Dolly's Dreamings

Little to report

You know, there are some days when there are a whole mess of things I want to say. Maybe a place visited, an event marked, something strange happening. Then there are other days when - nada, nothing.

Today is a nothing day. Not a bad day. Not a special day. Nothing remarkable happened - just a day.

I did take a photo of my sun dresses. See I told you they were nothing special but they were just what I wanted

 

 I have been playing catch up with my pages for my project 366 and today I have week 18 to share.

I am still a little behind but hope to be caught up soon. It is coming up to half term so hopefully I will be up to date then.

Anyway - week 18.

Now I would like to share this video but I am not sure it will play on here in the format I have. Let's see.

I have uploaded it as a file so let's see if it works.
If you are not sure you want to see it it is a video of a cat with a very very very persistant pigeon or dove singing in said cat's ear. I am surprised the bird made it!

Download Rolachata

Today I am thankful for

• just a very ordinary day

and finally my one minute devotional page is

Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb? It’s a bit of a one-line joke, but in all the years I’ve lived close to Grant’s Tomb, and for all the times I’ve driven past it on its bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and even when the boys were in nursery school right next door, I’d never visited it. Neither had my wife. So on Memorial Day last year, after paying bills, doing some gardening, and feeling generally grateful to have a day to catch up, we set off on our expedition.

“Better get some gas first,” Carol said, noticing the gauge.

“Should we stop at the market on the way?”

By the time we got to Grant’s Tomb and parked the car, it was 5:00 P.M. “I wonder when it closes,” I said, worried. We marched up the wide marble steps beneath the flags and bunting, and I pushed the door. Locked. I put my hands up to the glass and peered inside. Closes at 5:00 P.M., said the sign.

All at once, I felt foolish and selfish. Here was a chance to do what Memorial Day was set aside for, and we’d missed it through our own busyness. Yes, catch-up days are a blessing, but isn’t it good to remember just what a holiday is for? I sank down on the steps, disappointed and irritated with myself.

Just then, the door opened and a park ranger stepped out.

“Would you like to come inside for a minute?” he asked.

Would we ever!

I can now tell you on full authority who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb: Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia. Next year, I’ll go back earlier, so I can tell you what else is to be found inside.

 

Wild over the wildlife

Well, I haven't been home very long and it has already been quite an adventure.

As I have been cooped up all day we decided to go for a brisk walk across the heath before I settled down to work. I just needed to stretch my legs and get some of that sunshine. As it happened I stretched my voice and most of my body. More of that later.

First thing we did was stare at the adder for ages. We have a culvert at the end of our drive which acts as drainage for the heath and we knew, as the heath wardens had been round just before I got home, that there was an adder in the culvert. They had rung and asked Nigel to borrow a bucket to try and get him out but he was having none of it - the snake ... not Nigel.

They put some branches down to give hime something to use to get out.

He was beautiful. About 2 foot long it was nice to watch him from a relatively safe distance. (The wardens have since been back, captured him and re-homed him safely)

 
For those of you across the pond the adder is the only venomous snake we have here in the UK. And yes, we do get them in our garden as we are right on the heath.

Anyway we went for a walk and then I came home ready to work. I felt something prickling my neck/chest and nudged my top a bit then it happened again a couple of minutes later and I looked down and nestled right about to go excavating down my bra was a beetle.

Now those of you who know me well know I love nature - all things in nature - but insects needs to be strictly in their own part of nature which is actually quite a long way away from me.

Nestling on the inside of my top, about to go delving, does NOT constitute an appropriate distance.

I think even if Simon Cowell had come in (Oh yes ... I am afraid so) you wouldn't have seen me get my top off any quicker. By the time Nigel, sat behind me at his desk, turned round, the top was off and everything else was coming off. And the screaming certainly gave my vocal chords a work out as well as arms and legs from all the flailing around and running on the spot! It was an exciting few moments.

Nigel took said top, with beetle ensconced, and re homes him on the heath with the adder. OK so he was a beautiful beetle - a bright peacock blue and green, but NO WAY do I ever want to see one - or any insect - that close again thank you.

