Spring Has Sprung!

It's been such a strange year weather-wise in 2013.  It's been great, don't get me wrong, but the way I figure it we are about 2 months behind.

So now that it's June and is finally warming up, we are experience spring at last!

I got a great deal on these bulbs about 2 years ago.  This spring I was moved to finally put them in the dirt.  They had begat more baby bulbs while lying on my kitchen floor in all that time.  They FINALLY bloomed.  Well, 4 of them did.

Not only have we been dealing with bird nests and trying to save their eggs, but everywhere we look nowadays animals are either making babies or raising them.  Usually we go through this in late April or early May.  This year things are running a bit behind.  The eggs I put into the wren house have not been kicked out, that I can tell, as of yet.  Still don't know what will happen there, but hey, we did what we could.  Mother Nature is what she is.

At work we recently had a Blue Heeler dog show up.  It was a female. She kept to herself, very much so.  At first we thought someone had just inadvertently brought her to town, but that turned out not to be the case.  She stuck around, so what could we do but feed her?  It stared with the crusts of sandwiches at breaks and dinner.  She still wasn't exactly cozying up to anyone, but they are really smart dogs, and we wondered if she hadn't been lost from the sale barn.  Couple days after that, she had some pups under a pile of aluminum in the yard.  This changed things, and in the best possible way. Sometimes when the world looks darkest if you will look down at what is right in front of you, good things are going on, too.  The trick is to notice them.  After she had those pups, everybody upped their offerings of scraps, dog food, farm eggs to mix with the food, milk, you name it.  Keep in mind that there are exactly 7 females who work at my place of business.  Of course we were involved, the one primarily outside being the nurturing presence that got the dog tamed down to be petted, but mostly I am talking about men here.

All I can say is that sweet little dog could not possibly have been dumped out, full of babies, in a better place.  Within 10 days of her having the pups, she was tamed enough to be petted, at least by the nurturing lady outside.  She would flinch when any hand was raised, and stayed clear of any man, but she knew what time feeding time was and allowed the woman to pet her.  We concluded she had not only been dumped full of puppies, but been beaten. By a man.  Whether this is true or not cannot be known, but we felt we "knew" them with our women's hearts.  At any rate, one of the men who lives on a farm offered to take the dog and pups home until we could give the pups (and maybe the dog, still not sure) away.  He was strongly urged by his own wife's heart in this, and in this way females always come through for each other. Especially when there are babies to consider. ;D

Add to that the fact that in a very short time we would have several (6 as it turned out--3 girls, 3 boys,) pups running around a busy parking lot with semi's traveling around.  We did not want any squished pups, however unwanted or unplanned they may have been.  Then add to that the fact that we had a mess of bunnies born around that same time, several of which we are pretty sure added to the new mother's diet.  We told ourselves that that is the way of Mother Nature, and indeed it is.  Still, something had to be done.  No way we were taking those babies or their poor mother to the humane society. No one was getting rid of these dogs unless it was one of us, and nobody wanted that to happen.. On that we were agreed.  I haven't seen so many people agree on anything so readily for a very long while.

It took the nurturing woman to get the dog into the kennel for transport, and the dog trusted the woman to bring out the pups.  Reports are that they are settling right in out in the country.  The pups eyes are open, they are crawling everywhere, and we have yet to start guessing what the other half of the equation is, not that we really care.  Those pups are fat and happy, fuzzy and sweet as all pups are, and we are currently collecting money for their first round of shots.  If you happen to live in the area and would like a free 1/2 blue heeler pup is about 6 weeks, leave a comment or send me a message and I do believe I can hook you up.  Mama is black shot through with some white.  Papa was a rolling stone, and we are quite sure he won't be showing up to fight for custody..

3 black, 3 brown w/ black markings

Work is not the same without the dog.  We miss the dog, but we do have a bunch of baby bunnies that run around in the yard about every time you come in or out the front door.  It's really fun, not just for us but every one who comes in says "Do you know you have some baby rabbits out there?"  Do we ever!  We saved their lives!  They don't know enough to be afraid of us.  But then I don't think they have anything to be afraid of, with us, either.  Are they ignorant or solid judges of character?  You decide.

