annoying caller! -Six word Saturday.

late night unknown caller-I'm curious?



I had five calls last night from 11:30p until 2:15am and my caller id said "restricted."  I didnt' answer because I knew if it was so important, they would leave a message.  And if it was someone I knew, they wouldn't have restricted their call.  Plus, I've checked in on everybody today and all is well.  But why so determined to keep calling...do people have nothing better to do with themselves then to stay awake for hours dialing the same number?  And what if I would have answered?  Would they have tried to spook me?  Well, that is why I didn't.  I don't plan on playing into anyone's sick little jokes, and maybe not for my own good, but I don't spook too easy.  It just got a bit annoying, and my enquiring mind would really like to know who it was.  But, I guess I will see what takes place tonight and see if this is going to be an ongoing thing that I may have to take care of or just someone's idea of one time fun on a boring night.

**this is my 6 word Saturday.  Click the button to see more

What a crappy day...literally

 So things have been going too good, lately.  I knew disaster was waiting to happen.  That's sad that I have that expectation, but I know how things roll in my life.  This past week, I have been so busy, working a lot to save money for my upcoming vacation.  and everything was falling into place.  Until two days ago.  My sewer pump failed.  Third time in the past 4 years.  Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.  Well, in 2006-the first time I replaced it-it was a whopping 450 dollars...2010-inflation stuck it's tongue out at me, and it cost me 980 dollars!  I say just let the sewage run into my back yard-free fertilizer.  But I think the city might condemn me for that.  Those things are a necessary evil and it has really made for not a great day.  But I had a choice to make-be able to take a shower or go on vacation with a nice cushion of green.  I made the sensible choice and replaced the pump.  Hopefully, I can still vacate...it'll just have to be with a lot less cushion.  I'm seeing a lot of frozen pizza for the next week.  Now I gotta go catch up on some blog reading.

It's HOT outside! (Sunday 160)

Melting clouds and pickled grass
this heat has just been plainly crass
I'd like to shed my skin and play in my bones
and eat a couple of ice cream cones.


**this is a post for Sunday 160.  Visit Monkey Man to take the challenge and read more!

Six Word Saturday

~attempting to bake a pound cake~
**describe your life in six words. Click on the button above for more info**

My day....

I flew within the clouds today

the scenery taking my breath away

I transported a sick little baby

she had to fly along with me.

Later, I found a couch for sale

plus a chair...what a deal.

I'm sleepy now; it's been a time.

I need to rest this brain of mine.  

**I got to ride in the helicopter today.  The scenery in the mountains was gorgeous, and we even flew through a little rain shower.  Being in a helicopter is completely different from  a plane.  You feel every shift in wind.  It's been a busy day and it just keeps going.  I'm hoping to get to sleep soon because I get to start over and do it all again tomorrow.  Well, except for the couch bargain hunting-instead I'll probably find myself heading to the grocery store after my 12+ hour shift...

Grandma

Her voice was as harsh as a frog's song,

but her heart was soft as melting butter

and her smile was free for the taking.

in her youth, her skin was as porcelain,

ruby lips and eyes of sparkling granite. 

but age brought with it the raisin

and eyes-the faded loss of hope.

Family held her heart and kept it beating

but her old mind told her she was useless.

The years mocked her and she found illness-

illness that was never there.

A stranger, though , she never met.

Her tongue-it would ignore no one.

If you would sit for hours-

for hours she would talk.

Through a stranger's eyes

she portrayed a laughing, charming jewel.

But what those close came to know

 revealed a sadness she couldn't beat.  

Her peace for life has since been found

When several months ago

we placed her in the ground.

Laughter, joys, and tears filled her days

but thoughts would not release the fear.

A heart of gold, a deep love for her family...

If only her mind would have let her be.

** this post is in memory of my beloved gram, even though she was a hypochondriac and complained of being unloved and unwanted (she just couldn't seem to get enough attention)...she didn't let if keep her from showing us (her family) that she loved us.  we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were the most important people in her life.  This was written for One Shot Wednesday.  Take a peek at the link to read some great poets.  

what a sweet award :)

One of my favorite bloggers, Sheri, honored me with an award the other day.  She, herself, inspires me and always has a positive and upbeat outlook on life even when times are not so upbeat.  Her comments on my posts this past year have really helped my heart to stitch itself back together...thanks, Sheri!  I'm honored that you thought to award me with this lovely award

There are a few rules to go along with this award.  They are:

1.  Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2.  Share 7 things about your self.

