all things "illegal immigrants" and how our power is being taken away by the government.  Plus a side of homophobia.  I just sat there and kept my mouth shut because I was outnumbered and  knew it.  I may have choked on my water a few times.    

Roellen has stopped barking and is used to doggie jail for the moment.  Thank you Johnny and Lisa Keeling for the loan of a crate.  We will work all of this out eventually.  Faith tells me that ^j^

you can't make this shit up

Once upon a time my trusty old Camry got stolen from the hospital parking lot.  It was my fault because the keys were in the console.  This dude rode his stolen bicycle to kidnap my car and left it where the car WAS.  Hospital security got him on video and the car was found abandoned at the mall later that day.  I didn't have a way to get there when the police called so I chose instead to pay out the ass to recover my car from the impound lot over by Alvinos.  

When I got back into it I noticed that all of the evidence was still in the car.  His clothes.  Another bicycle.  A fake key. It looked like a bitty key to a tiny jewelry box.  Jammed into where the real key was supposed to go. Last time I checked dude was still in jail.  At victim's court the judge was not lenient at all.  This little asshole stood up with cuffs and a jumpsuit on and postured before his honor.  Bad move kid.  BAD move!  He got ripped a new one and told to stay away from all of the people he stole from.  And the hospital, for sure.  I will have to check the jail roster to see if he's still incarcerated.  Not that he knows where I live.  It was a crime of opportunity.  Grand theft auto.  

Anywho, I took all the evidence to the DPD and they loaded it out, bicycle and all.  White hoodie.  Crazy as batshit. The funny thing is that I didn't know it was gone until I went out to smoke.  Lerd!  I could not believe it!  The police came quickly aided by hospital security.  In the end, I sold the trusty old Camry and  bought a Ford Escape.  I saw the same model and color as mine and wished I still had one.  Ford sucks big time.

True story^j^

open table

One of the things that I dearly love about the UMC is that communion is offered to anyone who desires to be served, regardless of religious affiliation.  Car troubles and dog duty kept me home from church today but I watched online as Mary Beth went through every part of the communion liturgy with us and broke it down as she does with confirmands.  She remarked about the passing of the peace " You either love it or you hate it."  It is a touchy feely kind of opportunity to make things right with someone that you have unresolved conflicts with or just an expression of love for your fellow Christians.  "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven" precedes the passing of the peace.  This liturgy brings us to the Lord's table forgiven and at ease to accept grace.  

Potty training is not going so well here with Roe but I will hang in there with her.  It's a new place and new rules so it will take time.  I need a crate to train her but haven't been able to get out and buy one because, uh, the car.  It's raining today, finally.  That will save Joey some money on the water bill for the irrigation system and maybe save my unwatered flowers.  

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it ^j^