As Time Stands Still...

Today my mother asked me to copy some old photos for her. I love looking at old photos and I thought I would share a few of them with you, as in the only place that time ever stands still is in photographs.

To the left here is a picture taken around 1955. In it my grandmother Jezzie holds her daughter Arlene (Jib) and is standing beside her step daughter Hermajean. Mom said Hermajean was about twelve in this photo. Both my grandmother and my aunt Hermajean are dead now. One died in 1985 and the other in 1986.

The photo here on the right was taken the same day as the one above on the left per my mother. It's again of her mom and her sister Arlene.

The next picture is of my mom's mother and what she believes to be her baby sister Susie that died when she was a small child. It was also taken on the same day there in 1955.

This next picture here on the right shows a cousin of mom's, then her brother Orbin followed by another cousin and then of course the girl in the picture is my mother.

This last picture starting back row left is my uncle Ray, my uncle Orbin, my uncle Jr, my uncle Ellis, Front row left is my brother Ritchie, my uncle Robert, my grandmother and me in front of her holding my cousin Orbin Ray, my mom behind me, my aunt Arlene holding my cousin Nickii Michelle. This picture was taken around 1977 I believe. Ritchie correct me if I am wrong. So time stands still in photos only, but sometimes just a little in our mind as we look at them. So many changes since those days... Just thought thought I would share some old photos. After all there are so many things we can learn about life and history in these delicate memories of days gone by.

A Time To Kill...

No, no, no! I am not out for blood here. I just thought I would take a moment to suggest, if anyone is looking, a good book and a great movie to you for consideration. If you haven't seen the movie "A Time To Kill", you really should. The movie stars, Mathew McConaughey (always a pleasure to look at), Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland (Keifer's daddy in real life), Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Ashley Judd. Now how can anyone argue with a cast like that to begin with? The story is simple but it keeps you hooked whether you are watching the movie or reading the book. Two good old boys in Mississippi rape and brutalize a ten year old girl of color. Then her dad does what I think any dad would want to do. He takes their lives. The attorney played by Mathew McConaughey, takes on the case of defending this dad in a mostly white, somewhat redneck community. It is a movie and a book that is sure to make one think and I personally could not help but put myself in the place of the characters. How far would you go to prove someone innocent if you felt you would have done the same thing in their shoes? This is the question that faces the young attorney. As he struggles to fight the nagging thought that he too might have done the same had they done this to his daughter he also struggles to save his marriage and his dying business all at the same time. The book is, as are most books, more detailed and goes into quiet a bit more character development. Either way both are a win win if you're looking for a good movie or a good read. I have both so if you're a friend you can always see me for a loaner. ;)

The Guiding Light Has Burned Out!

Soap Opera's... What can one really say. These daytime shows were once the accredited highlight of the average house wife's day. They were geared towards making her day a little less hum drum and dreary and giving her a fantasy world to escape to for a brief period of time. They also gave sponsors the opportunity to peddle their goods that promised this house wife that she could simply be perfect and make her families lives more than anything they could possibly ever dream of. These alternate reality shows though are fading fast. The days of the leisurely lounging house wife between loads of laundry and vacuuming have long since faded into the back ground. Growing up I recall my mom watching these as she did her daily chores. I do mean daily too. You could and still can eat off my mom's floor with no worry of germs or dirt. Mom watched such shows as "Edge of Night", "Another World", "Days of Our Lives" and yes, "The Guiding Light". Each of these has slowly died out and fizzled. "Edge of Night" was only a thirty minute soap and it generally came on in the morning as I recall. It ran from April of 1956 until December of 1984. "Another World" usually came on in the late afternoon around three or so. I admittedly watched this one from the time I was around twelve until it went off the air. "Another World" aired from May of 1964 until June of 1999. I have also watched such soaps as "Santa Barbara" which aired from July of 1984 until January of 1993 and "Passions" which aired from July of 1999 until August of 2008. I also must admit that I have since a little girl and still do watch "Days of Our Lives". "Days" first aired in November of 1965 and has been optioned through 2010. From there it is an unknown as to what the shows future may or may not be. As for "Guiding Light", as it was called after 1975, I watched it for a while, but lost interest in it before I ever saw the age of twenty. My mom found she needed one less to watch and stopped watching it a few years back as well. There will be no going back to watch this show again though as it has seen it's final day. "Guiding Light", which is accredited by the "Guinness Book of World Records" as being the longest running soap opera in production aired from January 1937 (Radio/CBS) to September 18, 2009. They taped their last show on August 11, 2009 (television/CBS). Ironically in my mind, which is admittedly a scary place to be, August 11Th is my mom and dads wedding anniversary. Either way the people of Springfield (the town in the show) have all closed up shop and said good night to that era. Yes the soap opera is a dying thing. Trust me when I say that once "Days" is off air I will not watch any more of them myself, but for now I will continue to watch. I kind of miss those days gone by. I know most women are for equal rights and I was probably just born in the wrong age because I kind of believe I would have liked staying at home and being a house wife. Then again we'll never know now will we. For now the guiding light of soaps has grown dim as do the days of our lives.

Forty Percent? Not Quite!

First and foremost let me state that I love shopping at Borders... I'm just slightly annoyed by them at the moment.