3.  Pass the award to 9 fellow bloggers that inspire you.

4.  Let them know about the award. :-)

Well, here goes 7 things about me:

1.  I almost died at the age of 7 when my appendix ruptured.  I acquired VAP (ventilator assisted pneumonia) during my surgery and the doctors told my parents they didn't expect me to make it through the night.  But, here I am :)

2.  I have to try hard on a daily basis to not offend someone with my sarcasm.  I like to call it witty, but people take things so seriously, especially if it's aimed at them.  They just shouldn't make it so easy ;)

3.  My parents have been together for almost 37 years.  I am a "daddy's girl"; always have been.  My mom and I never had a real close relationship.  But now that we have both grown up, we get along a lot better.  

4.  I am only the 2nd person out of my whole family (mom and dad's sides) that has a college education.  I guess I took inspiration from my dad's sister, who joined the army to pay for college and then went on to be a nurse.

5.  I love to photograph just about anything and find something artistic about it.  I have a lot to learn about the ins and outs of photography, but I'm working on it.  

6.  I have a mental "to do" list, sort of like a bucket list, of things I want to do.  I have accomplished snorkeling, sky diving, parasailing, white water rafting, and canoeing to name a few.  A few things remaining on my to do list: learning to ride a motorcycle, bungee jumping, ziplining, deep sea diving, and selling an original photograph.  

7.  I have a very unique family.  They give me some great ammo for funny story telling, and my friends think I need to write a book about them.  I've actually had people ask me how I turned out so normal surrounded by the family I was raised in.   Don't get me wrong-I have a great family, but they definitely walk off the beaten path.  

And so now to nominate a few recipients of this award:

KB, who has such a great outlook on life and deserves this award, JennyMac who makes me laugh daily with her stories and way with words; I always look forward to her posts, Mimi who is my newest blogger friend and I'm looking forward to getting to read more of, Jingle who always makes me smile with such upbeat and sweet little stories, and last but not least, Sparkle Star who was my very first blogger friend when I wasn't writing such happy thoughts.   Yes, I know that's only five :)


Thanks, again, Sheri for such a sweet award.  I'm so glad to have "met" you! 

Magpie 23-Rescued

I thought the circumstance dire
as my nostrils flooded with smoke.
I became cautious as I sensed the fire.

Could it have been a rotten wire
that may have cracked or broke?
He came and to his arms I did retire.

My breathing began to tire
as I began to gasp and choke
I became cautious as I sensed the fire.

The air was getting drier
and my lungs began to revolt,
He came and to his arms I did retire.

The feeling of safety had been a liar
And I wished this was just a joke.
I became cautious as I sensed the fire.

As time began to expire,
My hero threw me a rope
I became cautious as I sensed the fire
He came and to his arms I did retire.



This was written for Magpie Tales.  Click the link to read some terrific writers or to post something of your own.

Sunday 160-so much to do...

So much there is to think about
in a life full of hope and doubt.
Thoughts venture round and round
peace is looking to be found.
I think i need to slow down.



This is for Sunday 160.  Go here to see the rules and/or to  find some other great 160's.

My new car!

It was a successful shopping trip and this is what I came home with. I still can't believe how smooth and quick everything went.  It took less than 2 1/2 hours.  I may wake up tomorrow thinking I had a good dream.  I think I'm in love a little ;)  32MPG in city and 40mpg highway.  

Six word Saturday

~time to shop for another car~



**This is a post for six word Saturday. Describe your life in six words and see SWS for the guidelines.

Sad tale in baby world.

We had horrible storms on Tuesday-tornado warnings included.  The rain came fast and the wind blew hard, flooding the streets quickly.

A young mom was driving with her 3-week-old baby in the back seat "securely" placed in his car seat.  The water on the road was too much and she hydroplaned flipping the car twice and landing it in a shallow creek.  Unfortunately, the shoulder straps on the infant were not properly fastened and the little guy slipped out of the car and into the moving water.  It took rescue thirty minutes to find him and they did all they could for him to no avail.  We were on our way to get the baby from the smaller hospital that he was being rushed to, but he didn't survive long enough for us to get to him.

