Blessings

My sisters, their hubbies, my brother, Ed, and I all went to church with Daddy. I thought he'd be tickled pink. Let's just say he was tickled at the arrival of the "lost" (since someone objects to the word prodigal, although it is used in the NASB and ESV) son. This is a very small, very country church. Before the worship service began, the chairman of deacons asked if I'd inroduce everyone, and I said sure. Only when the time came, he asked Daddy. No problem.

It went something like this: "This is my son, Bob. Bob, stand up. He's been in the Navy for 15 years, and you prayed for him when he was in Baghdad, blah, blah, blah. And you know the girls: Carolyn, Nancy, and Janis." There goes another slap in the face. Yeh, they know me well since I've played the piano for them off and on for years ... filling in for their snowbird pianist. Nancy had been there once; Janis had never been.

Thus was the intro.

After church we all went to eat Chinese at the WORST Chinese restaurant ever. Stay far, far away from Blue Sky. The plan was to go back to our house afterward and we (the 4 kids) were going to approach Daddy and Sandra with our questions. So pretty soon, Janis, Nancy, and I are at the house. No Daddy, Sandra, and Bob. Tried to call Bob. Cell phone turned off from church.

Then it hit me.

They were at the preacher's house. He was out recuperating from surgery and had made it very clear he wanted a picture of Daddy and Bob together (see the previous post). I called. Yep. That's where they were. I was hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July. First, because he didn't tell us they were going there and we were concerned. Second, it would have been nice to have been included. 

Nope, just the favorite "lost" son.

Finally they got back to the house with "I thought you knew." Yeh, well, how was I supposed to know unless you told me? Or any of the girls?

I'd already had my cry and was recomposed. We chit-chatted about "stuff," and it naturally progressed to Daddy's hospitalization. That led very naturally into what we wanted to discuss. While we didn't get ALL the answers, we did get a few. At least we know their wishes regarding cremation and a service. Allegedly there's a will, although Daddy says it is old and outdated. He did ask me to help him get it updated. Ah-ha ... a BREAKTHROUGH! They did not want to talk about long-term care. In fact, Sandra got rather nasty about it and about my question regarding the house. They live in a duplex ... they own one side and another couple own the other. It's a GRAND MESS. Anyway, in the event of their deaths, a realtor is supposed to rent out their side, collect the money, put it in an account, pay bills, etc. But have they lined up a realtor? That would be NO. We talked about putting someone else on their banking accounts, getting a power of attorney, and all that stuff. Like I said, we didn't get it all resolved, but we at least made some progress.

I know this is long, BUT ... changing gears ... Bob and I had an interesting conversation enroute to the airport this morning. About "What do you want to be when you grow up?" How when we were in high school (early 70s for me and mid-80s for him), guidance counselors didn't talk to students about careers. Guidance couselors at my school were there for kids who got in trouble and were sent to the office. We didn't have dozens of electives like kids do now. Electives for girls included (only) home ec, art, music, shorthand (and a few other general business courses). No computer classes (there were no computers), no culinary classes, no automotive, no cosmetology, no medical, no media, film, etc. Just your basics.

Bob said, "No one ever sat down and talked to me about what I could be when I grew up." Me neither. We were middle class. Girls were expected either to become wives or school teachers. I fought tooth and nail to be able to go to college (my mom was TOTALLY against it) and studied education. Let someone talk me into studying elementary ed (definitely NOT my calling) when what I thought I might want to do was teach history. And where did I end up? In a publishing company. NEVER, EVER wanted to do that.

So we talked about if we had it to do all over again. Boy, we're a pair. He's 40; I'm 54 and neither of us know which route we'd take if we could go back 20 and 35 years. The interesting thing is I mentioned I'd consider going to culinary school. I think I'd enjoy working in a test kitchen. Bob said the same thing! He's been thinking about what to do after his Navy career is over in 4 years. CIA (gov't) or CIA (culinary institute). Isn't that funny?

Actually, what I'd REALLY like to have done was to marry someone wealthy or inherited a TON of money so I didn't have to work. I could have done all of the volunteer work and mission trips and playing with my Jay and traveling my heart desired.

Sweet dreams, huh?

My brother is coming in today. Only boy. The Baby. And everything ... and I mean everything ... he has ever done or tried to do has been successful. Naval Officer. Got the picture? Only he seldom comes home. In the 15 1/2 years he's been in the military, he's been home MAYBE half a dozen times.

Understandably, Daddy is excited about his coming in. I'm sure my mother is too. But last night during dinner Daddy asked if I plan on bringing my camera to church on Sunday. Sure. "Bro. Mike (his pastor who had surgery on Thursday and won't be there Sunday) said, 'Be sure and get a picture of you and your son.'"

