October 31, 2011

to laugh often and much:
to win the respect: of intelligent people: and the affection of children:
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends:
to appreciate beauty,
to find the best in others:
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition:
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
That is to have succeeded.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have always loved Emerson.  He is such an insightful writer.  I have one of this quotes hanging in my office. 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

With this said, I have been trying to figure out what I want to do on my blog.  I have been checking out other blogs and some of them are awesome. Do I just want to journal and work on my writing skills; do I want to concentrate on a theme???  Perhaps on gardening, music, AIDS awareness, needlework or on genealogy??   Do I just need to leave well enough alone and learn what it is I am doing?  I want to put more things on the page but haven’t taken the time needed to figure out how to configure things.  I will though.  Last week was a wash, I was away from the apartment and then when I am home, forget it.  I don’t get much done but enjoying being home with my animals and my husband.  Takes me about a day to get all my house plants watered.  I love my houseplants though.  I took classes through the University of MO Extension Center in 1999 and became a Master Gardener.  I love, love, love gardening, growing flowers and growing houseplants.  I like taking a seed or a pineapple top, or a sweet potato and make it grow.  I cannot wait to retire so I can get things done around the yard like I would like too.  I plan to try and get some raised garden beds started this spring.  My husband isn’t much on growing things but I think if I got it going he’d water them for me.  He is such a good man!!!

I stayed home tonight because I love to see the little Trick or Treaters and the young ones are so sweet.  I’m glad I did except Lamar went crazy when they’d come around.  I think he thought we’d totally lost our minds, giving these strange creatures candy and sending them on their way.  LOL.  My favorite was a little guy, probably around 4 years old.  He came up with his brothers that looked around 6 and maybe 8-9.  He comes up to the door, goes “Twick or Tweet!!”  I gave him his candy and said, “See ya later alligator!!!”  He stops mid-stream, hand on hip and turns around.  He says, “I no ally gay door, I Batman!!!”  I looked surprised and go, “Ohhhh, I thought so but wasn’t sure!!!”  He ran to his parent’s car yelling back, “Tanks Wadie!!!”  That’s what it’s all about!!!  The little ones!!!

Gotta get off here and go to bed.  Going to get up at 5am and head to Springfield.  I really love my job and love my life right now.  Some think I am nuts but if it is all good with Terry and I who cares what anyone else thinks. 

See ya later alligator!!!

October 30, 2011

Twenty six days and the turkey will just be carcass.  There will be left over mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, green beans seasoned with bacon, candied yams, cranberry sauce and yeast hot rolls.  The pumpkin pie will barely have a dent made in it because everyone will have eaten so much they are miserable!!!  I can’t wait!!! Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  One of my favorite holidays along with Christmas and Easter!!!  And I will be the cook with my husband’s family here, along with my son Josh!!!  It will be fantastic!!!

This time of the year reminds me when I was a little girl growing up in the country outside of Lowry City.  I grew up on the same farm that my dad grew up on and across the creek from us were his cousin Flay Snyder and wife Dimple.  Flay was an avid hunter and it was nothing to eat deer, wild turkey, quail, rabbit, squirrel.  Whatever was game at that time.  Dimple always had homemade biscuits at every meal to soak up the gravy from the meat drippings.  We would have Thanksgiving over there sometimes and I remember having deer steak and deer roast for the meal. I am not that crazy about deer meat unless it is cooked right and I can’t remember it ever being cooked wrong at Dimples.  My favorite food memory of Dimple would have to be her homemade custard pies.  No one can duplicate this pie for as long as I live.  It is still my favorite pie, but they aren’t Dimple’s!!!

As I was walking over to my friend’s house this afternoon I passed a house with a ladder up against the upstairs windows.  They were washing windows and that brought back memories too.  My mom always washed her windows in the Spring and then again in the Fall.  After my dad passed away she sold the farm and we moved to town that next Spring.  Well, I’m not sure who she got to help her with her windows when we lived in the country but it was me when we moved to town.  Now, I am going to tell you something about myself that I know will surprise you but I had quite the teenager attitude going on in those years and the last thing I wanted to do on Saturday morning was wake up and wash windows.  She made me though and I couldn’t go anywhere until they were done.  We had to unscrew the storm windows, clean them, clean the window sill and then clean the outside of the windows.  Then put the storm windows back on and there was constant bickering coming from me and her.  Don’t break the glass, be careful, hold this still, wait a minute, hold on.  Dang it, I told you to hold that window up.  If you break that window I don’t know what we will do.  We won’t be able to open the windows in the Spring.  By the time we were done with the outside she was pretty fed up with me and would send me away and she finished the inside windows.  Mom was a very immaculate house keeper, to where you could eat soup in her toilet, and I never did anything right when it came to cleaning house, washing dishes or washing windows.  I am a pretty good window washer now but I don’t do it very much.  Except I love a clean window!!!

