WINTER OF MY LIFE

Saturday while we were in small groups we were asked to think about what season of our life we are in. 

Well, it didn't take one friend and I long to realize we are in the Winter of our lives.   But...we both agreed that's O.K.    We have pretty good health, have both had some rough spots in our lives (who hasn't) but all in all we had both had good lives.

I was interested to hear the others that are in the Summer of their lives talk of what they wanted to do from now on.   Goodness, when I was their age I didn't think of such things and it pleased me that these young (comparatively speaking) women had such plans and hopes, yet it saddened me a bit I had never thought much about it. 

One young woman is a new member to our Prayer Shawl group and she shared a  little of her life with us last Monday at Prayer Shawl meeting.   The new leader and I both had felt she had more to share and was very sad and very lonely.    We'd like to give her a prayer shawl but really didn't want to embarrass her.

However, Saturday she was in my small group and so much of the pain she's had over her life came out and I realized she really IS very sad and very lonely.   I have a feeling we will be having lunch with this young woman before too long and hope she feels safe enough to share some of her pain with Elaine and I.

WOMEN COMING TOGETHER

Yesterday we had a one day Women's Retreat at my church - WOMEN COMING TOGETHER.   We had about 80 women and what a great day.

Got there and had breakfast foods all over, then made a really big circle and gave our names.   The we got into groups of 3 or 4 according to where you grew up and this went on to change to groups of your birthday MONTH, so on and so on.     The whole idea being to get to know someone you did not know.

Then we had a worship service for an hour with a visitor that sang like no one I had ever heard before.   She was so good and turned out to be a knitter.  

At lunch time we had assigned tables and they put us with people we knew but also with some we had not had contact with.   After lunch, which was home made soup and salad, we broke up into our classes we had signed up for.   I was asked to help with the beginning knitters and we had 11.   One poor lady does all kinds of sewing, counted cross stitch and other things but knitting just isn't going to be her thing I'm afraid.   She had a terrible time. 

The experienced knitters had about 8 and are planning on starting an evening Prayer Shawl group.   This will help us a lot, especially when they need a lot of shawls at Dover.   Surprisingly we have not had to send so many there and that's a GOOD THING.

We closed with a report from each group and so many ideas came out of yesterday.   We are going to start a group called "Ladies Night Out" to go out and eat once a month, one group yesterday visited shut-in's and one lady offered to head up a team to do that on a regular basis, banners were started to use for Lent, greeting cards were made to send to shut in's and other various reasons.    All in all we had a good time and got to meet new women we see at church but really don't have time to visit with.

BOY CAN I SMELL A BARGAIN

I'm not a poet or an author or artist, but by golly I can shop.   One time I went to a garage sale for a swimming pool for Jill.   What I ended up buying was a Walnut Sideboard for $60 and eventually gave it to a daughter - AHEM.     She couldn't keep it so asked if I wanted it back but I had moved on by then too.     I think she made a pretty good profit on that little purchase.

Another time I was at a garage sale and got a practically new garage door opener for about $15.  

Yesterday I had some errands to run and needed a new coat for everyday.   Had seen a really nice coat last fall in a Peebles store in Lewisburg but it was $150 and knew that I wasn't going to pay that.   Figured if I waited I might get lucky and get it for $50 or maybe less but probably not much less.

So...yesterday I ran into the Peebles in Columbia and they had one of those coats left.   But...there was no price tag on it.   The clerk checked their computer and asked if I wanted it for $20, I nearly fainted.   Then when she rang it up it came up $14.95.   

My feet didn't even touch the ground getting to the car.  

CONNECTING WITH AN OLD FRIEND

We had more snow yesterday.   Not much, but it snowed from about 3:30 a.m. to around 10.   It was really wet and would of made a great snowman...IF I had not been such a wimp.  

I sewed most of the day.   Made school bags for Sager Brown but found that is not near as much fun sewing them alone as it is in the sewing room down there.   We are always laughing and telling jokes and just having a good time.

