Friday, July 22, 2011

Really......

I was at the pool the other day ease dropping on other's conversations while I sat and relaxed. Is it really ease dropping if they talk loud enough that you have no choice but to hear what is being said.

They are smokers and were enjoying their cigarettes while I was peeved that I was outdoors in fresh air and had to be subjected to their smoking. I was a good distance from them but you know how the cigarette smell just permeates.

Well the topic of their conversation was smoking at work. Their place of employment has become a no-smoking facility. After many complaints the management has agreed to give them two parking spaces in the parking garage as a designated smoking area. Instead of being glad that management gave them a space, they were complaining. Get this.... they don't think their designated smoking spots should be in the parking garage where they will have to breathe in all the exhaust fumes of passing cars.

REALLY..... You are worried about exhaust fumes while puffing something that kills your lungs.... REALLY!

I just shook my head thinking what a DUMB remark. It is OK if I kill myself with a cigarette but it is your fault that I must breathe in exhaust fumes.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

I believe in giving praise when you lay out your worries in prayer and it is answered.

I was way behind in my student loans. I am not unemployed for the summer but denied unemployment. I had asked for an unemployment forbearance but was given the run around.

This morning I checked my account and my unemployment forbearance was granted.

Praise the Lord.

Every little bit counts.

Cats....

Cats are so funny.

How can a cat that has never had human food love ice cream? I can drink milk or anything else with cream and he leaves me alone. Let me sit down to a bowl of ice cream and I will have a companion trying to help me eat it. No, I don't let him eat out of my bowl. I will put a little on his nose which will occupy him for awhile after that he is usually satisfied. Let me tell you though, if he does not get a sample, he does not give up. He is very persistent.

This evening he was in the back part of the house. I was in the front. I scooped myself just a half cup. I did not even sit down and he was in the living room sniffing out the smell. It is crazy. Now he received a little on his nose and he is happy. I wish that little amount made me happy because I wanted more after that 1/2 cup but I was good.

It is funny how old memories pop up with something so silly. My Mom was vacuuming tonight when my cat went and hid in my room but right at the door. My late cat, Pudder, she hated the vacuum because we would powder the floor with flea spray. This was before the times of Frontline. She would refuse to touch the carpet anytime the floor was vacuumed. She would go to all extents to avoid the carpet. She would jump from the kitchen to the lounge chair then maneuver herself on all the furniture. She would then stand on the last piece and plot her next move as to touch the carpet as little as possible before entering my room. It was always so funny to watch her. She always associated the vacuum cleaner with the powder whether we used the powder or not. Memories are so much fun to remember and smile about even though it hurts when you lose the loved one whether furry or real.

Speaking of ice cream and my late cat, she loved milk and ice cream. The only thing is she did not like plain milk. It had to have sugary cereal in it before she would eat it. She was a sugar girl. By the way, she ate human food. She knew you had fried chicken from the minute you entered the front door. Beware because she would go to all extremes to get it.

Another memory of her was when I was eating a Subway sandwich in the living room. I left it to go to the bathroom. I returned and my sandwich was gone. I found the sandwich on the floor minus the cold cuts. She had pushed the sandwich over, removed the meat and taken off to the corner with all the meat. She was a character.

Life, cats, and memories.

Friday, July 15, 2011

God Happenings...

Several things happened recently that prove God exists and is all around us.

The first was a death. My former employee was diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer a few months ago. Her testimony is not that cancer won but God won and wanted her home. I have been keeping several of my former employees up to date on her illness over the last two weeks. I was the one who had to call and email all them to let them know of her death yesterday. One emailed back and knew I was going to email her that day about that. See she was channel surfing when she stopped on the 700 Club. She had an overwhelming need to pray for our dear friend. She said, I prayed that God would take her home peacefully and without pain. It was during that time our dear friend and co-worker entered the Gates of Heaven. She is now singing and rejoicing with our Saviour. Please uplift her family during their new season of life as they mourn their dear Godly Mother. Well done good and faithful servant. Rejoice in your rewards

The second includes a wallet, my brother's to be exact. He drove off yesterday but was waved down by his mailman. His first thought was what kind of legal trouble am I in now. The mailman had a package he had to sign for. My brother signs it and the mailman takes off. He then opens it to discover his wallet that he did not even know was missing. He has no idea where he lost it at but some honest person found it and anonymously mailed it to him with everything still in tact. He only had a dollar in cash at the time at that dollar was still there. Thank you God for protecting. Please bless the anonymous finder with wealth, health and happiness. There still are good Samaritans in this world.

