Monday Musings...

Dear Gentleman in Jacks:

I watched you yesterday as you sat down to eat your breakfast.   You were nicely dressed, I assume you were headed to church after your biscuit and coffee.   I saw you bow your head and give thanks.  It wasn’t a short prayer, perhaps you had things on your mind to discuss with God.   I felt tears sting my eyes because you reminded me of my dad, and I know that he would pray over his meal the same way you did.   I wondered why you were alone…was your wife sick?   Had she died, and you were all alone?  Had you divorced some years ago and never remarried?  Had you ever married at all?   I wondered if my own dad would go out for breakfast if my mom wasn’t with him…I asked God to bless you, to give you peace like a river, joy in your heart, and much laughter.

Dear God:

This morning when my alarm went off, there was a preacher describing a poster he’d seen of a broken, drunken, homeless man, with the caption, “You only love Jesus as much as you love the person you love the least.”   I thought of my visit at Jack’s yesterday, and how the gentleman who prayed (and obviously knew You) got my prayer for blessings, joy, and laughter.   But, as I was leaving, I had noticed another man with scraggly long hair and beard, dressed in not-so-nice clothes, eating his breakfast alone.  I didn’t say a prayer for him, and I didn’t give him a second thought until this morning after I heard the radio message.   Please forgive me.   I ask You to bless that man today with peace like a river, joy in his heart, and much laughter.  And if he doesn’t know You, please put someone in his path who does, and let his heart be opened to receiving Jesus as his personal savior.   Amen.

Nature Trail and Cooley's Corner Cafe

It's been a great weekend.   Yesterday, we all converged on my sister and her husband and had a family ho-down!   Hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue, baked beans, slaw, some of the best homemade molasses cookies...you get the idea.   It was a veritable smorgasbord of wonderful tasty treats.   My parents, all four of my brothers and sisters, the in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, grandchildren...it was great.

Today, Ole Boy and I took a ride to Natchez Trace to see if the humming birds had arrived.  I saw only one, but I saw dozens upon dozens of yellow butterflies on the jewel flower that attracts the hummers in September.  There were a few other butterflies, as well.

I saw the heron egret above on our way to the Trace on a little stretch of gravel road off of Gunwaleford Road.  

This is the Jewel Flower that the hummers visit
each year.   In just a couple of weeks, there will be
hundreds of humming birds on the Nature Trail.
I believe it must be the humming bird Crown Jewel.

 

 

Other butterflies/moths 

 

If you've never been to the Nature Trail on the Natchez Trace in Lauderdale County,  it's worth the drive out, especially in September, if you're a bird watcher.   The Nature Trail is the home of Rock Spring.   My mom would load all five of her children up in the summer time, and take us to the Trace for a day of picnicking and exploration.   

 

 

Some scenes from the trail....

 

  

  

 

 

The Water....

 

  

  

 This is where the hummers come to visit.

  

 

  

 This is Rock Spring.   It's grown up a lot since I was a kid. 

The Beavers....

I think the beavers have moved on....the dams remain, for now. 

Behind the dam, notice all the gnawed trees. 

There are many stumps where the beavers took down trees.

After walking the trail, we went in quest of some lunch, 

and came upon this little place:

 

 

 Cooley's is located at 8250 County Road 189 in Lauderdale County.

(256) 760-1762

 

The little country store was very old fashioned, just like the ones I remember from my childhood.   The restaurant is a tiny place, seats maybe 30, if you crowd it.   I only saw one server the whole time I was there, and I think she was doing the cooking, as well.   Ole Boy and I ordered catfish; he the whole, and I the fillet.  We had to wait a good while to get our food, but that may have been because of the one-server situation.   When the food did arrive, I got mine, but Ole Boy had to wait a few minutes more for his.   Mine wasn't pipping hot...but regardless, it was good food.

