Name calling

Traveling Flowers

- A pleasant time spent this evening with young friends needing help with their immigration papers. Got to gaze at the cute baby and left with a lovely bouquet of hydrangeas and roses from the garden.

- Heading to the mountain house tomorrow. The river is calling my name.

- Walking out to pack the car, I walked up behind my neighbor who looks just like Einstein. Marian is an elderly Southern gentlemen who might have stepped right out of a movie. When I called his name, he turned and said, "I thought is that Lynn or an ANGEL!" Chivalry is definitely not dead. :)

Pensacola

- Driving to Pensacola, I listened to a book on CD called "Shem Creek." It was an easy listen with a beachy feel and got me in the mood for the coast.

- Abby's roommate Lindsay has a snow white cat named Jackson, who has one green eye and one blue eye. He liked me very much - apparently unusual for him in that he is most often stand-offish with visitors. Abby said, "I think Aunt Lynn and Jackson must have known one each other in another life."

- I was really taken with Pensacola. I like the idea of a laid-back artsy life and wearing shorts all the time. Actually I think it was being with Jo and Abby that was the biggest draw. I teared up on the trip home when Abby called to make sure I had found the highway OK.

Peaceful moments

- On Sunday, my father and I were waiting on my mother and sister to finish getting ready for church. Daddy decided that he should wash Mama's glasses because she had mentioned they were dirty. In the car, on the way, she noticed and thanked him with a smile.

- My father's giddiness that he was, once again, the big winner of the Chicken Foot marathon.

- Having a peaceful day at work today because Carolyn is back from Costa Rica.

Random thoughts

- I love listening to NPR while I work. Usually the music is classical, but right now they are playing a show tune, "My Defenses are Down" from Annie Get Your Gun. Lois Reitzes on NPR says that it is Irving Berlin's birthday. The notion that I could be at the filing cabinet and one of the guys would suddenly burst into song is hugely amusing to me.

- Catching up on taped shows - I was watching Survivor and thinking how silly that guy looked with the immunity necklace on. And then I thought maybe I am silly for watching that. This is probably the last time. (Oh - who am I kidding?)

- Looking forward to seeing my family today in Milledgeville. My father is going to get rid of my dead electronic equipment for me, because I never know what to do with these things in the city.

A challenging week

- A challenging week. My co-worker Tereza, who was the most bright spot in my work day, has left the firm for a wonderful new position. I brought her some chocolate candy done up in a gift bag, finding that Terri had done exactly the same thing. We know our girl loves candy.

- My Great Aunt Virginia passed away a couple of weeks ago. They waited to have a memorial service until my Uncle Pope's ashes could be brought from Florida. My cousin Sybil wanted to have them interred together at a Veteran's cemetary in Canton. I made the hour drive there yesterday and felt a peaceful moment as seven of us gathered under a pavillion in the foothills of the mountains with a light breeze blowing remembering two lovely people.

- Last night at circle, Susan ended the gathering having each circle member say something positive about the other. Not a challenge at all! It made everyone leave with a smile.

Smiles and validation

- Realizing yesterday how I grew as a moderator between the Presbyterian Women's luncheon in September and the Spring luncheon. A lovely lady on the coordinating team told me that I had brought such a different dynamic to the meetings that it made her look forward to coming to them. We never know what kind of impact we have to others' lives.

- Linda gave me the most fun item to keep in my office at work. I had told her of my constant need to put hand sanitizer on my hands since I am shaking hands with so many clients throughout the day. It is a Purell Pal Desk Holder. It holds a bottle of Purell with a pump dispenser. It has blue plastic hands and feet and makes me smile every time I look at it. Linda says that was her intention.

- Saturday was Cinco de Mayo. It made me smile when I stopped by Sam's Club to purchase items for the PW luncheon and saw that the employees were all wearing sombreros in honor of the day. They are a mostly international crowd with barely any Hispanic employees at all. Most seemed delighted to be wearing the colorful hats. Then at the bell concert at church last night the ringers pulled out sombreros for a latin flavored number. On the last song "Yellow Submarine," they pulled on yellow slickers and rain hats - Ed donned a captain's hat with his slicker.

More treasure

- More armoire loading and I found a smooth river rock that I picked up at Loch Loman. I began singing "the bonny banks of Loch Loman" to my kitty and she turned around and left!

- In the bottom of a cup I found a fortune cookie message that reads, "Stop searching forever, happiness is just next to you." I am dropping it into a little pottery vase that Barbara G gave me for placing wishes or prayers.

- The cup has lettering on the side that reads " HOOSIERS Most Valuable Player." There was a class that someone from BellSouth personnel came and taught to the district managers around the mid-90's. It involved watching the movie "Hoosiers" and taking a test on how scenarios in the film related to personnel issues that we could or would potentially deal with. I came in first and have always kept the cup on my desk to hold pens and pencils. My secret competitive spirit still remembers the flush of pleasure I found in besting 30 co-workers.

Buried treasure

- I unloaded my office armoire so that it could be pulled out to install the long-needed DSL. Of course the telephone jack was behind the armoire! It gave me an opportunity to dust all the nooks and crannies and to rediscover forgotten things.

- One treasured item that had gotten buried in the back was an old telephone insulator that had been made into a pen holder. The pen has long since dried up, but this is a treasure that I will always keep. Sometime in the late '70s I worked in a personnel office at BellSouth that had retirees coming in and out. One very taciturn elderly man had a hobby of collecting the telephone insulators and turning them into pen holders. He usually sold them at craft shows. On my last day there before transferring to another BellSouth office, he came in, quickly handed me a brown paper bag and walked out. Inside was one of his pen holders. It is a blue one - quite lovely. Now I have moved it to a place of honor on Grandaddy's desk.

- I wish I could remember his name and there is no one to ask. But I can visualize him quite clearly and cherish the memory of someone who liked me enough to give me a treasure.

Growing old together

- Steven gave me a handicapped ramp for Sophie. It props perfectly on the rail that goes around the bed. But (heavy sigh) she refuses to walk up it. It amused me this morning when Steven and I (both childless adults) had a discussion about how to get Sophie to WANT to go up the ramp to the bed. He suggests treats and tuna (both forbidden, of course.)

- So I put my book down last night and got out of the bed to collect my kitty who will not walk up her new ramp. She stood under the bed peering out - not sure if I wanted to lovingly cuddle her or put flea medicine on her. I finally nabbed her, fetched her up onto the bed and she settled down around my feet.

- In the middle of the night a siren awakened me. I figured it to be around 3 AM. Sophie woke up, too. When I turned over, she rearranged herself and licked my hand which had emerged from the covers.