We think he was one of these. A Rose Chaffer

Latin name: Cetonia aurata

Size: Approximately 20mm long

Distribution: Found throughout the UK, although thought to be declining in numbers.

Months seen: May to October

Food: Flowers. The larvae live and feed inside rotting timber.

Habitat:Meadows, parks and gardens

Special features:The rose chafer is one of our larger and more attractive beetles. The upper surfaces are an iridescent emerald green and bronze colour. The underside is a bronze colour. There are ragged white marks running widthways across the wing casings which look like fine cracks.

Rose chafers are usually seen in sunny weather feeding on the petals of flowers - especially roses.

 

Anyway enough of our local wildlife for today.

I didn't add my photo of the day for yesterday as I couldn't take it until last night. Nigel runs quizzes - amazing innovative quizzes - and we had one last night so this is my hubby in full flow.

I have a new page to share, which I made as part of my DT work for Pickleberrypop, today.

 This is another for my Paris album. The kit is part of the Pickle Barrel - this is a great mid month offer where all the designers make kits and element packs int he same colour palette and they are all on sale for $1 each - YUP - $1 each. You MUST check it out here

 The May collection is all lilac and pink and totally lush.

The Paris page was made using a new kit called

Hey Girlfriend  by LouCee Creations at Pickleberrypop

And just so you can see some of the other pastels in the colour collection this month here is my next monthly page - week 17 - made with a lovely set Life everyday (May) by deb fisher designs at Pickleberrypop

 Check out these and the other Pickle Barrels designs - you know you want to!

 

Today I am thankful for

• getting the insect OFF ME!!!!!!
• Seeing the adder ... at a distance
• a bit of a walk
• an amazing wonder I didn't capture. We had the most amazing visitor to our bird feeding station yet - a spotted woodpecker. I have only ever seen one once in the garden. We get the green woodpeckers daily - always have had. But the spotted are almost never seen by us and so to see one hanging off one of the feeders was fab. I wasn't quick enough to snap him but I hope he will be back.

And finally my page a day calendar today

Station Two is the busiest station in our fire district. I recently worked a 24-hour shift at Station Two, running the rescue squad with Jeff.

I like running 911 calls during the day. The hours fly during emergencies. The trouble is, emergencies have no respect for my need to sleep. Since each 911 call generates a lengthy report, as few as three calls after 10:00 P.M. can mean a sleepless night.

Jeff and I had just returned to the station at 4:00 A.M. following our second call when the alarm went off for “an elderly female who needs help getting from her bed to her wheelchair.” This wasn’t an emergency. We left the station with no adrenaline rush, no lights, no sirens, and no sleep. I wondered if Jeff was as irritated as I was. I got out the map book to direct him, but Jeff said, “I know where this is. I’ve been there a lot.”

Jeff knocked on the apartment door before entering. “Zoe, it’s me, Jeff,” he cheerfully announced. He went back to the bedroom where Zoe was balanced between her bed and her wheelchair. We gently lifted her into her chair. I yawned and began moving toward the door. I hoped to get an hour’s sleep before our shift was over.

Jeff fussed over Zoe for a minute or two and then said, “If you need us, you just call. We’ll be right over.”

I don’t know if Jeff has ever heard the parable of the Good Samaritan. I learned it in Sunday school and then taught it to others. It’s easier to learn and teach a parable than it is to live it. Jeff was Zoe’s Good Samaritan. He had lived the parable for her not once, but many times.

“You relax,” I said to Jeff when we got back to the station. “I’ll write the report.”

Dear God, help me to learn from the examples of the good people You’ve put in my life.

—TIM WILLIAMS

Life is good

There are days when life is good. There is no particular reason. Nothing earth shattering happens, but there are just days when life is good.,

Today was one of those days.

Of course it helped that the sun shone.

I even came home and took a photo of our little robin. We have at least 3 robins who come constantly - a chunky little fella who looks more like a weeble (remember those 'weebles wobble but they won't fall down' ) and he is sure well fed. then this is this little lady who is quite slim and svelte - probably as she is the girl and does all the work! And then there is the baby  took us a while to figure out he was a baby robin but he is and he comes a lot now.

I also have yesterdays picture of our cherry blossom tree against a thankfully blue sky.