The best thing about this little country cafe wasn't the food, though the food was worth the wait...it wasn't the atmosphere, two small rooms, one smoking, one non-smoking, and it wasn't the location...it was the people.   I asked Ole Boy if he saw a restroom, the lady at the table behind us answered that, indeed, there was a restroom, located behind me to the right.   When I got up to visit the ladies room, I saw Miss Sissy, who works where I do, and her husband, celebrating 52 years of marriage.   

When I made it back to my table, Ole Boy asked me with whom I had been speaking, and I realized I didn't know Sissy's last name.   The lady at the table next to me (not the same lady who pointed me to the ladies room) told me Sissy's last name.   Restroom Lady and Ole Boy struck up a conversation and found out that they know a lot of the same people...and then realized that she was the sister-in-law to his first cousin.

Miss Sissy and her husband started to leave, and he came over to our table, introduced himself, and regaled us with stories of Ole Boy's cousins when they were children.  Miss Sissy had to come in three times to get hubby to leave so they could go on about the business of celebrating their anniversary.

I have to give the Cooley's experience a big thumbs up!

I leave you with this thought:

Sign hanging in the corner of Cooley's Corner Cafe.

Monday Musings

Dear Mom and Dad:

You bless my heart most deeply.   It is my desire to one day be as gracious and thoughtful as you both are.  You are much appreciated, and very loved.

Dear Co-Worker #1:

Wow!   I’d like to know how you pull that off every week.   Every day, actually.

Dear Co-Worker #2:

This week, I hope??! 

Dear Huffington Post:

How quickly I became disenchanted with you!   Yours shouldn’t be the only viewpoint allowed. 

Dear Mayor:

I’d be interested to know, from your own mouth, why it was you didn’t speak to Sweetwater’s guest of honor.  You’ve caused a little bit of a stir!  Has anyone asked you personally for your reasoning?   We’d listen, if you’d care to share.   (Did you even know you were on the hot seat?)

Dear Me:

You, perhaps, haven’t forgiven Local Blogger…it’s not really that big of a deal, but we all know how you hate to be ignored.   Time to forgive and forget…which doesn’t mean you have to revisit the blog, but it does mean you never have to think about it again.  I think you can do that.

Dear Hobby Lobby:

I respect your decision to keep your store closed on Sunday to honor the Lord’s Day.  I also think it’s commendable that you purchase full page ads in the local newspaper each Easter and Christmas.    And don’t think I haven’t noticed the praise and worship music playing when I shop there.   I do love your store!

  

Dear Newbern’s Catfish:

I also respect your decision to close on Sunday; and I love how your express Christianity throughout the restaurant.   Your catfish ain’t bad, either!   MMMmmm!

Dear Big Fish Games:

When is the last time you came out with a new game that didn’t have a vampire, ghost or witchcraft theme?     I don’t buy my angels games with such nonsense.   :::::looking around:::::   Did I just say that?  The queen of late night scary movies in the 80’s??   When did I grow up???

Morality or Bigotry?

Kathy Griffin was bragging on Conan about calling Michele Bachmann a “bigot to her face,” which happened a while back, I believe.   After watching a portion of the video, I left this comment on the story in The Huffington Post:

KG is morally bankrupt. She has a great deal of talent, but apparently thinks the only way to use it is by being as raunchy as she can possibly get.

I riled folks with my comment.   I shouldda known better!   (To the best of my knowledge, the only time I’ve had “dislikes” on my blog is when I made a statement some months ago that KG and Joy Behar needed to shut up.)   Here’s a sampling of the comments I got for my statement yesterday (all comments are exactly how they were posted by the commenters, misspellings and grammatical errors and all):

How does her being raunchy make her morally bankrupt? I don't get it.

Then you aren't trying.  However, I didn’t mean she was one or the other, I meant she’s both.

you have to remember, cons say being "morally fit" means following a 2,000 year old book of fairy tales which tells them to dash thier children against rocks and such =)   

By “cons” I imagine you mean “conservatives.”  I wish you understood exactly what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

she is a comedian..­..not a Southern Baptist minister, who are really morally bankrupt!  