The final was VBS for my church. I took on the task as VBS coordinator. We did not have many kids last year by having VBS during the week. We decided to have it during church time on 5 Sundays in the summer. During the week last year my high attendance was 5. This Sunday I had 10 and are expecting more this Sunday. The adults rallied around being helpers and it was great. I left church on such a high Sunday.  We used Group's Pandamania and they make it so easy. I gave the craft person her kit. The recreation leader his kit. The music person her kit.The snack coordinator her kit and the teachers their lessons. Then I just had to get the kids from one station to the next. We even had a "panda" visit. We are calling her Panda Patti. I was ecstatic and can not wait until Sunday morning.

God is good.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

I had to show you a picture of my outdoor kitty, Cocoa. You know the one that showed up at our doorstep with no hair and bumps all over two winters ago. Yep, she has taken up residence here. She is great with my nephew. You can see that she catches a lot of prey because she blends in with my dry grass environment. The funny part of today's photo, you cant see. What you can not see is that my mother, my nephew and myself were in the middle of a kickball game. Yep, she came and laid down right in the middle of all the action. If the ball came near her, she would just look at us like I know that ball is not going to hit me. If we were heading to base we would have to run and jump over her. Typical cat attitude.
I wish this picture did her a little more justice but it is with my camera phone. She really is a beautiful calico.
I will repeat her history. We were feeding two other orange tabby cats just like my indoor cat when she showed up looking awful. I mean even I could not stand to look at her. She was all bones, skin, bumps and no hair. I finally started feeding her and talking to her. Her hair started to come back and she became affectionate. We took her to get spayed and rabies shots. We were informed that she was already spayed. So she was someone's cat who probably kicked her out because of her skin problems. Yes, we did check the papers for lost cats but nothing ever appeared. So over time she has become ours. She stays in our neighbors garage at night that has a dog door. They dont care. On really cold nights or hurricane threats she stays in our garage so we know she is ok. The funny thing is that she never ventures past my house and the houses on either side of us. We have new neighbors moving in so that may change.
What I find so amazing is wherever she sleeps she can hear when someone wakes up in the house because she is at the doorstep waiting for food and water. She has her own bowl under the faucet outside. I moved it the other day to mow the grass and had it in my hand to put back but evidently I was too slow. She came up to me and swatted it out of my hand because she wanted water and she wanted it THEN.
She has snuck in a few times but my indoor cat has made it clear that this is his territory. She now will not cross the front door. They each have their territory.
I have no idea why I decided to share all this tonight. I guess because I have never had a solely outdoor kitty with such a great story and deposition. I really wish I could bring her in but Lilbit says NO WAY.



Tuesday, July 5, 2011

What I saw...

This is not a post about my trip. It is a post of my plane ride home.

I normally select an aisle seat because I have broad shoulders and can lean over into the aisle until the beverage cart arrives. My flight from Phoenix to Charlotte and Charlotte to my hometown were great. I had the seats to myself and could look out the window.

How can anyone question God's magnitude? I was on the other side of the clouds. Literally... on top of the clouds. Oh my they were beautiful. It looked like big puffy cotton and spools of cotton candy. We usually only see it from the ground but from the air it is awesome. How could something so beautiful been created by a big boom or aliens? It can only be the work of God. Beautiful and majestic is only something God could create.

Out of the blue the following lyrics from a song came to my mind and I quietly sang it.

O Lord O Lord how Majestic is your name above the Earth. O Lord we praise your name. O Lord we Magnify your name. Prince of Peace. Mighty God. O Lord God of everything.

The clouds and lightening that I saw we so awesome and just small part of what an awesome God we have.

I also give credit for God for the invention of airplanes and him keeping us safe. They are huge yet that big piece of machinery carries thousands of people a day and flies through the sky. How can something that heavy fly. Only God. I was at the wing when I realized that wing is huge. We learned alot of aerodynamics from the birds God created. You can never deny it with the wings.

Wow! What a powerful and awesome God.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Tired

Weddings over and I am tired, tired , tired.
Ready to head home but will enjoy two days of site-seing.