Merry Christmas

  Forgive me for my prolonged absence....... About two weeks before Thanksgiving I had a gall bladder attack. To make the holiday more festive, a few days before Thanksgiving I broke out with the Shingles. I am still dealing with both of these. There was a surgery planned for day before yesterday to deal with the gall bladder, that was set aside thanks to some nasty little bug that I caught Thursday. It has been a few years since I have been laid up with a bug as relentless as this one is. 

Come Christmas, I hope to find the Shingles and my little friend "The Bug" gone. As for the gall bladder, I have a feeling I won't be shed of it without surgery. That has been rescheduled for December 31st. I can't think of a better way to ring in the New Year than to be relatively pain free. WOW.... My idea of a good time has sure changed in the recent years. 

If You don't hear from me again before then...... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my dear friends and loyal followers!

~Jo

Heroes Unaware

Heroes Unaware

I first saw him on a park bench

I've seen him every day

Sitting in a shady grove

Where my children come to play.

Some days he feeds the birds and squirrels

Or whittles little toys

Sometimes he just sits and smiles

At the laughing boys and girls.

And I never paid him any mind

'Till one day just this year

I noticed that he wore a frown

And on his cheek....

A tear.

Well, I asked him why he seemed so down

He looked up, began to say

I lost half my friends

60 years ago today.

He told me of the terror

As he fought to reach dry land

By the time the beach head was secure

Half his friends lay in the sand.

That was just in one long day

He fought on for 4 years more

And the 60 years from then 'till now

Had not dimmed his sights of war.

He said they have reunions

Just to keep in touch and share

And for each comrade that has gone on

They leave an empty chair.

Well, his park bench has been empty now

About 6 months or so

And if I had never took the time

Then I never would've known.

That sitting on that simple bench

With bread crumbs and little toys

Was a man who gave his all

To guarantee my daily joys.

So give thanks to all the men and women

Who are still here or gone before

And made the highest sacrifice

In both peace time and in war.

Because they bought our freedom

Paid their own blood sweat and tears

Then endured the heartache of those empty chairs

For all of these years.

So please do not ignore them

Or speed by without a care

'Cause you never know

When you might pass by...

A Hero Unaware!

~By Mark Knight

HMC (SS)

22 June 2000

~***~

I came across this poem several years ago and posted it here on Moodscapes. It just seemed to fit perfectly with giving tribute to our veterans. I thought it was time to post it again, because the sentiment is far to beautiful to forget. I want to say thank you to all those veterans past and present who have sacrificed for me to live in a world of freedom. 

May God Bless You and Hold You in the Palm of His Hand....

"Dona Nobis Pacem"

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, 

grant that I may not seek 

to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

it is in dying that we are born again

to eternal life.

May you be blessed with Peace and Love....

~Jo

"Dona Nobis Pacem 2"

Imagine being able to hold Peace in the palm of your hand.... Imagine being able to pass it along with just a simple handshake.... Wait!!! Why must we imagine, when it can be done. With just a touch, Peace can indeed be passed along.

Have a Peace filled day my friends.

~Jo   

Halloween

Black Cat

by ~ Shane Hubbard

Under the stars the feline crept, 

Her fur as black as unmined coal.

Under their light she slyly stepped;

This way and that she stole.

Oh, pity the victims who suffered her wrath,

And the people she crossed on her path.

Under the mounds of trash and rot,

And about dim alleys, the cat,

Black as both the kettle and pot,

Skulked, never hearing, "Scat!"

For no human dared to offend the stray,

And neither did the predator's prey!

Under the eaves, throughout the town,

This omen of terrible luck

Nimbly walked in her sable gown,

All with fear were struck.

For fables tell that the cat who is black

 May bewitch all  those who cross her track!

~*~

For many years now I go on a trip when I feel a chill in the air and the leaves on the trees have turned so many vibrant earth-tone colors. I love to watch, as those same leaves slowly begin floating to the ground. I always hope that it doesn't rain for a while, giving the fallen leaves the opportunity to turn brown so I can walk through them and listen to the crackling noise that they make under my feet. I visit many homes while I am on my journeys and the people that I see are always so happy and welcoming. Like me, those that travel with me are never dressed in a trendy manner. In most cases it is old clothes that we wear, put together and with a little makeup added to disguise our true identities.  I am always met with smiles, kind words and sweetness, as are my companions. 