It makes me sad that this pitiful young mother had so much faith in a safety device, but because she didn't know how to properly secure the infant-it failed her and the baby.  This has inspired me to take a car seat safety training course and participate in the car seat safety clinics offered all across this region for new parents.  It really does matter...

Leaving the Eye

Life's storm will rage and blow

and in its path, destruction show.

I like to reside in its eye

where the calm and quiet sigh

The storm of life will cause bad dreams

of sights and sounds obscene

I choose to remain in its eye

where the calm and quiet sigh.

The eye of the storm is a place to wade

if chaos and risk make you afraid.

So I plan to stay in the eye

where the calm and quiet sigh.

Alas, I must break from my life's diet

of absolute peace and quiet.

For if I fail the storms embrace, 

my happiness will lose its place.

Therefore I must depart the eye

where the calm and quiet sigh.

***This was written for One Stop Wednesday.  Click the link to be amazed by some really great poets!  

playtime and dead bodies...A childhood memory :)

Childhood summers held something magical for us.  You could find us on the front porch playing make believe.  Sitting on the creaky splintered porch swing, we might be staring across the street and looking beyond acres and acres of leafy grape vines.  Some days we could be found walking the country roads tarry from the sun.  The heat, the sun bright above in the sky, and the sweat beading our little faces never convinced us to stay inside.

My best friend, my sister, and I had quite vivid imaginations then.  One particular day, we sat on the porch watching the train roll by several miles beyond the grapes.  We could hear the chugging of the locomotive from the distance and the horn of the engine.  For some unknown reasons, trains captivated us at such a young age.  What was going on in there-were there people riding?  As we were pondering life's great question, we heard a loud "BANG", brakes squealing, and the train slammed to a stop-well as quickly to a stop as a train can.

We jumped, our mouths open wide.  We only knew in our overly active minds that whatever happened wasn't anything good.  Our thoughts were whirling and our hearts pumping.  "I bet someone has been shot!" Wendy, my friend, says, "Bet the train has been taken over by bad guys."   Now our minds are in a tailspin.  "We need to investigate," I say.  From there our plan of action was to arm ourselves with weaponry before the journey ahead of us, so we head inside to prepare.  We found some belts and several water guns.   After securing our guns in the belts, we were ready.

We headed outside, determined to find the shooter and bring him to justice.  We made our way through the grapevines.  Twirling twisted wires wrapped in leafy grapes awaited us.  We slowly walked through the rows, guns in hand, scoping out for anything suspicious.  Suddenly, "What's that?"  my sister, Cindy, cries.  Several feet in front of us, sprawled on the ground, lay a mound of unidentifiable brown.

"I bet that's the dead body!" exclaimed Wendy.  "or the killer crouching," I whisper.  Our thudding hearts could be heard throughout the vines.  We were petrified to take a closer look, but too curious not too.  After all, we had come prepared.  Slowly inching towards the figure, we held our breaths.  As we came upon it, our breathing released in a thud-or maybe an ugh-as what we saw transformed into a pile of dead grass and leaves.  Depleted and disappointed, we headed back towards the house, our adventure over.  Within minutes, the train slowly begins to pick up speed in the distance.  The horn sounding once again.  We started back to the porch swing, no dead body discovered and no shooter captured, but leaving with us a memory that will last a life time.

Sunday 160...learn your skills please!

the babies were fine at this job of mine;
the  floor nurses-a different story.
all day long they did nothing but whine
"come do our job and give us the glory."




***This is a Sunday 160.  What can you say in 160 characters?  Check out Monkey Man for other great writers and to take the challenge.

Magpie Tale: Dear Journal-help!

Dear Journal, 

I think I have a stalker, or someone really desperate to be my friend.  I don't remember how this all started, except she was new at the job, feeling clumsy and slow.  All I did was befriend her and give encouragement when all the others had lost patience .  Little did I know she would take an unnatural shine to me.   One night after work, she wanted me to stop and grab a bite to eat with her; I didn't see any harm in it.  We were both hungry and on our way home.  What's a little company going to hurt?  

But in the middle of the meal, she begins to tell me things about myself that set a small spark of anxiety in the back of my mind.  She smiled slyly and said, "I know you almost died when you were seven.  I know a lot about you.  I know how your mouth opens slightly when you are about to fall asleep."  I think my mouth opened slightly-in shock-as she revealed her knowledge to me.  She continued by asking, "Tell me something about you, anything, that I don't already know."  I think my heart went into my throat and my wish for invisibility went unanswered.  

