Ah, to be walking in the woods, listening to the quiet sounds of rustling leaves, water running over rock or musing at the sunbeams filtering through the branches of barren trees.  I can feel the energy surging through my veins at just the thought.

I wonder why.

I don’t remember having a single moment

to write any lines.

Until…Sunday morning…when I heard 6 beautifully fit together phrases and I knew!

I knew I was supposed to get up

go out to the porch and write…

but..instead…

I fell back asleep in the quiet mistiness of the early morning hour

and I rested … instead.

sigh.

I noticed one time in my journalling that I might go for a long period of time w/out writing…but, somehow, I seem to have quite a few entries, religiously, always at Thanksgiving.  Some of my fondest memories of peaceful days, are ones of sitting alone somewhere on Thanksgiving day, usually afternoon, and reflecting on my life, my family and friends.

Some day, I hope to compile just a journal of all my Thanksgiving day writings.  They’re not all happy but what is joy, if not realized at times through adversity?

It’s not that I don’t want to pay for what I use…it’s just that I KNOW it’s out there for temporary purposes.  The other thing that gripes me is that it says right on the McDonald’s connection site that you can ask for a free coupon for first time trial — but, of course, considering the mentality of the average McD worker — quote/unquote when I asked for a coupon —”Ugh…gee…ugh…hmmm…ugh…I dunno.”

oh brother.  You know, if I EVER had that kind of work mentality, I would never have survived my life.  How come they get to get away with it!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Okay…gotta go…my precious $3.00 is being used up negatively…better get on task…I only have two hours to get a week’s worth of work done….

So…until I get the internet thingy settled again…I probably won’t get to be on here much!  Oh well, I’ll save all the stories for the cold months when I don’t want to or can’t get out to the library and maybe by then I’ll have resolved my connection issues and can stay home in my jammies and blog, blog, blog!

You better pray for me though…I’ll forget all my good story lines that I’ve been saving up!

Keep checking my blog…I’ll be on here with news but it will be sparse for a while!

I already have the first Nanny Day Posts entry ready except I need to add photos — YES!  I actually remembered to take my camera – Miracle of Miracles!

Anyway, hopefully, the next post you see will be NDP #! — Stay Tuned!

She’s such a good lyricist and singer.  Her voice sometimes has a tad bit country but many of her songs have an alternative beat and phrasing.  I really, really like her singing and her lyrics.  She’s very real in her depiction of spiritual relationships…very human, very real.  Wish I could find more stuff by her.  Somewhere in my journals from 2007 there is a reference to a song she sang for a movie (as well as the movie name).  The song was actually written by David Foster — look him up — you’ll be pleasantl surprised that you know more about him than you thought – as well as his wife.

Anyway, this post is really nothing more than a reminder/tickler for me to get busy and dig out those 2007 journals so I can find that movie and that song reference!!!

Anyway, we all forged ahead and kept attending to daily tasks.  One of mine was to get my television situation settled and in place just in case the boys and I were well enough to proceed with our campover weekend at my apartment.  I attempted once during the week to interpret the manuals as to what coaxial cables I needed, router box hook ups, power strips, etc. etc. to connect my tv, dvd player, vcr player and antenna (since I’m stubborn and refuse to pay for cable tv).  I already had a small router – but, I just couldn’t figure out how to get everything connected correctly so as to actually have a picture on the tv!  My initial visit to WalMart resulted in wrong purchases except for one item which did, in fact, work on the small tv in my bedroom.  (I don’t need two tv’s, but for some reason, God has blessed me with two and, so, it is my intent to maximize the use of what I have and make available age appropriate activities for the varying age groups I entertain!)  After all, he boys will only tolerate so much “my little pony” and the girls can’t just watch the boys play games.  Not that we only do those things when they visit, but, when it’s hot, or after we’ve been swimming, it’s a good quiet down, relax time.