I’m not Southern Baptist…but I suppose if they are preaching about immorality, some wouldn’t like that.  After all, if there’s no truth in the Bible, then there’ll be no day of reckoning. (I firmly believe the Bible is the word of God, and is all true.)

If you want to see "morally bankrupt", check out the republican leadership­!

Hopefully, come next year, we will have a brave Christian in the White House.  It’s my fear that one day, no Christian American will want to deal with the all-encompassing personal attacks that come with being in office.

so being raunchy = being morally bankrupt?

Already addressed, see above.   However, your equation may not be so very far from wrong.

There is no such thing as morals.  What you are referring to is just a man-made list of rules used to control you; and it's working.  Takes all kinds, I suppose ...

It scares me that even one person might believe this.

Ignorance is not a virtue.

I agree.   And deception is rampant.

That's her brand. This is America. Deal.

Yes, I got it!   Deal with people like KG, but not those like Michele Bachmann.  See next comment.  

Who are you to decide she is morally bankrupt? Did Michele appoint you god while she is busy campaignin­g?

I have to admit the comment I made was only my opinion.   KG appears to have no morals.   However, since I so boldly said on my last post “When I become perfect... until then, I’ll leave it to God” I should have reconsidered posting the comment.

She is a comedian to bad Bachmannn didn't know that...PS she, like anyone in America, does have the right to question bigotry towards gays or is that against the new right wing rules....?­??

Morality isn’t bigotry.    My comment was that KG was morally bankrupt and raunchy, so I am not sure about the “new rules” to which you refer.

One last thought:  Perhaps, even though I stand by what I said, and do not apologize for it, I didn’t have to say it.   

Newsday Tuesday: The Casey Anthony Edition

::::What's Disturbing About Casey Anthony::::

The latest on Casey Anthony, as if the world didn’t know, is that she must return to Florida to serve a year of probation for check fraud by August 26.   An exception has been made in her case, and her address will not be made public.   I imagine it won’t take folks long to figure out where she is staying.

Casey was found not guilty of first degree murder, manslaughter, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter of a child.   Do I agree with the verdict?  Not necessarily.   Do I think Casey willfully murdered Caylee?   Probably not.   Did she somehow cause Caylee’s death?  Probably so.    If Casey did, indeed, coldly and willfully murder her own child, she won't get away with it, even if she's not in prison.  And pay she will, whether she did it or not; she is the most hated person in America right now.     

On the extremely slight chance that Caylee’s death was an accidental drowning, Casey's actions in the days following…those actions of a very disturbed young woman...show a cold-hearted mother, because as we all know, she knew her baby was dead.   I have to admit, it’s not easy to want to love her, forgive her, or help her.  I believe that is just what God would have us do, though.  Forgiveness.   Those of us who believe know that Caylee is in Heaven.  If Casey confesses her sins, asks forgiveness, and accepts Christ as her personal savior, she, too, will be in Heaven.

It is disturbing that a young child lost her life, and no one can say exactly why.   Equally disturbing is the fact that Casey hasn’t taken any responsibility for Caylee's death.   Yet, it is also troubling the glee that I see on Facebook, in blogs, in comments of people who so badly want Casey to suffer harm.  A Facebook "friend" deleted my comment and blasted my suggestion that the reason the jury found her not guilty is because they weren’t presented enough evidence to send a young mother to her death or to prison for the rest of her life.   That’s a mighty big decision to make!   My Facebook friend, even though she only watched on TV, will believe nothing other than Casey is guilty of first degree murder.  But only God, Casey, and Caylee know for certain what happened that fateful day.

It’s not my place, as a Christian, to judge Casey, to brand her, or place guilt on her.   I’m thankful that God's mercy is available to Casey Anthony, because if it wasn't, it wouldn't be available for me, either.