There is no price tag on this trip that I take and I don't have to book it in advance, because my means of transportation is through the recesses of my mind. Memory takes me back to my childhood home on Halloween night to go trick or treating in a time when parents didn't have to walk with their children as we went door to door unless they wanted to. We were safe within our community where children were loved and cared for. This was a time when there was  no need to fear strangers just for saying, "Hello". Parents didn't have to sort through the mounds of sweet goodies that we carried home searching for signs of tampering or take it all to the hospital to have x-rays made to check for hidden needles and razor blades. In fact a lot of what we received wasn't sealed in packaging. Things like apples and oranges, homemade cookies, candy apples and popcorn balls. What a wonderful time it was for growing up. 

If wishes came true, it would be for every child to experience such a Halloween at least once in their lifetime. Have a Safe and Happy Halloween! 

May God Bless You and Hold You in the Palm of His Hand. 

~Jo     

Hurricane Sandy

As hurricane Sandy makes its way north along the Atlantic coast, I am keeping family and friends that will find themselves in the path of this Frankenstorm in my thoughts and prayers. All reports say that it will be far reaching and pack a powerful blow.

I went in search of lamp oil this morning to fuel our hurricane lamps, only to find that the shelf where it should have been stocked stood empty. No problem..... I can do candles as well. So now we are all stocked up with our necessary supplies and will hunker down to wait for this storm to arrive and pass. In a day or two, no matter what this storm brings our way, we will emerge like everyone around us, none the worse for the wear. At which time we will pick up where we left off and continue our day to day journey. Come to think about it, that is pretty much what we do regarding all storms in our lives. Those that invade our emotions, as well as our environment.

Be safe everyone and may God Bless You and Hold You in the Palm of His Hand.

~Jo

This Time Last Year....

Getting back to what was going on in my world while I was away from my blog last year...... Brittany, my oldest granddaughter was completing her senior year of high school. She made her last appearance in the High School Musical with the lead female role in "South Pacific". 

Watching her perform and hearing her sing on that stage for the last time was a melancholy experience for me. Who am I kidding, pretty much all of her senior year was a melancholy experience for me. It was just the reality that our Britt was all gown up and about to take that giant step into being a responsible grown woman on her  own and there was no holding her back.   

It was a very busy year for her. Along with working a part time job after school and on weekends, going on college visits, play and band practices followed by performances...... She still found time to sing at a fund raiser for one of her friends. He was chosen to join a group of talented high school musicians from around the country to travel through Europe performing. The fund raiser was to help finance his trip.

Finally Graduation day arrived and it was most definitely a roller coaster ride for me. I was so proud of Britt for all that she had accomplished in her 18 years. The fact that she had not allowed her Type 1 diabetes hold her back in any way, served to magnify that pride. 

  

At the same time my heart was aching. Our Beautiful song bird was testing her wings and would soon be flying out of the nest.

  

As I am typing this Britt is about to wrap up her first year of schooling toward being an RN. She is doing great and when the time comes, she will no doubt graduate with honors. That is just who Britt is..... If it is worth doing, she puts her all into it. We Love You Sweetheart and couldn't be prouder of you than we are at this moment!

I Am Blessed

~Jo

Another Beautiful Day

Granddaughter, Alley Oop will be working at Wendy's this evening to help raise money for her softball team. A portion of the total sales between 5:00pm and 8:00pm today will go to the team. I hope they get a lot of support for their efforts. I have to admire these kids for getting out and raising the money to help cover the cost of having a softball team. 

I can't get over this weather folks. We had another beautiful day going on. JD cleaned off the back porch and car port today. He got the umbrella for the patio table and the cushions for the chairs down out of the  attic. When I look out the kitchen window this afternoon it looks so inviting out there. I am thinking we are going to need to get the grill ready to fire up any time now.

The doctor called in a prescription for me that I need to pick up. He is going to try his hand at treating my fibromyalgia. There is a pain medication we are going to try that is not a narcotic, which in itself sounds good to me. The doctor warned me that the only real side effect is that it may make me a little loopy...... I had to laugh at that statement, because I know there are those among us that would argue that I couldn't get any loopier than I already am. I will have to let you know about that one. 

