Hodge Podge

Joyce wrote:

1. Five years ago this month, the hubs and I relocated from New Jersey to Palmetto state.
    what were you doing five years ago this month?

     We were getting our youngest child ready to head back to college. After two years at Cowley Community College (2012-2013) Nick moved to Salina, Kansas and the Kansas Wesleyan University. Those were some of the most wonderful years as he started running in the fifth grade, went on to high school to run for an amazing coach and then headed to Cowley to run for yet another great coach. At KWU he ran alongside some wonderful kids just as he had during his younger school years. But he also ran for Coach Brent Bailey. Without his coach's guidance and love for all his runners, Nick would never have had the experience he did.Being able to travel to many races and watch his run was a terrific time for us. The memories we have will forever be etched inside our hearts.

My #227. I Use to take the bib number and search the  Scriptures to match and would pray for all the runners. I really enioyed the opportunity his scholarship afforded us and so did my hubby.

2. What was the last 9-5 job you had? Tell us about it.

For 12 years I worked for an ENT surgeon. In the early days it was a great job with a terrific staff. When the office manager became very ill the doctor dumped her  so quickly and put a nightmare in her place. She was a nightmare but her replacement a few years later was a direct descendant of Satan himself! Theresa was rude, bossy and twisted. But she did her share of the work for a while. Then her husband kicked her to the curb and she lost it. She would spend all day on line  and finally started to steal large quantities of cash from the office. He let her go the week before Christmas and in her place was his sister-in-law.  She was hateful, racist, loud and overbearing and had a filthy mouth. One day I was called into his office after I had completed all my work and I was let go. I was angry and hurt but it took me lots of praying to heal. I realized if I had still been there I never would have had the opportunity to care for my grandson Colton's first child, Harrison James. I watched that little guy grow from an infant into a two and half year old before their life was changed and they no longer needed my help. It was a time I cherish and always will. Good things often come from the bad and it took me a while to learn it.

That Mickey Mouse table and chairs still is in use ! Harrison was enjoying his yogurt and toast with a fresh Colorado peach! (2017)

3. Plead the fifth, high five, take five, it's five o'clock somewhere, the big 5-0...which number five phrase relates to your life  in some way currently? Tell us how?

I Plead the fifth! With all the things going on in our world today I often plead the fifth instead of arguing or getting into a hate for all which many try to lure you into. i.e. A few people I know can not let the mask thing go. We are not ignorant. Most states still have government telling us we have to wear our mask in public. I do not believe that the majority of people are so dumb that they do not understand this. Yet they make a federal case about it every single day! It is so annoying and I wish I had the patience of Job. Pre pandemic times, I never really wanted to get into someone else's space. I am respectable and keep my distance as I would see most folks do too. Today everyone is so jumpy. I guess in some instances my faith is stronger then whatever some people choose to believe in. I do not want to die from anything but I trust God to do His will for me in His time.  So instead of arguing, I plead
 the fifth!

4. During this season of spending so much time at home, what distractions get in the way of being your most productive? Or have you been extra productive since this whole thing started?

Personally, I spend more time at home, which I Love, then anywhere. There were times when I got so much done I would be exhausted. When the hubby was off every other week in May, we worked on several projects. Yesterday, as I started to try and finish this post, I was sitting next to a pile of clothes that just needed to be folded in one pile for giveaway and folded in a another pile for putting away. This week as been very productive. I rearranged one closet for the most part and started on another. My problem is I have so many clothes and they fill two small closets. Don't worry, I have a free standing closet as I would never push my hubby out of our closet that we share. The days that the youngest son is off, because he works from home, I am lazy and he and I order out. He is good about saving the extra fees so he picks up lunch for us a couple days a week. Our garage needs to be cleaned out, but not in this heat wave. I pray cooler weather sets in during the fall so we may tackle that problem. Our son-in-law and daughter that share our home are great cooks so a couple nights a week they cook for all of us. I like to daydream and I collect American Girl dolls, mostly recycles ones, so I get to dreaming about clothes I could find for them. I am child at heart. Perhaps I never grew up. I will never tell.

5. Give us your top five of anything.

I am going to repeat myself. I am sick of the politics everywhere because it is too easy to catch up in it all so here is what I love, in the top five order.

Search the Scriptures. In these times, I want to be prepared. Plus no matter how many times I read a Scripture, I learn something new about it.
Search for American Girl dolls
Send cards to people in our encouragement group, that I usually do not know but love to be a source of encouragement to others .
I still write old fashioned hand written letters. Mostly to my oldest childhood friend who lives in Idaho.
Searching homes for sale and picking and choosing what I love most about different ones, the style,
the square footage and daydream.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I am gearing up for the cooler months with tons of books that are waiting for me to pick them up and read them. I like the touch of a real book, I do not like kindle or any of that stuff. If the power goes out I have a handy dandy little bright light that runs on batteries. Plus books are easier to handle for me. I have gone through at least 5 copies of To Kill A Mockingbird, 2 of the Good Earth, 2 of Don Quixote and I have at least six bibles including the very first one my hubby gave me 38 years ago before we were married. It is tattered and worn but I still cherish it.