It's Been Awhile

since Bad Betty and I went to Hawaii so we're looking forward to going in May. It'll be Mother's Day and my birthday all rolled up into one nice weekend celebration. We are such creatures of habit. We like to stay at the same place - done. Contact the same people - done. Plan the same menus - done. same activities - done. Why? Because it's what we love. It's what we enjoy. We are people who enjoy doing things over and over again, making wonderful memories and enjoying the time we have together.

This May marks what would've been my parents 60th Wedding Anniversary. So that means it's 20 years since my dad went to be with the Lord. We like to remember those times and as my mom ages I feel it's important to spend that time with her, remembering.

To All My Fans

If I haven't been around much it could be because there's been lots of cleaning and sorting and painting and trimming going on around here. We're putting our townhouse on the market and not sure what we're doing after that. We are looking for something that will meet our need for space while living closer to town making Chris's commute easier.


Oh, and in the meantime we've decided to sell the cottage so we're putting that up for sale as well. We just have to get ourselves up there to get things ready to do that.

Then, there's the cat who needs to have his stitches out today because of the biopsy they took 2 weeks ago to see what's wrong with his sweet little self.

The only one ho hum around here is sweet little Benson. He just runs into the nearest closet and hides. Maybe he's onto something.

look what I found

My mom and I are going to get together on Saturday to have a picture day. She has lots of family pics and I am trying to put together a heritage album for our family. We have very few family photos as there were a lot of years members of my family didn't speak to each other for whatever reason.

This is Summer 1977 after my nephew Derek was dedicated. I was home from Hawaii and John and Lynne had bought their first home. I can't remember if Ralph and Lani were together or not or had just come for the dedication. There are a few years that are rather hazy on their relationship. John and Lynne separated many years later.

It's not hard to see why Chris is my mom's favorite daughter-in-law.

Maggie

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

Helen Keller




Today Maggie went to live in happier hunting grounds. I hope she's chasing lots of balls and eating lots of snausages and sleeping by lots of fireplaces. Those are the things that made her happy. Her health concerns just became too great for her and for us and after talking to our Vet we all came to the decision that it was Maggie's time to go.



We had Maggie for 4 years and she brought a lot of love into our home with her gentle quiet nature.
We'll miss you Maggs.

Friends

Last night we went out to our local community theatre and saw a delightful play called "Marion Bridge". The story of 3 sisters who return home to see their mother before she passes away. It was interesting on many levels to see the different roles the sisters took in their family and how we relate to those roles.

The oldest daughter was very artsy, lived in the 'big city' but was very lonely and drank to escape loneliness and lack of success. The story unfolded of how she'd had gotten pregnant as a teenager and was forced to give the baby up for adoption. She reconnects with the daughter and although you don't see a visible reconnection the emotions are there in the dialogue.

The middle daughter is the 'good one' who grows up to be a nun because she wants to serve God with her whole self but in the meantime loses sight of God and wonders just to whom she is loyal when she tries so hard to be so very good.

The youngest daughter is the 'funny one' and yet gets overlooked and dismissed because she's crazy. On a memorable trip to Marion Bridge as children the 2 older sisters have vivid memories of the day yet don't remember that the youngest had to stay home because she had chicken pox.

It was a good story and well done. There was quite a crowd of us that went from church and afterwards we enjoyed meeting at a friend's house for dessert. Good times.

It's great to have friends in the midst of all of life's changes. As I get older I find myself appreciating my friends more. Maybe because neither Chris nor I have a sister we find ourselves connecting with other women around us and enlarging our group of friends.

We All Need a Laugh So Here's Yours

What Religion is Your Bra?



A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy 's and shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said, "I'd like to buy a bra for my wife."

"What type of bra?" asked the clerk.

"Type?" inquires the man. "There's more than one type?"

"Look around," said the saleslady as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color and material imaginable. "Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only four types of bras to choose from."

Relieved, the man asked about the types.

The saleslady replied: "There are the Catholic, the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian, and the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?"

Now totally befuddled, the man asked about the differences between them.

The Saleslady responded, "It is all really quite simple ... the Catholic type supports the masses; the Salvation Army type lifts the fallen; the Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright; and the Baptist type makes mountains out of mole hills."

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes? If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!

{A} Almost Boobs...

{B} Barely there...
{C} Can't Complain!...

{D} Dang!...
{DD} Double dang!...

{E} Enormous!...
{F} Fake...

{G} Get a Reduction...
{H} Help me, I've fallen And I can't get up!...

They forgot the German bra. Holtzemfromfloppen

Random Act of Kindness

Last winter when I was working nights all the time I told our night dispatch N. (who's a sweetheart) that while she was away in Mexico suntanning a memo had come out saying that from now on during the cold weather drivers would leave their car keys on her desk and when they called in at the end of the shift to say they were clear and coming in, she could then pick up their keys, go out to the bus yard, scrape the ice off and warm up their car for them. I thought it was a wonderful suggestion. Don't you think? She just laughed and told me how funny I was. After she told me she hadn't gotten the memo of course. I told her to keep looking.

Last week it was really really cold and I was working a night shift. After driving through a blizzard and hazardous road conditions I was more than ready to come in after clearing my last client. I called in and said I was on my way in. A few minutes later N. called and said it sounded like we were all heading in and she was just going to go outside and warm up her car. Niiiiiiice. So I reminded her of the memo. After a big guffaw she asked me where I had parked my car. I told her. "Out in the bus yard beside a big yellow bus." Another guffaw and then a hearty 'seeya when you get here'. Big laughs.

I pulled into the yard and waved at N. as she was scraping the ice off her car and warming it up, kept going to the far end of the lot where I had left my car, jumped into my car and started warming it up. Lots of snow, lots of ice, very cold car. About 10 minutes later after I had parked the bus and my car was all warm and toasty I drove up to the office to drop off my keys. N. was standing there in amazement. She asked me where I had parked my car and I told her, 'at the end of the lot'.

"OH NO" she said, I've cleaned the wrong car! What she didn't realize that one of the other night drivers has EXACTLY the same car as me and so sweet N. being kind went and scraped off his car for him! I bet he was surprised.

Moral of the story, when you're being kind to someone, make sure you've got the right person. You'd hate to be kind to the wrong person. LOL.

I Been Churchified

Yesterday was the day for all things churchy. In the morning we went to witness my friend Christine get baptized in the Baptist church, the full dunk kind. Christine and I have been friends for many years and this was a big step for her. She's more like how I used to be. I'm not sure if that's bad or good but going back to the Baptist church made me so much more aware of how my view of God has changed over the years. I'd forgotten just how much guilt gets heaped in an everyday sermon. Whew! I was glad that was over, especially when the Pastor started talking about the church finances being $14,000 in the hole and they were going to be looking for where the 'sin was in the church'. Oh my.

I guess it's been awhile since I've been in a guilt-ridden church, you know, attending the one we do now is really low on guilt so I'd forgotten just how much of a worm I am.

Then, last night we went to church AGAIN but this time back to the church where it all began for Chris and I as a couple. It was nice to see our old buds again and enjoy worshipping with them. The Pastor and I go back many many years to a ministry team in a Pentecostal church. He lost his credentials with the denomination when they found out his roommate meant more to him than just someone who helped pay the rent. After reconciling his faith with his sexuality and more years of ministry at other GLBT churches he began this one. I reconnected with him there and met Chris.

It's all been such a journey for all of us. From the guilt ridden conservative church to the liberal "anything goes" church. In between a healing balm for restoration of soul and spirit. It's all part of the journey.

Won't it be great when we get to heaven and we're accepted into His Kingdom just as we are? There sure will be some surprises. For everyone.