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    June 30

    A Visit From an Angel

    It was pointed out to me today that I have not blogged all week.   I've been so busy (our shipping clerk is at an Eagles Convention, that's the lodge not the group) and my creative juices, what little I have, have not been flowing.  Then one of our supervisors came in and brought me this little story.  I'm sure many of you have read it before somewhere but it just seemed like something that needs to be shared.

     

    Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.  The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.  Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.  As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.  When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."  The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor but very hospitable farmer and his wife.  After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.  When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.  Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.  The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, "How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him."  she accused.  "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die. " "Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.  "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in the hole in the wall.  Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it.  Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife.  I gave hime the cow instead.  Things aren't always what they seem." 

     

    Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should.  If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage.  You might not know it until some time later....

     

    Some people come into our lives and quickly go...

    Some people become friends and stay awhile, leaving beautiful footprints on our hearts and we are never quite the same because we have made a good friend.

     

    Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.

    I think this life is special.  Live and savor every moment.  This is not a dress rehearsal

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    June 26

    If Tomorrow Never Comes

     This morning I could think of nothing to write about when out of the blue my friend sent me this e-mail.  I thought it perfect to share with all of you.  I think it is good advice that we all should follow.

     

     A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:

    "This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package."

    He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

    "She got this the first time we went to     New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on; she was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothes he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:

    "Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".

    I still think those words changed my life.

    Now I read more and clean less.

    I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

    I spend more time with my family, and less at work.

    I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through. I no longer keep anything. I use crystal glasses every day.. I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.

    I don't save my special perfume for special occasions; I use it whenever I want to. The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing, listening to or doing, I want to see it, listen to it or do it now. I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.
    She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favorite food. It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come.

    I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... that I wanted to write

    "One of these days".

    I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brother and sisters, son and daughters, not enough times at least, how much I love them.

    Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives.
    And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day.

    Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.


     

     

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    June 23

    A Loving Son


    An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very hard work as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

    Dear Vincent,

    I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over.  I know you would dig the plot for me.

    Love, Dad  

    A few days later he received a letter from his son.

    Dear Dad,

    Don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.

    Love, Vinnie


    At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.  That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

    Dear Dad,

    Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.

    Love, Vinnie

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Reflections of a House

    One of my favorite duties while petsitting is the daily walk.  When I was growing up, we lived in the country and the dogs ran loose on the property.  If I'd come near one with a leash they would have probably rolled over laughing hysterically thinking "where could she possibly take me that I haven't already been today?"  But city dogs seem to enjoy this little event and so every day, sometimes twice, we leash up and head out into the neighborhood.
     
    I'm currently staying in a house that was built in 1943 and so most of the surrounding homes were built in the same time period.  The streets are narrow and lined on both sides with enormous trees.  There are no sidewalks but everyone has pretty much given up a section of their front yard to make walking room.  It's a beautiful neighborhood that I enjoy walking in.
     
    While the dogs are investigating, smelling, marking, eating (refer back to Alvena Marie), and depositing, I like to look at the houses and the yards.  I feel that a house is a reflection of it's owner, an extension of that person.  I like to try and figure what kind of a person/s live in each house.  That being said, I can only imagine what my house says about me.  "Well groomed but vacant."  And it's only well groomed because I've been graciously blessed with a spectacular dad who comes and mows and waters while I'm gone.  But back to the walk. 
     
    On the corner a couple blocks over from where I'm staying is a two-story brick house.  The entire house is brick except for the wood balcony with an attached 10 foot brick fence that surrounds the back yard.  The front yard is enclosed by a 4 foot hedge.  Centered along the front of the yard is a light pole that shines directly onto the front of the house.  The light is not decorative, it's the kind you'd see in a constrution site or in a prison.  You could land small aircraft with the wattage in the bulb!  In the past 2 years I've never seen a curtain or blind open or even a person coming or going from the house.  Now I'm wondering does anyone actually live there?  Maybe it's just a vacant house and the owner's have a yardservice come out everyweek to keep the yard up. Or maybe the people are like that woman in "THE OTHERS."  You know the movie where Nicole Kidman keeps her kids locked in the house with the curtains closed all the time because they're allergic to sunlight when really their dead because she killed them but she doesn't know that. 
     
    Hummm makes you wonder doesn't it?
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    June 22

    The Little Red Car

    When I was a little girl, I remember reading a book about a little red car.  The car was proud to be in the showroom of the local auto place and was pleased when a nice man came and bought him.  The man was good to the little car, making sure he was washed and had proper maintenance.  The little car was very happy and served the man well for many years.  Then one day the man traded the little car in on a new, bigger car.  The little car was very sad as he sat on the used car lot waiting for a new owner.  Then one day a man came and bought him.  This was not a good man.  He did not take care of the little car.  He would get angry when the little car would not perform as he expected.  He didn't was him or service him.  He was a bad man.  The little car tried hard to please him but it was no use.  He was not a new car anymore and could not perform like one.  The bad man sold the little car to a junk yard.  The little car was sad and frightened.  What would become of him? 
     
