I love Christmas!!

I love Christmas! Everything about it!
When I was a little kid I saw Santa Clause and his sleigh fly across sky. I can't remember how old I was, but we were living in a little house on Libby Road. I must've been in first grade. I don't know if my brother was born yet or not. I think he was a baby. The jingling of sleigh bells woke me up so I ran to the window and looked out and I KNOW I saw santa in his sleigh flying across the sky. (Now I think it was the imagination of a sleepy child wishing it to be true). I'm sure my parents were drunk downstairs and putting the gifts under the tree and daddy jingling the bells and mom giggling. Dad was an overgrown kid at Christmas!
My sister was watching this movie "Prancer" and she called me and said "You have got to see this movie! It is YOU". I saw the movie, and sure enough, it was me! I had the imagination that the little girl in the movie had.
"The Polar Express" is magical too!! The only ones that can hear the bell are "believers" Well I heard the bells!!
I Love to watch all the old Christmas movies with magical messages in them.



In the news lately the Governor has a Nativity scene in the Capitol building in Olympia. Well the Atheists decided they needed to put their message up too, and they did!.

They put up their display and boy, has there been quite the controversy! They have every right to have a display of their beliefs, but don't slam ours! I feel bad for them. I pray for their souls and salvation. I feel bad for people that do not have the comfort of Christ Jesus to rely on. I feel sad that they think that this is it. Nothing more. Don't take me wrong, I do not condemn anyone their beliefs and religion. Let them celebrate what they want to celebrate. Winter Solstice has been celebrated by the Pagans for eons. The Christians have adopted December 25 as their day to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
I hope everyone can enjoy the Holidays as much as I do!! Peace to all.

Aftermath

Wow, I guess I can safely say that they lost EVERYTHING!

Pretty sad. But thankfully no one was hurt. The mother in her twenties, father same age, boy 4, girl 2, and 2 uncles. There are so many people in this Community reaching out to help. That is what small town living is all about.

FIRE!!!!!

As most of you know, I live in a trailer park in small town USA. I was at work today about 2:00pm and one our maintenance guys came into my office and said we just got a call to a fully involved structure fire in Terry Park! Well before he even finished his sentence I was halfway home! MY CATS!!! As I turned the corner to my park I saw this huge plume of smoke and to my relief noticed it was in row 1. I live in row 3. My house is the bluish one the second from the left. But the one that was smoking was totally gone! I was there when I heard the horn honking in the car in their driveway and the vehicle caught fire too.

I took this picture from row 2. The windows had blown out of the trailer and was totally gutted! I was praying hard that no-one was home.

These guys said it was too close for their comfort! Me too, actually! The last photo was taken from my front deck.

I unlocked my house and went and told the policeman that if anyone needed shelter, that they can go to my house, and there was food in there for anyone that was hungry. I was totally surprised that I had food left when I got home from work!! He must've forgot. I know firemen and cops, and they are ALWAYS hungry!!

I found out later that no-one was hurt and it was a Mexican family with two small kids. I will ask people in my Church for clothing etc. Thank GOD that no one was hurt.

WHEW.

My neighbor across the street sitting in the white truck came rushing home from the Disposal company to check on his cat. HAHAHAHA Our cats were probably disturbed that we woke them up!!

My Gratitude list

Today I am Thankful for alot.
I am thankful for my brother.
My brother was diagnosed with adinocarcinoma of the peritoneum last year and was given three months to three years. (Cancer in the sac in the abdomen).
He is still with us.
He was taken off of Chemotherapy a month ago because it wasn't doing what they thought it should, and he was sick alot. Well this past week he was sick again and Sherry took him into the emergency room tuesday morning at 2:30. She sat by his side all day long. They admitted him and will keep him yet another day just to see if he will be able to keep things in him. My heart breaks for him. We don't want to see him in so much pain but we don't want him to die either. Sherry has such love for that man.
I am thankful for Sherry.
He has what I have been searching for all my life. A spouse that loves him unconditionally. She was crying the other day telling me how much she loves him and the song "He gives and takes away" kept playing in her head. God gave her Mike and now he will be taking him away. I told her we might still have him for a few more years. We have given him to God and asking for His will not ours be done. That is so hard to do, but in order to keep our sanity we need to keep our Faith and know that whatever happens is for a reason and is in God's plan not ours.

