Still finding time to read

Just finished a good book. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende. It is a historical novel, seems that's what I read any more. The setting starts in Chile, 1843 and follows this girl into adulthood and her journey to find her sweetheart who went to the gold rush in Ca. A great way to learn some history that is not found in the history books and get a feel for what life was like back then.

Have started another one that is a sort of mystery that jumps back and forth from the present to the 11th century and linking these 2 women together to reveal a secret. The title is Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.

I am sure I will get off on some other subject soon. I have a couple of Deepok Chopra's newer books, but have to read them in bits and pieces and then read it again. The Third Jesus is very interesting and I think he has some real insight that we can all learn from without taking anything away from what you may already believe. That is what I like about him. He is not trying to browbeat anyone into accepting his beliefs. Just opening the door to make us think for ourselves and follow our own journey.

Had my first massage therapy session yesterday. I can tell you it won't be my last. Have been having alot of trouble with the muscles across my back and shoulders and neck. I am fine all day and can work in the yard and at the gym but when I lay down in bed it starts hurting and really messes up my sleep. Have tried the chiropractor and no change. I followed my gut feeling (something we need to do more often) and felt I needed the muscles worked on, not my spine. So we will see. I know that it made it worse for last nite I slept very little after 2 AM. So I am hoping that a couple sessions will loosen up the muscles and get the knots and tightness out of them.

Thought for the day: "Spirituality isn't something I believe in. It is what and who I am: a spiritual being having a human experience, as the French philosopher and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin profoundly said."

Guess we will just have to walk!

Gas just went up 20 cents per gal. in the last 2 days!!! That makes it 3.79 in our little community. How can they do that? It is crimminal! Of course it has nothing to do with Memorial Day Weekend, right. We are so stupid if we believe that. Of course IF it goes down it will be by 2 or 3 cents at a time and we will be so grateful.

I have no thought for the day, I am just MAD.

Girls with beer bellies

Did you ever post something that you regretted later. That was what I had done with this post, so now I am deleting it and leaving this apology. I think I was a little judgemental and could have been hurtful to some folks, even if I don't know you I have no right to do that. So there you have it. My first retraction.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its off to work I go!

Well I did it. I broke down and applied for a job, (only the "partest" time job I could get) I really don't want to work. (beats fist on table) But business has been so slow at the book store I just felt I needed to dust off my nursing skills and pick up a little work. Actually I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. I will be working one shift a week at a place called Health and Rehab. It is a skilled nursing facility. I put my application in Mon. and did the pee test, and they called me on Wed to ask when I wanted to come in and get orientation started. So there you have it.

Things are going well with the gal that moved in out to our little farm. We have been getting the rest of our stuff out of the garage. I was out there this morning and it was so sad to see her stuff piled up, all covered with mud and so much has something broken. Bless her heart, she was happy to have her two old rockers, just need to do some gluing and cleaning. It is strange to see what got ruined and some fragile things like ceramic birdhouses not a chip. She is in love with the place and really wants to buy it, so I hope when the dust settles she can do just that. Maybe this was meant to be. She is getting the electricity switched to her name today. Maybe if she can buy it, I can negotiate with the agent and say, hey I found my buyer, can you come down on your commission?? Seems fair to me. When we sold our house in Nv. we found our own buyer and the agent got all the commission. I thought that was stinking. Boy I bet those folks are sorry they bought that place, it was when the market was high and now I know it is worth alot less than they paid for! So glad we got out when we did. Nevada is one of the states that has had the most foreclosures.

Thought for the day:Worry looks around, Sorry looks back, Faith looks up.

Tornado! Wow, where to start?

Saturday's big tornado in SW Mo was too close. It is true what they say. It sounds like a train coming.
There are many stories and there are 14 dead in our county so far. More when you count the ones in Oklahoma. So my story is pretty insignificant, but to say I am here and unharmed and family is OK. But here it is.