EXCUSE ME? (Which was exactly my response at the dinner table.) You have FOUR children. Daddy knew he'd goofed and that I was offended. He stammered and said, "Well, he's seen all of y'all." EXCUSE ME? Who is the one who hauls him around to doctor's appointments, stays for hours and hours at the hospital, talks to doctors, picks up medicine, buys food, has him to dinner at least twice a month, and hasn't ratted out his wife when she borrowed $4000 from us and then stole $40 from me a few months ago? Me. And who calls him about twice a year? Yeh, little bro.

I know it sounds like I'm jealous. I'm not. It just hurt my feelings terribly. Of course I'd planned on making a picture of the two of them. I did the last time he was in ... 2 years ago ... and gave him a framed 5x7. I know Mike's seen that picture as often as he's been in their home.

I still say the big brother got a raw deal (see Luke 15:11-32). 

Individual Cheesecakes

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar (I used Splenda)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

12 vanilla wafers

1 can pie filling (Paula used blueberry; I used peach. Any flavor will work.)

Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs, then vanilla. Place cupcake papers in a 12-serving muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each paper. Spoon in cheesecake filling. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool. Top with pie filling. 

I chilled the pie filling, although the directions didn't call for it. I also refrigerated the cheesecakes until ready to serve. They were DELICIOUS!

We had 326 in our class. It was huge by the standards of that day and time. Not anymore. More like the norm. Anyway, out of our 326 that makes about 25 who have died. Seems like we lost 2-3 the summer we graduated. A drowning, car accidents, and seems like there was an accidental electrocution. There's been one suicide; an accident involving a mower that threw a stick and impaled a girl, killing her; and of course illnesses. So sad.

When you're 17-18, you think you'll live forever. You're invincible, a golden child, and you have the whole world before you. And sometimes you do. Oftentimes you don't.

Whew. Gotta get off of that subject before I have a meltdown.

I have a "strange but true" story regarding the guy who sat on the other side of me at graduation: Billy B. I don't think I ever had a single class with him, but again ... always in homeroom and sat next to me on the eveing of June 2, 1972 on our football field at graduation. Several years ago I came across the July 1954 birth announcements from the newspaper. There was mine: Carolyn Ruth B, daughter of ... Wanna guess whose was next? Billy B, son of ... Not sure that we had the same birthday, but they're close. And we were both at Baptist Hospital at the same time. Who woulda thunk we'd ended up side by side 18 years later at graduation?

Yesterday we received a notice of reinstatement. But I also noticed under "Amount Paid" it said "Bill sent." Hmmm. Then this morning I received an email from our credit union ... who notified me of the original cancellation ... that they also received a notice of reinstatement. But on theirs was an "Amount Due" of $221 and some change.

WHAT?

State Farm had better get this fixed. NOW.

I took today off. The plan is to do laundry (it's going) and to do housework (it is not going). I despise housework but I want a clean house, so there you go. I can't stand clutter and "stuff" just lying around, so I'm the Trash Queen. I throw everything away. No dishes in the sink or on the counter. That would really send me into a tailspin and invite bugs. Everything goes into the dishwasher when we're through with it OR washed with soap and water and put in the drainer. That's usually just for pots and pans. 

I do have one "bad" fault and it regards my shoes. We have a small walk-in closet. Neither of us have many pairs of shoes, but there just doesn't seem to be enough room in this tiny closet for shoes. So, and I can't believe I'm confessing this, I leave 3-4 pairs of shoes out. Like right now I have 3 pairs of sandals out. Not scattered all over the room or house. They are in front of my chest of drawers, so in the morning I slip on the desired pair of sandals. When winter comes, I'll trade those for my standard navy blue or black flats. Ed leaves his tennis shoes and work shoes out in front of his chest of drawers. For years he fussed about my leaving shoes out. Now I've converted him. And we BOTH leave flip-flops downstairs for a trip outside. He also leaves some absolutely gross tennis shoes in the garage. They're for yardwork.

Anyway, once in a while I have someone come and clean, but I haven't done that in a few months. You can imagine the layers of dust. Ed does all the vacuuming, and I keep the all the bathrooms clean and mop what floors need mopping. But dusting is the one chore I REALLY don't like. No way around it now, and I bought some dusting wipes yesterday. Maybe that's the answer.

