It's the season to be thankful and I certainly am. This great country, family and friends, good health, and the good food are primary reasons to be thankful for most people, but along with these, I present the following things for which I am very thankful.
1) I am thankful that I live out in the sticks. I can often see deer or turkey out back of my house along with a group of resident squirrels that enjoy the hickory nut trees on the edge of the woods. In the springtime the smell of honeysuckle permeates the air with a fragrance like no other, and in the heat of the summer I enjoy working a garden and sitting on the porch late in the evening with my wife ( mostly listening to her account of the day). Hunting or fishing provides for much entertainment year round, so, I'll take the country living anytime.
2) At my age I am thankful that I still have teeth!...well most of them anyway. I have lost two or three over the years, each damaged playing football in my youth which contributed to their demise. Yesterday I chomped down on a bite of hamburger steak with a bone shaving in it and broke another of my enameled jewels...looks like it will have to go as well. I hate it, but, at least so far it doesn't hurt and I still have plenty left!
3) I am thankful for expressions of the south. Southerners say things to each other that only they can understand. Here are a few examples:
"Bless ye heart!".....an expression of sympathy, love, consideration, exclamation at circumstance
"Happy as": a) a pig in the sunshine, b) a duck in the water, c) a baby "knawin" on his first chicken
bone ( and many more).....blissfulness
"Like a mule staring at a new gate"....confusion, caution, hesitation
"A long row to hoe".... A difficult task...time consuming task..etc.
" treated like a red headed step child"... being ignored or put aside
"crazy like a fox"....presenting oneself dumber than he really is
" he's got rabbits in that briar patch"..... He needs a hair cut
" hotter than a $2 pistol.....reference to a pretty woman; reference to a sports team on a winning
streak or an individual player performing at a high level
"even a blind hog will find an acorn once in a while"....encouragement to persevere
"Old as Methusala".... Description of an elderly person
There are many, many more!
4) I am thankful for SEC football. This season has provided some great games and I really believe it's
the best conference in America. Certainly the conference winner and possibly a couple more
should play for the national championship this year...trouble is, by the end of the season all the
SEC teams are so beat up from playing each other, it might be difficult to beat a healthy Florida
State or Oregon team who has played a much lighter schedule!
5) I am thankful for the smells of the holidays and the sound of children playing. The aromas of the different foods cooking and the anticipation of the mouthwatering goodness along with the squeals of laughter coming from children having a good time provide a sense of contentment like none other!
6) I am thankful that I still sleep through the night. I seldom have to get up during the night and I wake up feeling rested and ready to meet the day.
7) I am thankful for new underwear...silly I guess, but true nonetheless! It didn't use to matter much as I was younger but now it's a wonderful feeling to put on a new pair of underwear that fits like it's supposed to fit...feels mighty good!
8) I am thankful for gas logs...a wonderful invention! I know how hard it is to heat a big house with firewood in open fireplaces or inserted wood heaters, and I know how expensive it is to run central heat. With one turn of a knob, I have instant heat, something you can back up to, the unit is thermostatically controlled, and the propane is affordable....a marvelous thing!
9) I am thankful for veterans. These men and women deserve the utmost admiration. My Dad and Uncles along with many others in our area served in World War II and Korea, many my age went to Vietnam, I have a son in law who has been to Afghanistan twice. Their valiant and heroic service has allowed me to live a most blessed life and I am very thankful for what they have done for me. God bless every one of them.
10) I am thankful for love...the love of God who sent His own Son to offer us eternal life, the love of Jesus who offered Himself a living sacrifice for us all, the love of the Holy Spirit who remains within us today to guide us through life, the love of my wife and children and their families...my legacy if you will...that comforts and sustains me, and the love of my Christian brothers and sisters who support and encourage me.
These are just ten things that I am thankful for. Some may seem odd to the reader, and I suppose they are, but, to a man like me, based on my life and experiences, they are truly reasons to be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
A typical day...Busy, busy, busy!
I am astonished at how much there is to do with my time now that I have retired. I honestly don't know how I got it all done while I was working.....guess I just let a lot of stuff go.(no reference to "Frozen" intended!)
Knowing that I have decent remodeling skills, my wife gently demanded that I rework her kitchen cabinets again. Of course I agreed and after a trip or two to the local building materials store for paints and new cabinet hardware, I was ready to begin. By today's standards, we have a small kitchen, but, that thing is full of cabinets that were hand made when I built my house back in the 70's. There are 24 doors and 9 drawers as well as the facings all coated with a dark wood stain. Over the past two weeks, I have removed, sanded, stain blocked, painted (2 coats), and replaced it all, and I must say...it looks pretty good!
Yesterday, Thinking I was about through and deserving a restful, fiddle around day, I had just settled into my chair when I hear, "We need to replace the contact paper on the shelves...I'm gonna run up to the dollar store and get some...be back in a little." I'm thinking this won't be too bad, just peel and stick..right?