We were having a family gathering at my Brother's house for our oldest brother who came in from NC. I have 2 sisters in the area also. We were seeing the sky looking bad and knew we were in for a storm. So both sisters headed home. One a few blocks away and the other about 12 miles. Just after they left the sirens started, so we 4 that were left at the house started watching the sky. Suddenly we heard the train sound and the lights went out. We crowded in the bathroom with the dogs in arms. (one was hiding under the bed) In a few min. we peaked out and the sky was real bright. Found some huge hail balls in the yard. And started hearing all kinds of police and ambulance sirens. I went home about 10 miles to the so. and was shocked by what I saw. I will post a couple pictures here but it is just the tip. Seems the tornado came out of Oklahoma, and made a path across country and hit the west and south side of our little town and then kept going. Many houses lost. Haven't heard a count yet.

We have one family that we heard their story and our old neighbor from out to our farm is a very good friend of this gal, Debbie is a single mom with a 7 year old daughter. She, her daughter, her boyfriend, and the Old neighbor with her 2 kids were in Debbie's trailer house so of town when it hit. They tried to get out and it was to late, the boyfriend was sucked thru a glass door and cut real bad. The rest were all thrown out on the deck and as the trailer began to twist apart, they were all, and I repeat ALL thrown into a huge hole where just a few min before a big tree had stood. Then the trailer house rolled over the top of them!! I still get chills just thinking about it. Debbie said she just knew she was going to die. The boyfriend spent a couple days in ICU and is home now to recuperate.

You know how when you hear about a disaster you always wish you could do something to help. Well we decided that we have a house sitting empty waiting to sell out to our little 20 acre farm, which is on the north side of town. So we offered it to Debbie to live in for awhile. It sure won't hurt us any and will give her some time to get things figured out. She has a couple of horses and they are OK and will be put in the pasture. I just feel grateful to be able to do something that will help someone.

So that is it for now from SW Missouri. My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering from their losses. There was 2 families who lost multiple lives. One was husb, wife, and 2 kids that the house fell in on them. And another that had 3 family members. We saw on the news this morning that a 21 year old firefighter died in the hospital yesterday from injuries. We was spotting the tornado and getting warnings out to help others.

IF you are safe and sound, count your blessings. We have many!!

Better think before you spend that IRS rebate check!

Folks, here is what will happen to your money:
If we spend the money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China.
If we spend it on gasoline, it will go to the Arabs.
If we purchase a computer, it will go to India.
If we purchase fruits and vegetables, it will go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
If we purchase a good car, it will go to Japan.
If we purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan.

None of which will help the American Economy.
We need to keep that money here in America.
The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it at yard sales, since those are the only businesses left in the U.S. where the money still stays in America.

Beer is cheaper than Gas??

Someone sent this to me in an e-mail. Made me remember the local gas station that quit posting its price. His sign just says Gas is High, Beer is Cheap. I laughed about it then asked my husband what would a gallon of beer cost and realized we could put beer in the gas tank cheaper! Now there is a thought.

Had a beautiful 2 days off. Built planter boxes, yes that was me out with the power saw and hammer. I am sort of handy that way. Makes me real proud of the results. Only needed help with the landscape timbers that I used across the front of one of the boxes, hubby had to fire up the chain saw to make my cuts for me. But used recycled redwood fencing boards for the rest. We have a recycle place locally that we can get a good soil mix real cheap. I think I mentioned it before. And we got several huge bags of Miracle Grow potting soil for 2$ a bag. They had been damaged and have tape over the ends. Who cares. They sell for around 15$ a bag in the store. Still having fun feeding the orioles. Have a nephew who is a photographer who wants to come over and stake out a spot to get some pictures. I figure we can take the screen off the window and open it up and he can sit in the kitchen real quiet and they will come right up on the porch rail. Should make him bring his own oranges!!

Thought for the day: The 20% rule, You only wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. I think that is true!

Orioles eating us out of house and home!

This isn't a very good pic. but hope to get better ones this weekend. I put a bowl with a chunk of orange on the railing of the back porch this morning and had 5 fighting over it plus at least 4 more in the tree and on the grape jelly. I don't mind the cheaper grape jelly but hey, these oranges are a little expensive. But they are sure pretty birds. I will try to get a short video of them if I can.

My thought for the day came from a friend in Ia. He told me about this message on a tombstone he saw years ago in Texas. Read it slowly and think about it. The poor guy must have suffered alot in his life:

For all the happiness mankind can gain

Its not from joy or pleasure

But relief from pain