Monday Musings

Dear Florence Police Officer:  

North Wood Avenue really wasn’t the best place to pull someone over, was it?   Did you ever get to write that ticket?  It was nice of you, though, to stop what you were doing and direct the traffic jam you’d caused.

Dear Imbecile No 1:

You sure are borrowing uh-lot of money for an education.   Oh wait.   Your parents are probably going to pay that back, yes?    You should consider not insulting the higher learning institution you plan to attend as you sit in said institution completing your paperwork.  Perhaps you just like to run your mouth, and wouldn’t know facts if they reached up and slapped you…and getting slapped may be just what you need.

Dear Imbecile No. 2:

There are trash cans all around campus.   Was your need to rid yourself of your bubble gum so dire that you had to spit it out on the steps?   Act like an adult. 

Dear Roscoe:

Thank you.   You have given Ole Boy and me many smiles these few weeks you’ve been with us.   You have played such a large role in helping to mend our broken hearts.

Dear Blogger:

If you’re going to use big words while mocking someone else, use spellcheck.

Dear Wal*Mart:

Ever thinking of getting some new buggies?  How about just some new wheels on the old ones?   Seriously.  Kmart has very nice buggies.

Dear Lady at Wal*Mart:

I hope you calmed down!   You looked like Imbecile No. 3 dancing your rage out in the parking lot.  We’ve made fun of you several times.

Dear….you know who you are…

Kinda hurts when you stick your hand in a fan, doesn’t it?!

Dear Self:

You should probably reconsider calling God’s creations “Imbeciles.”  

It's Michele Bachmann's Fault!

Alas!  The NRR has been broken.  I would be disappointed that I didn’t make it a month if I were actually going to win an award.  But surely, it can’t be my fault!  After church, Ole Boy said, “I’m really tempted to give in and go to a restaurant.”    I was pretty hungry, and I really, really wanted to go, too.   But I didn’t want to be the one saying, “Let’s do it!”   So, I said, “You decide.  I’ll be submissive.”   (Just like Michele Bachmann.  Heh.)  Within the hour, we were feasting at the Mongolian Buffet.   We’ll now continue on restaurant-free until the end of the month.  It should be easier now that we’ve had a fix.

Afterward stuffing ourselves, and since it was right next door, we waddled over to Kmart.   I haven’t been in there in years, but I’ll probably go back.   The store is cleaner and way-yonder less crowded than WalMart…and they have smooth-moving buggies!   I don’t have the good sense to check prices, so I don’t know how KM and WM compare.     

Did you read about the guy in California who switched out the country music CD’s ?   He replaced his old collection of Jerry Reed, Flatts and Scruggs and the like, for the newer artists such as Taylor Swift and Rascall Flatts.  The cashier lady who caught him was interviewed, and she called “Flatts and Scruggs” Flats and Smugs.  I had to laugh…until I realized how old that made me, to remember them from the Beverly Hillbillies.  (In my defense, I was watching the reruns when I was a kid, not the original showings.   But I digress.)   The CA CD-switcher got caught, and is now threatening a lawsuit because he was doing the community a favor by introducing them to some culture, and WalMart had the nerve to destroy all of the CD’s he switched.
 

I have a new addiction:  Huffington Post.   Oh, the stories I read!   I am alternately amused and aghast at some of the comments made.  If the world is as messed up as many of the comments would have me believe…it’s a scary thought.   America is so deceived.   Let’s face it…we have real live, breathing people, walking around, able to drive a car and go on dates…roam around free in the streets who think the garbage Kanye West puts out is music!  Now there’s a CD that should be replaced!   Of course, others may be alternately amused and aghast at some of my comments, too.   I do tend to be sarcastic and instigate (imagine that).

Question for you:
I’m having issues with my computer that I don’t seem to have when I use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.  However, Firefox won’t let me sign into Google, which is where my blog is.  What browser do you use, and why?

Monday, Monday! Amuse me!