 Another tradition that I have kept up from my mom is the Sunday dinners.  We always had Sunday dinners even if it was just her and I eating them.  I can remember sitting there eating her wonderful food and to this day I wish I had a pot of her beef and noodles.  They were the bomb.  It was the era of the pressure cooker and she pressure cooked everything.  It made the roast so tender you could cut it would melt like butter in your mouth. 

Anyway I have kept that tradition up and my husband and Josh absolutely love them.  Josh rarely misses them.  I had sirloin steak and mushroom soup gravy baked in the oven, rice and buttered corn.  It was good.  Josh had went to a Halloween dance/party last night and I didn’t hear from him until around 4.  He was hungry of course and came by to eat leftovers.  We watched the Patriots and Steelers football game and when it was over we talked about Josh’s sports career.  He loved his football and baseball but basketball and soccer wasn’t that much fun to him.  I brought up the story of when he was in 3^rd, maybe 4^th grade.  We were playing Raymore/Pecuilar school, aka Ray/Pec.  When we got to the football field Josh got out of the truck and we were heading towards his team, I was walking with him.  As we were walking some of the Ray/Pec boys were walking to their team also.  Josh taps me on the arm and goes, “Hey mom, you see that tall guy?”  I looked over and there was one of the kids that were really tall and big and I told him yes.  He goes, “That’s Ray Peck!”  Trying to keep a straight face I tried to explain to him that was the name of the school, we don’t know what that kids name is.  LOL.  Out of the mouths of babes.  Josh was one delight after another growing up!!!

Well, tomorrow is Halloween and should prove to be fun.  We always get quite a few children and I can’t wait.  Those little ones are so cute!!!  I will post more tomorrow and will let you know how things go.  Man, memories are already flowing of the Halloween’s I have experienced in Lowry City MO.   

October 29, 2011

Do you see what I see here???  A thick fuzzy wooly worm.  If forklore is correct we are going to have a long, hard, cold winter.  Of course, when has our winters not been cold and hard???  And they always seem long.

 I've also been known to check out the persimmon seeds.  I have split the seeds open to see if there was a knife or shovel in the center of the seed.  If there was a shovel symbol in the center it meant we were to have lots of snow.  LOL.  I love the old folklore I learned as a child.  I've even done the little rhyme my mom taught me to remember how many days are in a month.  "30 days hath September, April, June and November.  All the rest have 31 except February and it is different."  LOL.  Don't think that's how it originally ended but that was the way I always ended it. 

Terry and I went to Settle's Ford today.  It is a conservation area outside of Garden City.  He didn't think he had ever been there before so I told him I would show him where it was.  It is a place that I have frequented alot in my past.  I would bring my journal or my bible and just set there and reflect my life.  It gave me peace within a life that there was no peace.  I did a lot of laughing, crying, talking, and just generally tried to figure out what I was going to do.  Josh and I would go out there sometimes too but mostly I would go by myself.  

See why I love this area so.  In the Spring time when the rains have flooded the area it is so nice there too.  When you get out of the car you can hear the water running and hear the birds, frogs and fish jumping.  Today was in the mid 70's and all you could hear were the leaves rustling with the wind.  Off in the distance were little squirrels scurring up and down the tree's getting ready for the long cold winter that Willy was telling us was just around the corner!!!

This area was the hotbed of border violence before and during the Civil War.  Eventually all residents were evacuated by federal toops under General Ewing's infamous "Order No. 11."  For those of you that don't know what Order 11 was, this General demanded all homes to be burned to the ground.  There are very few homes in Cass County area that were built before the Civil War because these homes were burnt. 

Anyway, shortly after resettlement was permitted, a family with the name of Settles operated a mill and ford in the center of what is currently this conservation area.  The conservation has like 6,766 acre area and there is an abundance of wildlife.  We forgot our binoculars but will bring them with us again.  Josh and I use to go to Civil War battlefields up along the MO River and I plan to educate Terry on this free and interesting history lesson about Missouri history. 

