Next Door Neighbors

I don't really know the people who moved in next door to me late last fall. I saw the lady out one day and introduced myself, but haven't seen much of them all winter. This made me think of other next door neighbors I've had in my lifetime. Tonight I will talk about the first one.

Mrs. Crevastin was my first next door neighbor. This was at my early childhood home; the one where I sat upstairs listening to my sister's records, and pretended to be Laurie Partridge. Mrs. Crevastin lived alone, and to me she seemed very old. She had snow white hair, and wore the thickest glasses I'd ever seen. They looked like a kaleidoscope. Mrs. Crevastin always had a pitcher of cold water in her refrigerator, and when I'd go over for a visit, I always asked for a glass of it. While I was in her kitchen, I'd look up the staircase that lead to the second floor of her house. It was narrow and to me it seemed like that part of the house was forbidden. I guess she only needed the first floor, and had pretty much closed that area off. Of course I'd always ask if I could go up there. I was always told "no" and shooed back into the living room, where I promptly got in the floor. I thought she had the softest carpet I'd ever touched. To me it seemed pink. Maybe it was salmon colored. I'd lay on it like a kitty cat and squirm around so the soft, fluffy rug would tickle my arms, legs, and face. Mrs. Crevastin always wore a dress and black shoes that laced up and had a heel. The same type of shoe my grandmother wore. She was a nice lady.

It Could Be Worse, I Know

Even though I don't believe I ever heard him say the phrase, my Dad has always lived by the "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" philosophy. It makes him angry to hear people say "I have the worst luck", or go around thinking "Poor, pitiful me". One time my Dad got a speeding ticket and said "I'm so glad that happened. It will slow me down. I could have had a bad accident". If life hands him lemons, he makes lemonade. The glass is always half full.

I try to live by this mantra as much as I'm able, but today I just can't help it. I feel like there's a black cloud over my head and it's starting to get to me. I feel like I can't catch a break! Due to a "break in the line" somewhere in the walls of our house, our home telephone has been broken for about a month now. Our options are to pay $300 to rewire the entire house, run one new jack through the wall into the house, but our existing jacks would not work, or just scrap the whole house phone thing. I'm all for scrapping, but then this opens up a whole new can of worms with the alarm system. So while the guy was investigating the problem, he somehow messed up our internet service. Luckily, that was a relatively easy fix. But he also seems to have disconnected the doorbell; so now we have no home phone and no doorbell.

We've had some problems with critters. We've had some mice, which apparently got inside the walls, and may be the culprit for the severed wires. So far we've captured two. A great deal of cleaning and bleaching has ensued as a result. Also, some birds got into the attic. Believe me when I tell you mice or birds inside your walls sounds like a monster. My husband said it sounded like a badger. So yesterday he was on a ladder outside trying to get them out and seal up the area where a vent got blown off and allowed them to enter in the first place.

Friday night, our heat went out. It appears it needs some type of motor. While attempting to keep warm, I plugged in a space heater in the kitchen. That seemed to work just fine until I turned on the toaster oven. It now appears I've fried the entire circuit, and we have no power in the kitchen.

This morning I was bent over sorting laundry, and when I stood up I felt my back "catch". I am now unable to stand up straight. This happens to me from time to time and I have a regimen I practice. 800mg ibuprofen, then a very hot bath with jets. After that I do a series of stretches, which usually works it out. So while I'm in the "hot soaking bath" part of the whole thing, I get a phone call from my daughter. She sprained her ankle at volleyball practice.

I am trying very hard to stay positive and focus on good things. The ankle doesn't appear to be broken. Dad's cancerous tumor has been removed, and the area appears to be clear. Our home was not destroyed by tornadoes. My body is healthy, and everything that is broken can eventually be fixed. And thankfully I have the money right now to do so. But right now I feel a little out of control and can't understand if I somehow got my karma out of whack, or if God is trying to tell or show me something. Maybe it's just timing; stuff breaks....kids get hurt at sports. I'm just kinda ready for some things to turn around.