"Hey! Did you know you had a bunny out there?"

I am very proud to work where I do with the people that I do, all in all.  We know how to take a little hope and run it around the edges of a bunch of scrap pieces, good for nothing in and of themselves.  When all the pieces come together in the end, though, it is very beautiful thing that lasts a very long time. 

Summer Reading. No Regrets.

Some of the great books I have found LATELY for little to nothing at second hand stores.  Books are one of the best buys you will ever find.  I am always amazed at what people are willing to part with when it comes to books.  I think it's the quantity rather than the quality that the prices are based on, and Lord knows there are many who a) do not read and b) do not have what it takes to painstakingly go through a bunch of books when someone dies.  There are so many things to go through when a person dies that I can see where it would tempting, if one did not read, to just box the whole mess up and take it to the Good Will store.  Which is where I come in, and am very rarely disappointed.  I hate to say it, but I am glad some people don't read for purely selfish reasons.

It goes without saying that if you read, you probably always make yourself finish the book.  If these 2 things are true, you will also probably remember a book or two, hopefully not many, that you actually regret wasting the time to read.  There are few things worse than that experience, and the worst part is that you did it to yourself!  Hopefully you only wasted time and not money, but we've all picked up a book in desperation and gotten lured into a relationship for a few days with a loser and ended up with less respect for ourselves than we had before, haven't we?  I hate it when that happens!  It does not have to happen to you, either, I have come to show you the light.  So to speak.

This first one I have yet to find at a 2nd hand  store, but this is one of the best books I have ever read and it's also one of those that you can read repeatedly because you never get tired of it.  If you ever find this book, grab it right off, because it is a keeper.  The name is Peace Like  A River, the author is Lief Enger and the writing is pure magic, miracles included.  Take my word for it, this is a book that will never be forgotten once read.

Books are approx. $1 ea. for hardbacks, $.50 soft covers.  These I have picked up in the last few months.
I should say that I am a book person as opposed to a Kindle person.  Not that I wouldn't read a book on a Kindle, necessarily, just that it's not the same to me as holding that book in my hand.  Seeing evidence of tears, which pages have been turned down, any underlining, knowing that book has been held by someone's hands, especially if you know/knew that someone, or even if you don't.  That is as plain as I can put it. I'm just old school that way.  If you read, however you read, really makes no difference to me. I'm glad you read any way at all, but for me, it's books all the way.

Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah which I already talked about here, and yes I have already read the sequel, Fly Away, and it is as good as I expected it to be.  She does not disappoint.  At least if you have ever been through grief, she doesn't. 

East of Eden - John Steinbeck   I know, right?  Someone got rid of this.  It should almost be a crime.  And if you have a soul, it already is.  More for me, is about all I have to say about this.  Thank you, you fool that got rid of this, thank you very much. ;)

Sweet Water Creek - Anne Rivers Siddons, this woman is 99% as precious as Joyce Carol Oates to me.  I have never read anything that I didn't like, but this one is very very special, and I think needs a sequel.  I think I may write her a letter begging for one.  You can't tell me Emily Parmenter hasn't haunted her too.  If you have ever read what Larry McMurtry wrote about Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment, he put it just exactly right.  He said she just wouldn't leave him alone, and I have read this story about 4 times before I bought it.  I wonder frequently about the rest of Emily's life.  I can only hope Emily haunts Anne like she does me.  This is a coming of age story with earthly magic, dophins and a dog named Elvis set in the deep South.

The Known World, Edward P. Jones.  Pulitzer prize winning story about the South right after the Civil War, when minds started having to bend around the idea of "free" slaves.  Also, naturally set in the South, and a great representation of a world at odds with itself while it's life depends upon change. Change is never easy but always worth it.  If you are below the age of 40 I highly recommend that read everything you can get hold of about this time in our history.  You may be surprised at what you learn and how varied the stories are with love and loyalty, slavery nonwithstanding. At any rate, read everything you can get your hands on and make up your own mind.  In no way trust what you are being taught in "school" these days.  You may find yourself with a new and encompassing hobby, at the very least, where the history is written down in ink on paper, and cannot be changed or leave you with a message saying "this page has been removed*.  If you know what I mean. wink wink.