I have another project 366 page to share today and that brings me pretty much up to date - just the last week to go.

This is week 16.

 

It was a fairly unremarkable week - the only standouts being the pig walking on the beach, the cows and of course, my handsome handsome boy.

 As it is the first of the month - the new challenges are now live over at Pickleberrypop.

If you haven't checked them out go and take a look. Great challenges to get your mojo started and you can also win discounts on their fab designs.  Click the advert below to go straight to the challenges

Today I am thankful for

• positive days
• being far more comfortable being me

And from my calendar

My friend Toni Eames is blind, and she gets around with the aid of her guide dog, Escort, a handsome golden retriever. They were in Philadelphia for a conference, so we made a date for lunch.

I met them at their hotel room, where I had a chance to play with Escort for a few minutes. But as soon as Toni put his harness on, he was all business. “Find the elevator,” Toni said as she opened the door to the hallway. Without hesitation, Escort led us to the elevator and lifted his head up to the buttons so that Toni could press the correct one.

Outside, in the busiest part of the city, the sun was shining and the sidewalks were filled with people. As we passed under a long arcade connecting the buildings on two streets, I saw that some construction work was in progress. A long hose zigzagged along the sidewalk, and huge trash bins were everywhere. Toni walked comfortably alongside Escort and talked as she went, but I became concerned for her safety. I wondered how Escort could possibly guide her through such an obstacle course.

“Toni,” I said, slowing down, “do you want to take my arm? There are a lot of things in our way.”

Toni stopped and smiled at me. “No, I’ll be fine. Escort knows what to do. Besides, I never tell him which way to go. I trust him to make the right decision.”

And he certainly did. He guided Toni away from the trash bins and alerted her to the hose so that she could step over it. As Toni went on talking, I began to calm down and depend on Escort, too. In the midst of so many cars and people going every which way, we were being safely led.

No matter where I am, Lord, I know that You are always with me. All I need to do is follow You.

—PHYLLIS HOBE

wow - dry at last

So today - the news is

...

...

...

...

...

...

It DIDN'T RAIN

Yey

Our little birds seem awfully glad as yesterday was too wet and windy for them to feed. Poor things - they must be starving.

I have a new page to share made yesterday - another picture a day project 366 page. I am finding the pages great fun to make but finding taking the pictures a real chore. I keep forgetting and then not bothering to download them.

Anyway here is week 15 - amazing to think that the year is more than a quarter done, almost a third done. Heck where does that time go.

It is another made with that fabulous kit from Indigo Designs I used yesterday.

 
Not a great deal to report today. It was work which was fine, nothing remarkable.

Today I am thankful for

• challenges - that's what keeps us all going really
• Nigel at home when I got in
• NO RAIN

My one minute devotional page today is

I’d been cleaning up for about 15 minutes when I saw then-seven-year-old Elizabeth in the kitchen doorway. “I can’t get to sleep,” she said.

I took my daughter back to the kids’ room and tucked her into her top-bunk bed. “Will you snuggle with me a little?” she asked.

“Of course, honey,” I said. I leaned against the bunk and put my arms around her. “Is everything okay?”

“I feel bad about something,” Elizabeth said.

I straightened up and looked at her as I stroked her hair. Elizabeth is a bright, inquisitive, articulate girl where most things are concerned, but her emotions are an exception. Most of the time, if she seems troubled and I ask her how she’s feeling, her answer is “I don’t know” or “I won’t tell you.” But this time was different.

“I don’t want to grow up,” Elizabeth said.

“Why?” I asked.

“I’m afraid I’ll be too big to snuggle.” At seven, Elizabeth no longer fit over a shoulder or in the crook of an arm the way five-year-old John and three-year-old Mary did.

“You’ll never be too big for a hug, honey,” I said. “Mommy and I won’t stop loving you just because you’re getting bigger.”

“But I want to be little, so you can carry me.”

“I know you do. But God made us so that we grow from children into adults, and although that might seem scary right now, it has its rewards—like an Elizabeth to snuggle and to watch grow up.”

“I know that,” Elizabeth said. “But it still makes me sad not to be little.”

My arms ached as I leaned over her bunk. I hugged her for a long while before I went back to cleaning up.