After we finished walking around this area we went riding through the country.  We ended up by his friends house Jim Kenagy.  Jim was out working on his car so we stopped to visit.  Lots of people don't like Jimmy but I have always enjoyed visiting with him.  He has the same love as I do about gardening and horticulture.  He's really a smart, smart man if you can get past the BS.  LOL!!!  You've got to know Jimmy Kenagy to know what I am saying. 

Anyway Jimmy is just a few years older than I am.  He retired a few years ago from J.E. Dunn construction.  He was upper management there.  Let me add, Jimmy is very excentric.  A little bit of a horder, a little bit I don't know what.  Anyway he has been growing tomatoes since he has retired.  Last year he planted 3500.  Yes, I said 3500 and they are the best tomatoes I've ever eaten.  I probably won't grow any more for the rest of my life, just buy them from Jimmy.  He goes to the Amish auctions and is friends with most of the communities.  His digs are mostly at Rich Hill and Windsor area.  Oh and Versailles too.  They usually start his plants for him but he has bought scrape to build a greenhouse and is getting it going on now.  He said he is going to be starting his own plants and then showed me where he is going to grow the tomatoes before they go into the ground.  Pretty cool if I don't say so myself.  I'll keep you updated, he's something else.

 We came home to crockpot full of chicken, green beans, carrots, peas and corn. It was pretty dang good. Josh came up after we finished. He has a Halloween party to attend and is going as a caveman.

. 
Kinda makes a mother proud, don't it???  I wouldn't have him any other way though.  Him and my husband are my world!!!

World Series is over and now we are watching college football.  My husband loves his sports.  Of course his favorite is baseball and he loves his Chiefs too.  The rest is just filler until the other is on. 

I am going to read up a little more about posting pictures on my blog and learn how to post links.  I'm having troubles with that.  I'll get it, I've only been doing this for about a week, I should lighten up on myself.  If nothing else I have learned how to post the pics within my blog. 

As always, will talk to you guys later.  This is fun!!!

October 28, 2011

I was getting ready to post the date in the title tonight and wrote August 28, 2011.  Where did that one come from???  LOL.  It's a Friday night and has been chilly today but nice and sunshiny (if that is even a word)  Has been in my vocabulary for about 55 years. 

We are watching Game 7 of the World Series.  I have always liked baseball but my husband LOVES it so I feel alot more connected with the players now.  David Freese and Albert Puljols.  Wow!!!  Those are some awesome Cardinal Players.  Last night game was a real nail biter to say the least.  No matter who wins tonight, these two teams have played some wonderful baseball!!!

I am still very new on this blogging stuff.  I have been trying to post more pictures and links on the page and it won't let me.  Not sure what I am doing wrong but will find out.  I see some great things out there to post.  I have gotten positive feedback from everyone and they seem to enjoy reading what I posts.  One friend told me they sound just like me and if she was posting it probably would be nothing but negative stuff.  I'm like, but no one would read them if they were negative.  Plus like my Facebook account, this is suppose to be fun!!!  Another friend of mine said something today that was so funny.  I said I would like to learn to quilt and she told me I didn't have time, I'm blogging now.  LOL.  She said I'm wearing her out.  :o)

I went today to a retirement celebration for Joan Diaz, a co-worker from another Bureau I worked for within the State.  It was so nice and I am so happy for her.  Joan has alot of love in her heart for children.  She would give Josh different little gifts as he was growing up and I was working with her.  Little things like pencils with his name on them, cookies and treats at Christmas.  Just little tokens that he remembers to this day.  While there we were talking about another coworker that was a good friend and I now have contact information for her.  It's Barb Renfro.  I really, really liked Barb.  Her and her husband moved to Washington State and I hope to see her when I go out there next year to visit my cousin Carol.  I am really, really looking forward to that trip!!!

I'm not sure if I told you guys last night but I have an opportunity to go to Women of Faith conference next weekend in Kansas City.  It's going to be so good and I am so excited.  You will have to check into it, just google Women of Faith and it will pull up.  Mandesa is one of my favorite Christian singers and get to go and hear her!!!  Cool. 

Well, Halloween is just around the corner and I CANNOT believe that the year is almost over.  It does go fast.  One time I was at a bible study quite a few years ago and I said something about how the years zip right by.  A little lady, her name was Bonnie Green and she is gone now, reached over and patted my hand saying, "You haven't seen anything yet Glenda"!!!  You know what, she's right!!!  I think every year they go by faster and faster!!! 

Top of the 5th and St Louis is ahead 3-2.  Think I will post this and get back to the game.  I missed the last run because last I looked we were tied 2-2. 

