Some Quiet Time

This past week-end is the third week-end in a row that I have been away from Inverness. Lance and I went to visit our friends Shirley and Jay at their cabin on Greer's Ferry Lake close to Heber Springs in Arkansas. The weather was beautiful, and the leaves are just starting to turn different colors. Lance and I arrived on Thursday, and Shirley and Jay did not get there until late Friday afternoon. It was so nice to enjoy the peace and quiet. Even Lance and his antsy self enjoyed the down time. I worked 5 crossword puzzles in two days. On Saturday we ventured into Heber Springs and ate lunch at the Red Apple Inn. After lunch we stopped and looked at the Greer's Ferry Lake and Dam.

The lock side of the dam

Shirley and Jay

Lance and me

Just Call Me Monk

My daughter tagged me to be it. There have been times when I though I was "IT": when I wore my first pair of high heels; when I got my first pay check; when I drove the car by myself for the first time; when I went to college. College was pretty much an eye-opener! I realized quickly I was not the center of the universe, especially when my advisor didn't care that I did not want an 8:00 a.m. class. Anyway, my daughter tagged me to be it to tell 6 weird things about myself. As I read over her list, she didn't tell me much I didn't already know about her. Like her, I have to have my check book balanced to the penny. I love internet banking; I can check my account everyday, two or three times if I want. So here goes:

1. I have to have order in my life. There is a place for everything and everything in its place. The cans in my pantry are lined up and grouped according to category. Contrary to popular belief, they are not in alphabetical order. There is a proper way to fold clothes and put them away. I have to read the newspaper in a particular order, and no one can have the other parts of it while I am reading it. It's all mine until I am through reading.

2. I love office supplies, especially colored sticky notes of all sizes. My next favorite supply is colored sharpies.

3. I pluck my eyebrows every day. I can't stand the black dot from an emerging eyebrow.

4. I can't to go on an over-night trip and leave my house in disarray. Everything has to be clean and in order. I have this fear that something is going to happen while we are away, and people will have to go into my house without me there. Go figure. Sort of like the hole in the underwear thing.

5. When I was teaching, the last thing I did before I left my classroom for the day was to straighten the desks. The front right leg of each desk had to be on a certain tile.

6. My day is not complete if I have not seen some part of an episode of Law and Order.

Yes, I know I am OCD. However, I read somewhere that if the condition does not interrupt your functioning in your everyday life, it is not considered to be bad. Even Adrain Monk can function as a detective, and a darn good one, may I add.

I tag Rachael.

Kakki Time

We visited Tupelo this past week-end. It was Chase's birthday on Saturday, and he got great presents: a shirt, a ladder, a concrete bulldog, a homemade cake by William and a win by MSU. William went with Laura and Chase to the game, and Lance and I kept Wes.

Sharing birthday cake with daddy

Playing on the patio

Who needs Kakki when I have Poppa!!

Lalis Week-end or "I'm not sure we can take on the world anymore."

The satisfaction of a good meal and wonderful friends

Well, I was in heaven or close to it is past week-end. We had a Lalis get together in New Orleans, of which I have decided there is no other place like it in the world. The weather was beautiful, the food was wonderful and the fellowship was the greatest. We arrived Friday afternoon to hugs all around after which we got comfortable and talked until late in the night. We dined on Barb's wonderful vegetable lasagna a la Jimmy Gordon and solved every problem that the world faces.

The next morning we awoke to beautiful weather and prepared for the day. After our morning coffee and chatter, we headed to visit Ellen's daughter's (Elizabeth) new home in the French Quarter. The house is just like one would imagine for a French Quarter home--pale yellow, burgundy shutters, and a balcony overhanging the street. At one point we heard a vegetable vendor in his truck chanting over a loud speaker, "I have tomatoes, I have mangoes, I have carrots." As I said, only in New Orleans.