If you have a borders card then you are probably like me and you are constantly getting coupons from them either in the mail or in your email. I could waste a whole paycheck in this store. I love going in there but rarely do because I really don't like the thought of being broke. So today I dropped in there because I had a coupon for forty-percent off DVD sets. I am currently wanting the 3-Pack DVD of Star Trek that has "The Wrath of Kahn", "The Search for Spock", and "The Voyage Home" on it as well as The "Reba" series and the "Hero's" series, particularly season two. So I thought I would go over and check them out. Now I expect them to be a couple of dollars higher than Meijers or Walmarts. It just goes with the type of store it is. I didn't expect them to be ten dollars a set higher. Meijers has the Star Trek and Hero's sets for $29.99 each. So it surprised me that Borders had them listed for $39.99 each. Also I know with the forty-percent off coupon I would still get a savings because it would bring them down to $23.99 each, but it really irritated me and got under my skin that they were so marked up and probably due to the fact that they were going to run this little special of theirs. So as in I really need to watch my spending anyhow and I'm really broke this check I left with nothing. I didn't even look at anything else. It just plain aggravated me to the point that I didn't even want to be in their store. I'm just saying... Love Borders most of the time, but I am thinking it will be a while before I go back.

Day Dreaming...

So today for the second time in two weeks I scheduled an "all me" day. I know that may seem silly, but I think it's part of my healing myself emotionally and physically. I need me time. I took myself to lunch and then to a movie. Then afterwards I went to walk the trails because the sun was out and shinning and as far as I could tell there was no sign of rain to be found... shows one what I know. I've found that as I walk sometimes I think about things that are on my mind and sometimes I actually just listen to the music on the radio or even a talk show host or two to get opinions. Then there are days like today where I totally don't want to think about anything realistic and I find myself off in my mind on a wild adventure like Indiana Jones. I think day dreams are a natural and healthy way to escape the daily pressures of every day life. My problem is I don't always pay as good of attention as I should when I get in these day dream states. I have a really good imagination and trust me when I say I can get totally lost in nothing but my own mind. I suppose that is why I love reading and have spent a little more time on it lately. One can go anywhere they want while reading a good book. You get to imagine what the characters in the book look like and how they might actually react to real life situations. If they were real that is. So my intent was to walk about an hour and a half to two hours. After all my day was about me and I actually have gotten to I love my walks. I noticed about forty minutes into my walk that there was sunshine with some white clouds, nothing too major to worry about. Then starting on my last turn of the walk I saw the black and grey clouds and I had come to the conclusion that it had to be my last turn. I was only fifty-five minutes into my walk so it was a little depressing that I would have to end my walk before I was ready to return to reality. As I came around the path that headed back to my car though the clouds decided they couldn't wait five more minutes for me to be done with my walk. It was as if someone had turned a huge pitcher of water and poured it over my head. The rain was beating down so hard I could not see well to walk towards the car. I don't run, so that wasn't happening. I am working on it though and maybe some day. By the time I got to my car I was soaked from head to toe. I was no longer hot at least. I had an extra shirt in the car so I quickly put my jacket on the seat and sat down. I took my shoes and socks off and then I quickly took my shirt off and put on the other one that was in the car. It felt warm against my skin. Yes I had gotten so lost in my own thoughts and my own day dream that I hadn't taken as much time as I should have to noticed that mother nature was about to give me a lesson in making sure I take that umbrella along on days like this or making sure I have a complete change of clothes in the car and a towel. Old man weather got the last laugh too as he quickly brought the sunshine back out to play about ten minutes later that is. Either way I love day dreaming. Where do you go when you day dream?

Let Them Eat Cake?

I love getting together with friends. It doesn't matter if we all get together just to sit and talk or to play games. Saturday we got together for "game" night. After playing a couple of rounds of Apple to Apple it was decided it was desert time. So what is a person to have? Well thanks to Scott we had a very new desert to try... Not really sure what we decided it should be called, but he did his best to be very creative and a little on the healthier side of desert. I love when people are not afraid to experiment and try new things. So we had this Angel food cake with Cherries and cream cheese and just a hint of pineapple on it. All the way around I enjoyed it because more than anything it was FUN.

Dream Like Days

Some days life can be almost dream like. By stating it's dream like I am not stating it's good or bad. I am simply implying that one might feel as if they are standing on the outside of their own body watching their life as it plays out. Today has been kind of like that for me. I woke up way too early. Not sure of what the uneasy feeling was that caused me not to be able to sleep. I suppose it could be a million things. Lord knows there are enough things on my plate or my mind. I have a house project of cleaning and organizing that I just can't seem to get done. I am working on it nightly though. I have financial stress; however, I rarely let that take me past an oh well I will do what I can stage. Work has been more than unusually stressful on all levels. It seems to me to be more than usually busy. Then there is stress of my "ill" feelings about children being medicated into submission, but seeing as how I really don't want to cause anymore stress to anyone else I'll keep going on past that one. There is also the intuitive side of me that feels others emotions. It's on overload these days. So many people under so much stress. Summer is also coming to an end. That always leaves me bluesy. I really need to live where there is warm weather all year round. If my family wasn't here I would. I have another injury. Seems like I am injury prone these days. My right leg right above the ankle. Makes walking really fun let me tell you. Last night I wrapped it in towels with Epsom salts on them. Don't know how I did it, but I have a knot right above the ankle and above that there is a four inch square area that is red and hot to the touch. The salts and stuff worked last night... The wraps took the swelling and redness away, but today after standing at Target and merchandising it is back. Don't worry I will walk on my lunch break though. I have come to far to let this little set back stop me. Then the final straw on the camels back today is that I got my reminder letter to schedule my six month follow up mammogram. Six months. Wow! Time does go fast. It left a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I called my insurance to make sure my exam would be covered and then as I called Lutheran Hospital to get the exam scheduled. I suspect they will find nothing has changed and that everything is OK; however, one never knows. So yes today has been dream like. I am here and living it, yet somehow detached and almost emotionless to some degree. Perhaps this lack luster reaction to today is caused by lack of sleep. I am not sure, but I do suspect it's just a part of life and that everyone has these days. Tomorrow I have a game night to look forward to with friends. That should perk me up. Enjoy your summer days you have left. One truly never knows if it could be their last.