Saturday, February 7, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
25 Random Facts
I'm double dipping. I wrote this for Facebook, but figured I'll publish it here also.
1. My favorite time of the day is early morning. I enjoy getting up before everyone else and having some time to myself.
2. One of my lifetime goals is to visit all 50 states. I have four more states to go—Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Ohio. I think one Alaskan cruise should take care of three of them.
3. When I was in college I worked in the President’s office. One day I slipped and fell down all of the wooden steps to the bottom, bouncing on each one as I hit. There were at least 20 of them. I think this is part of my back problem today. Is it too late to sue?
4. My sister, Carole, sends me “The Upper Room” each month. In 2008 I started reading it daily and marking the verses in my Bible. It’s a wonderful way to start the day.
5. Right now I’m listening to the tick of a clock that was in my family home. It says 5 o’clock when it’s really 8 o’clock, but I don’t care. I find the ticking very comforting, and it reminds me of Mother and Daddy.
6. I’m a chocoholic, just give me a bag of Hershey Kisses and I won’t be able to stop.
7. I love to read. Right now I am reading Twilight because my granddaughter said that I might like it. She’s right, but then it doesn’t take much to amuse me. I joined Goodreads and keep up with what my children are reading this way. They are avid readers just like their mom. I used to collect books, but now I have so many that I don’t know what to do with them. Maybe I should sell them on EBAY. Hah!
8. I enjoy hiking with family and friends. When I’m in the woods I’m always on the lookout for animals in the wild. When Joe and I travel at night, we spend our time looking for deer on the side of the road.
9. Every time I travel on Interstate 310 I look for eagles. I once traveled to Montana in hopes of spotting an eagle and did while visiting Glacier National Park, but just the other day I saw one right here in Mandeville.
10. When I was in the ninth grade I missed being crowned Homecoming Queen because I got to the game late.
11. I love to play games—Scrabble, Monopoly, Phase 1, Poker------ When I was young, my family used to play Boo-Ray for pennies. I think that this is when my gambling fever started. But then it could have started because when my family went on their yearly vacation to Lake Concordia. Uncle Cecil used to open up the slot machines and give us nickels and quarters to play with.
12. Since my retirement, I’ve begun writing poetry. Most of the poems just come to me out of the blue, and I write them down. Something may happen, or I will be talking to someone and get an idea. Some of the poems are personal, but most of them aren’t.
13. My dog, Buster, came from Canada. While searching for a non-shedding dog, I found a website that showed pictures of different designer dogs. Joe and I decided we liked the Bichon-Shih Tsu best. I picked Buster out of the puppies available, placed his picture on my computer, and began looking for this breed in the New Orleans area. Having no luck, I returned to the website and ordered Buster. That’s when I found out the breeder was in Canada. Buster flew into New Orleans and had to go through customs.
14. My favorite color is red—all shades of red; however, I love to wear black, not because I’m satanic but because black is a very slimming color and I need all the help I can get.
15. I’m very sentimental. As I walk through my house, I can tell you about everything that is in it. I remember where it came from, who gave it to me, how long I’ve had it, how I felt when I received it, etc. But in the middle of a conversation, I may forget your name, what I was talking about, or can’t find the word I’m looking for.
16. I compare my brain to a file cabinet with folders. When I can’t remember something, it’s because I have a lot of folders to go through. My file cabinet is getting full, so I have to be selective about what I remember now. I gave up on numbers a long time ago.
17. I have a black book where I write everything down. I’d be lost without it. This happened once, and I wrote a poem about it. You can check it out here if you want to. http://meredity68.blogspot.com/2007/10/return-of-black-book_27.html
18. My favorite season has always been fall. It’s one of the few times in the south, that we can open the windows and let the cool breeze in. Now that we own a cabin in North Carolina, I actually get to see the leaves change color.
19. I love purses. When I enter a department stores, whether I need one or not, I will check out the purses.
20. I used to be a Creative Memories consultant, and really enjoyed teaching the classes and showing people how to scrapbook. I’ve really gotten away from this personally, but since I’m the archivist for the Chi Omegas’ I continue to keep up the reunion scrapbooks.
21. When driving by myself, I let the music blare. My favorite genre is country, but I enjoy it all. I listen to my iPod and the music jumps from oldies to rock and back to country. I love it!
22. I talk to my children almost every day. I talk to my son on the computer and my daughter on the phone. I sure hope they don’t mind, because it makes my day when I hear from them.
23. I began working after the 9th grade as a wading pool lifeguard. I worked for the Recreation Department of Hattiesburg until I went to college and began working on campus in the President’s office. After graduation, I began working for St. Charles Parish Schools, retiring after 28 years. This tells a lot about me. I’m not too big on change.
