Snow Baby.

Ready to try.
Picking a spot.
Taking a fall.
Close to the edge.

Winter Wonderland and Shopping?

Most honorable husband (from now on MHH)took Mary Kate and I to town this morning to shop. He said we would be snowed in all weekend and he didn't think I'd make it without some "go" this morning.

I got a coupon from Walgreens by email last night for $5 off any purchase of $20 BUT it expires today. So, I've attached it for anyone to use that can. Print and use it. $5 off Walgreens

Below is one of my favorite snowtime Calvin and Hobbes.... from the snowman series See more here .

Stay safe and out of the ditch. Later folks.

Humility. Patience.

Way back when I was close enough in my spiritual walk to learn something from men of God and the word of God, I was taught never pray for humility or patience. These are gifts that must be learned through experience, not bestowed in an instant. So, to ask the good Lord for humility and have your prayers answered can be a... well, humbling experience. Likewise for patience, just think of the trials and tribulations the most patient person you know has gone through to acquire such a gift.

I talk in my sleep. Or at least I used to when I was younger. Now it's likely drown out by my incessant snorting and snoring. Stick with me here, I'm not digressing (or rabbit-trailing). Well, last night in my sleep, I must have muttered a prayer for both humility and patience. Today was a long, grueling and ultimately disappointing day. And it just goes to show me when I get too smart for my own good, Judge takes me down a notch (or ninety). Don't get me wrong, as Hettie would say, "He's a good man.". Powerful words from Granny.

If I had it in the house, I would line up three shots of tequila. Just to test the theory that it would bring on a foggy haze for the night. Three shots....

But I won't my daddy raised a better girl than that (and I turn beet red if I drink alcohol). Later folks.

Better than a soap opera...

In my line of work, I see all kinds. Sometimes, my conduct in the courtroom is just for the sake of spectacle. I admit it. I love the drama that people bring shoved into their pockets, twitching in their jacket and crumpled up in their "papers". So many of the parents I encounter have too much excitement in their lives. Good and bad. I digress.

Confession #1 - I try at the highest level of effort to be polite to everyone in court. That's everyone attorneys, staff, parties, professionals and the milieu of friends, family and freaks that accompany each of these. But, just to say I am polite does not mean that I don't have heavy doses of sarcasm and lures into pitfalls laced in my pleasantries. Okay. I confess. If I'm being a little too nice to you, watch out. I can't be trusted. Just ask my brother.

Confession #2 - I'm a snob. Not an ordinary snob, but maybe a "reverse snob". If you're the kind of person who was in a sorority, fraternity, homecoming queen or any similar stereotype, I'll likely pour my pleasantries (see confession #1) on you. And joke behind your back that you likely still write in dot letters.

But I've got to say, if you are one of my favorite peeps and then I find out you were a Freddie (as in Freddy Fraternity) or a Susie (as in Susie Sorority), then I am always quick to respect that you have advanced so far and overcome such a handicap.

But enough confessions, I digress. See this bag? It's a Coach and you, too, can fetch one for a mere $388. Bonus points go to Stanley for spotting in the courtroom this week on the shoulder of....... you guessed - one of those parents with too much excitement in her life. Way to go Stanley.

Soap opera. Later folks.

More Hettie ...

I don't know exactly what it is that opened the gates, but I am more and more like my grandmother daily. While I sat in the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church in midtown Memphis, it was as if I could feel not see Hettie with her hand laying on her leg in a half fist around a Kleenex tapping to emphasize her joy at hearing good music. Aaron Copeland's arrangement of Shall We Gather at the River was performed by a male soloist. It made me cry. Then the congregation, as lead by the choir sang acapella the hymn Take My hand, Precious Lord and I promise I heard Mahalia Jackson over my shoulder. It was powerful.

That was when I knew Hettie was sharing her spirit with me. Then, the next day I heard Steven Curtis Chapman's I Will Be Here while plundering in a thrift shop in Southhaven, MS. There I was, hiding my tears while looking at handbags. Turns out the song was a mega-hit in the early 90s and played at a zillion weddings, but I'd never heard it. This week, my friend Julie had me on the search to find her fave tear-jerker, I Can Only Imagine.

So turn up the volume. Restart the song and sob with me, friend.
P.S. The song may no longer be loaded..... if needed - stop the player above to the right and click here

NOT my favorite way to travel, but there are advantages

I haven't heard an update on the Leer jet availability (hint hint Janette), but did anyone see the rates to New Orleans lately? Wow! Right now it's $201 from Little Rock, not terrible but not yet great.

Where did today go?

It was beautiful outside. Warm in the low 50s. Which is excellent since Mary Kate played in a cold, icy creek with a friend today. She jumped from ledgerock to ledgerock, but somehow her socks were wet.

