taking flight

There is indeed a mama bird tending to the nest on the front porch and she gets pretty vocal when the cat is in sight, or even me for that matter.  They are huddled together there as a fluffly little bunch of siblings waiting for the right time for flying lessons.  Mama is a small bird, most likely a finch.  It is fascinating to watch but then I'm easily amused.  

My friends Tom and Shirley came out for some picture taking on the farm yesterday before sunset and I had the sweet privilege of riding in the back of a pickup truck like a kid watching my world go by.  And what a beautiful world it is out here!  Tom is fascinated with this little shack down by the graveyard and we stopped there to pretend it was ours.  It's like a "tiny house" in the woods close to the river.  

I hear there was an earthquake but I totally missed it.  Lake county friends felt it and thought it was gonna' be another Reelfoot Lake kind of deal.  The weather is still nice with very low humidity.  

My outing was short and sweet this morning to get a bite from the chicken store and a gift bag for the shower from the 'gentral.  Just another day in paradise.

^j^

moonshadow

The next full moon is on August 7th which is just about a week away.  This is the bad boy that will turn into a new moon that eclipses the sun on the 21st.  I can already feel the vibes coming from that and they ain't peaceful by any means.  Following a nice peaceful day at the sawmill things went to hell in a handbasket pretty quick and everywhere I stopped on the way home there was frustration from the folks I ran across.  

I have discovered a nest of baby birds in my front porch fern which is dead as a doornail.  I kept hearing all this crying and couldn't figure out where it was coming from, searching in the nearby trees for something....anything.  When I stuck my finger in the pot yesterday to pronounce it officially dead one of the babies climbed onto my finger and got dropped on the porch!  I quickly put him back in there and am not sure if mama bird is around or what.  I haven't seen any feeding going on but then I'm gone all day.  

My necklaces broke in the shower a couple of nights ago and I managed to find three of the four things that were around my neck.  So far the tree of life is still MIA.  I found the cross right off the bat and Mamye spotted the angel and heart on the kitchen floor.  I seriously need a keeper y'all.  

More and more I'm dreaming about retirement and it's so out of reach it's not even funny.  There is no way I can afford to live where I live on that kind of money.  If CNN is correct, it may all be a moot point what with the Asians beefing up their military and orange man playing straight into their hands.  Can you imagine that fat little bastard in NK reading Trump Tweets for fun and adding something else to the arsenal?  

Hold that thought :)

phantom in the snow

Mamye and I were talking about snow on Halloween this afternoon and a memory came back to me from years ago.  Debbie gave me tickets to see Phantom at the Grand in St. Louis one year and we took off on Halloween with both her boys and an exchange student to Missouri.  Somewhere between here and there it started snowing like a mofo....I'm talking blizzard.  She was determined to soldier on to our hotel reservations and I begged her to stop.  I freak out when I can't see the road, seriously.  She was pissed, but we spent the night at whatever was the closest haven thank you sweet baby jeebus. The next day we journeyed on to see the production and it was magnificent.  That was only my 2nd trip to St. Louis and the last.  

This was a sawmill day and not a bad one.  The weather finally shifted and there'a a breeze and low humidity.  I'll take it.  That collie we spoke of was kind of matted from a couple of years of swinging in the breeze like mine do so his new owner took him for a cut and groom yesterday.  She said he's loving the new home and there's plenty of space to roam with their other critters.  A dog's life, indeed.  

I have a friend who stops by now and then to chat about life.  Oddly enough, I met him at church when he was about 15.  He's now the father of two beautiful children and has helped me out on many an occasion with repairs.  He was leaving town yesterday and stopped by with a gift for me.  Like the perfect gentleman that he is he presented the multicolored glass cross necklace with flair and I promptly cried.  He's the one who went home with the not to worry stone in his pocket a while back.  Unbroken circle, y'all.  

I got to bond with my posse at the chicken store today when I was sending a moneygram and they were pissed beyond belief that there was a new card reader that didn't work.  I said to hell with it and paid cash.  I then proceeded to purchase my other items and head on down the lane.  

The place with the pulled tooth is 32 hours post pull and hurts.  So far no dry socket but let's keep our fingers crossed because I'm totally non-compliant except for right side chewing and salt water rinse.  Next on the agenda is a cleaning.  If I'm lucky I'll get to see Ms. Reba.  

Keep it between the ditches, y'all.  

some things are meant to be

I was up early again, this time for a dental appointment with an extraction of what was left of a back molar after the crown broke off.  The young man who did it is the son and grandson of dentists and I was very pleased.  Nice calm demeanor and good work.  He didn't try to pressure me into restorative things on old teeth and discussed options for what's going on in that part of my mouth.  That will more than likely include a partial to go along with the bridge up front. He said it's nowhere near denture time.  

Before I left the house I talked with my friend Cathy whose sister has been looking for a collie and she knew I had thrown one out there on a lead for adoption.  Tammy has already picked him up and taken him to the groomer!  I love it when that happens.  It's a win win for everybody.  My friend and MFR therapist has a tiny little dog named Huck who snuggled up in his bed next to the treatment table while she worked on me today.  Every now and then I heard a little squeak from his toy but otherwise he was chilling like me.   More tears came streaming as I relaxed into the moment.  I never thought about it, but that's probably something that happens quite often with body work.