24. My dog and cat are by my side as I write this. After Joe, they’re probably my best friends. I can’t believe I just wrote that, but then it’s getting hard to find something to write.
25. I love to travel. Last spring, Joe and I traveled across country to California in our RV. The year before that we traveled north to Niagara Falls, through Canada, down through Wisconsin and back to North Carolina where we left from. The Niagara Falls trip started out with both of my sisters, but Alice had to return home after Niagara Falls due to the death of her father-in-law. She made up for it by traveling to California with us.
1. My favorite time of the day is early morning. I enjoy getting up before everyone else and having some time to myself.
2. One of my lifetime goals is to visit all 50 states. I have four more states to go—Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Ohio. I think one Alaskan cruise should take care of three of them.
3. When I was in college I worked in the President’s office. One day I slipped and fell down all of the wooden steps to the bottom, bouncing on each one as I hit. There were at least 20 of them. I think this is part of my back problem today. Is it too late to sue?
4. My sister, Carole, sends me “The Upper Room” each month. In 2008 I started reading it daily and marking the verses in my Bible. It’s a wonderful way to start the day.
5. Right now I’m listening to the tick of a clock that was in my family home. It says 5 o’clock when it’s really 8 o’clock, but I don’t care. I find the ticking very comforting, and it reminds me of Mother and Daddy.
6. I’m a chocoholic, just give me a bag of Hershey Kisses and I won’t be able to stop.
7. I love to read. Right now I am reading Twilight because my granddaughter said that I might like it. She’s right, but then it doesn’t take much to amuse me. I joined Goodreads and keep up with what my children are reading this way. They are avid readers just like their mom. I used to collect books, but now I have so many that I don’t know what to do with them. Maybe I should sell them on EBAY. Hah!
8. I enjoy hiking with family and friends. When I’m in the woods I’m always on the lookout for animals in the wild. When Joe and I travel at night, we spend our time looking for deer on the side of the road.
9. Every time I travel on Interstate 310 I look for eagles. I once traveled to Montana in hopes of spotting an eagle and did while visiting Glacier National Park, but just the other day I saw one right here in Mandeville.
10. When I was in the ninth grade I missed being crowned Homecoming Queen because I got to the game late.
11. I love to play games—Scrabble, Monopoly, Phase 1, Poker------ When I was young, my family used to play Boo-Ray for pennies. I think that this is when my gambling fever started. But then it could have started because when my family went on their yearly vacation to Lake Concordia. Uncle Cecil used to open up the slot machines and give us nickels and quarters to play with.
12. Since my retirement, I’ve begun writing poetry. Most of the poems just come to me out of the blue, and I write them down. Something may happen, or I will be talking to someone and get an idea. Some of the poems are personal, but most of them aren’t.
13. My dog, Buster, came from Canada. While searching for a non-shedding dog, I found a website that showed pictures of different designer dogs. Joe and I decided we liked the Bichon-Shih Tsu best. I picked Buster out of the puppies available, placed his picture on my computer, and began looking for this breed in the New Orleans area. Having no luck, I returned to the website and ordered Buster. That’s when I found out the breeder was in Canada. Buster flew into New Orleans and had to go through customs.
14. My favorite color is red—all shades of red; however, I love to wear black, not because I’m satanic but because black is a very slimming color and I need all the help I can get.
15. I’m very sentimental. As I walk through my house, I can tell you about everything that is in it. I remember where it came from, who gave it to me, how long I’ve had it, how I felt when I received it, etc. But in the middle of a conversation, I may forget your name, what I was talking about, or can’t find the word I’m looking for.
16. I compare my brain to a file cabinet with folders. When I can’t remember something, it’s because I have a lot of folders to go through. My file cabinet is getting full, so I have to be selective about what I remember now. I gave up on numbers a long time ago.
17. I have a black book where I write everything down. I’d be lost without it. This happened once, and I wrote a poem about it. You can check it out here if you want to. http://meredity68.blogspot.com/2007/10/return-of-black-book_27.html
18. My favorite season has always been fall. It’s one of the few times in the south, that we can open the windows and let the cool breeze in. Now that we own a cabin in North Carolina, I actually get to see the leaves change color.
19. I love purses. When I enter a department stores, whether I need one or not, I will check out the purses.
20. I used to be a Creative Memories consultant, and really enjoyed teaching the classes and showing people how to scrapbook. I’ve really gotten away from this personally, but since I’m the archivist for the Chi Omegas’ I continue to keep up the reunion scrapbooks.
21. When driving by myself, I let the music blare. My favorite genre is country, but I enjoy it all. I listen to my iPod and the music jumps from oldies to rock and back to country. I love it!
22. I talk to my children almost every day. I talk to my son on the computer and my daughter on the phone. I sure hope they don’t mind, because it makes my day when I hear from them.