SO...after about 4 hours of sewing I decided to call my friend in Alaska, Elaine.   She has had MS for many years, is a cancer survivor, and about a year ago discovered she now has diabetes.     Last fall they discovered a sore she had developed from sitting in her wheel chair for so long and not being able to shift her weight.    Over the years she has grown very large.

In November she was admitted to a specialty hospital in Anchorage for treatment of bed sores and they thought she was getting better.    But not so.   A couple of weeks ago they did an MRI and discovered she has infection in a bone now from this.   SO...she has to stay another six weeks and is taking more medication.

She was really surprised when she answered the phone and it was me.    Truth is she was almost asleep but I woke her.   That's O.K.    I think she was glad I called and we had a good old fashioned "remember this" call.

She was a member of the same church I went to in Indiana and we used to do some ornery things.   That poor minister never knew what would happen next.  

One Sunday he was going to give the Children's sermon and no children came down but Elaine and I walked out of the choir with our choir robes on and sat beside him. 

Then there was the Farkel game and since I was a winner I "tithed" my winnings in a little brown envelope marked FARKEL.    The poor lady that counted the money (beware of card players, Kim) just didn't know what to do with that.   She approached Drexel and asked what she should do with it.  

We had a 40th birthday party for him with a belly dancer and it's a good thing YOU TUBE wasn't popular then.    We made the girl promise she'd tone her act down for him, which she did.   A few months after his 40th birthday, Elaine's husband turned 50 and she had a party for him with the same belly dancer only this time she didn't tame it down much.   I think the minister took as much of a teasing that night as Jim did.

BUT...the funniest time we ever had was when I was getting ready to move to Tennessee and they all took me to Happy Hour at some fancy restaurant in Indianapolis.   Man, I could of had the kids taken from me that night.

I got pretty HAPPY and we ended up at the mall about 8 p.m. and I got my ears pierced.  We found one of those stands in the middle of the Mall and I got on a stool to get the earrings.   I saw about 10 very wild looking people hanging over the counter laughing.    I asked the girl that was doing the piercing if she could tell we'd been drinking.    "ONLY WHEN YOU BREATHE" she said.     Elaine accused me of not remembering much of that when we talked yesterday but I do remember.   I'm not proud of it but I DO remember.  

What fun we had.   I would just LOVE to be able to walk  into that hospital room and stay with her for a few days.   At least we both had a good laugh and renewed our friendship.

And we are both surprised that our minister from Indiana is still a good friend.

BUY NEW HOME AND GET A FREE TV

That's right!!!!   The ad said if you buy a new home in Frankilin you will receive a 40" flat screen T.V.   Man, I had to jump on that quick because I figured they'd all be gone soon.

So...I clicked on the designated place and it had a long list of interesting facts about Franklin, Tennessee.   Then I got to the price and well, hell, Ted and I could both have a home up there.    They start in the

****DRUM roll please,       HIGH 300's.    How much does a 40"flat screen T.V. cost anyway?   I'm sure this is a really big deal, but think I'll pass this time.  

Oh, if any of you have not seen "Harry's Law" the new T.V. show, it's pretty good.   A little weak in some parts but it kept me up till 10 p.m. and it takes a lot to do that these days.

It reminds me of Boston Legal only not so sexy.   She speaks my language a lot and I love her attitude.  She has to be IRISH.

SNOW AGAIN???

Tennessee got it again yesterday.   It started snowing on the north edge of the state at noon - we didn't get any till about 4:30 and now only have about an inch. 

I thought we left the snow in Illinois but maybe it got in our trunk somehow.

All schools are closed and the traffic last night looked like a parking lot on the T.V.   I guess there was some sleet in with it.

Contrary to some in our family, I DO NOT like winter and I've seen enough snow the past month to last me forever.  

BRING ON SPRING.   I want to plant some flowers and get my garden in.

Trying To Do Good for ALL

On my Facebook side bar this morning it said,  "2/28 to 3/4 IGNORE SARA PALIN Week" and how to go about doing that.

Man, my first impulse was to jump on that band wagon and wave my flag as high as I could.   Then I remembered last week and how I felt when we agreed not to say things that hurt or snide remarks about certain people we dislike.