Father, no matter how grown-up I get, I’ll never be too big for Your arms.

—ANDREW ATTAWAY

water water everywhere

Do we are in a county where there is now a declared drought - although unlike many of our other southern counties we do not have a hosepipe ban ... yet. However, I can't help assume that there is less of a drought today than there was yesterday as an awful lot of the wet stuff has fallen out of the sky today.

It has been a real drenching. I paddled across from my car to school this morning - truly I did.

The garden and the heath needed the water so much and truth to tell I really don't mind rain. It's the howling wind I am not so keen on to be honest. And howling it has been.

Strange though that there has been so much wet stuff around today and yet this little cutie (yes I KNOW it is meant to be a BIRD feeder, but he doesn't!) took time out of his munching to wash it all down with some nice pine-needle-and-general-debris flavoured water. It was just too cute not to use as POD.

 

Isn't he cute. I know many people see them as vermin. I know people call them tree rats. I know they can do damage, but I have always had a soft spot for squirrels. I love them. When I was younger we used to have a family of squirrels who used to come onto our kitchen windowsill at tea time every day and were hand fed. There were a pair and they bought babies with them. They came for 2 years and we all loved feeding them. Well until one came inside and Mom freaked out so much they were kept at a distance after that.

I made me remember the little baby squirrel at about this time last year that we found in school grounds and that I took to the local vets. It held it in my hands and it shivered and trembled and then snuggled and I stood holding him as the vet told me there was no chance and took it off me. I was sobbing so much I sat in the carpark for ages before I could see well enough to drive home. When the children at school asked the next day I told them a half truth. I said I had taken him tot he vets and the vet was taking care of him. I guess it was true - just not in the way they, or I , wanted it.  

Still playing catch up with my 366 pages here is the next one.

Today I am thankful for

• the joy of nature in our garden
• the chocolate eclair for break (Bad but soooooo good)
• a bonus of having Nigel home as Speedway is cancelled due to the bad weather
• much needed rain

 
and my one minute devotional calendar page today is

Since I can remember, I’ve had dreams in which I’m flying. That’s far from unusual, of course. Any psychology student will tell you that dreams of flight are universal. Iowa corn farmers, Alaskan Eskimos, Australian investment bankers—everyone in the world, it seems, dreams at one point or another that they can leave the earth and gravity behind.

What’s interesting to me about my flying dreams, however, is that they’re of two distinct kinds. The ones I remember most vividly the next morning aren’t those in which I’m swooping around far above the ground. Those are fine, but the ones that carry real magic are of a more low-key variety. I’ll be walking along someplace, on a beach perhaps or maybe just on the street where I live, when suddenly I’ll find myself lifting up and floating a few inches off the ground. The difference is so slight and subtle that the people around me—if there happen to be any—don’t even notice it.

Why do these modest dreams of flight mean so much to me? I think it’s precisely because they are modest. In dreams, anything can happen. But these dreams where I’m lifted and carried just a few inches off the ground remind me that in dreams, just as in waking life, the most wonderful changes of perspective often come with the smallest change in viewpoint. Sometimes just a few inches will do it.

Lord, keep me awake to the little changes in perspective that can make all the difference in how I see the world.

—PTOLEMY TOMPKINS

Unusual for me

I am generally lucky in the head department. I rarely get headaches - my weak area is always my tummy - but I have had a corker today. I woke up with it at 3 am and it hasn't shifted. No idea what has caused it but it's irritating the heck out of me now.

Hopefully now I have taken something it will vanish in a flash. Let's hope as I have a mess of work I need to get on with.

I have a new page to share today which is another of my 365 pages - well 366 this year to be precise.

This was the worst week of the year - and let's hope it stays that way. I don't want a worse one thank you.

 

 I also have a picture of the day to share. They are way too cute when they do this - my little fur monsters.

A few years ago we bought a little cat sofa. My cats, spoilt. Surely not! It's not as lavish as it sounds and was the price of a pet bed. But they avoided it like the plague until we put it under the radiator. They also have one of the radiator beds and that is where you will often find them if we are busy (if we are sat then they are sat ON us) I love to see them like this.

 

I have some more of those great kids comments to share today .