The old paper comes right out, my wife uses it to cut the new paper then peels back about a foot of the slick paper. It's to be my job to hold one end while she " works" the sticky end into place...trouble is, the lower shelf is 4" off the floor! Hands and knees and backsides are the only way to go, so, down we go!
If you've never seen two 60+ year old people flopping around on the floor, well, just wait...you'll probably be there someday. We managed to get the shelf covered and then we looked at each other both thinking the same thing...how in the world are we going to get up? We both unfurl our legs and attempt to rise but we are both tall people and the space in the kitchen floor is tight, so, we knock each other around a little and then I say "time out...one at the time, me first!" I manage to get my knees under me and raise myself up, then I grab her hands and pull her up....flexibility is a fleeting thing for sure!
Today, I was putting the finishing touches on the cabinet doors when my cell phone rings. It is a fellow trustee of our church calling. A new commode was needed in the parsonage and he had it in his truck and he just wondered if I could maybe come down there and put it in. So here I go down to the church already sore as the devil from the previous day shelf paper extravaganza. Truthfully, putting in a new pot is a one-man job and I was the one man. My friend is a great organizer and facilitator, but, not much on actually doing the work...but...I knew this a forehand so, I begin to take out the old pot. Invariably, the nuts on the commode bolts will not come off easily, and I wind up on my knees with my head stuck down under the pot for nearly an hour before they finally come off. I then put the new commode together and set it up quickly ...no leaks!
While all this is taking place, my wife calls from her cousin's house and says " She's bought a new couch and she's giving me her old one and it's just what I've always wanted... Come get it!" I tell her what I'm doing and that I'll be on as soon as I can. I'm thinking " What's wrong with the couch we have? I wonder how heavy it is. What will we do with the one we have? How am I going to move it by myself?". Anyway, I go get the couch, load it in my truck, haul it home, back it up to the front porch steps, wrestle it out onto the porch then through the front door...whew!
Tonight as I write this post, I know tomorrow brings my annual wellness checkup at the doctor's office and probably a stint in Walmart. After that, who knows? In any case, I am very grateful that I am blessed with good health at my age and as happy as a pig in the sunshine to stay... " Busy, busy, busy!
Knowing that I have decent remodeling skills, my wife gently demanded that I rework her kitchen cabinets again. Of course I agreed and after a trip or two to the local building materials store for paints and new cabinet hardware, I was ready to begin. By today's standards, we have a small kitchen, but, that thing is full of cabinets that were hand made when I built my house back in the 70's. There are 24 doors and 9 drawers as well as the facings all coated with a dark wood stain. Over the past two weeks, I have removed, sanded, stain blocked, painted (2 coats), and replaced it all, and I must say...it looks pretty good!
Yesterday, Thinking I was about through and deserving a restful, fiddle around day, I had just settled into my chair when I hear, "We need to replace the contact paper on the shelves...I'm gonna run up to the dollar store and get some...be back in a little." I'm thinking this won't be too bad, just peel and stick..right?
The old paper comes right out, my wife uses it to cut the new paper then peels back about a foot of the slick paper. It's to be my job to hold one end while she " works" the sticky end into place...trouble is, the lower shelf is 4" off the floor! Hands and knees and backsides are the only way to go, so, down we go!
If you've never seen two 60+ year old people flopping around on the floor, well, just wait...you'll probably be there someday. We managed to get the shelf covered and then we looked at each other both thinking the same thing...how in the world are we going to get up? We both unfurl our legs and attempt to rise but we are both tall people and the space in the kitchen floor is tight, so, we knock each other around a little and then I say "time out...one at the time, me first!" I manage to get my knees under me and raise myself up, then I grab her hands and pull her up....flexibility is a fleeting thing for sure!
Today, I was putting the finishing touches on the cabinet doors when my cell phone rings. It is a fellow trustee of our church calling. A new commode was needed in the parsonage and he had it in his truck and he just wondered if I could maybe come down there and put it in. So here I go down to the church already sore as the devil from the previous day shelf paper extravaganza. Truthfully, putting in a new pot is a one-man job and I was the one man. My friend is a great organizer and facilitator, but, not much on actually doing the work...but...I knew this a forehand so, I begin to take out the old pot. Invariably, the nuts on the commode bolts will not come off easily, and I wind up on my knees with my head stuck down under the pot for nearly an hour before they finally come off. I then put the new commode together and set it up quickly ...no leaks!
While all this is taking place, my wife calls from her cousin's house and says " She's bought a new couch and she's giving me her old one and it's just what I've always wanted... Come get it!" I tell her what I'm doing and that I'll be on as soon as I can. I'm thinking " What's wrong with the couch we have? I wonder how heavy it is. What will we do with the one we have? How am I going to move it by myself?". Anyway, I go get the couch, load it in my truck, haul it home, back it up to the front porch steps, wrestle it out onto the porch then through the front door...whew!
Tonight as I write this post, I know tomorrow brings my annual wellness checkup at the doctor's office and probably a stint in Walmart. After that, who knows? In any case, I am very grateful that I am blessed with good health at my age and as happy as a pig in the sunshine to stay... " Busy, busy, busy!
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