Every Little Thing....Is Gonna Be Alright

I don't really know what to say tonight. I feel sad. I feel heartbroken. I feel scared.

But I also feel hopeful. I feel positive. I feel confident. I feel strong for my friend. And I will be there for her.

I feel in my heart like everything is going to be just fine.

Quotes I Like

"Never give back the ring. Never. Swallow it first."
-Joan Rivers

Oh Won't You Stay......Just A Little Bit Longer?

I know it's still officially winter, but it's 70 degrees outside so it feels like the seasons have changed. I took a nice walk around the neighborhood and decided to sit out on the back deck to cool down and catch my breath. It was so nice out and felt so good. Then I looked over and saw a little patch of white wildflowers starting to bloom, and two cute little birds gathering straw for a nest, and thought to myself..."I hate spring".

I know how strange that sounds. Most people look forward to spring from Thanksgiving until March. Now this is nothing new; I'm sure I write about it every year, but today I thought "Why do I hate this beautiful season of the year?" Most people think it's tied in with the Kentucky Derby, and certainly that's part of it, but there's more.

In addition to the Running of the Roses and all the drama that brings to my world, there's also storm and tornado season. The weather is very unstable and unpredictable. When I was a teenager I developed this fear that the world would end in the spring because the sky often looked so ominous. But the spring thing I want to talk about today is Easter.

Now before everyone starts bashing me for not being very Christian-like, I want to say I know the "reason for the season", and all that. But I'm talking about 3 year old Easter, or 5 year old Easter. I was never a prissy girl, and Easter meant getting a dress and tights, and wearing shiny shoes that hurt my feet. It meant pastel colors, and being forced to eat all the hard boiled eggs we'd dyed. Even the white part. Easter meant jelly beans, which I never liked, and I always seemed to forget how much I hated the black licorice ones until I started chewing them. Easter meant getting that plastic grass all stuck on your sticky candy. And for some reason I never wanted to eat the chocolate bunny. I saved him until he was stale, then had to throw him out. But mostly....and this is a big one....mostly I hated the Easter Bunny. You should already know as a child (and maybe still today) I was terrified of clowns, and Santa. I was terrified of anyone or THING inside any type of costume. But the Easter Bunny was the worst of them all!! Was he out there in the yard hiding the eggs I dyed right now? Worse yet, would he STILL be out there when I got up in the morning to search for the eggs? If I'd had a weapon back then, I'd have taken it outside with me just in case.

So I guess there are a lot of reasons I hate to see Old Man Winter leave for another year.

Well, That Changes Everything

Why is it that I seem to be able to talk, and actually say what I mean, actually communicate with all my women friends, but I can't seem to express even one thought to a man? Well, that's not necessarily true. I can communicate just fine with men as long as they are not my dad, or as long as I haven't had sex with them.

I was thinking last week about two guy friends who have been in my life for a very long time. One since 1977 and the other since the late 80's, and I've always been able to talk to them about pretty much anything. But once that line is crossed, a conversation between myself and a man would go something like this:

We are both hungry, and both craving Mexican food.

Me: Are you hungry?
Man: I don't know, I guess.
Me: You wanna go to a restaurant and get some Mexican food, or you want me just to get carryout?
Man: I don't know. Whatever you want.
Me: Well, I'd like us to go together, but I'm getting the feeling that's not what you want.
Man: What makes you think that?
Me: I don't know...you're just acting funny.
Man: OH MY GOD....how am I acting funny now?
Me: Well don't get so upset about it! I can't talk to you about anything anymore!
Man: Whatever.
Me: Don't walk away from me! What is your problem?
Man: You're the one with the problem.
Me: Fine...I'll just go get the food and bring it home. I don't want to fight with you tonight.

Crazy, ain't it?

You're In My Heart, You're In My Soul

Thinking about my sweet, sweet Miss Pamela tonight. You are in my heart and on my mind. I just know everything is going to be okay.