Not sure I believe this one entirely but I do have a very real and very genuine story myself of something similar in my first year of teaching.

Nigel tells me morons is the correct term in this case.

 

Today I am thankful for

• brainstorming sessions
• paracetamol - I hope
• Good books - I read the Hunger Games at the weekend and enjoyed it.

and finally my one minute devotional calendar today is

We finally took a family sightseeing trip to New York City, a place we’d wanted to share with our children for a long time. Having grown up in a suburb outside Manhattan, I’d been to the city many times, and it was always thrilling—and a little intimidating. So, as tourists from Arizona, we prepared ourselves for everything we’d heard about, from the noise and the traffic to New Yorkers themselves. We knew their reputation—hurried, no-nonsense, even rude. You know, walk fast, especially when crossing the street, and don’t talk to anybody unless you have to.

Well, the sights were fantastic: the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Empire State Building, a Broadway show. But the big surprise was the people. From the talkative cab driver who brought us to the hotel to the helpful ticket agent at Grand Central Station, everyone we met was friendly and truly kind.

My daughter Maria and I were walking down 48th Street near our hotel one afternoon when we saw a couple with a little white dog like ours. Maria insisted on stopping, but I was reluctant. Yet as soon as we approached, the owners were happy to let Maria pet their dog and share stories as only pet lovers do.

One morning we were buying hot chocolate from a street vendor when the woman behind us suggested a small park nearby where we could enjoy our drinks, a beautiful spot we wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

The trip convinced me that God is full of surprises. Some of the best ones are His people.

Lord God, I know that You created us in Your image; teach me to expect the best from all You have made.

—GINA BRIDGEMAN

 

Nothing much to report

You get some days which are bursting with things you want to say; good things, bad things, trivial things, major things. Then you get some days like today where there is really just nothing much to report.

It was Monday - well that is always a bit of a down as it means the weekend is over. I enjoy my job but I am lazy enough to admit I'd rather be a lady of leisure!

It was raining a lot - well it is April in the UK - what do you expect.

I have a lot of work to do - well that's what I get paid for.

So nothing remarkable to report at all apart from this .....

 

 Nigel and I play Scramble a lot - we love it. And it keeps our minds agile.

Prior to yesterday my highest score was 114.

WOW - I was so thrilled with my new high I even kept it so I could take a picture of it today for the photo of the day.

I have another weekly page to share today

It was a week that I thought was one of the worst weeks ever - little did I know worse was yet to come.

Today I am thankful for

• being healthy, being dry and being home

Now those teeth are why I wouldn't tangle with a cat!  Kira is a nibbler - she doesn't bite but sort of mouths you with her teeth like I guess she might a kitten. But she did bite me once - hard. So hard it didn't even bled at first and then it poured. We were in the spare room together and I was trying to shut the heavy drawer under the divan bed and she was - as usual - 'helping' and her foot got caught in the drawer. And she screamed but couldn't run as her foot was caught and whilst helping her she bit me. It was a natural reaction but boy did it hurt.  They have mean old teeth.

My one minute devotional calendar page today is

The stock market was picking up, and as an investment adviser, I was busier than ever. I had several appointments lined up, driving from one part of town to the other. I sped through a yellow light and noticed the traffic ahead slow to a standstill. “Now what?” I muttered to myself. “An ambulance? A police car?” No, it was a funeral procession.

Usually this is something I really love about the South: Everyone stops for a funeral procession, every car showing respect for the grieving. But not that day; not when I was in such a hurry.

Up ahead I could see a green funeral flag flapping on the lead motorcycle as the police escort approached. I parked on the shoulder, becoming more frustrated by the second. Then I looked at the guy behind me. He’d stepped out of his car and was standing at attention.

All of a sudden, I was 12 years old, trying to understand why my grandfather was gone. I remember riding in the long black funeral limo, holding my mom’s hand. She was pointing out the window, showing me how the world had stopped out of respect for my grandfather’s life. I remembered how the cars were pulled over and how the people looked at us as we passed. They told a little heartbroken boy that his grandfather mattered.