My Faith has grown so much in the past few years. I have lost most of my fears.

I am thankful for my Faith. I come home from work and have no one to vent to and the trials I am put through sometimes can be too hard to bear, and the only person I feel I can turn to is God. I am constantly giving myself to Him. What I mean by that, is I trust in Him that His will is better than my will. I am thankful for every trial I am put through because that makes me turn to God and trust in Him. It has taken years to get to this point but what a freedom to not feel the fear I used to feel.
I am thankful for my sobriety. Without that, I would have nothing. Actually, working the twelve steps brought me to Faith.
I am thankful for my health. I have Diabetes which has weakened my immune system and whatever I am exposed to I come down with it. I also have arthritis. The pill arthrotec 75 they just put me on has been a wonder drug for me! I am so thankful that I don't have MS or some other debilitating disease.

I am thankful for my three cats that love me and fight over me when I come home.

I am thankful for my sister that loves me and is my friend. and her daughter Donna and son Tim, and my brother's son Galen. All are healthy and clothed and have a warm bed.

I am thankful for my freedom. Thank you to all the military folks that are out there fighting for our Country to keep us free.

Ah, life is good.

Update: Sherry and I had a quiet dinner at my house, after she took my brother home from the hospital. He is still sick, and the doctor told him that the hospital cannot do any more for him. They suggested him going into a place like a nursing home. I will call around tomorrow to find out how we can keep him home through to the end. I know of a system called COPES that will pay for home health. That is the best way.
Keep him and Sherry in your prayers please.

The 1863 Lincoln Proclamation

This was taken from christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-alincoln-tgiving.htmlFollowing is the 1863 Lincoln Presidential Proclamation - celebrated shortly after Lincoln committed his life to Christ and celebrated while America was still in the midst of its Civil War. It was this proclamation which eventually led to the establishment of our national Thanksgiving holiday.
by the President of the United States of America

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
[Signed]A. Lincoln

I noticed more history of Thanksgiving here. Interesting reads.Sit back and take a deep slow breath.Again. Now take a few minutes and reflect on the past year and your life and find the things you are thankful for. I have many!!
I pray everyone has a blessed and SAFE Thanksgiving!!

I posted this last year and thought it is appropriate again for this year.
God Bless you all and keep you safe.

Saturday

Here I am sitting in my spare room at my computer and I look out the window, and about 30 feet from where I am sitting is a pheasant walking slowly in the field just over my backyard fence. I giggle because this happens alot, and big hunter men are out loooking for them in the other fields. hehehehe Elliott sits in the window and chatters at them. Yeah, right Elliott, that bird is twice your size!
I went to work yesterday and feel MUCH better!! I had a reaction to the pills they gave me. Swell. I need to stay healthy!! I have 5 more years before I can retire!! God willing.
I need to get purtied up so I can go to the Gratitude Banquet at AA tonight. Whoot!
Well I have fun!!

This is how I feel!

All I want to do is sleep! I wake up and two hours later I am back in bed for another four hours!
I went back to work on Thursday. I went to my doctor and she found an infection in me so I am now on some kind of sulfa antibiotic. I thought I had a bladder infection but she said no. Friday I couldn't get out of bed so I called in sick! Today I got up at 10:00 and was back in bed at 1:00 and got up at 3:00 and now I am heading back to bed at 10:30.
G'nite

I'm back and all rested up!

What a beautiful place! The buildings are rustic and clean, the grounds are manicured.
Swans and ducks are swimming,

Even in the rain it is beautiful. And rain it did, all weekend!

The camp cat was friendly. He came and sat on my lap and purred for awhile in the Lodge. The cat, that is. This guy was at a different building for a couples retreat.

The food was served "family style" and there was plenty of it!

The one in the middle is Sherry. (my brothers wife).

The gal on the left is Janet.