I love you all and if nothing else I feel this keeps me connected with you.  Sometimes I feel like Doogie Howser when he is setting at his computer the end of the show and journaling.  LOL. 

See you guys tomorrow night.  Evening is when I post these while I am watching tv with my husband!!! 

Posting

Just to let everyone know.  I am not going to allow any posts from someone that posts as anonymous.  Just saying. 

October 27, 2011

Well, I am home tonight and it is a Thursday night.  I am so happy though, I feel as if I have had a long week.  Lots of travel.  I had to go to Stockton today and draw a gentleman's blood to check him for Syphilis.  He is 60 years old.  He had went to the local doctor to get checked for STDs.  They hadn't done the correct test so I needed to go and redraw.  I asked the man if he had ever had syphilis before and he said yes, in the early 80s.  Upon checking he was correct but told him it was in his best interest to check and make sure he had not been reinfected.  He said he thought he might have been exposed in January.  Anyway we were talking and he was having a hard time remembering stuff.  He remembered the year he had syphilis, he remembered the primary lesion that you get in the beginning of syphilis but he couldn't remember if he had ever been treated.  Strange.  The shot is extremely painful.  It is one shot of penicillian 2.4 million units with a big long needle.  It usually hurts and they always remember the shot, no matter how long ago it was.  I am wondering if he ever got treated and if not he might be neurosyphilis.  He had some mental problems going on, not sure what or why.

Anyway, I know I have said it before but the trees were really pretty in Cedar County too.  That is El Dorado Springs and Stockton.  If you don't know where that is it is down around Osceola and Collins area.  Beautiful land. 

As I was in Stockton area I passed a Black Walnut factory and down the road there was a sign that said Walnuts Hulled here.  Reminded me when I was a little girl and every fall there was a hulling machine behind Greenwell's hatchery.  My mom, dad and I would go out in the pasture and pickup several gunny sacks of walnuts to take to town and sell to hullers.  I'm not sure how much money we got because I was little and didn't get a share of it but we would fill up the back of the pickup.  You would go into town and wait in line with others that were doing the same.  I followed a gentleman in Stockton today that had a trailer behind his truck and the trailer was loaded down with black walnuts. Brought back so many memories.

Last night after I posted, Johnny Foster, an old classmate and friend of mine from Lowry reminded me of some special memories of our years growing up in Lowry.  Lowry had a noon whistle that blew everyday except Sunday to let you know it was noon.  It blew from the City Hall which was also the firestation.  Clyde Keith was an icon from Lowry and worked at the City Hall.  A nice, nice man.  He was always so good to me and especially after dad passed away.  I worked a few summers at the City Hall helping with billing of the water bills and he was always there.  Such wonderful memories. 

Well, we are watching the World Series and think I will sign off so I can watch.  I hope Cardinals win, only because they are a MO team and I like to keep my allegiance to MO, but I do like Rangers too.  We're ahead right now but it is only the top of the 2nd.  Will talk more tomorrow. 

October 26, 2011

Well, I have made it to the apartment in Springfield.  I was figuring it up in my head and I have driven close to 700 miles since Monday.  No wonder I am so tired.  I wouldn't be surprised if I don't head to bed when I finish this blog!!!  I'm getting old, nothing use to bother me and now I can't wait for my Sunday afternoon naps or going to bed during the week around 9pm. 

I found out today what the burning of the fields yesterday down around Sikeston was all about.  They have harvested the rice fields already and when they harvest the rice they leave the stalks up about a foot tall, maybe taller.  They are burning those off so they can use that field to plant winter wheat.  I thought that was pretty cool.  My supervisor is a couple years older than I am and grew up in Cruthersville MO, she said when she was younger it was a big thing when the farmers would burn the fields off.  The towns people would load up in pickup trucks, go to the fields and roast hot dogs and marshmellows and just tailgate all night long until the fields were burnt.  She said people would sit along the side of fields in lawn chairs and just watch.  I can associate a little because I love to watch a fire burn.  I love to be involved with a brush pile and catching it on fire.  Got a little pyro blood in me.  LOL. 

I drove back to Springfield from Poplar Bluff on highway 60 and that takes you into the Mark Twain National Forest.  It was so pretty.  I got some pictures and all but am too tired tonight to download them, let alone try to figure out how to post them.  I will probably do that this weekend.  It took me about 3 1/2 hours to drive from Poplar to Springfield and the training was over at 3.  I thought about pulling off and seeing if I could get some awesome pictures but it was raining and since it is getting darker earlier I wanted to get home.  Plus the deer are moving right now and are in rut.  I didn't want to drive in the evening and have a deer run in front of me and I hit it.  They say they move the most from 4-7 in the evening and then early morning.  It's a bummer when you hit a deer.  To say the least!!!

