A Good Week....

We are supposed to have thunder storms over the next few days.  We will see if they are right. While we are very humid right now with highs in the 70's, making it feel much hotter, it is also supposed to grow very cool over the weekend. That will be nice.
I would enjoy a good old fashioned "Indian Summer" when there is a breeze, mild days in the mid to high 60's and cool nights. They are usually bright and sunny too.
Our leaves are hardly even turning yet. Just a bit of red on the bushes that always go very early, otherwise , it is still summertime here.

Garfield has been sick for a few days and a  super expensive..sigh.. trip to the vet showed a bladder infection.  He is on amoxicillin now and feeling much better.
He is a senior citizen now at age 16 but most of my cats lived way past 20 and the vet said with food that will lighten the load on his kidneys he should have many years to go.   His overall condition is good.
This might sound odd to you, but I do ask God for help with his health as I have always done with my animals.  Some of the things the Vets want to do are just so expensive and I am on a tight budget. As it is I will have to take out a pet credit card to have his teeth done.   I didnt spend this much on my kids!
So I continue to ask God to fix and repair and maintain  what I cannot.  He knows our limitations , our finances,our needs etc. and he has never let me down yet.




* * *

On Monday night, my daughter was involved in a train accident. She commutes to her business in NYC and must take the train.  That night, the train hit a car with two people in it. The woman had a seizure and rammed into the train.
The Train came to a screeching halt, sending passengers sprawling in all directions.
They made everyone leave the train in a deserted and very very bad part of a certain town.
Most got rides since they lived nearby. But my daughter lives by me, much farther south and had a ways to go. This is not her stop at all.  AND.. It is not her usual train either!
 She has a few more to go then a car ride home on top of that. So she was in a different county entirely.

Not knowing the area, she thought there would be a bus stop or taxi area and so proceeded following others, then somehow found herself alone in the very worst part of that town.

She saw a church up ahead and lights on and thought if she could get there ...she was being followed by a group of young men now... that she could phone a taxi . The reason for going to the church was for protection and also as a reference point for the taxi since she had no clue where she was now. It's hard to tell a taxi where to pick you up if you have no clue yourself. The church would be a reference point.

She had already phoned home and told us all she was taking a taxi. We didn't now that there was a dangerous drama going on.



* * *
When she got to the church, the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the state with a very beautiful history by the way.. there were people outside dressed as if for a formal service.
Normally no one is there at all at night, but this night was different.
It was a memorial service for one of their brethren who had passed away. Immediately they saw she was being followed and gathered round her to protect her.
They asked how she was alone in a bad part of town. This part was not always bad, it had gotten that way in recent  years and the church, being an historic landmark cannot really go elsewhere and it iss safe enough in the day or in large groups.
One man shouted out that the fellow who had passed away would be so happy to know that because of his passing a young girl was saved from harm. Everyone there joined in agreeing with him.
They all were deeply comforted by that.
Her taxi came, he also questioned why she was alone in that place and told her never walk alone again! He  got her to her car at the last train station and she headed home.

I will be writing to the Pastor of that church and telling him how marvelous his congregation is.
Now the rest of the miracle:.. the women in the car were not hurt though the crash was terrible!
My daughter and everyone on the train were distraught at the thought of a horrible death for these poor people.  There were emergency vehicles from all over at the site.
But they did not die. That is a miracle.



*   *   *
So.. you see how it all worked  for everyone's benefit?
Look:
The women did not die. Somehow some good might come from it all for her too.
The train passengers are spared the horror of them dying and being involved.
No one on the train was injured seriously thanks to the quick action of the train engineer.
The people of the congregation were comforted to know that some good came from a very sorrowful situation. They were, in fact, very happy to see God working and using them for his plans.
My daughter got home safe and sound after being sent protection and people to care for her.
God is the only one who can handle any situation and make it turn out for the good of everyone involved though we might not see that until later.

One of the quotes on my rotating quote thingy is:

Peace and love, tears of joy, kindness of strangers
All of your roads paved in gold by guardian angels
...May you always have enough peace and love -Blessed Union of Souls

 

You never know what you were saved or protected from. We do not know how many times in a day God is saving us , protecting us and doing us good.




* * *

I am taking a few days off for religious observances but will be back posting Saturday night or Sunday.

I hope you have a lovely rest of the week ahead and a rewarding and relaxing weekend.

