Rain, Rain Won't Go Away

The sun is out and it's warm too! Have to hurry before it goes away. Today is changeover day here in the summer area where I live all the time or will in the near future. The past week has been rain and gloom and damp and cool and here, on the last of the vacation day rentals, the sun bursts out to hurry these cool, damp, cabin fever riddled folks home. Go away. Make room for the next renters. The sun will more than likely fade and the rain clouds will roll in around 4pm or so as the unpacking for the upcoming rental week begins. Such is the rainy summer on Cape Cod.

Memories

Cruising around the net and read about happy hour here on Cape Cod. It is not legal anymore. There can be no cut rate drinks but oddly enough most thriving places, aka bars, get by with 1/2 price appetizers or dollar specials. A spot we always went to and still go once a summer was mentioned and it brought to mind a song that was always sung there by the wait-staff and bartenders.

Put something on the bar besides your elbow.
Something like an old 10 dollar bill.
Put something on the bar besides your elbow.
You can't ring up your elbow on the till.

I think it is still sung to this very day. Now if I could only remember how the story of Rindercella and the Prandsome Hince goes....I do know that when the clock struck 12 she slopped her dripper.

Let me ponder that for a while. Later.

Is There a Lincoln in the House? the Senate?

I'm reading Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. It is really good. Just read this statement he made when he challenged a proposed railroad project and I thought it could well be used to challenge just about any of the projects coming out of Washington today...most especially health care.

"However high our imagination may be heated at thoughts of it...there is a heart appalling shock accompanying the account of its cost."

Of course our esteemed Madarins in Washington don't really delve into the cost - the true cost - of any of their high blown proposals and what costs they refer to are entirely pulled out of the air.

Just sayin'

Fathers' Day Blessing

Happy Father's Day!

Went to brunch with my husband's dad and brother and his family and my nephew and husband of course. One of the nieces brought her friend who is a boy...not a boy friend mind you. We really had a nice time. Lots of food and talk and laughter and kindness and love all at the same table.

My husband has reconnected with his long lost family from his first marriage. Way back in the mid sixties he graduated from high school, joined the Air Force and while stationed in the deep South met and married a lovely, very young lady from Mississippi. They moved where the Air Force sent him and after two children in a short three year marriage, while he was overseas again, she determined that she wanted out and moved home with her parents. Broken hearts and young men and women don't make for a friendly breakup and when she remarried he totally went down the poor me road. His grandmother was the only connecting string and she passed away quite a while ago. In the past few months he has made a connection with both his daughter and son and although the story more than likely has twists and turns to come, this year he received his first ever Fathers' Day card. His daughter calls him several times a week or he calls her. His son is a bit less connected but I am sure when they meet, and they will this fall, that will move in the right direction. On the way home from brunch his phone rang and his daughter put his granddaughter on the phone. His son has 2 children and they are visiting with her for the week. As he talked on the phone I watched and I have never seen him so truly content. This is a huge blessing. He has had these missing pieces rattling him for years. Thank you God for putting the puzzle together.

Hope everyone had as blessed a day as we did.

Jesus is Street Smart but He Throws His $ Around

All right so here is what hit my mind on my walk today. When I'm done you may wonder why I ever walk. Me too.

Of a sudden a memory hit me from so many years ago. There I was, maybe 7 years old and trading things with the only girl in my neighborhood and she also happened to be about 7. We had known each other forever. She went to kindergarten with me and now was in whatever...maybe 2nd grade. I have to say though, she was way more able than I was. Hard to explain but I was always a little smushy. When I was 23 or so I dated this fellow who was older and he said to me one day, "How the hell did you
ever get to this point in your life without knowing anything?"

I had no idea what he meant and asked him. It seemed that he meant I had no "street smarts" and in fact I didn't know what they were. He was right. I knew nothing. Which brings me back to the 7 year old me and my this morning thoughts.

At seven all I ever wanted was a Cinderella watch. I know the meaning of covet from that time in my life. My friend got one for Christmas or a birthday or whenever but she had one and I did not. I wanted one. More. Than. Anything.

I had something she wanted but I really didn't know she did. See? If I had "street smarts" I would have worked that angle. I traded something really great for a broken Cinderella watch and I came home like a crazed woman. I was thrilled and dancing for heavens' sake. Man oh Man Happy as a whatever in whatever....YES! That Happy....

Then.. dum da dumm dumm.... Mom arrives and says "What do you have?" and, you know, being a non-street smart person I say, "Look at what I have Mom. A Cinderella watch. I have always wanted one. I am so happy, and look at her blond hair and the blue watch band and I love it I love it."

"It's broken and how did you get this piece of garbage?"

"It's only a little broken and her hair is still blond and the band is still blue and I traded my only friend in the neighborhood my doll and all her clothes for it."

I think something like "You're an Idiot!!!" might have been said and off we went to undo the deal of a lifetime.

My heart was broken and I realized that not only would I never have a Cinderella watch but also I was lousy tradesman.