  

I Am  Blessed

~Jo

Manic Monday

I woke up early this morning, as I usually do and enjoyed my coffee while Paddy and JD slept. It is during quiet times like this that I sort through the agenda for the day ahead of me. This day included a visit to our new Dr. after lunch to get acquainted and let him know if we have any immediate health concerns that needs to be taken care of. 

After breakfast and a shower, I had some lab reports that I needed to download and print out to take to the Dr. when we went. As I sat at the computer I couldn't help but notice all of the sunshine that was pushing its way past the curtains, making promises of a beautiful day ahead. I admit I was distracted by this and even more so when I heard one, and then another, and yet another lawnmower firing up around the neighborhood. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would see the day that people would be mowing their yards in Ohio, the middle of March. 

I did eventually work past the distractions to get my lab reports copied and off we went to our Dr. appointments. I am pleased to report that I think we made a wise choice and will be very happy with this Doctor. Of course JD turned his charm on and impressed all of them with that sense of humor and personality that is so uniquely JD. 

We talked about the nodule they found on my thyroid in late 2010. A second ultrasound has shown that it has grown, so I will be seeing an ENT the first part of April to discuss my options concerning that. 

........... and then I turned around only to find the day was gone. I hope if the sun was shining in your world today, that you had the opportunity to soak up some of those warm rays and enjoy the day. 

I am Blessed

~Jo

Saint Paddy's Day......

I think today is one of those days when rather you are Irish or not, we should all take stock of the many blessings that brighten our lives. The spotlight for our blessings shines on our little Paddy girl today. This is the day that we celebrate her third birthday...... 

Happy Birthday Paddy! 

Paddy loves camping

 It was two days before Saint Patrick's Day two years ago, when we visited the Jackson County, Ohio dog pound hoping to rescue one of the inmates to become part of our family. Just inside the door was a BIG pen that held one tiny little pup. She was part dachshund, part terrier. She sat in the center of that pen shaking uncontrollably and scared to death. We didn't look any further than that because there was need to. Our hearts immediately went out to her and destiny had spoken. We were told after we chose her that she was scheduled to be put down the next day. The Dog Warden remarked that she was a lucky little dog to be rescued when she was. That is how Paddy got her name and how she came into our lives. To be honest we think we are the lucky ones.

  

Paddy in Papa's shirt sleeve.

Of course she participates in whatever we are doing and goes just about every place that we go. She loves to go camping with us. The only thing she doesn't like about it is being on a leash, but rules are rules. In the picture above, JD was playing their version of peek-a-boo / hide and seek with her. He would cover her with his flannel shirt and tuck it around her and she would work her way out of it. This time she had wiggled her way into his sleeve and popped her head out as if to say "BOO!" 

Camping makes a girl tired sometimes

This was the camping trip with the boys..... I think they sort of tuckered her out. There is no describing how much joy she brings into our lives.  Wishing you all a Blessed and Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I Am Blessed

~Jo

House Guests

Last spring, in the process of getting the house in town ready to move into, JD had removed the doors from the utility closet and sat them outside on the back porch. He did this to make it easier to maneuver while he put down new flooring. The next morning we found this lovely Mama-to-be perched on top of the bi-fold doors preparing a temporary home for her babies. 

She was completely trusting of us as we came and went. Opening and closing the back door all day long didn't seem to concern her in the least. She watched us as we passed her nest repeatedly, but she never ruffled the first feather or stirred once in her nest. JD had his table saw set up on the back porch and she wasn't bothered with that or the noise from it either. She just continued construction of her nest and then did her motherly duty of keeping her eggs warm.  

Theresa and the girls said that there was a dove that nested on the back porch every year. Most likely it was the same one. She knew she had never been harmed before when she nested here, which is probably why she was so trusting of us. I am anxious to see if she returns again this year. We will welcome her if she does.

I Am Blessed

~Jo

Unselfish Acts

Arial view of Moscow, Ohio following tornado damage

I received a phone call yesterday from my daughter-in-law, Melody asking if I would be available to be on call if the boys needed me. She works at OVRDC and she and a few coworkers were going to Moscow, Ohio to help with the clean up effort that is underway there. On March 2nd, an EF3 tornado touched down in Moscow and cut a path of destruction that leveled close to 70% of the little village. Melody said that it was a very humbling experience for her.  We see film footage of devastation on the news all of the time and think how terrible, but we have no idea the depth of that tragedy unless we are there to witness it first hand. I know that your unselfish efforts were very much appreciated Melody.    