At any rate, back to my story.  So, Royce agrees to come with me to WalMart one night to help me get all the right connectors and, then, hopefully, back to my apartment to hook everything up.  I head straight from work at 6 pm to pick up Royce.  We head out to the WalMart close to my apartment so we can coordinate the purchasing and the hooking up.  We head to the store first because being the smart person I am, I actually thought to just bring the manuals with me so we can pick out the right equipment.  Right.  After perusing the electronic items, Royce decides (rightly so) that we really need to look at all my equipment to make sure we are interpreting the needs and instructions correctly.  At the same moment, I remember that I want to purchase my converter boxes as well and the coupons (from the governtment – what about this bothers  me immensely – I mean, just the fact that the government is issuing coupons to help us all convert to digital tv in 2009 should send up all sorts of red flags to the American citizen – shouldn’t it?).  Anyway, my coupons were at home and so off we go to my apartment.  Even though it’s getting late and I’m famished and tired and I know Royce needs to get home, I’m excited because everything seems to be coming together to get this task completed!  I think it’s around 9pm or so at this point.  I grab my coupons and stick them in my purse.

So, Royce and I head back to my apartment, check everything out, figure out what I need and how to hook it up.  We head back to Royce’s so he can go home and I can pick up my car.  I head once more back to WalMart, confident.  It’s now around 10 pm.  I arrive at WalMart and head straight back to electronics.  I find all the pieces I need exactly as Royce described.  Hooray!  Success!  Then, I remembered I was going to go ahead and purchase the converter boxes.  The boxes sell for $49.99 and the government coupons are $40 so, the cost is only $9.99 per box.  Cool.  I try not to think about being in cahoots with the government.  Too scary.  Anyway.

I start looking over the converter box instructions and I realize that I don’t actually NEED all the pieces that I just spent 30 more minutes picking out.  The converter box will actually completely do the trick.  I only need one 3 colored pronged cord double ended for my one independent VCR and I’m done!  Wow – too cool!  So, I head up to checkout, stand in line, the checker rings me up, and, of course, what next — I can’t find my coupons anywhere.  Luckily, there’s no one behind me, and the checker is very patient (she’s getting off duty) and promises me that the girl next to her in the next checkout lane will hold these items for me while I run back to my blasted apartment and the coupons that somehow in the back of my mind are in my hand but not in my hand and obviously must be lying on the table where I absentmindedly, tiredly, must have left them.  Sigh.  So, I head out to the parking lot to my car, get in, turn on the car, reach over to set my purse down, and, VOILA!, there are the missing coupons lying right in the passenger seat where I really left them.  Oh brother.  Okay.  Yes, I remember, I read them carefully before I came back to WalMart and set them down on the seat instead of in my purse.  Okay.  That’s cool.  At least I found them and didn’t drive all the way back to my apartment first.  It’s all still good.  Back inside.  The greeter grins and says “Welcome Back”  aarrgghhh — is he laughing at me?

The checker sees me coming and says, “Wow, that was a fast trip!”  We laugh.  She checks me out.  I turn to leave and realize that I have needed to go to the bathroom since leaving work earlier at 6pm but haven’t stopped long enough to do so.  I say good night to the checker and head off to the restroom.  The woman who was originally going to check me out, hasn’t gotten off duty yet and is in front of the restrooms putting away baskets/carts.  She smiles.  I go into the bathroom which is deserted because it’s so late and rush to the farthest stall.

Why is it when you go into a public restroom that’s empty, the next person coming in has to choose the stall right next to you?  Have you ever noticed that?  It bugs me.  I mean the last thing I want to do in a restroom is go potty right next to someone.  I mean, seriously, there are other empty stalls not next to me.  Sigh.  Oh well.  Then, I look down, and as the person’s feet shuffe, I think, (a not very nice thought I know), Why do women have to wear men’s shoes? — I mean we have so many comfortable shoes now, why do some women insists on wearing men’s shoes?  I don’t know why I think this.  It really doesn’t matter to me what anyone else wears.  I think I’m just tired and it’s the first time I’ve slowed down off my feet since 6 am that day and it was just a random thought floating through my head.

I finish my business, grab my package and purse and head out to the sink area to wash my hands.  Then, and only then, do I notice the urinals on the right.  I think, wow, WalMart’s going unisex, Oh well, good for those moms with little boys who can’t go into the public restroom alone.  All of these sentences are running together, flashing through my brain, my hands are wet, I panic.  I hear the other toilet flush and I realize.  I’m in the men’s restroom.  Yes, I have entered no woman’s land, oblivious to anything around me, except getting to the privy before I have an accident.  I realize, the person in the stall next to me had on man’s shoes because it is a man.  I realize the urnials are for the men, not for the convenience of little mothers with little boys.  I sling the water rapidly from my fingers splattering it all over the mirror (I’m really sorry but, hey…) forego the towel, rush to the exit and swing my hips around the cement divider wall just as I hear the stall door behind me open and close.  I can only pray and hope that this man who had to have the stall next to me doesn’t see me, acknowledge me or worse laugh out loud!  