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So Chris (EIC), David (ED), and I met this morning to come to some kind of agreement about this source. Chris and I are of the same opinion ... it can't be used. No way, Jose. Ever-persistent David wants us (meaning me) to contact the email calendar service and see if they have sources for these quotes. And the people who are quoted? Some are famous; others none of us ever heard of. David kept on insisting until Chris finally said, "David, will you do that? Will you contact the calendar company and track down the sources?" David agreed to take on that task, but I could tell he wasn't happy about it.

As soon as David agreed, Chris's phone rang and he took the call. Immediately David looked at me and asked, "Will you do it?" "NO! He asked you to do it, not me. I respectfully decline." "But you're the verifications queen." "Too bad. I'm not doing it."

With that, Chris was off and phone and aware that something was up. I told him David had asked me to do all the research and I had said no. Chris looked at David and asked him again, "David, won't you do that?" "Yes, but I'm busy and have other things I need to be working on." I piped up, "We ALL are busy and have other things to work on." Then I excused myself and left Chris's office before David could try one more time to put it on my plate.

So now I'm sure David's upset with me. Tough. HE was the one insisting on contacting page-a-day or whatever email calendar service, not me.

Here's the good news: I'm on vacation tomorrow. GOT to clean my house and do laundry. Then I have an issue of MasterWork that was put on my desk this morning. It's a quarterly piece, and naturally, it is late. But the production schedule allows me 5-10 work days to read it. So I'm working at home Monday and Tuesday or maybe 1/2 day Monday and all day Tuesday. Otherwise I'll never get it done and done well.

My main challenge right now involves TV. How stupid is that—because there are very few programs I watch on a regular basis. However, I thoroughly enjoy Project Runway and get home on Wednesday evenings just in time to catch it. Then during a commercial break last night (while spending quality time watching the Olympics) I saw where "Private Practice" will resume in October. It was on just briefly last winter ... as in about 6-8 episodes ... and Ed and I BOTH liked it. That's just about unheard of in this household. Anyway, would you like to guess WHEN it will be showing? Wednesday nights at "9 o'clock EST, 8 CST." Exactly the same time as Project Runway!!!

I know, I know. Someone is going to tell me to DVR or TIVO or something. Did I ever tell you I am electronically challenged? OK, I am. There ... you have it. One of my Big Flaws. I can't connect a VCR or DVD player. Never did figure out how to hook up the Nintendos my kids had when they were growing up. Heck, I can't even figure out how to reset the clock on my oven! Just can't do it. Now I can push buttons on a remote control with the best of them ... but hook something up? Ain't gonna happen. 

So I'm back to square one. How do I watch 2 programs at the same time? My ONLY hope is that the current Project Runway season will end prior to the middle of October. 

And that, folks, is the rest of the story!

First of all, I received a call this morning from our credit union. We have a home equity loan with them. They had received a notice that our home owners insurance had been cancelled ... at MY request! Not only that, but Ed's name had been deleted, and someone by the name of Peggy (and with a different last name from ours) was on it and an address from Nashville. We live in a neighboring town.

I called the insurance company. Seems that a man with the same first and last name as my husband had died. Peggy was the man's sister. She'd called to cancel that policy and have it transferred to her name. Someone, somehow, had cancelled BOTH James G policies and then attached my name to her policy! Go figure. They repaired the damage, thank God, and sent verification to the CU that it had been addressed. I was soooo worried about our mortgage company receiving the same notification that I called them to make sure they understood our home owners was still in tact.

Finally, I called Peggy. She'd received her policy this morning and had already called, asking, "Who is Carolyn G and why is she on my policy?" I HOPE it's all straightened out.

Second, I received a call about 30 minutes ago from an employee at Room in the Inn. The kick-off meeting is in a week or so and I've been expecting a letter from them. Well, they sent one ... but to a wrong address and it had been returned. So she was calling to verify our address. She had me on Shannon Lane. Noooo. The house number was right, but the street was wrong. City was wrong too. So I gave her the correct address. AFTER I hung up, it hit me. There are two of us at church who are "in charge" of the RITI program at our church. The other person, Paul, lives on Shannon Lane. So I called RITI back and told her because I'm pretty sure Paul on Shannon Lane didn't get his letter either. Seems they took my name and house number and his street and city. HOW DO THOSE THINGS HAPPEN????

Laughing and nearly crying out of SHEER FRUSTRATION, I called Ed. "OK, are you trying to get rid of me? Twice today I've been moved out of your house ... once to an address in Nashville and once to an address in Madison. Because if you're planning on moving me OUT and another person IN, I'm just reminding you that I have squatter's rights!"

He was howling, as my friend Linda often says. "No, no, no! I'm not moving you out and someone else in!" I knew that. I just had to give him a hard time about it. But you have to admit it is WEIRD to have two cases of mistaken identity or whatever you want to call it ... in one day!