I met Brent and Sharon Harmon in early 2007 when David and I first got serious about the RV lifestyle. I’m not sure how our interest was first piqued. The first thing I remember is David showing me a luxury motorhome on his computer. It sported a mid-six figure price tag, and we laughed over the impossibility of owning one as we oohed and aahed over the fancy, tricked-out bus. (more…)
David and I don’t have a regular date night. We enjoy each other’s company enough that watching a movie on our 47” television with a bag of microwaved popcorn seems like a date. But thanks to David’s growing reputation as a chili cook-off judge, we had a special date night last Friday in Quitman, another small East Texas town about 25 miles from Emory.
A couple of weeks ago, David got an urgent call from a friend in Quitman. They went to school together in Jonesboro, Louisiana, and the tale of how they reconnected after all these years is a tribute to coincidence, but that’s another story. For now, she was in a bind and needed help. She was coordinating a chili cook-off to benefit the Special Olympics, and one of her judges had pulled out for medical reasons. She needed someone from a county other than hers and preferably someone with a little bit of experience. Lured by the chance to expand his resume and by all the free chili he could eat, David said yes, and I went along to watch the show. I didn’t take my camera, and my phone didn’t have enough of a charge to take a lot of pictures, but I took enough to show you that people in Quitman know how to have fun. (more…)
On Tuesday I posted the written account of the Ladies’ Conference our church hosted on January 12. Here’s the pictorial version. (more…)
The table decorations had disappeared, the signs that had been suspended over the buffet table with fishing line were gone and the Fellowship Hall was set up for Bible study class. The multitude of signs pointing toward restrooms, registration and coffee were gone, and the masculinity of the men’s rooms had been restored, the artificial flower arrangements having been removed from the urinals. A vacuum was running somewhere, and several of the youth were wiping finger prints off the glass doors. Extra chairs were gone from the sanctuary, and the Communion table was set and ready for Sunday morning worship. David and I boarded the shuttle bus that would take us and a few other tired volunteers to the remote parking at the Methodist church. It looked like the Redeeming the Time Ladies Conference our church had hosted was over, but it wasn’t. (more…)
Potpourri (Photo credit: Niina C)
Potpourri is defined as “a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.” That’s not the kind of potpourri this blog is about. It’s about the alternate kind of potpourri: “a miscellaneous collection” or “a combination of incongruous things.” My sister-in-law Jo Lynn recently posted an article on Facebook, and she said it was especially for me to add to my future-blog-material file. It was attributed to a woman named Regina Brett on the occasion of her 90th birthday. After years of internet experience, I’m a little skeptical of the origins, but the humor and wisdom of some of the thoughts are inescapable. I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for further comment.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
I think my former employers followed this line of thinking, and unfortunately, they decided that usefulness diminished with age. On or about my 60th birthday, I was informed that my services were no longer required. I can only pray that my husband doesn’t subscribe to the same school of thought. (more…)
From: Zeology The Art + Science of Sleep
I missed my Friday post, partly for the same reasons I’m writing instead of sleeping at 12:30 in the morning and partly for other reasons. First, we were out of data on our WiFi card and our new month didn’t start until Saturday, and even though I have unlimited data on my new iPhone, I wasn’t sure I was up to blogging on a three-inch keyboard. Second, we spent the morning winding up our New Year’s visit with David’s mom and the afternoon driving home. I intended to write on Saturday, but then the real reason kicked in – I was preoccupied. Several months ago our pastor asked if I would consider coordinating a one-day ladies’ conference our church was planning to host. If I had said no right then, I might have posted a blog on Friday, and I might be asleep right now. Instead I said I would think about it and pray about it and let him know. (more…)
christmas paint (Photo credit: cassie_bedfordgolf)
It’s not technically twelve days, but it’s twelve of the many things that have made this Christmas season special:
English: icon for smartphone (smart phone) related content (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Santa came early to our house this year. I am now the proud owner of a 3GS iPhone. The question now is, am I smart enough to use it?
I got it early because David, in getting the phone ready to use, inadvertently turned off my old phone. I don’t mind the early gift. It gives me more time to play, and by the time we join my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas next week, maybe I’ll know my way around it well enough to use both thumbs on the keyboard. (more…)
Some days the words just aren’t there. Since my writing muse passed me by today, I decided to air out an old post from last November.
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Yesterday one of my Facebook friends posted this question: Am I the only one not feeling the holiday spirit? I left a witty, social network kind of reply, but I’ve been thinking about it since then. Am I feeing the holiday spirit? My first question is which holiday are we talking about? My next question is what does the holiday spirit feel like? (more…)
As you read today’s blog, you will notice a recurrent theme – but I forget what it is.
“How was your golf game, Jack?” said his wife.
“I was hitting pretty well, but my eyesight’s gotten so bad I couldn’t see where the ball went.”
“Well, you are 75. Why don’t you take my brother Scott along?”
“He’s 85 and doesn’t even play golf anymore.”
“But he’s got perfect eyesight. He could watch your ball.”
The next day Jack took Scott along. While Scott sat in the cart, Jack teed off, and the ball disappeared down the middle of the fairway.
“Did you see where it went it?” (more…)