And so, it's back to the sawmill tomorrow.  My friend Sondra is grandma as of today and he is the first of several on the lab birthing list.  We're all in it together.  

on the road again

I was up and at 'em early today heading toward Madison county to see my baby girl and her baby girl.  As we walked through the ( already sweltering ) heat into JMCGH for her 8am ultrasound I noticed that Lifeline had two mobile units parked up front for a drive.  That place is massive and if Lauren didn't know where we were going I'd be lost.  Some lady with an attitude tried to hassle her about a balance that she was assured last time was not a problem.  Because she was on an SRUI the first couple of months they classified her as high risk, thus the extra precautions.  The same ultrasound tech did today's exam as we watched in wonder at that sweet little face.  The doctor said all looks good and the tech estimated 4 lbs 5 oz at 30 weeks.  Reaves has been growing!  While we were there she pre-registered for delivery.  

She gets WalMart gift cards from her hotel job for customer service and needed to use that for some food.  Rather than take on Vann Drive, we headed south on Highland to Bemis aka South Jackson.  We wandered and she got what she needed, we thought.  Her card was for 50 bucks and she made it with four dollars left to spare.  It wasn't until we got back to her apartment that she realized she was missing some items.  We ALMOST headed back down south when she noticed that they weren't on the receipt so must still be sitting on the belt.  *sigh* Here we go on another mission, this time to a dollar store for said items using the cash she had reserved for Uber rides to work.  She now has three baby items in the living room compliments of Marfy Sue. 

I am quite emotional these days....sort of like having PMS but I'm wayyyy past menopause.  I guess it's all the past two years catching up with me and the raw emotion involved with becoming a grandmother.  I wish my parents and her Dad were here to be a part of it.  Had I not had yesterday to rest slip into a coma I probably wouldn't have survived today. 

I've already turned the page on my Mary Engelbreit calendar to August, wishing away the days until there is some promise of cooler air.  I passed a poor soul hitch hiking today and though my samaritan side said "help a guy out" the funny look on his face convinced me to keep going.  Early this morning as I was gassing up at the chicken store, there was an obviously impaired guy wandering around the store.  They finally got him to sit down and gave him something to drink after which he promptly passed out on the table while the law was called.  UCMTSU.

Playing it be ear on a wing and a prayer.  

under the train

One of the most haunting moments in House of Cards to me was when Frank pushed Zoey in front of that moving train and never looked back.  That kind of cold hearted calculated "collateral" damage is pretty common in politics and the business world in general.  I slept for 14 hours from near exhaustion and dreamed on and off about all things job related. Too bad it wasn't about happy stuff like rainbows and unicorns.   Pretty much it was the about the cause of the previously mentioned exhaustion.  

We all know a Frank Underwood.  Someone who is totally self centered and goal oriented toward personal success at the expense of others.  While I pity them for missing out on the important things in life, I also realize that they exist and just don't care.  Kind of like POTUS and family.  They're dropping like flies and healthcare is still flapping in the breeze.  If I were y'all I would get whatever you need fixed tended to because who knows how it's going to all end up.  One thing for sure is this:  Hospital ERs will become even more of a stomping ground for those who have no insurance with the massive proposed cuts to Medicaid.  Without Planned Parenthood there will be more STDS and unplanned pregnancy in a world where women's rights and health are already at high risk.  Plus, there's that disturbing little Russia side drama.  

I want so badly to believe in the election process where each vote counts but with all the ways available to suppress voters and swing elections, it's a pipe dream.  We have a viable Democratic gubernatorial candidate for the first time in forever here in Tennessee.  Though I admire a lot of the good things done under Governor Haslam like small business development, I am deeply disturbed with our refusal of medicaid funds and the carrying on of one of our Senators in particular.  He is of the old school where power is everything.  I remember supporting him as a teenager just because my parents were Republicans.  Now?  Not so much.  

My personal philsophy on Christianity is to forgive but never forget who hung you on the cross.  In spite of his betrayal and abandonment, Jesus chose to make the sacrifice.  So many people think that once they've screwed up there's no forgiveness.  I prefer to believe that it's a gift and all is forgiven UNTIL you realize that how you have treated others is wrong.  With some folks, that never happens.  I can think of several things I've done that I should be totally ashamed of but here's the thing.  Once I became aware that I was doing wrong, I refused to go there any longer.  That's when it becomes a sin.  

Weather update:  Still hot as hades for about two weeks now.  Screw the garden and the flowers....no more redneck waterhose.  When it's too hot to even make the effort to keep that stuff alive, it's time to give up the ghost on the growing season.  

I haven't gotten a call on the border collie yet so that must not be in the cards.  Mostly I just wanted to help him find a good forever home but he's being fostered by someone who cares.  That's all that matters.  

Humility ~

the corporate way

I will spare the details except to say that we have been left in purgatory between a director who knew it all to one who is on a learning curve.  As you can expect, there is a lot of confusion and we're all trying our best to figure things out as we go along.  It took two of us watching a video to change a piercer on an analyzer today but we got it done and now we know.  Other things have been a lot more hard to come by like support for the LIS.  My one go-to person is at our sister hospital in Jackson and she's been off for a couple of days so it's like banging your head on the wall to figure out what to do next.  I finally gave up on the test building and went to the vet's office.

Bubba called yesterday, knowing what a dog lover that I am, with a tip on a full blooded red and white border collie. I touched base with the vet's staff and they took my name and number.   I'm not really ready to handle another dog at this point but I would sure like to help place this one.  He's beautiful from the phone pic that I saw.  

More heat....and humidity.  I woke up this morning with a scratched arm thanks to Oscar's middle of the night freakout.  I've got it sterilized and wrapped because dude has sharp little claws and I have thin skin.  My t'shirt looked a bloody mess.  That's okay because I got a brand new demolibtard one in the mail today that I will wear with pride.  

I don't know if it's the heat or what, but my give a damn's busted.  I'm hoping lots of others will keep the faith for me while I regroup.  

^j^