My appointments could wait. I got out of the car and stood in silence as the hearse passed. Next came a black Lincoln, with an elderly lady alone in the backseat. Our eyes met. I nodded gently at her. She gave me a slight wave of her hand, and I could read “thank you” on her lips. Then she was gone.

The entire incident took only six minutes out of my day. Sure, I could have used those minutes in other ways. But that was the best six-minute investment I’d made in a long time.

 

Easter Sunday and a freebie

Happy easter Sunday everyone

I hope that you have all enjoyed a wonderful  day on this special day.

I shared this freebie before but figures it might be nice to share it again

download here

I have had a lovely crafting day making a  project I am thrilled with but can't share yet as it is for a post on IACW - but I love it.

I have also had fun making a very different page for me for the Scrapology challenge this month. It was a very busy design for me and used lace which I rarely use, but I figured it was worth a go.

The page I have made is for my Austria album and I used new papers, letters and flowers all bought yesterday. see, I knew I needed to buy them.

I also used a lace doily die cut (but covered most of it up, and lots of paper lace.

and I almost - not quite but almost - managed to avoid butterflies, but gave in at the end LOL

I had fun making it up.

My photo of the day will come later as I know what I want to take but just can't take it yet!

Today I am thankful for

• first and foremost all the blessings of Easter
• a 'not getting dressed day' We haven't had one of those for ages and ages
• a tidy cupboard and drawer - yes I tackled 'the dump drawer and cupboard' in the kitchen. My my I keep some junk!

 

And finally, as I am still playing catch up posting these, this is another of my 365/6 pages. This time it is week 11 and I used two of Dawn Inskip's templates combined.

 

A little chilly out there

The weather is nothing if not variable in the UK - I guess that is why we talk about it so much. It is so diverse.

This time last week we were sat outside in the sunshine, tanning nicely. Today that chill was sure there with only 6 degrees on the gague and the heating back on.

We popped to Poole and I was pleased I managed to get something i had been searching for - a union jack t shirt. We are hosting another street party and I wanted something 'themed' to wear but knew I would probably only wear it that once so wanted something cheap and cheerful. Found just the thing in primark for £5 and also a pair of socks for Nigel. We are all set LOL.

 

I have been really sluggish today - quite content to just sit and chill and read and not do much else at all really. But then holidays are meant for that too, aren't they.

I must crack on with the weekly pages too. I have done week 10 and 11 but am now behind again. Here is week 10 - again very simple and graphic.

 

Today I am thankful for

• time to be lazy - we all need it once in a while
• sleeping with a fur baby
• enjoying the supermarket - because I don't have to do it very often it is great fun!

And rather than a LOL cat today, this is an e mail I received that tickled me!

 Qantas Airlines: Repair Division
> 
In case you need a laugh:
 Remember, it takes a college degree to fly a plane but only a high school diploma to fix one.

 After every flight, Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a 'Gripe Sheet' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft.  The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the Gripe Sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humour.

 Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Qantas' pilots  (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by  maintenance engineers.

 By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never, ever, had 
an accident.

 
> P: Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement.
> S: Almost replaced left inside main tyre.
>
> P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
> S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
>
> P: Something loose in cockpit.
> S: Something tightened in cockpit.
>
> P: Dead bugs on windshield.
> S: Live bugs on back-order.
>
> P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute
> descent.
> S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
>
> P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
> S: Evidence removed..
>
> P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
> S: DME volume set to more believable level.
>
> P: Friction locks causes throttle levers to stick.
> S: That's what friction locks are for.
>
> P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
> S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
>
> P: Suspected crack in windshield.
> S: Suspect you're right.
>
> P: Number 3 engine missing.
> S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
>
> P: Aircraft handles funny.......... (I love this one!)
> S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.
>
> P: Target radar hums.
> S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
>
> P: Mouse in cockpit.
> S: Cat installed.
>
> And the best one for last...................
> P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
> pounding on something with a hammer.
> S: Took hammer away from midget.  

My one minute devotional today is

There was a picture of Dr. Steve and his family on a table in the exam room where I was waiting for my annual physical. When Steve arrived in his white lab coat to begin the exam, I asked him how his children were doing. I knew his four kids from church, but I didn’t know them well. As Steve thought about them, his expression was softened by that special smile that all fathers recognize, the smile that says, “Thank God our children are more than what they learn and inherit from us.”