While I am on the subject of unselfish acts, this seems like the perfect time to also sing my daughter, Theresa's praises. On August 10th of this year Theresa will set out on a 50 mile bike ride as a participant in Pelotonia. After wanting to do this for quite a while, her time has come. I have furnished a link in case you are interested in the history of Pelotonia. Theresa has committed to raise $1,250.00 in donations from individuals that would like to sponsor her as a rider. 100% of the money raised goes to cancer research at The James Cancer Center, OSU Hospital in Columbus , Ohio. 

I think just about everyone's life has been touched by cancer in one way or another. It is a complicated disease that takes many forms and does not discriminate. It will attack regardless of age, sex or color and is unmerciful. If you would like to make a donation and sponsor Theresa in Pelotonia you can make that donation on Theresa's Profile Page. 

I am so proud of both of you girls. Melody and Theresa, you both are setting some fine examples for my grandchildren to follow. I love you both.       

I Am Blessed

~Jo

Lesson Learned

As sometimes happens in families between siblings, my sister and I had a falling out. She became angry with me and I honestly did not have an inkling of what horrible thing I must have done to be excommunicated as a sibling. We existed like this for 11 years. There were occasions, such as a death in the family, when I would call to pass on the information. The conversations were strained and quick. There were also those times that we crossed each other's paths in public. Of course when that happened there was the polite impersonal exchange of two or three sentences inquiring about the kids and grand kids. Sounded more like grunts and moans than anything resembling speech. None the less, that is how it went for 11 years. 

There was 14 years difference in our age, so when I was starting school my sister had already moved out on her own. We didn't have the kind of relationship that sisters have when they grow up together. She was somewhat of a second mother to me, because as a small child my care fell to her when our mother wasn't there.   

To be brutally honest with you, I can be stubborn at times, with a twist of bullheadedness thrown in. So when my sister had decided to delete me from her list of relatives I was clueless as to why and hurt, but was determined that no one would know how I really felt. Word did come to me through someone who I should have known would be an unreliable source. In fact it was someone that would get a lot of pleasure from my pain. What I was told only served to make me angry because I saw it as pettiness on my sister's part. There were times over that 11 year time span when I considered calling her and talking it out. Before I could dial that phone though that stubbornness would kick in and I rationalized why I shouldn't be the one to make the first move.

Just prior to to selling the house and getting caught up in what seemed to be the never ending process of moving, I had a Saturday that I decided to spend watching some movies that I had been wanting to see. 'Passengers' was one of those on my list. By the time it was over, I was a mess with tears that just didn't want to stop. In a heart beat, I had the phone in my hand, dialing my sister's number.  

We have spent these recent months since I made that phone call mending our relationship and healing. During this time my brother-in-law passed away. I am so grateful that I was able to be there for her and to help her through her loss. I am also grateful that my brother-in-law knew that we had settled our differences before he died. There was an important lesson learned through all of this... One that I won't soon forget. When it comes to loved ones, never ever let pride and stubbornness stand in the way of mending fences. In the blink of an eye the opportunity could be taken away from you. 

Thursday, my sis and I are going to visit our favorite aunt while we still have the chance to. 

God Bless

~Jo

Moving Day Revisited

When I left you yesterday JD and I were feeling the mixed physical results of moving and being old. Notice that I said 'being' old and not 'getting' old. At this point in time I was certain we had 'Arrived'. 

We were like a three ring circus. While JD removed the carpeting from the house in town and laid the laminate flooring, I was climbing up and down ladders painting. At the same time we were both unpacking and sorting through what little bit we brought to the house and not placed in the storage unit. As we were getting down to the wire when we would meet with the Realtors at the Title company's office to sign papers and turn over the keys, that final trip to JD's Mountain had to be made and the job there finished. 

As we pulled into the drive we noticed that the door to the well house was standing open. Although not something that we did on a regular basis, occasionally we had gone off without locking up one of the out buildings before. While JD stopped to check things out in that building, I went on to the house to get started with the task at hand.

When I unlocked the door and went in I sensed that something just wasn't quite right. I went through the living room, kitchen, dining room and into the spare bedroom and that is when it hit me. The boxes that I had packed and left in that room to be loaded up and moved looked as if they had exploded. After seeing this I walked back through the house and found the same situation in the kitchen and living room where we had left the rest of the packed boxes. The items that I had carefully placed in the boxes had been rifled through and thrown everywhere.  Someone had broken into the house in the few days that we had been gone. They had come in through the mudroom door and then through the laundry room, just off the spare bedroom.  

