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