God works his jigsaw puzzle constantly in my life. 28 years ago Janet came looking for work at a bar I was the bar manager at. She was not experienced, but I hired her and taught her how to be a good bartender. She met her now husband at that bar. We went different paths, and led different lives. I was sitting with the cat on my shoulder and she was sitting at the table with a huge smile on her face. I let the cat down and she screamed "PHYLLIS?" I looked at her then a few minutes later it dawned on me who she was!! Here we are, 28 years later at a Christian Women's Retreat up by the Canadian Border!! Who'da thunk!?! I certainly wasn't living the Christian life in those days. Nope!! I smiled and said "I won't tell if you don't tell"!! We both laughed heartily!

We rekindled our friendship during this weekend, and will keep in touch. She lives about 55 miles North of me, so we will meet once in awhile for lunch, for sure!

I'm off for the weekend!

In an hour I will be off for the weekend to a Christian Women's Retreat at Cedar Springs Resort in Sumas by the Canadian Border!!
My brother's wife Sherry and I are going with a few gals from my Church.
It will be alot of fun and just what the doctor ordered for Sherry!
Caregivers need a break once in awhile ya know!!
Y'all have a great weekend, I know I sure will!!
TA-TA!

Change has come

I was so overcome with emotion last night that I sat here and bawled! Then I prayed for Barack. I pray the the Lord covers him and his family with the Holy Spirit and protect them from evils within the Country.
We have witnessed history in the making! I remember the riots in the 50's & 60's, and Martin Luther King assassinated telling of his dream that happened last night!
No matter how you voted, (I didn't vote for Bush but I stood by him and supported him later), we all need to give Barack a chance and believe me, it won't happen over night. He has quite a mess waiting for him to come in and work miracles.
I am very proud of McCain's speech. After all the stupid dirty politics, we need to forget all that and move forward and do all we can to save this Country. We are teetering and ready to fall. I am ready to pay more taxes, nothing comes free (except Island Transit, we are fare free). We need to get this Country back on it's feet and work on healthcare, retirements, and local jobs. BUY LOCAL, folks.
I am going to sit and watch tv tonight with NO POLITICAL ADS!!
Goodnight.

No matter who wins the elections....

I saw this email and it says it all! I don't know where it originated, but I agree wholeheartedly. Too many people have been sendind stupid fear inducing, ignorant emails. No where in theBible does it say that the antiChrist will be a man in his 40's with muslim descent. Sheesh!!
Show Me!

Regardless of who wins the November Election...
TOP 10 PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed teaching and healing.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!!!
Ah, Just 2 more days!!
I pray for our Country. (by the way, I voted for Barack).

My two Cats The third is just keeping away from them.

When I brought Cinderella home a few weeks back I thought Elliott would run away. He wanted nothing to do with her! NOTHING! He would scream whenever she came near him.
Well look at them now, folks. It is fun watching them. She would sashay up to Elliott and rub against him, then walk away, then Elliott would do the disgusting thing that animals do and sniff her butt. Look at him, he looks like he is enjoying that! (he is).

Then she would act like he is disgusting and turn around and slap at him.

Then they would end up in a complete fight. This happens alot, and they enjoy this. They both play rough and love it!

Kinky cats!
Happy Halloween everyone!! It is 5:30, and I better get ready for the monsters with bags to stuff candy in!!

Scaredy Cat

I don't have any photos on my new computer yet, but I just have to share this funny event.
Last night Elliott, my brown striped character cat was in bed with me and my other two cats.
Punkin was curled up on my left side, Cinderella was curled up on my other pillow and Elliott was stretched down and hugging my entire body. He was laying on my chest and stretched down my body. He is heavy but warm, so I left him there for awhile. All the cats were purring and I felt loved indeed. I wasn't asleep yet so I reached over to stroke Elliott and barely touched his whiskers, and BAM!!! He ejected out of bed faster than an ejection seat in a fighter jet!!
HAHAHAHA I don't know what he thought, but I scared the beejeesus out of him!! He hit the wall and then the floor. The other two cats just looked up and shook their heads and went back to sleep. I looked down at Elliott and he was just sitting there dazed. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I couldn't stop laughing! Still can't. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Poor baby!