Pre-School Days

First, thank you Toni for featuring my art on your site. It was very kind of you. 

The first day of preschool for the Merry Baby was tentative as  you can see from the smile.
She just was not sure that this was something she wanted to handle.
She did just fine, however and enjoys it and the other kids a lot now.

Even coloring got a forced smile.
She goes 2 hours twice a week. She is only 3 1/2 after all. She loves it now and was embarassed when her Dad stayed too long the second day.
She was not one of the crying children and saw no reason for him to embarrass her by staying as if she was.
"You can leave now Dad, please, I can do this" she said looking around with an embarrassed face.

The Jersey Shore

The "Jersey Shore" television program has been a huge embarassement for a tiny state with some of the most beautiful, clean and people friendly beaches in the world. Not to mention that the beaches are very large and covered with white sugary sand.  People come from all over the world yearly to vacation at the Jersey Shore and to those in the know the program shows only a small underbelly world few partake of.
I love looking at the houses along the shore and thought you might also

Here is the real Jersey Shore:

Cape May

Cape May again!

Is $10,000,000 too much ?

This tiny hovel is cute and a steal at nearly $2,000,000

Here is the living room

Cute door , probably solid oak 

This itty bitty pool room would not give you much space but you cant be choosy for only  2 mill.

You could probably make do in this tiny kitchen.. 

Who could tolerate being squashed in this little dining room? Sheesh

One of the 4 full baths. Small but, one makes do.

These are all nice but most of us live like this that are no where near a million anything!

Thoughts from a lemon lime moon...

I sometimes wonder what my little cat thinks about while I am up on the lemony lime moon contemplating life and watching things going on down below.
I sometimes see him sitting staring up at me with his golden sweet eyes that seem to know what I need most...love.
He realizes I fool others with my solitary existence but he is not fooled and knows I am a social butterfly in a cocoon. My "little golden man" knows me very well.
Invariably if I leave my clothing on the bed after changing to sleep I will find him comfortably and serenely snuggled up on them. His quiet look of satisfaction is replaced with one of disappointment when I move them to hang them up. "Why do that?"  he seems to ask. To him it is a comfortable and familiar place to doze.  I don't have an answer for him except that we humans are prone to stick to the rules and wrinkled clothing are against the rules . We follow custom and tradition as if it was written on stone even if our lives are made difficult by it. Even if other  lives are made difficult by it too.
Cats have traditions also. Loving the people they adopt is one of them. Sleeping on their clothing with its familiar scents is another. Playing in the water bowl or throw rug "surfing" are still others.

 People  consider cats aloof but they are not. Thats a myth made up by people who do not recognize dignity and if cats are anything it is dignified.
My kitty comes when called so, they are not stubborn at all as some think. He is only too happy to come and be by me. I am more than happy about that myself,  he is my good friend.
As I fly up to sit on the lemony lime moon where daydreams are experienced   I can see him sitting patiently waiting for me to get back to the everyday world. Back to him.

I know that he is thinking that "one day she will come down to earth".     Yet, he knows that I need that time on the moon for thinking and sorting things out. Especially lately. I think he knows that life can come round and hit you with reality very hard and leave you breathless . It is times like those that people need a place to be , to think, to consider.
For me it is the lemon lime moon that hangs out over the ocean. I can sit beneath it..or on it as my imagination takes flight.. and ponder or just feel nature around me. Whether it solves anything is anyone's guess and mostly I would vote no.   But I think a person can learn from the time and we can meditate on things and arrive closer to understanding....maybe.

I have found him on his own moon at times. Sitting in the front window watching the goings on in the water , birds landing, fish jumping. He watches it all peacefully from his place. Then I sit and patiently wait until he comes down to earth. Everyone needs a place to dream and consider.

Friday

 Branch of  Phragmites by the bay

The township is cutting down limbs that cross over power wires today and has been all week. All through Irene I was worried about some of the trees pulling down the thick wires that crossed over to my house. Because the water table along the Jersey Shore is so high, they cannot put cables underground and so we still have the old fashioned electric and telephone wires, etc.
Its nice to watch them in their cherry pickers cutting down the limbs so neatly. They really do a great job.
As I was coming back from a run to the bank the Merry Baby had to know exactly what the guys were doing. She is 3 1/2 now and in a 2 hour program twice a week where they color and play little games. It is in the same school her older sister, the Famous Anonymous Kid attends.
I love to hear how they think and see the world through their eyes. To me a long conversation with a tiny person is just about the most special thing there is. They see so much around them.
Nothing special going on this weekend, just a quite time.
I hope your weekend is lovely.