As I exit, the checker is there.  She looks up and takes a deep sigh and then begins to giggle.  “A fitting end, for a fitting day, huh?!?”, she declares.  I smile back at her, trying to escape quickly and I retort — I’m at least glad you got a good laugh to end your day with and I know who will be the topic of conversation around here for the next hour!  I’ll probably never see you again since I probably will never come back in here again — it was nice to meet you – have a nice night!”  She laughs and wishes me a safe journey home.

I had to sit in the car for some time because I couldn’t stop laughing at myself.  However, I am glad to say, when I got home, in less than 15 minutes, all my electronics were working … and, I have a router and extra coaxial cable which when I tell Royce, he proudly states – “Cool, I’ll buy it from you for our bedroom TV!”  LOL!  All’s well that ends well – I wouldn’t sell it to him though – I gave it to him gladly – !  I may not know which bathroom is correct but I have now successfully taken one more technological step forward for independent womanhood — whatever!

I know, it’s silly.  But it was soooooo sooooo funny!

This photo is very memory provoking for me.  When I was in the fourth grade (Karen is two years younger than me), we lived in Lubbock, Texas.  Karen had never had the opportunity to go to school.  During those years, not much was available to people with disabilities of any kind.  However, it was a good year in Lubbock because Texas Tech had a wonderful speech therapy program that included, in fact, specifically targeted children like Karen.  Karen was rated as ‘teachable/trainable’ and actually got to ride a bus to the Tech campus.  In addition, there was a school not far from the campus that also provided services for children like Karen.  I remember she loved it so much and did very well rapidly.  Karen’s tonsils have always been enlarged and medical services have, in the past, been very difficult to nagivate.  The speech program at Texas Tech was so good for her in that respect.  Anyway, I just remember how happy my mom was that her daughter had some opportnity finally.  And, wouldn’t you know, Karen did so well, that she was featured on the front page of the newspaper to help promote awareness of the children, their needs and the opportunity available at the school.

Now that I’m talking about all this, I think I’m getting some timelines confused.  Karen also had some college campus speech therapy opportunity when we lived in Houston at one of the universities.  So, I may have some of this mixed up.  The main point is, this child got to go to school when she was, let’s say, 6 years old for one year, then again for maybe a year when she was 10, ten again maybe for two weeks when she was 12 and then, never again, until she was a grown adult and qualified to participate in what was then classified as a sheltered workshop.

This opportunity for her to have services that help her with motor skills, speech, socialization, independent thinking, WHATEVER, is so totally awesome.  My mom and dad would be so proud of her accomplishments.  My mom dedicated her life to preparing Karen for life.  Not an easy task by any means.  She did a good job.  Sometimes when I call to talk to her, she’ll tell me she’s nervous.  I say, “What do you do when you’re nervous Karen?”  She says, “Mama said, Cynthia, Mama said.”  I say, “What did Mama say, KK?”  She says, “Mama said, Ask Jesus!”  Of course, I always cry, but, Karen is always laughing and yelling in the phone…”I said Jesus, Cynthia, He took it out!” … meaning, like the rest of us, when she’s stressed, she knows who to go to for the help that can’t come from anywhere else except deep inside.  Isn’t that just awesome?

And as for my sister Beverly, she’s a really good sister and I love her.  I can’t be there often because we live so far apart, but, one day, God’s going to help me solve that problem!  Thank you Bev for all you do for KK.  If anyone doesn’t believe that riding a horse can do all the things that the article talks about — think again.  Karen’s awareness and her ability to form patterns of thought and communicate that thought is witnessed by me through every phone call.  I used to not be able to understand her much on the phone, but now, she speaks in long sentences and though she does do some repeating, she will stop and think about what she’s trying to say and when she repeats it, it’s sometimes in a different order.  I just think that is amazing.  Karen is amazing.

So, here’s Aunt KK, still stealing the limelight!