Two more trainings to conduct and then we are done.  I will do mine in Springfield and Joplin.  Kurry, the coworker I helped, is coming over here to help me too.  I enjoyed doing it but will be glad when this is all over.  Mine are Nov. 8 & 9. 

Well, I am taking Friday off so tomorrow night I will be in Harrisonville.  Yeahhhh!!!  It will be nice, to say the least.  My husband Terry and I have a Yorkie and he is always so happy to see me.  Hardly gets out of my arms and when I set in my chair just snuggles and sleeps on me.  He is a total mess, spoiled to the core.  His name is Lamar and he has personality plus and then some.  LOL. 

I am getting ready to get back into my geneology.  I had done alot of research a few years ago on my mom and dad's families and my computer crashed.  Some stuff I had copied but lost alot.  I am going to get it all together again and get everything organized.  My cousin Carol and I are going to write a book about our mom's with the information we get.  Something for families to come.  I love doing that stuff. 

Well, this is the end of this day.  I will talk to you guys tomorrow.  Hope you guys have a wonderful evening and day tomorrow.  Peace, Love and Tranquility!!!  :o)

October 25, 2011

Today turned out to be a very productive day, if I don't say so myself.  We had the training at the Cape Girardeau County Health Department.  It is a beautiful building with a state of the art conference room.  We had around 20 attend and they were a great bunch.  Lots of good questions and we had some great information to give to them.  I had never been to the extreme southeast part of the state and it was so nice to hear the southern drawls.  One of the HIV Case Managers took us to a little mom and pop restaurant called Patty Lou's.  Todays special happened to be pan fried chicken and can I say OMG!!!  That was the best restaurant pan fried chicken I think I had ever eaten.  They fried it in lard so you know how heart healthy that was!!!  I had their seasoned cabbage and that was another OMG with cornbread.  Better than my Jiffy cornbread mix that I use and I really, really like the Jiffy cornbread mix!!!  This little fat girl died and went to kitty heaven.  The case manager said to come the day they have homemade chicken and dumplings!!! Not sure I could handle it or not.  LOL. 

You can tell by the fall foilage that they have gotten alot of rain down here.  They had  flooding down in this area earlier this year, but there are no dead leaves on trees down here.  It is all color and green.  I've said it in other posts but this is beautiful.  I hope to be able to get some pictures tomorrow if I can.  Today I saw them while driving 70 mph down I-55 and 60 highway.  Not many places to pull over but like I said, I am going to have to see what I can do before I leave Poplar Bluff tomorrow to get some pictures to post. 

The cotton fields are also being harvested right now with miles and miles of white.  It's really cool.  My son Josh took his college classes in John Deere Technology and was always telling me about the John Deere cotton picker combines.  I couldn't believe it and to see bales of cotton like our big round bales of hay we have up north.  Looked like the other fields were soy beans and maybe rice fields.  I'm not sure but am going to talk to my co-worker from down here and see what the other agriculture is.  Another thing is they are burning off the fields right now and I can't figure that one out either.  I know that in the Spring time we burn off fields so the grass will come in.  It is really, really smoky and I can even smell the smoke in the hotel room.  The air is hazy.

They have prediction of 80% rain tonight and tomorrow and I know that is why the farmers are in the fields right now, trying to get the cotton harvested.  It surprised me when they were burning off the fields because the wind was blowing as hard down here as what you guys are talking about.  A couple of times it about blew my 2011 Ford Focus off the road.  I had to keep both hands on the wheel. 

I am so interested in the different cultures in the different areas of the state.  I have worked the Northwest section of the state all the way up to the Iowa/Nebraska border and now am working the southern section to Arkansas, Oklahoma border and people are so different then up north.  It's hard to explain unless you have worked public health or had any dealings with any type of public contact.  It is so, so interesting to me.  I was raised in the public because of mom and dad working restaurant work and then when I was old enough to work mom taught me all she knew.  Waitressing.  I waitressed for about 15 years or so until I got into Public Health.  I was bookkeeper before I got into my current career.  People fascinate me.