It made me physically sick to my stomach that this had happened. With our belongings packed up and in three different locations, it was next to impossible to pinpoint at that time what had been taken. I am still discovering that some things are missing. All we can do is assume that these things were among the items stolen. I am so thankful that we had already moved our belongings with   any monetary value on the first move days before the break in. Chris had done a walk through before we left that day and made sure that no valuables were left behind (I raised a very smart son).  

It was an ideal house to break into. It couldn't be seen from the road or by the neighbors when the trees had leaves. In fact during the winter months was the only time the house was visible to the outside world. Memories came flooding back of how many nights we slept with the doors wide open and only the screen doors latched. I thought of the times that I had stayed there alone when JD had to make a trip to Louisiana and I wasn't able to go along for one reason or another. Up until this time I had been carrying around a heavy heart about leaving our little piece of heaven, but now found myself looking forward to living where my doors and windows will be visible to my neighbors. Living close enough to people that if I screamed in the night someone will hear me. I don't know that anyone would act on it, but at least I would be heard. I hope to never again experience the flood of emotions that I felt that day when I discovered we had joined the growing ranks of people who are being violated by home invasions. I am thankful that we weren't there when it happened and that the only damage done was to the doors they entered through. It could have been much worse than it was.

We are Blessed..........

~Jo 

Moving Day 2011

Summer before last JD and I faced the fact that due to health reasons, we really did need to sell the little house on the mountain and move to town. Our Realtor advertised the house online. Not long into spring of last year a buyer out of New Mexico, who's job was transferring her to this area saw the photos of our house, fell in love with it and had to have it. Meanwhile after the business that my daughter worked for closed it's doors for good, she found the job of her dreams and moved to Columbus. This left her with a house in our little town that she needed to get rid of. We could have searched the rest of our lives and not been able to find a better deal than what she gave us on purchasing her house. 

Long story short ....... the buyer for the house on the mountain needed to move in right away. Theresa wasn't all moved out at that time so we more or less moved in on top of her. It was a nightmare unfolding right before our eyes. My ideal move would have been to sort through things and toss what we no longer needed, instead of moving it with us. Needless to say it wasn't an ideal move by any stretch of the imagination. We packed everything up and my son, his wife and the grandsons came out to help with the move. The majority of our belongings would be going into a storage unit. Only the bare necessities came to our new home at that time. 

We had some remodeling plans for the new home and wanted to get walls painted, bathroom redone, carpet taken up and laminate flooring put down before moving a lot of our belongings in. On moving day we did get the majority of our things moved out of the house on JD's Mountain. We still had another trailer load to move and cleaning to do. We waited a couple of days before we went back to move that final load. In the midst of this JD had to go to a Chiropractor for his back or walk humped over for the rest of his life. We were both feeling like we were in our mid nineties about this time. 

Since I am learning to pace myself..... I will leave you with this picture. JD and I sitting in the midst of Theresa trying to move out of her house and us moving in. Hurting and sore enough that I did give a passing thought to just throwing our hands up and saying we just can't do any more.

I'll be back tomorrow with the conclusion to Moving Day.

God Bless,  ~Jo 

Baby Steps

So that this will not be too much of a shock for anyone to handle, myself included...... I am taking baby steps and hopefully blogging will once more be a daily (or almost daily) part of my life. I came to visit yesterday and was surprised to see that it looked as if someone had taken a big spoon and stirred my graphics and background up. It looked to be a big swirly mess. The thought did cross my mind to just close the browser and forget it, but then there was this darn tug at my heart and tinge of pride that whispered in my mind that, "No, I needed to stay, look around and do what is needed to fix it." I was surprised at how many changes have taken place in my absence. I was almost overwhelmed, but thought back to when I first started this blog and remembered how overwhelmed I was then too. So here I am taking that first step back to the world of blogging and sharing once more, "The Many Moods Of Me". 

In the recent months our desktop computer went to it's great reward. Wherever computers go when their little brains get fried, it took with it my vast collection of graphics, links and notes for future blogs. So I really am taking this in baby steps one day at a time. I did miss you all and look forward to sharing the events of my life over the past year as well as my thoughts and events in the future. 

Enjoy.............

~Jo