A Prayer For Owen Meanie, John Irving.  John Irving has long been one of my favorites, and I have loved everything he has ever written with the exception of the last one he wrote. I forget the name of it and I wouldn't even repeat it if I could, so bad was that load of PC crap that seemed to have no point.  But before that, he was always solid gold for me.  If you have seen the movies they have made of his books, do not think you know anything about the books.  By far my favorite one is the one below, though.  Yes, it's long.  Yes, it could have been shorter, but trust me, by the end of this book you will fighting with yourself to hurry and find out what happens while you are already sad that the story is almost over.  The only way you will be able to stand it is knowing you can read it AGAIN.  I have an old copy that the library got rid of.  It's in bad shape but I don't care.  Until I find this at a great price it's my copy, and after I replace it I will give it a decent send off, because it has earned it.

These are just a few, but they are all solid gold.
Have fun with your summer. We are about ready to go on vacation and there is a BIG SURPRISE coming to a few people I love very much.  That's all I can say but in a few weeks, all will be revealed.
Miracles really do happen every day, if you just recognize them.  Keep that in mind, my hopeful friends, keep that in mind.
And for heaven's sakes, READ something good this summer!

Second Hand Gold......

If you know me at all by now, you know that I am both sentimental and pragmatic.  One of the things I love to do the most is go to 2nd hand stores.  Whether I find anything or not, I always see things that take me back to my childhood.

When I was about 14 I was kept very busy babysitting.  It was the only job I could find in such a small town and it left my weeks mostly free.  Every Saturday night was taken up with babysitting for a few years, which was just as well as I had no other plans as of yet.  I saved up my money all summer, for a new comforter for my bed.  We did not go shopping often in my family.  We looked through the J C Penney catalog and ordered what we wanted far more often than driving anywhere. Going shopping, in our case, would be somewhere between 30 and 200 miles, and we didn't even drive 30 just to shop very often.  In that catalog that summer I found the comforter of my dreams.  

It cost $60, which at that time was a lot of money, but I could still afford it, and it had a rainbow on it, with pillow cases making the arch of the rainbow at the top.  This was a long, long time before the rainbow had been hijacked by any special interest groups, when the only meaning attached to a rainbow was God's promise to never flood the earth again.

Such innocent days they seem to have been, now.

I realize, that had someone made that comment to my mother at the time, she would have snorted in derision.  Only from this end of the spectrum could that make any sense.

It is some comfort that she did not live to see the mess we have made of this world today.

But I digress.

I ordered the rainbow comforter/pillow cases in twin size and waited for the UPS man to bring my reward!

He soon did and I had a comforter that would last me practically a lifetime.  I did not know this then, I just loved it!  I bought it with my own money, I picked it out, and I loved it!!

It lasted through high school, where I listened to Olivia Newton John being hopelessly devoted through Pat Benetar taunting someone to hit her with their best shot.  It lasted through college where we survived Devo and Madonna, and those horrible boy bands with make up and weird hair.  If Guns N Roses would not have come along I think I might not have even survived the 80's.  When I became a mother it came out of storage to become the most popular comforter in the house.

My children dubbed it "the White Blanky", and it was their favorite also.

It had been washed so many times by then that a lot of the stitching had come undone, leaving odd lumps of whatever it was filled with ( I was afraid to ask, even then).  All the washings had made it so soft, and if you straightened out the lumps it was still near perfect.

It had been a comfort to me when I was sick or had cramps, or was just cold or sad.

I always felt better if I could just get to my bed and snuggle under that comforter.  I laid under it when I heard the soundtrack to Saturday Night Live for the first time.  That's how long it's been around.

I never bought another comforter for my bed at home, either.  The rainbow comforter was it, for me, for life.

It was my children's favorite blanket for the exact same reasons, only for them it was already broken in, stained, and mended.