We gathered Elizabeth and her roommate Jasmin and headed for a much anticipated jazz brunch at Commander's Palace. The Lalis have shared many meals together, but this one had to be one of the best. There was a brief celebration of my birthday, and after a great meal we headed back to Barb's to change and drive to the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. We laid on quilts and sunned, talked, worked a group crossword puzzle, and dozed. We then headed back to Barb's and fixed a light supper of caprese salad. We again talked into the evening, minus Ellen who spent the night with her daughter.

Sunday morning came too soon, and we prepared to head back to our homes. One thing that was made abundantly clear this week-end was that we are a bit vulnerable at this point in our lives. When we were all working together in the Language and Literature department at Mississippi Delta, we could pretty much take on the world and accomplish what we set out to do. We could probably do it now, but much more energy would have to be expended. We discussed our families, our grandchildren, MDCC, the world in general, religion, politics, and our aches and pains. We drew energy from each other to hold us over until our next gathering in February, and I am not so sure we really want to take on this world at this point anyway. Here's to the Lalis!

Elvis is in the House

Tommy Nance from Duncan, Mississippi

I don't really dislike Elvis; as a matter of fact, I like some of his songs. But I have never really thought I would enjoy an Elvis impersonator, and guess what? I was right. But it is amazing the things a person will do to support a good friend in an endeavor.

The country club we belong to is small, and there are not a lot of young people joining so naturally our revenue is getting less and less. Doc, a good friend of ours and golf buddy of Lance's, decided that he would try to help the cash flow of the club and orchestrated a seafood buffet night with an Elvis impersonator as the evening's entertainment. I'm not sure the guy's act could be called entertainment. Although, he did have a good looking white pant suit a la Elvis; however, only Elvis could pull off the pants suit thing. He had the obligatory scarves to pass out to the ladies, only he didn't realize we didn't want his scarves. He sat in a few ladies' laps and sang to them. I was getting sort of itchy that he might make it to our table.

Anyway, I had a perfect view of the TV in the bar and watched MSU make a decent showing against LSU instead of watching the "show." Every few minutes someone would ask what the score was. After about 20 minutes of the show, Lance and I asked Doc's permission to leave and sneaked out the side door of the bar.

We love Doc and applaud his try to help the club, and I know I will be at the next event he sponsors to try to help, but I hope it is not another Elvis show. There was not "a whole lot of shaking goin' on."

Just a swingin'

Those who know me well know that one of my favorite pleasures is sitting in my swing on my patio. I enjoy sitting there in the mornings reading my devotional, praying, drinking my coffee, and watching and listening to the goings on in my yard. I love snoozing there on Sunday afternoons. I look forward to the evenings when Lance and I visit and solve all the problems of the world. In other words, I think the world would be a better place if everyone had a swing.

We have several bird feeders that bring in all kinds of birds, along with hummingbird feeders and corn feeders for the squirrels. Now, my friend Jay says I am crazy to feed the squirrels, but my philosophy is that if I feed them they will stay out of my bird feeders. Also, I get to watch the flowers come and go in their seasons. But most of all, I just get to be content with my wonderful, blessed life.

The last few days have been cooler, and I fear our hummingbirds are getting ready to leave, so I have been keeping the feeders full, with the help of Lance, to help them get strength for their flights. We have had as many as 20 or more flitting around and dive bombing anyone who gets in their paths of flight. The pictures of the hummers are a bit blurred because I zoomed in too much, but you can see then tanking up.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

One of the first things I do in the morning is open the front door in the living room. The door faces east, and the sun rains in and creates a beautiful aura. The door also opens to a main thoroughfare in Inverness, and at most any given time we can identify who is driving by. Early on, William loved opening the door in the mornings, and we would repeat Psalms 118:24, along with a hardy, "Good morning world!". William would then proceed to tell us the color of every vehicle that passed. Wes has now gotten in on the act, and a tradition has been born at Kakki's house.

GOOD MORNING WORLD!