So after all that, there I was walking this morning and being grateful to God for sending his son Jesus to ransom me and I thought, "What if Jesus is a bad tradesman too?" What if on that day when I turn up at the gate, God turns to Jesus and says, "You paid for this??? Are you nuts? Look at this and think about what you spent. You're going to get your money back."

Would he do that do you think? Will Jesus say "I always wanted a Gemma and I don't care if she doesn't keep time. I just like the blue band and the blond hair and no matter what I paid, I'm glad I have her." Or will be march back with Dad and return me.

I hope he keeps me.

I wish I had that watch.

I do know Jesus is way stronger that anyone I know. I hope he doesn't march back with his Dad and undo the trade. I just hope he doesn't think he paid too much for me. I think He has street smarts don't you?

Yeah. Me too.

UPDATE:

I just read this and from my logic, if Jesus had street smarts then he wouldn't have bought me at all. Thank you Jesus!

Press or Propaganda

I remember when I was way younger and the press was bringing Nixon down. There was no doubt that the President felt he was above the law back then. He was doing things that were, in his eyes, necessary but perhaps also, in his eyes, if not illegal then bent to the point of broken. The press beat the drum. The drum beats were constant. The story became a part of our personal fabric. Watergate. Watergate. Watergate. Endlessly pounding and pounding.

Now the silence towards the law breaking being done by this administration is deafening. I mean political party when I say administration. When the power shifted, the press got lost. They became the Goebbels of our time. All Obama, all the time. In the same way Nixon was brought down, Bush was declared selected, Obama is coronated and sanctified. Every day the press anoints him anew and we are to be dazzled by his sinless brilliance. I, for one, put my undazzlers on long before I saw what the press was capable of during the Nixon years.

Just sayin'

UPDATE in the same vein:

“Iran is not ruled by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but by the head ayatollah, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and his pigsty of brutal mullahs. Mr. Ahmadinejad never misses an opportunity to pay craven tribute to these unelected agents of harsh Islamic rule, always with a bending of the knee and a kiss for every outstretched holy hand”

I forget where I got this from but it struck me that we could substitute the USA for Iran, Obama’s name for Ahmadinejad and I’m not sure who we would substitute for the Kamenie and the pigsty but there are names to be used there. The frightening part is that here, in the land of the free, we don’t know who is truly in charge. Soros? I wonder. I used to be afraid it was Soros, now I am even more fearful that it isn’t.

Flowers for all Seasons

Did I already post this pic? If so sorry - it's just so darned cute I had to put it up here.

Daffodil Days never end around here do they? The daffodils are gone til next year though, now here comes hydrangea season and yes this is the exact color that springs out every year...amazing isn't it?

The Times they are A-Changing

I have a head full of things I would like to spew forth. Right now it's all whirling around like a Dairy Queen Blizzard....yum on that by the way. The weather has been very chilly and damp..what's new? Thank heavens for Global Warming or we'd be shoveling I'm sure. I said that to a friend and her reply made me realize how much pounding people are taking to be politically correct. She didn't want to jump on my wagon and ride to the "Al Gore is an IDIOT" tune but she is my friend so she said, in her most constricted voice....the one you use when your mother is pinching the under part of your arm, "Well there is a climate change occurring and it is cyclical." Huh? That's how free we seem to be to voice any opinion other than the accepted one. No one was there but the two of us and, as we talked later, because of the subject matter she felt she had to tread very carefully. I don't care if she agrees with me or not. She used to know that. I told her she was watching too much Main Stream News. I was right, she never watches Fox or uses the net. She feels that this subject is like politics and religion...we don't go there. Scary!

I guess all those years of organized everything for the kids is paying off. In addition to training kids to never have a rogue opinion, I heard this morning that businesses have to train new employees to make decisions. So it seems the system has trained the younger generation so well in this team effort that they have trouble with risk taking and independence. Yow....ya think???? I was always one who kind of hung back to see what the trends were before I either bucked them or went with them so I never thought I was very courageous. I made decisions only after tons of fact finding. In a business meeting I cringed when a co-worker leaped into the fray before we had the whole picture. Now....I feel like Captain Courageous and yet, my style hasn't changed at all. I guess it's true. Just wait a while -- don't change -- the world will.

Gotta Love It!!!!

Shred the Past and Move Along

Tuesdays feel like Mondays around here......and now it's Wednesday. Where does the time go? We - the husband and I - are doing a lot of ditzy things that really feel like you're doing nothing. Trying to empty out one house so we can sell it and the move to the other, much smaller, house is happening in fits and starts. One of the things we have accomplished is the removal of cartons of legal stuff that relates to every member of my family over the past 40 years. Everyone had the same attorney and that attorney passed away recently -- all the family members have also passed away, except for me of course. Thus, I have inherited all the cartons of paper in the attorney's basement that dealt with my family. I am shredding and shredding and shredding. Oh, the memories that all of this brings back, divorces and spouses who passed away and law suits and - - what a soap opera this family I was born into has lived. The book will be forthcoming and no one will believe it.

I feel like I have lost weight as this paper goes away. The shredding is like giving it to God. Let it go! Did I mention that we are on our second shredder? First one stopped never to start again. We have the heavy duty top of the line - at least for the home office. Back to the job at hand.