23. I began working after the 9th grade as a wading pool lifeguard. I worked for the Recreation Department of Hattiesburg until I went to college and began working on campus in the President’s office. After graduation, I began working for St. Charles Parish Schools, retiring after 28 years. This tells a lot about me. I’m not too big on change.
24. My dog and cat are by my side as I write this. After Joe, they’re probably my best friends. I can’t believe I just wrote that, but then it’s getting hard to find something to write.
25. I love to travel. Last spring, Joe and I traveled across country to California in our RV. The year before that we traveled north to Niagara Falls, through Canada, down through Wisconsin and back to North Carolina where we left from. The Niagara Falls trip started out with both of my sisters, but Alice had to return home after Niagara Falls due to the death of her father-in-law. She made up for it by traveling to California with us.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
In My Own Backyard
Yesterday Joe and I had headed to Fountainebleau State Park in hopes of spotting a Bald Eagle, and we were not disappointed. As soon as we arrived, we were given the opportunity to view an eagle through Ranger Steve's telescope. According to Ranger Steve, we were looking at the female, which is the larger of the pair. The eagle sat in a nest estimated to be 3 feet deep and 6 feet wide near the top of a tall pine tree. When she sat up her white head could be spotted from the road where we stood, but to get a better view we used our binoculars and telescope.
Ranger Steve explained how the male and female eagle return to their nest each year and add to it. Last year the pair had two baby eaglets, so this year he's hoping for three. He added that the eaglets remain with their parents for approximately two months.
After viewing the eagle, we got another treat. Ranger Steve brought us to an old dead tree where a wise Horned Owl lived.
Below is a picture of the pine tree where the eagle's nest is located. Look closely and you will see a dark area on the right side which is the nest. I wasn't close enough to get a picture of the eagle, but I am going back.
Below the picture of the pine tree is a picture of the Great Horned Owl. Isn't he adorable?
Ranger Steve explained how the male and female eagle return to their nest each year and add to it. Last year the pair had two baby eaglets, so this year he's hoping for three. He added that the eaglets remain with their parents for approximately two months.
After viewing the eagle, we got another treat. Ranger Steve brought us to an old dead tree where a wise Horned Owl lived.
Below is a picture of the pine tree where the eagle's nest is located. Look closely and you will see a dark area on the right side which is the nest. I wasn't close enough to get a picture of the eagle, but I am going back.
Below the picture of the pine tree is a picture of the Great Horned Owl. Isn't he adorable?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Gulf Shores 2009
This is a picture of my Chi Omega sisters that showed up for the 2009 Gulf Shores Reunion. I talk about this so much that I thought some of you might want to see how many people showed up this year. There were a few more people that were there but are not in the picture. If you can find me, you'll see my sister, Carole, to the left of me. This was her first year to attend.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Nightmares
Awakening at night to the sound of myself screaming.
A nightmare, the ever returning nightmare.
Afraid to close my eyes, fighting my sleep, lest it should return.
What gruesome horrors have invaded my dreams!
My heart beats rapidly, pounding in my chest.
Alone and frightened, I scream but no one hears.
The situation is so familiar. Deja vu.
I have been this way before, walked the walk, crossed this path.
How can I chase it away and keep it from invading my dreams?
My body needs rest. I am tired, scared, and frightened.
I want the nightmares to vanish, but they keep hunting me down.
I need sleep, blissful uninterrupted sleep.
A nightmare, the ever returning nightmare.
Afraid to close my eyes, fighting my sleep, lest it should return.
What gruesome horrors have invaded my dreams!
My heart beats rapidly, pounding in my chest.
Alone and frightened, I scream but no one hears.
The situation is so familiar. Deja vu.
I have been this way before, walked the walk, crossed this path.
How can I chase it away and keep it from invading my dreams?
My body needs rest. I am tired, scared, and frightened.
I want the nightmares to vanish, but they keep hunting me down.
I need sleep, blissful uninterrupted sleep.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Life's Journey
I’m so busy making memories
Each and every day
I forget that I have work to do
As I travel along my way.
Smelling the fragrant flowers
Gazing at the forest full of trees
Enjoying the chipmunks and the rabbits
And running from the honey bees.
Sitting on the log cabin porch
And rocking in the chair
Taking deep breaths, yoga style
As I smell the mountain air.
Brisk walks in the morning
Naps in the middle of the day
Settling down with my favorite book
Watching the embers die away.
Dinner with friends and family
A game of dominoes that lasts all night
Feeling warmth from the glow of familiar faces
Giving thanks for a life that feels right.
Attending church on Sunday
Reading the Bible every day
Asking forgiveness for my many sins
Praising God throughout the day.
Praying to be a better person
Wondering what the New Year will bring
Living with a song in my heart
While waiting for my chance to sing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