It’s been one week into my NRR (No Restaurant Rule) month, if you don’t count getting the boys Happy Meals yesterday after church, or a slice of pizza for myself at Sam’s on Saturday.   While in line at McDonald’s yesterday, I had this conversation with seven year old Ashton:

Me:	Do you want apples or fries with your nuggets?
Ashton:	Apples.   I know a boy who ordered a hamburger with apples, and they put the apples on the hamburger because they got the order mixed up.
Me:	That story sounds a little fishy!   Did you just make that up?
Ashton:	Yeah.  It’s an Apple Fool’s joke.

Today is Carol’s birthday, my BFF from high school.  It was a lifetime ago that we were doing some of the foolish things we did!   Though I knew her in elementary school, she didn’t become my bestest bud until 9^th grade.   I really don’t know if I would have made it through some of those years without her.   She probably doesn’t realize just how important she was to me during high school, and those years immediately following…which were quite difficult for me.  She had a pretty cool head on her shoulders, and I was always making choices that were detrimental to my well-being.   There were times, I know, when it was tough being my best friend, and I appreciate that stood by me.    I don’t get to talk to her or see her near enough these days, but I know (as she knows) that we are only a phone call away from each other.  She’s one of those friends that it doesn’t matter how long it’s been…it just doesn’t matter…we are still on the same wave length when we connect.   ::::Happy Birthday, Carol:::

In September, my other BFF from those days (who moved away when I was 17), Tammera (she will always be Tammy to me) has a birthday.   Even though she lives a day’s drive away, she is so good to keep in touch with me.   More on her next month. 

 

Another conversation from yesterday, this one with Ole Boy:

Me:	I can’t believe how Roscoe follows you everywhere you go, lies at your feet, and cries when you’re away.
Ole Boy:	:::Laughs and nods:::  That’s what you should do, too!

Hurrh!

I found out that I can repost pictures...I also found out that I have posted 541 photos...and apparently that's the limit!    I really need to learn about Picasa.     In the meantime, enjoy the pretty flowers! 

UNA - Florence

Nashville - Opryland Hotel

Mt. Airy, North Carolina - Andy Griffith Museum

Have a beautiful week!

Who Will Survive?

For someone who’s spent uh-lot of time in restaurants and fast food drive-through lines, choosing to go a whole month without one tasty restaurant morsel can be a daunting thought.   But after going through my little checking account for the months of June and July, I realized that I toss uh-lot of money in those places, as well.   After mulling it over all last week, I made a commitment to not eat out, not even take out or drive-through, for the whole month of August.   

Of course, now I have to deal with my own cooking.   Poor Ole Boy.    Poor me.  Poor Shoals economy…erm…will any of us survive?    Right now, I am strong in my decision.   By lunchtime, I’m sure I’ll be wanting some Taco Bell.   I am determined to follow through on my commitment, however.

Roscoe has really grown!   I’d show some pictures, but I have reached my picture space capacity for this blog, and can’t remember my Photobucket password…and…I don’t have any new pictures of him.  His first vet visit was Saturday.  He didn’t like that very much.   He weighs 9 pounds, and he’s estimated to be 14 weeks old.   Nine pounds already!   I hope he doesn’t end up being a 45 pound dog…it would be hard to keep him in the house at that weight…he already thinks he owns the place.

There was an extremely chatty, nerve-wracking man at the veterinarian clinic Saturday.   His cat was sick, and he’d brought her in without an appointment.   While his cat was being examined, he talked, and talked, and talked…to everyone about anything.   Then the doctor called him back and talked to him for a little while.   The man left in tears and without his cat.    I don’t know what the diagnosis was…but it was less than a month ago that we left a vet’s office heartbroken.   I have thought about the man several times this weekend.   I know his pain.

Since I’m already seriously cutting into my calorie/sodium intake with the No Restaurant Rule (NRR), I have decided to eat a little less quantity and a little more quality food.   Who knows?   I may lose a little weight.   

Have a great Monday, and an even better week!