I guess you should've been there.

Maybe not....:-)

A Druggie I am not

Ok, that's enough. I quit taking the Oxycodone for pain. It made me a zombie and all I could do was sleep. They are going into a secret place for safe keeping until I have a sleepless very painful night again. I guess I am not a drug addict. When I drank I was a binge drinker. I couldn't go day after day drinking. Nope, the hangovers killed me! So I guess I am having a hangover from the pain pills. I did like the fact that I wasn't screaming in agony every time I moved in bed, but that was only for a day or two. I am up and walking now. I will take it easy for another day or two but then back to my normal routine. Normal? Me? NAH!!

New Computer, knee operation

Well I finally got my new computer!!
My old one was going downhill fast. I remembered I had some retirement money in the Hospital from when I worked there, and called in January inquiring what I can do about it. They told me I needed to wait until I was 59 1/2 until I can start drawing on it. I was that old in August and remembered again about the money. I called a few weeks ago and asked how much I had. I knew I had about $1,500 about 8 years ago. Well she told me it grew to $8,000. WOW! Knowing the market is teetering, I asked if I could draw it out in one lump sum. She said yes, and also suggested me having about 20% rtaken out for Federal taxes. So I told her to take out 23% just to be safe, and I got a check for $5,000. That took care of my Home Depot bill for my new wimndows, and my Discover account and left me with about $1,000.00 for a new computer. I went to Costco and found this one for $699.00. I really lucked out, because AIG is losing alot of money, and my check was from AIG. whew!! That was a nest egg I didn't know I had and came in real handy when I needed it!!

Now on to my knee. I have been going downhill as fast as my old computer! Arthritis etc. I asked for xrays of my knee and they found arthritis in both knees and worse in the right knee. Well glory bee imagine that! My doctor sent me to a new Orthopedic Doctor here in town and he suggested having an arthoscopy done on it. (definition from wikipedia follows)

Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage of the interior of a joint is performed using an arthroscope, a type of endoscope that is inserted into the joint through a small incision. Arthroscopic procedures can be performed either to evaluate or to treat many orthopaedic conditions including torn floating cartilage, torn surface cartilage, ACL reconstruction, and trimming damaged cartilage.
The advantage of arthroscopy over traditional open surgery is that the joint does not have to be opened up fully. Instead, only two small incisions are made - one for the arthroscope and one for the surgical instruments. This reduces recovery time and may increase the rate of surgical success due to less trauma to the connective tissue. It is especially useful for professional athletes, who frequently injure knee joints and require fast healing time. There is also less scarring, because of the smaller incisions. Irrigation fluid is used to distend the joint and make a surgical space. Sometimes this fluid leaks into the surrounding soft tissue causing extravasation and edema.

Well I am so happy that this is minimal because I HURT!!! I am also happy because they gave me Oxycodone for the pain. I had this done Thursday at 3:30pm and got home at 8:30pm. I slept most of Friday and now it is Saturday morning at 2:00am. I didn't get a cane or walker as I didn't think I needed one. HA!! I have a small house so I lean on the walls as I hobble around grunting and screaming at times. I left the pills in the kitchen, dang!!
I am an alcoholic so I hesitated taking these strong feel happy pills. Some people in the program (we call it the program in Alcoholics Anonymous) think we should not take pills for pain because it is mind altering. Well some people are complete asshole idiots, too!! Let them hurt in agony trying to be a martyr NOT, ME!! The doctor gave me 45 pills. Believe me, I have them counted. I told him not to let me have any more. So here is where my alcoholic mind comes in. I was thinking that if I had 45 pills, and it says to take two every 4-6 hours as need for pain, I will only take one only when needed. That way I can keep the unused ones for later when I might need them. Well throw that theory out the window!! I started out taking one and went to bed. I woke up yesterday afternoon after sleeping 8 hours and my entire leg was throbbing so much the cats were holding on tight just to stay in bed!! It took me about 15 minutes trying to get out of bed, (I have one of those mattresses that conform to the body, and after sleeping for 8 hours, you have to crawl out of the hole the mattress has you in. It is not a pretty site, that is for sure)! By the time I hobbled into the kitchen to get to the pills, I wanted to take 4!! Nope, I'll be a martyr and only take two.
Well they are beginning to take effect, so I better close for now before I make a complete idiot of myself! hehehehe