It was the one blanket they never had to feel bad if anything happened to.  They used it to make tents and wrapped up in it on the couch when they were sick, just like i had.

Through the years it was primarily claimed by The Beautiful Redhead, and she loved it just as much as her mother had.

So much, in fact, that she took it to college with her 3 years ago and still it survives.

I had to nag her for almost a month to send me a picture of it.

I had even begun to think that it had finally bitten the dust and she just couldn't bring herself to tell me.  NO!  CURSES!!  IT CANNOT BE TRUE!!!!

I think she just wanted to wash it first, though, because here is a picture she finally sent me today.

It's a testament to whoever made this item that it has survived in such good shape, no?

Sure, it's faded, but you will find no softer blanket on this earth.

Look at the care she took to try to get the filling into the places where it is supposed to go.

The White Blanky is truly one of us.  It holds our history.  ALL of it!

Plus, I spent $60 on it in 1978, so the yearly cost of it at this point in my life?

$1.76 per year!

Not to mention all the fun and comfort it has brought to us all.

It's a regular member of my family.

It could never be replaced.  There is just no way.

And the other day when I was in a thrift store, I can only hope you will be as floored as I was to find this, marked for $10.00.

It's yesterday once more.  For real!

Yes!  That is correct!!  It appears to be the exact same comforter, from what I can remember.  This one, however, is queen sized.  

Which is exactly the size I need now.

I talk about God winks all the time, but this was as good a one as I have ever gotten.

Now, whether this is a new one that someone got as a gift and just didn't like, or whether it has been packed away in someone's things for decades, and has just now been brought to light, I cannot say.  That is the beauty of 2nd hand stores.  Well, that and the fact that you get to make up lots of really good stories that "could" be true about the items you find there.  But sometimes you don't even need new stories because of the memories the item brings with it.  I looked at that quilt and I was again 14, embarrassed to even be seen with my mother, making an investment in my "future" when I would have "my own" apartment, house, place, and my mother would miss me so much and wish she had been nicer when she had the chance.  I remembered how often I cleaned and rearranged my room, because I pretended it was my own apartment and I only rented it from "those people" downstairs.  I could hear the wind in the trees outside the house I grew up in, the one where our windows were open all summer because we did not have central air.  The hardwood floors, and what a pain it was to wax them.  The clawfoot tub in the bathroom next to my room,  that helped me survive the hot nights when I refused to go downstairs into the air conditioning, which I spent instead in my own head, in my own room, with my cool comforter and big plans for someday.....when I grew up.  I am so glad I found the White Blanky again instead of the teenage attitude.  You could not pay me to relive those years, and God bless every parent who has survived them, too.

I can say that this one is stitched in the same pattern and seems to be filled with the same batting. And yes, I am still afraid to ask what that might be, but it washed up just fine.

I, having 2 black dogs now, and many other comforters and quilts, even put this back.

That's right.  I was going to leave it there rather than "waste" $10 on it, because that is how stern I am with myself when it comes to spending money these days.  I've truly come a long way in this area.

My other mother brought it up at the last minute before we left the thrift shop and said it was for me.

I was so happy that......well....as you can see, it's on my bed now.

So the White Blanky has come full circle, and I will have my old comfort back, only in a better size and shape than I have had it for decades.  Just when I had gotten used to being without it, God recognizes my progress and rewards me with something that doesn't cost a lot but means the world to me.

Now I can face the next 34 years with the same comfort that got me through the last 34, if you believe such a thing could be true of some material assembled by (probably) 3rd world children.

  I already told her that when I die, she is to take the next White Blanky home with her.  She will have a lifetime of comfort from them, just like her mother did, all the days of her life.  And all because I ventured into a thrift shop one day, killing time before a doctor's appointment.

When the first one finally bites the dust, and can be mended no more, it will just be a matter of time.

I like this story best of all.

But if I find another Leo the Lion, I might actually have a heart attack!

The moral of the story is, when you see a thrift shop, GO IN!  You may not find anything new that tempts you at all, but the trip down memory lane you will never regret.  Never!