What HAS happened to us to make us want to do these things?   I remember when I was a child and election day was over it didn't matter if my parents choice won or not, my Dad would say "O.K., he's been elected now we all need to back him and work together".    Wish I could be more like that.

ANYWAY...I've heard you get into Heaven by biting your tongue and so far I've done pretty well this month.   I might make it yet or maybe not.

Over The River and Through the Woods

Or something like that anyway as we headed home.    We pulled away from Normal at 4:20 a.m. with our windows free of ice but not the car.   Poor southern car isn't used to such harsh treatment.   It did good in the Nawth.

Once we got to the interstate one lane was open and I was reminded of a couple of years ago when Kim was in collage at U of I and I took her back after Christmas break.   It was a nasty snow the day before.   I had to have a tooth pulled that day and got stuck about 3 times on my way home from the dentist till I finally buried the car and had to have Ted come push me out with his trusty Ford truck.

The next morning Mark and I were taking Kim back to Champaign and for a little while the road would be clear, then you'd be on a patch of ice with no warning.    I was so scared and had an angel of a driver behind me that must of seen the look in my eyes in my rear view mirror because this gentle person followed us all the way to Champaign.    I think I was driving about 30 mph.

ANYWAY...Ted was driving today and we had no problem and once we headed south on I57 the road was mostly clear.

We watched the thermometer in the car slowly climb and it was about 35 by the time we pulled in our driveway.

We are tired but it was a good time in Illinois.   Got to spend some quality time with Kim, Jeremiah, and Sierra.    Ted is almost full of rhubarb pie with a few pieces of apple on the side.   He had to share with Ron - to be nice.   :)

We got to meet Ron and see those two kids play basketball.   We also got a refresher course  on living in Illinois in snow and cold temps.    Not sure we are up to that.   That's a decision we have to make yet. 

All in all it was a good trip.   Time to settle down here at home though for a few days.   Since October 1 we have only been home three weeks and we are ready to take some afternoon naps and be bored awhile.

Camp Ellis

Ted's nephew gave me a book last year on Camp Ellis. I had wanted one of these books when they were first published and met the lady that put it together one time.   Her name was Marjorie Bordner and she lived in Canton, Illinois.

This is the camp that was built during WWII.  It was to house our soldiers that were in training and also some German prisoners.

The government did an aerial survey of Illinois and decided Fulton County was the perfect spot for this camp.   It started out being called the Lewistown Camp but then later was named for a General, I believe.

They came in, told the people they were buying their farms (whether you wanted to sell or not) and you had to find another place - QUICKLY.   They took my mother's and father's home places outside of Table Grove.   

In just a matter of months they built roads out of corn fields,  barricks were built, a hospital, a school, restaurants, garages.   It was really a city they built and ranges were set up for all kinds of training too.   There are still some of the target ranges and cilos visible if you drive down in there.   The steps that went from the road up to my Grandmother Rasmussen's house were still on that hillside after I was married.

As a young child I had no idea any of this was going on not 40 miles from where we lived.   At the time it was being built we lived at Fiat, Illinois.   A "quick, don't blink" little town about seven miles outside of Canton.   Dad was a farmer and mom a housewife.

I remember going with mother and dad one time to Temple Cemetary west of Table Grove where dad's parents and a couple of other relatives were buried.   Some German soldiers were cleaning it and I was really scared.   All I had heard was how bad the Germans were.

Dad was talking to one of the young men and I remember thinking he sure had white whiskers.   He was really just a boy and this upset my dad a lot.   Going home he told mom, "He wasn't even old enough to shave".

Ted's mother taught school out there.   We don't know for sure but we think she taught our soldiers how to read and write.

Merle's wife, Frances, worked out there too.   She worked in a soda shop and there had been a rape so everyone was kind of on edge.   She had to close the shop one night and a big black man came in and ordered a milk shake.   He stayed while she cleaned up and she finally told him she had to close up.   He said, "yes, I know.  I've come to walk you to your car", which he did and he was there every night after that to walk her to her car when she closed up.