Fall

Fall is here! We had our first frost last night. I turned on my heater for the first time today. I usually wait until November 1st, but I was shivering.
Every October we have a scarecrow contest here in Coupeville. I took some pictures, but they didn't show them justice. The first photo is of my friends Al & Nancy. He gets his imagination going and constructs a fabulous monument every year. Unfortunately he isn't included in the contest because he lives in the country and the contest is downtown Coupeville. He gets honorable mention in my books!!

The picture is too dark to show the big black bat, but it is great!

The theme is "The cows returning to Coupeville".
So a bunch of folks at Island Transit concocted these cows and scarecrow.

We won best in commercial! Whhoooot!
(If you look close at the black spots on the cows, it is actually maps of Whidbey & Camano Islands which is Island County.
Well it doesn't take much to thrill us country folk!
Nope it sure don't!

She's gonna VOTE!!!

I am so proud of my neighbor!
I have lived next door to her for 18 years and she just LOOOOVES to argue politics. During one of our heated arguments I asked her who she voted for, and she said she doesn't vote. "WHAAAT?! you don't vote?!" I yelled. I then told her I wouldn't listen to her bitchin about someone she didn't vote against!
About a year later she got to bitchin again and I stuck my fingers in my ears and said "lalalalalalalala I don't hear you!" She then said that she voted! Yay I said.
Well this year I found out that she lied to me just so we could debate! Hmmmppppff!
She came to the fence this morning as I was getting in my car to go to work, and asked where and how she could register to vote! WHAT??? My smile covered my entire face. I reached in my car and gave her a voter registration card. I just happen to carry them with me for people that I visit for Paratransit. Some of them just moved here from other parts of the Nation, so I make sure they have their chance to vote! Tonight she called me during the 11:00 news and told me she won't be able to get the registration in the mail by noon tomorrow. I said BULLSH-T! I ran over there and helped her fill it out then we both got in my car at midnight, in the rain, (her in her robe), and we drove to the Post Office and mailed the registration!!!
Hip-Hip-Hooray!!
She said she watched the vice presidential debate last night and decided that she does not want that bimbo gal as president of the United States!! She said it took a dang woman to get her off her butt and vote, so there!! I am tickled pink about this! She is 92 years old and registered to vote! But gee, now that she is voting, and we argue politics, I guess that means we are cancelling out each other's vote....hmm. Oh well, at least we voted!!
So.......are you registered?
Too late now, but not too late for the next election. Go to the voters office in your County Courthouse and get a handful of Registration cards and keep them with you for friends or family that are not registered.
I pray for this Nation.

Deer on Whidbey

You don't plant alot of flowers around here.

The deer love rose buds and tomatoes, etc. Don't build in a beautiful wooded setting and complain of the wildlife!! hehehehe

The Shack

I read "The Shack" a week ago and loved it! I have heard controversial reviews on it. I am Christian, but I like fiction books and like different views. There is only one way to find out if there really is a God or Jesus etc, and that is to die. I think I'd like to wait awhile to find out myself.
I know a few people that have had horrendous childhoods and they say how can there be a God if He lets things like this happen? Well this book explains a few things. I really don't want to say alot about the book, because it will ruin it for you if you want to read it.
I suggest reading it, then we can have a book review.
I'd really like to hear from others what they think of it.

A lazy Sunday afternoon

I sat in my recliner crocheting today and Cinderella crawled up on my pile of yarn projects and nuzzled in and fell asleep. Later I fell asleep. I woke up and she had crawled up on my chest, and Punkin was on my lap and Elliott was on my legs. I was cozy and warm.
It is rainy and breezy and cold. The flannel sheets are on my bed and I am finishing my laundry. Time to shower and get ready for bed.
Have a great week!