We were talking in our meeting today about STD's because that is what our job is. Dr's offices and labs are mandated by law to report communicable diseases and the communicable diseases that we deal with is Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis and HIV.  In the 90's there was an outbreak of Syphilis and the United States has gotten the numbers down within the last couple of years but the rates are starting to go up again.  St. Louis with the highest numbers right now.  We are prediciting with the World Series  in St. Louis we will be seeing an increase in our case numbers within the next 3 months.  That's not unusual because disease ALWAYS spikes 3-6 months after a major event.  That is the incubation period for HIV and Syphilis.  Gonorrhea and Chlamydia is 60 days.  With that said, we are expecting to get real busy here pretty fast.  And our lovely politicians are complaining, why do we need people like myself out in the field.  What are we actually doing to stop the spread of disease.  We are getting partners, contacts, social networks and getting them tested, treated or preventively treated for a disease that can be deadly or cause life long complications. Plus education.   Even though there is no cure for HIV it is not the death sentence it use to be.  In the State of MO there are over 10,000 people living with HIV and that is only the ones that know it.  Not the ones that have never been tested.  1 out of 4 people will have an STD or HIV or both and never tell you.  Not because they don't want to tell you, because they have never been tested and don't know it themselves.  If you have had unprotected sex one time in your entire sexual history you should get tested.  It only takes one time!!! 

Okay, I'm off my soap box.  I love my job and love educating people.  If you ever need a speaker for a group of yours let me know.  I can do it or hook you up with someone that will.  Prevention is the key.  Spread the word, not the infection.

Well, you guys are lucky.  I am almost done with this little trip.  Tomorrow is it and then I am off to Springfield.  I have one day in the office and then am taking Friday off because a co-worker of mine is retiring after 19 years with the State.  I am so happy for her but am going to the retirement celebration.  That will be fun.  It's always fun to see people you have worked with in the past.  Plus if you know me, you know how I love seeing old friends and keeping in touch with them!!!

Will talk to you later, hey gas is cheap down here too.  It is like $3.09, am wondering how much I am going to have to pay once I get back.  $3.19 or $3.25???.  Good question.

TTYL or as my favorite character in the whole wide world would say TTFN!!



 

October 24, 2011

Wow is all I have to say about this day.  I am in Cape Giraudeau tonight because the training is tomorrow and then was going to drive an hour and a half to go to the other training in Poplar Bluff to do on Wednesday.  And it took me 6 hours to drive here from my house.  Made reservations last month so I would be sure and get everything done.  EXCEPT I forgot that they changed the trainings to Poplar Bluff tomorrow and Cape Wednesday.  So I will have to get up in the morning and drive to Poplar (hour and a half drive) then drive back to Cape Wednesday morning.  I am going to see if Jeff City can change my reservations for tomorrow night to be in Cape again but if they can't, no biggie.  I'll just suck it up and write it off as HEAD UP THE OLE ARSE!!!!  And I forgot my personal phone charger at the house in Harrisonville this morning.  6 HOURS AWAY!!!!  GRRRR  Welcome to my world. 

It was a beautiful day for a trip though.  The leaves are beautiful when you go south of St. Louis on I-55.  I don't care what anyone says, they are goregous.  The browns are pretty amongest the reds, oranges and yellows.  Then when you throw the evergreens in the midst you have spectacular foliage!!!  As I posted on Facebook tonight, "If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies"!!!

Oh, and to keep complaining because I know that is why you guys love reading and following my blogs, I went through St. Louis and gas was $3.08 and I was like whoops, missed that exit.  Oh well, it's probably going to be cheap in Cape.  NO!!!  It's $3.29 down here.  And I have to get gas before I go to Poplar Bluff tomorrow.  Crap, crap, crap.

Okay, I'm done.  No more whining and crying and sitting on the pitty pot.  Leaves a big red ring on your butt and is lonely there.  LOL. 

Hmmm, I'm wondering if a full moon is coming soon or even maybe a new moon.  Sometimes those mess with you big time!!!  Or maybe it's because Halloween is just around the corner. 

I was sitting in the lobby because Drury gives you complimentary drinks and there were three guys sitting there drinking these watered down drinks and they start talking about Alice's Restaurant.  You know, the one with Arthur Gunthrey in it.  Then they started talking about their theory of Evolution (because Alice's Restaurant and evolution go hand in hand)  I had to leave, they were from some electric company down in this area.  Idiots in some eyes, scholar's in others!!!

Well I am going to see what I can't read or study tonight.  Plus TV is pretty good.  I really like Mike and Molly but they come on when House comes on and I really like him too.  Then there is Castle at 9pm and that's another cute show.  Man, what's a girl to do???