There will be more stories too as I read the book.   Ted may have more information too.   It just seems unbeliveable all this could of been going on so close to our home area and I didn't know anything about it.

NO TITLE

Could not think of any title for today.   My mind is going in 50 different directions.  

Since coming up to Normal about 10 days ago I've learned I really don't mind WINTER as much as I thought I did.   In fact I kind of like the brisk air we've had and even the little snow was beautiful.

I've loved being close to Kim and her kids.   We've never lived this close to Kim before and have not had a lot of time with Jeremiah and Sierra.   Short visits but this has been fun.  I've loved watching her and Ted banter at each other over silly things.   Memories being made here. 

And last week I lost another friend.   One that I could tell about anything to and know it was not going to go any further.   We grew up together and worked in a small restaurant in Vermont together.   She came to our house at the lake and brought two of her granddaughters with her and we had the best time.   They ADORED Ted and every time I turned around they asked, "WHERE IS TED?"    I reminded them of that at her funeral and we had a laugh.

I stayed at another friends house for a few days and we really grew up together.  She is a second cousin and when our schools were consolidated she was in my class.   That would of been in the year 1948.   She has had her own share of hurt and pain this past year having to put her husband of 56 years in a nursing home.  

Then the terrible shooting in Arizona.   Bob spoke of this Sunday in his reflection and said, "It makes no sense".   That's what keeps coming to my mind.   It doesn't make any sense.    What did this poor disturbed young man think would come from his actions?  

I am getting a feeling that their just might be something good come from all of this if that is possible.   At church we spoke of not jumping on the anger wagon and that this young man had parents that are in pain over his actions too.   Forgiveness of our enemies is on of my hardest lessons of life.   It's so easy to NOT LIKE someone that disagrees with us.  

I'm not getting any kind of message across here today but all these thoughts are rumbling around in my head.  If we could just LOVE ONE ANOTHER things might possible be different.  

I don't like bumper stickers.   I mean I REALLY don't want one on my car - EVER.   But I did put a sticker in my back window that reads,

"When the Power of Love is stronger than the Love of Power, then we will have PEACE.   I hope SOMETHING good comes from all this sadness.

SNOW?

Now look, the deal was we would come up here and stay most of January, but nothing was mentioned about SNOW!!!!!   

Really, I think I can handle this if you don't send any more.   I do have to go to Macomb this week to yet another funeral.   One more friend gone from my life.   This is the second funeral I've gone to this year and hope it's not going to be the trend for 2011.

I hope when I die my family has one hell of a big party. I'm serious.   There's nothing I'd like better than to hear all of you laughing about the silly stuff we all did together.     Last summer we buried another good friend and three of us just had the best time together.   We all miss her as we will miss this friend but I'm sure we will share some good times together too over the next few days.

The workman is well again and back earning his keep so I'm off.     If I get to Macomb and it snows, well, I'll just stay there awhile.

FULL CIRCLE

Thirty one years ago this June we moved from Normal to Indianapolis.   Four years later we settled in Tennessee and have LOVED living there.  It was home from the first time we bought a house.   I never dreamed I'd ever be back in Normal looking for a house but here we are.   AND...I've found one I want to go see even though we know we cannot buy it, it's one I want to get inside of.

We decided this year to sell our house in Tennessee and move back to Normal.   It just seemed right even though I know I'll miss my Tennessee girls and friends and the church.   Deciding to come up in January was a risk.  I was afraid we'd get up here and be SO unhappy we would decide not to move. 

BUT...just the oposite has happened.   Even though it's been cold a few days, we have had a great time.   Going to church, to the movie "SOME LIKE IT HOT" in the old Normal theater have been fun.   I went into the Normal Post Office yesterday and the feeling was so strange - like I'd never been gone.   I remember taking the church Newsletters there when I worked at the church.

We have gotten to spend time with Jeremiah and Sierra that we usually don't have time for on our quick trips through.  It's nice to know they can come over and see us.   I'm looking forward to seeing them play basketball too.

I also got a trip to Babbit's Book Store which I know I will go to often.  

So...if anyone knows a family that would like a really nice home in Tennessee we have just the place for them.