My supercalifragilistikexpialidocious father and husband gave up their beautiful day to travel south of Marshall. As usual, they stepped up and went above and beyond. I think I owe them each a caramel cake (kind of like kudos but gooey-er).

I tried my hand at making caramel cake this week and did pretty well. Not as good as Walker's at the Germantown Commissary, but still great cake. Here's the recipe I used. Kev says its best served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But hey, what in life isn't?

Cool beans.

Frog, Fox...... Crane? The relaxing art of origami

Mary Kate and I enjoyed the ancient Japanese art of origami tonight. Specifically, we made paper cranes. While in Memphis last week, Stanley and I saw the traveling exhibit from the Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima, Japan, and heard a speaker about the paper crane project. An ancient Japanese children's story says that if you make 1000 paper cranes and fill each one with a wish, after the 1000th crane, the wish will come true. The Children's Peace Monument in Japan has thousands of chains of paper cranes sent from children from all over the world. Mary Kate and I made our own paper cranes. I'll scan the instructions and share here. Maybe we'll make a few chains and send them to the Project.

More details: http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/heiwa/crane.html

Memphis - Music, Food and Fellowship

I spent the past weekend in Memphis. A fabulous time. Of course, a large part of the trip revolved around "road food". I'll post details at later dates. I think I want to start a "road food" map of my own with reviews of the places I've eaten on my road trips.

I, once again, loved my stay at hostel and enjoyed being in such an international atmosphere. This weekend visitors included a dozen or so international students from Georgia Tech in town for the Martin Luther King holiday. Students were from Sweden, France, Egypt and other places I can't remember.

I went to First Congregational Church on Sunday morning and experienced a worship service that was.... filled to the brim with worship. Unbelievable. Music that brought tears to my eyes. I'll see if I can find a sample and post here.

South Third Street in Memphis at almost one o’clock in the morning on Saturday is an interesting place to find Mississippi Black Snake Handlers.... Just ask Susie Stanley.

New Favorite Place in the World (one of many)

Fayetteville Public Library... Wow, what a place! They have cds, dvds, audiobooks and gazillions of other things that you can check out. A library card is free. There are stacks and stacks and stacks of books. It is an awesome library. Beautiful.

A new start

Anybody found real motivation for exercise?

Do I have to?

It's Tuesday and I wish it were Sunday, again.

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Englemans

It was snowing. I'm not sure, but I think I was twelve (12) years old. It was definitely after 1981 because we had the dining room addition on the house which we didn't add until after the tornado in 1981. I remember looking through the window and seeing someone (a very large someone) walking out of the woods and across the yard in a beeline toward the house. This person was shuffling and pulling something with a rope that looked like a frozen turkey. This is the first time I remember meeting Jay Engleman. He was big, near 300 pounds. He claimed to be a gourmet chef, but I can't remember him holding down a job except in brief spurts and never as a chef. So, here he came to our house dragging his chainsaw on an overturned hubcap through the snow. The Englemans had recently moved into a spot at the end of the "Junk Road". They lived in an olive drab army tent. An old one made of waxed canvas with leaky seams and heavy flaps. It was obvious Jay must have already met my dad, because he knew where to go for help. He said he was out of wood. Think about it. They lived in a tent and were heating with wood and venting out through the top flap on the tent.
My dad could fix anything. So, he fixed the chainsaw, grabbed his own Husquavarna monster (affectionately named "Marcelle Ledbetter") and went about fixing it. Within days, my dad and several men from our church had built a small shack out of scrap lumber on the tiny clearing for the Englemans. They lived out there for many years, but eventually moved off. Thomas walked to our house to catch the school bus in the morning. He was always hungry and ready to eat breakfast with us. He had every Star Wars toy made. But no water for a bath and no breakfast. There were no other houses on Junk Road and we road our bikes through there often since it let us avoid the steep hills near our house. We found several paper bags filled with dried paint, often in shiny metallic colors like silver and gold leaf. Jay claimed the metallics gave a better buzz. Those years were filled with sad, tragic glimpses into their life. They stayed several years, but eventually moved off.

I don't remember? but Kev says I never do

This past Sunday I spent about eight (8) hours trolling the mall in Muskogee, OK (song). I say "trolling" but I definitely was without any specific prey, only to kill eight hours. So, I spent a good amount of time in a Waldenbooks. Waldenbooks just pales in comparison to Barnes and Noble. The stores remind me more of the shops at an airport than a legitimate bookstore. There's no atmosphere. I digress.

Anyway, there's a whole section of books, calendars and such related to the countdown until Bush is out of office and his political circus. I recall that during the last half of Clinton's second term there was lots of scandal and hub bub about his personal life. But, what I don't remember is any book or much political commentary about how he may or may not have caused any domestic or global turmoil, awakening or revival.

So, refresh my memory. But, if we step outside and look at this from a historical perspective, there is little value to be salvaged from this presidential tenure.