Will talk to you guys again tomorrow night.  Guess I'd better get rested up for a early day tomorrow.  I'll let you know how my travels go.  LOL. 

October 23, 2011

Third night in the roll.  I'm doing pretty good, wasn't sure if I would even make it this long.  Of course I have always loved journaling but haven't done it like forever.  I use to love to write but life made it to busy for me when I was raising my son and working, plus going to college that I had given it up.  Maybe I will start all of it back up.

When I put this title on here I was like, maybe I should title my entries but then again it took me a while to figure out a title for my blog and then all of a sudden it was like, yeah that's it!!!  I will write about the joys in my life and random thoughts that come into my head.  Might just title short stories or something that I write.  That would be cool!!!  This blogging stuff may turn out to be alot of fun. 

Another beautiful day!!!  Of course that reminds me of a comment I have heard most of my life from various sources.  As long as both feet hit the floor in the morning, it's a good day!!!  Ain't that the truth!!  The temperatures the last two days have been great too though, day and evening.  I think it has been in the 70's the last two days.  I do so love Autumn in Missouri though.  Even though my allergies plays havoc on me, I still love it!!!

Went to church this morning.  I'm here to tell you guys, if you are looking for a church home and haven't been able to find one, give me a hollar.  I can hook you up!!!  I go to Freedom Point Church in Garden City, MO.  It is a non-denominational church and Mike Bates is our preacher.  He is awesome and does a WONDERFUL job delivering the message to us.  I absolutely love it and am so glad I started going there.  I have been going like 3 1/2, maybe 4 years and have seen us grow into the best church I've ever been to my entire life!!!  I started going like 6 months or so after they started up. 

With that said I am going to try and read a book and study the bible while I read it.  The book is "Women of the Bible, The Life and Times of Every Woman in the Bible."   I've read part of it in the past but plan to read and study it in depth.  I have been to a couple of bible studies where we studied Miriam and another one where we studied Rahab.  A couple of totally awesome ladies.  Miriam, I really liked.  She was Moses' sister and after they walked through the parted sea she whips out the tamborine and danced and sang.  I had someone tell me one time that this "new" Christian music is terrible!!!  Churches need to sing the old traditional music.  I said, Christian music has not always been what YOU grew up with.  I brought up Miriam and I said, I am sure she didn't sing Rock of Ages or the Old Rugged Cross.  He goes, yeah but that was the Old Testament.  Nothing in the Old Testament is what we apply our lives to now.  I go, cool so you are saying homosexuality is okay!!!  Needless to say, he didn't talk to me any more about music in the church!!!  :o)  Probably thought I was an idiot but that's okay.  Idiot in some eyes, scholar in others!!!

There are some good movies coming up this season.  The previews I can think of so far that I would like to see are Jack and Jill, Tower Heist, Sherlock Holmes a game of shadows and I really, really want to see J. Edgar.  Leonardo DiCapprio is a really good actor.  The last movie I saw him in that I TOTALLY loved was Shutter Island.  The J. Edgar Hoover movie is produced by Clint Eastwood.  It should be a good one!!!

My son came by today and we had a weekly Sunday lunch.  Terry loves having those and Josh loves them too.  I enjoy having them as well.  Terry's Josh and his fiance' Jen came by for a little bit.  I really, really like her.  She is awesome and is so stable.  Lived in the same place for 10 years, has been at the same job for that long too.  Stablility has a lot to offer in this world today. Josh seems very happy too.  Which is good.

Well, watched the Chiefs beat the Raiders today.  Then went out to weekly Sunday evening Dairy Queen Blizzard and a ride around town.  Now am home watching the World Series.  Rangers against the Cardinals.  It has been a really good Series games.  Cardinals player Albert Pujols is something else.  Terry tells me he is from Fort Osage.  He is a awesome player. 

Well, I am going to sign off and will write more tomorrow.  Later Gators!!!

October 22, 2011

Today would have been my daddy's birthday.  If I'm not mistaking he would have been 99 today.  He was born in 1913 and was taken away from me in 1968.  Wasn't sick or anything, came into this little girls bedroom and kissed her goodnight and said my favorite bedtime rhyme.  Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.  Told me he loved me and turned out of the room.  I never saw him again, he died of a massive heart attack that night.  He died December 3, 3 days before my mom's birthday and 3 weeks before Christmas.  I had just turned 12 two months before and was in Jr. High in Lowry.  Wow, my life as I had known it had changed drastically.  I feel sorry for my mama, having such a handful to raise during the dreaded teen years.  I was rebellous to say the least.  That is why I truly in my heart know what it means when I say, life is way to short.  Never leave anyone with hate in your heart because you may never see them again for a long, long time.  He was 55, the same age I turned this year!!!