Steve told me that he had come home late one evening when everyone but his youngest son, Matthew, was downstairs. Even with his limited awareness of his dad’s work, Matthew knew his father was having a really difficult time. Matthew didn’t understand what a doctor goes through when a young patient dies, but he knew that his father had been sad all week. When Matthew came downstairs, he was proudly wearing his dad’s much-too-large-for-him lab coat. “Look, Dad, I’m you!” Matthew said.

“That’s real cute, Matthew,” Steve said absentmindedly.

“No, Dad, you don’t understand. Let me be you for a while. If I’m you, then you don’t have to be!”

Dear God, may I have the compassion to carry the burdens of those I love.

—TIM WILLIAMS

The ultimate treatment

It has been another glorious day here with not a cloud in the sky. The perfect day to sleep in the sunshine - and I did.

I want to thank the people who have been so kind e mailing messages of support and comments.  I was so positive yesterday but OK, so I guess I knew this would happen eventually. But it does have a happier ending.

The anaesthetic into the socket wore off and it was worse than ever and intolerable and to be honest after 5 days of it with no respite enough was enough. We called the out of hours surgery and were given an appointment and went down and saw a lovely doctor (but boy did I feel old ... when did I get old enough that doctors started to look impossibly young) and he prescribed morphine. So I now have the full gambit.

I am on oral morphine every 4 hours and it appears to be doing the trick.

I went to the dentist to have the tooth re-dressed again and - touch wood - have had a relatively pain free day. The morphine makes me very nauseous but small price to pay. I can't drive, but as we only have one car left anyway that isn't a problem.

We even went to Broadstone today (OK so it was to get a prescription but heck) and decided to sit at an outside cafe and have an ice-cream as it is one of the few things I can eat when along came Jakki and Alice. Just perfect.  And a decent photo of the day.

and this was yesterday's but I have to say it was a very disappointing read. I am a great believer that every author has one outstanding book in them (OK some some great authors have many ... but I think most only have one) and Jeffry Archer's was, for me, Kane and Abel. This was NOT one!

 

I have slept most of the rest of the day but have a page I made last week to share - another of the 365 pages. I was trying out a template idea but am not sure I like the graphic look for this project.

 
As you know I am now on the CT over at PBP and have some great advice for you.

Check out their forum and their challenges which offer fabulous inspiration. If you are stuck for something to scrap, the challenges will get you started and you can save money on products by doing them too. Just click the picture below and see what you fancy.

 

 

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Today I am thankful for

• being pain free for most of the day
• sunshine and sundaes
• unexpected meetings

and finally my calendar page  

Dogs scare me. I’ve been a runner or walker for 27 years, and like many pedestrians who’ve been terrorized by man’s best friend, I’m wary of the beasts. There’s a street I like to walk on that’s near the beach, a pretty lane with lovely old houses and gorgeous gardens. It would be the perfect path except for one house with two large hounds. Across the porch entrance is a rickety barrier that looks as if it wouldn’t hold in a toddler. Fortunately for me, there are always people sitting on the porch when I pass, so when the dogs start to bark and growl, the people murmur some magic words and the monsters subside and glare at me with their tiny, bloodshot eyes.

Yesterday I walked early. As I approached the dogs’ house, I noticed that the keepers were absent. I was about to go back to the main road when I saw the mailman nearing the house. Yes! Letter carriers in our area are allowed to carry pepper spray to protect themselves from vicious pets. Not only were these beasts about to get a comeuppance, I would be a happy witness.

The mailman bounded fearlessly up the porch steps, and the dogs went crazy, charging the puny barrier. Then, to my astonishment, he started to talk to them. They stopped, cocked their barrel-sized heads, and lifted their ears. He spoke in a low, comforting voice, and after the dogs were completely calm he pulled two dog biscuits out of his bag.

They delicately took the treats from his fingers, and as they munched away he delivered the mail.

I walked by slowly, wondering how often I let fear cloud my perspective and how much more I could accomplish with a few kind words and a couple of treats.

Lord, help me not to let my fears rule my actions.

—MARCI ALBORGHETTI