It was then that I began to think this was slightly more than a casual last minute grab of a bite.  It was ominous and very unsettling to me.  My privacy slightly violated.  My sanity slightly removed.  I didn't know how to react except to gobble down my food and quickly take my leave.  

Now, I keep getting texts from her.  She warns me to stop putting her off, she says she's given me enough space, she still cares.  She tells me she misses me and I make her cry.  I myself am having nightmares.  Last night, I dreamed that she sliced me like a ripe tomato for "putting her off" for too long.  I woke up in a cold sweat, and  I'm not sure how to end this.  

Dear Journal, please tell me what to do...

**This is a magpie Tale....supposedly fiction but...well, anyway check out magpie tales to read other great writers!

Six word Saturday :)

~I wish it would storm today~

**describe your life in six words. **

My head's at it again...or is it my heart?

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne


"The modern fairy tale ending is the reverse of the traditional one: A woman does not wait for Prince Charming to bring her happiness; she lives happily ever after only by refusing to wait for him..."  ~ Susan Faludi  


I think sometimes I try too hard, look too hard, and the world's opinion has shaped mine a little too much.  I need to sit quietly for awhile.  It is my mission to breathe deep and enjoy each little moment as they pass by.  I do a fairly good job doing so, but sometimes I worry a lot about tomorrow.  Most times I dissect myself trying to figure out what's wrong with me...like it's all my fault.  Sometimes I back away from a risk because it seems when I take a risk with someone or something, I'm forever getting shafted.  I've just always found it difficult to let someone in, be a part of each other's lives-even if for just a short while, and just watch them be able to easily walk away. I am not programmed that way and don't understand how people can so easily give up on others. 


But-I have a great family, wonderful friends, a fulfilling career, and I am in need of nothing.  I'm a fairly content, laid back, happy person-and I love living life-so why do I allow myself to worry about what's missing?  

Cursed?

Cursed?  He says he's cursed.
I know my place; I know my part.
I'm tired of being still and playing dead
Maybe I'm just too rehearsed.
Cursed?  That's a bit too tart,
he's the one who played my heart.

**Written for One Shot Wednesday

Magpie 21: Realization of a beautiful friendship

     I think the real fireworks started when he walked through the door.  Running late as always, he had to make his grand entrance.  The get together had been under way for at least an hour, the food delicious, the laughter plenty, and then the doorbell rang.  In he struts solo, sunglasses on hiding his sparkling blue eyes, but with a mood so cool you could feel the blue through the shades.
     I realized I had been anticipating his arrival and was looking forward to the inside jokes we often shared between the two of us.  The friendly banter shared meaninglessly over the years suddenly taking a grab at my heart and sending a jolt through my middle.  Removing his shades, he made his way over to sit next to me.  How easy we could share our usual quips, wordless glances, and friendly sarcasm.  As is habit, we fed off of each other's comments, "my partner in crime" he calls me.
    Eventually dusk came and the fireworks were about to start.  The crowds were obnoxious, the places were packed, and so we decided to start a new tradition.  We took a golf cart ride to the cabin in the woods, started a bonfire, and roasted some marshmallows.  The popping and sizzling of the fireworks could be heard through the trees, while the warmth of the fire could be seen on the cheeks, and the smooth creamy sweetness of the marshmallows tasted on the tongue.  We created everlasting sparklers by burning the tips of a few thick twigs in the fire; they were much better than the fizzle-out-all-too-soon-cheap store sparklers.  Who knew that flour was so flammable.  And who knew that a marshmallow thrown at the right speed and with the right force could actually cause pain.  All in all, the day's laughter was good, the new tradition was perfect, and the realization of a beautiful friendship, priceless.



***This is a magpie tale.  Check out Magpie Tales from "Challenges I Love" to read some great writers!

  

  
 

Sunday 160- Happy 4th of July :)

Freedom continues to ring true
even after all America's been through.
Our heads we hold high,
our pride will never die,
evidenced by the fireworks in the sky.

**this is a sunday 160.  Take the challenge by visiting "Monkey Man" from blogs I love. It's fun :)  Happy Independence Day.  I'm thankful for all the sacrifices by the men and women who earn America its freedom!

Six Word Saturday-my niece and nephew are coming.

~Lots of cuddling to be done~

Describe your life in six words!