With that all said, one of my favorite bible verses has got to be The Second Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 2-4:
(2)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (3)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, (4)who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Well, I started reading my books on blogging and now can tell you the difference between Wiki's, Blog's and Web Pages.  Still got some advancing to do but it is all good.  Still working on the part where you guys can comment and be followers.  Think I may have more control over that but not positive.  One thing I know, I've been having fun messing with it today.

I have been really tired today, two days in Jefferson City in meetings wear me out.  Plus I am swamped right now with cases at work andddd, I'm a little on the lazy side.  :o)  Terry watched MU and Oklahoma State football this afternoon while I sat here on the 'puter.  We're getting ready to watch the World Series tonight.  Imagine that.  My husband LOVES sports and it is fine with me. 

After the football game we ran to the store and bought stuff for tomorrow's lunch after church.  Spaghetti, I love Ragu!!!  When Josh was a little guy I use to make homemade spaghetti sauce but then Ragu became a part of my life.  I think it or Prego is better than anything homemade.  Of course, remember what I said earlier.  I'm lazy.  :o)  I did make two cream pies.  Banana and Chocolate.  Terry's favorite is Banana and Josh's is chocolate.  I made them homemade and sugar free.  Have to admit, they are good.  I am trying to make pie as good as mom's was but that won't ever happen.  They were her pies. 

Been thinking about Thanksgiving dinner.  We will have it here again this year.  I love cooking and love having everyone over to dinner.  Probably same crowd as last year.  Terry's sisters and their families, my Josh and Brandon will come in and out.  Since Terry's Josh has a fiance now we probably won't see much of him.  Plus he likes going down to his Grandma's in Vista or Gerster.  Can't remember which she lives at and I totally don't blame him.  Grandma's house is where holiday's should be spent!!!

Today would have been a beautiful day to go hiking.  I have got to get back into that.  To start I should walk out back of our house across the field to the tree line.  We have a really nice place for in the town.  It's like we are out in the country and we aren't.  I love our house, but of course I love my life.  What can I say???

Well, can't think of much more to talk about.  I had left over pie filling and made a couple of bowls of pudding.  Terry is dipping into the banana cream.  He says it's pretty good.  Of course Terry never says anything is bad.  One thing about marrying late in our life, I've pretty much learned how to cook.  He missed all the trials and tribulations that the other sap suckers had to eat.  LOL. 

I'll post more tomorrow.  Think peace everyone!!!

October 21, 2011

This has been an absolutely breathtaking beautiful day.  I had to go to Cassville MO today to talk to a man and his wife about his recently acquired +HIV status.  They were so nice and both of them gave me a hug and thanked me for "being so cool".  That is what it is all about.  That is what makes me love my job. 

The leaves were beautiful as I was driving down there from Springfield.  60 Highway had a detour going on once I made it to Aurora and that was the beautiful part.  The detour took you down old 60 Highway through small towns and lots of old trees.  The bright oranges, reds and yellows were vibrant.  Of course the beautiful 70* weather wasn't to shabby either.  This is the part of fall I love, not the part where I had frost on my windshield this morning and had to warm up the car.  :o(

My son just came by and showed me his "new" truck.  It is 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.  It is really pretty, a smoky gray and Josh is in his own little heaven!!!  He is a truck man and has been driving his work car for a few months now, saving money to buy a truck.  Doesn't seem like he's gotten hurt by the deal.  Growing up is so hard to do and you have to take a few punches in the gut before you realize you really don't know EVERYTHING!!!

Ran by the library today to pick up some books on how to blog and build websites.  As you can tell I haven't read anything yet but plan to read up while I am out this week.  I am going to Cape Giraudeau Tuesday and Poplar Bluff on Wednesday to help a co-worker with some training we are doing.  I plan to play around with this blogging stuff while I am at the hotels.  I think it will be fun.  I know a little bit about HTML, probably enough to be dangerous if you know what I mean.

Well, going to post this and see what I can do to make it look better.  Will keep it updated everyday, hopefully.  Not sure why I think I can do that when I can't even finish a bottle of one a day vitamins!!!  Hope you guys will enjoy this as much as I am going to enjoy learning how to blog!!!