    Now, this being a children's book, you know it has a happy ending.  And true to form, the little car was found by a teenage boy who took him home, refurbished him, and cherished him as the classic that he was.
     
    Over the years there have been books written and movies made about cars with personalities.  Stephan King's
    "Christine" come to mind first.  Then under the same premise was  a movie simply titled "The Car."  It was not on the same scale as Christine but it scared the bejebbers out of me just the same.  There was the ever loveable "Herbie."  Who wouldn't want a car that would spit motor oil into the face of danger?  And now there's the new Walt Disney feature "Cars." 
     
    This got me to thinking, if my car was actually a living thing, would it be male or female?  What kind of personality would it have?  I'm hoping more Herbie than Christine.  And what would it think of me?  Am I a good person?  Would it tell the other cars that it has a good owner?
     
    I'm sure it's a him as the more babying it gets the better it runs.  I'm thinking he has a Robert Duvall type personality.  He cleans up well but mostly he's just a good ol' boy that's kinda laid back and takes things as they come.  I like him that way.
     
    What's your car like?
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    June 21

    Gentle Rain

    Gently falling Rain
    Falling from the sky
    Streaming down like teardrops
    Teardrops from on high.
    Clouds oh won't you tell us
    what those tears are for.
    Do you weep for something,
    something we've ignored?
     
     
    I love rain.  There's nothing like its soft gentle lilt on the rooftop at night or the sweet smell it leaves behind.  It's wonderful to sit on the front porch with a glass of iced tea and watch the rain fall, cooling the air, bringing nutrients to the earth. But the person who invented the rainfall shower head was a nutcase!
     
    I mention this as the house where I am currently staying (I'm back with Alvena Marie) has a guest shower from hell.  The shower head was practically the same size as the water pipe and after 20 years of sand and calcification it did not spray through all the holes.  So when I arrived the other day and discovered that a new shower head had been installed I was overcome with joy!!  No longer would I have to stand with my face pressed against the tiles so that I could wash the upper half of my person while the only other water spray from this nozzle sandblasted divits into my butt.  A real shower!!!  And not only was it a new shower nozzle but it's one of those fancy schmancy ones that you can take down.  I could now rinse my lower half without contorting myself into weird yoga poses.  I was giddy with anticipation.
     
    It was short lived though.  That evening I went in and turned on the hot water (you have to let it run for a while.  Even though the hotwater tank is in the next room, the pipes have it traveling to Brazil and back) and went to get my pj's.  When I opened the shower to step in my heart dropped.  This was not a rain shower it was a semi drizzle.  Where's the water?!?!  Well, maybe it's because I just have the hot water on.  I'll turn on the cold and that should add some juice to this drip.  Oooooooh, water came shooting out at an astronomical rate!  I could fill a water glass in 5 minutes with this much pressure.  I'm taking a shower!!!  I don't want scattered sprinkles, I want a thunderstorm, I want deluge, I want...Niagra Falls coming out of the faucet!
    There is just something inherently wrong with a shower head that when running full blast cannot hit you in the face when held like a sprinkler.
     
    Now you might be asking yourself at this point, why doesn't she just use the shower in the master bath?  This is an excellent question and the reason is that after 2 years, I still have not been able to figure out how to turn it on!  I've twisted, pulled, pushed, and all I've managed to get out is a drip.  There must be some secret to it but I have yet to find it.  So, no shower, how about a bath?  There are 2 bath tubs in the house, one is even a jacuzzi tub.  This would be nice.  It always looks nice on TV, anyway; however, I've never cared for baths and the fact that I spend 1/2 my day being licked,  rubbed, and sat on by dogs.  I do not think that I want to sit in a tub of dog slobber and dirt.  It just doesn't sound overly appealing to me.   For those of you who likes baths, I say, more power to ya.
     
    So I'm back to the guest shower where I stand and let the rain gently fall upon my shoulders.  It gives new meaning to the phrase "spit bath."
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    June 16

    Blonde Carpenters

     
    Two blonds, Carol and Donna, were doing some carpentry work on a
    Habitat for Humanity house. Carol, who was nailing
    Down house siding, would reach into her nail pouch,
    Pull out a nail and either toss it over her shoulder
    Or nail it in.

    Donna, figuring this was worth looking into, asked,
    "Why are you throwing those nails away?"

    Carol explained, "When I pull a nail out of my pouch,
    About half of them have the head on the wrong end and
    I throw them away."

    Donna got completely upset and yelled, "You moron!
    Those nails aren't defective! They're for the other
    Side of the house!"
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    The Sleep Over

    I'm a sucker for a cute face, especially a furry one.  So when the neighbor asked if I could watch Teddy Bear on Sunday night I, of course, said yes.  Rocky and Teddy are best buds and love to play together.  Besides Teddy is a sweetie pie and I feel sorry for him. 
     