Please take a look at Miss Janice's blog for something very important that I hope we can all take part it doing.
The Bert Show out of Atlanta is trying to get everyone to send a hand written thank you note to our troops deployed overseas in time for Thanksgiving. So take a look at the information you need in order to participate. Takes only a little time and would mean so much to a soldier far from home.

Creative Adventure Meme

It's Thursday so time for Toni's meme...

bob cat in stokes state forest, New Jersey

1. While hiking in one of the many trails in the State Forest, you come across a sleeping  Bob Cat!

 2. You pick it up to study the object more carefully, then realize they are pretty doggone big and very dangerous and you are an idiot for having done this! You put the sleeping cat down, and tiptoe away promising yourself a trip to a psychiatrist as soon as you can get an appointment. You wonder if your insurance covers that.


You imagine talking to the receptionist to make the appointment:

          Dr. Boombotz

Me:"Yes, I need to make an appointment to see Dr. Boombotz please?"
Receptionist:"Of course, what is the problem?"
Me:"Well, on a hike I picked up a 50 lb bobcat."
long silence....
then:
Receptionist: "Yes,Can you come in right away?"

Stokes State Forest, New Jersey

3. Just below the clearing you see this wonderous waterfall.

4. With much to remember on this hiking trip, you hurry on over to Dr. Boombotz's office for the help you need so desperately

.
A favor please... would you mind taking a minute to go over and see the Famous Anonymous Kid's blog?It would mean a lot to her.
She just started 6th grade the other day. She is anxious to show off her blog and get "followers". It's HERE

It's Friday at the Beach

AT THE SHORE:

Wind Speed: 15 knots
Wind Direction: SW
Condition: Overhead
Sea State: Very rough
Ocean Temp: 73 F
Wave Height: 10 ft
UV Index: 7

And the sand is still white and untouched... the tourists are going home...

The water is cooling down now, but it is still a warm 73°F, and waves today were over 10 ft, so not a good day for swimming.

Have a lovely weekend..

Thursday ... where does a week go?

Weeks fly by all too soon. I am tired of it and plan to file a complaint. If I get no results I will be calling on you all to join in a protest march. Anyone wish to volunteer to help makes signs we can carry? We will also need someone to help prepare us box lunches since we will be in this for the long haul...Darn it.

~~~~~~~~◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ~~~~~~~ 
I am joining Toni's  meme today....

1. While visiting in Europe and driving along the country road you spot a famous castle that has long been empty. Excited you decide to check it out. Your curiosity getting the best of you, you drive through the large iron gates to the castle and get out of your car and walk past the large fountain in the court yard to the main enormous door and _finding it open, you push it just a bit farther . You call out "Yoo hoo, anyone home?" But receive no answer.

2. Entering the castle you are in a large completely furnished hall and a room with two large sliding doors closed on your right, a beautiful spiral staircase ahead and another room on your left also with closed doors. You decide to take the room behind the closed doors. You open them quietly and peek inside.

3. Much to your surprise you find a Pizza Restaurant. You walk up and buy a couple of slices, with delicious red peppers and mushrooms and an ice cold glass of iced tea.

4. Upon leaving and driving off, you know you will never forget this adventure and think to yourself, "maybe I should get a pie to go?" And drive back in to buy a whole pizza to take home for later!

September

"The leaves of brown came tumbling down, remember?That September, in the rain."

The last of summer is still here but there is sometimes a chill in the morning air. The skies are bluer somehow in September, maybe as the air thins out and thick humidity fades away. But Autumn is coming ...

Just a bit cooler, sand is not burning your feet as you walk and bits of orange and red begin to show in the seaside plants.
Autumn is on it's way, there is no doubt now.






Lovely old photos from the 30's in this video of September in the Rain by Guy Lombardo from 1937.

Shoes go to the Dogs or.. I'm Bananas over Shoes

A new month, another weekend.
It can't be September because I didn't get to enjoy any summer yet.
Shoes by Kobi Levy...I think they are cute, but would you wear them?
The bananas would be nicer without the heel and make a cute pair of slippers.

Have a nice weekend.....