    Teddy Bear is a Heinz 57 and has a free spirit.  He's also a professional escape artist.  There is not a fenced yard that he can't get out of.  After numerous attempts on the part of his humans to keep him contained they finally gave up and allowed him to roam the neighborhood.  He's not the least bit mean and is simply looking for someone to play with.  All the neighbors loved him and several kept treats for him when he happened by.  Then one day some lady complained and that was the end of his roaming.  He is now cabled in the side yard whenever his human is not home.  It's a lonely life for such a loving little dog.  His mom takes good care of him and has tried to find a nice farm or ranch for him to live on so that he can be free but to no avail. 
     
    On Sunday evening, I went over to Teddy's house to pick him up for his nightly walk.  Rocky was very excited and I was literally hauled to the park.  If I'd have had roller skates I bet I'd have made 30 mph easy.  Anyway, we get to the park (mudhole being closely guarded by yours truly) for a quick game of tag followed by a wrestling match.  I think they determine who wins by the amount of slobber one aquires while playing.  Once they are sufficiently tired we releash and we're on our walk.  We returned home shortly after 8 where I put on a movie and they each get a piggy ear to munch on.  The movie is over about 10:30 and being the big chicken that I am decide I'm not walking Teddy back across the street in the dark.  He can just stay with us. 
     
    I announce that it's bedtime which Rocky understands to mean potty, cookie, bed.  Teddy picked up the meaning really quick and after a quick potty break and a cookie, they both stood next to the bed.  I announce "pick a spot but the center is mine!"  I spent the rest of the night being squished by to very large dogs whose breathing shook the entire bed.  Had we had an earthquake that night, I'd have never known.  I woke the next morning to 2 faces staring down at me panting, giving a new meaning to the word "morning breath."  And it occurred to me at that moment, I have no life!!
     
     
     
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    June 13

    Roto Rooter

    Rocky is my latest petsitting ward.  He is a 2 year old Golden Retriever and the sweetest, most adorable dog you'd ever meet.  We are currently working on the 'heel' command and the 'no pull' command.  I'm hoping he has it mastered before his owners come home as a surprise!! 
     
    The other night we went down to the park for a bit of a romp with Teddy Bear (the cute little Heinz 57 dog from across the street) when Rocky did the unexpected, he decided to spread eagle in the mud hole on the corner.  Yes, the very same one that Sandy from down the street plays in.  Only Rocky has never laid down before.  Oh the smell, oh the yuk and then he decided to roll and scratch in the burr clover in the park.  Needless to say I had a big mess on my hands.  So off to home we went for a shower and brushing.  His parents have a nice sunk in tub with removable shower handle and mom says that's where she gives him a bath all the time.  So into the shower we went.  About 15 minutes in, the drain wasn't draining anymore and the water was beginning to pool in the bottom of the tub.  Ain't that just perfect.  So I decided to finish up the shower, the drain is already clogged so finishing him up won't hurt at this point and since he'll end up sleeping with me it was definitely preferable.
     
    Shower done, dog drying on the deck smelling like coconuts, it's time to clean up the bathroom and stare at the standing brown, hairy water in the tub.  What to do?  Draino or a plunger?  Neither of which I could find anywhere in the house.  Everyone has a plunger!!  I mean, HELLO, Golden Retriever, baths, hair, I'd think you'd need one.  It was late and I was tired so I just closed the door and got ready for bed.  The next morning, the shower was drained!  So I didn't think any more about it.  Until Friday morning when I was taking a shower in the master bath and it wasn't draining and the toilet wouldn't flush.  Oh just perfect.  Okay, well I've got to get to work I'll get some Draino on the way home.  So I did.  And I poured it in both the shower and the tub.  The next morning I woke to find that all the water from the shower had backed up into the bathtub, the toilets were backing up into the bathtub and it was once again full of water.  It's SATURDAY!!  I called the plumber and was informed that Saturdays are overtime and that would be $145 for 1 hour and if they have to do anything extra well just multiply that figure. 
     
    Now this is not my house and so I have no idea if it is on city sewer or it has a septic tank.  My guess is septic as it's not technically in the city even though it is in town but where the darn thing is, I have no idea.  I also have no idea where the cleanout spicket thingy is.  I finally found it.   My parents have 3 of those little cleanout things and I know that I have at least 2 but this house which is twice the size of my parents or mine has 1.  Lucky for me it's right next to the bathroom.  The Roto Rooter man comes and askes me about the septic/sewer.  Then asks if I can reach the owners.  Nope, they're in Peru.  I don't even know what time zone that is.  Then he nicely informs me that because the house is where it is and because I don't know about the septic/sewer that this might run into some $$ but he'd do his best.  I showed him where the cleanout was but he felt it necessary to look for another one and enjoy the view at the same time.  The view is spectacular but I'm paying by the hour, look at it on your own time.  And I just spent a half hour looking for the cleanouts and there's only the 1.  Finally 20 minutes later he's stuffing a big long wire hose down the cleanout and 5 minutes after that the tub drained!  Hallelujah!!!  He said that should keep it flowing until the owners returned but that tree roots were probably clogging the lines.  Hey, as long as the shower drains and the toilet flushes, I'm happy.  The owners can take care of the rest.
     
    Let's hope the rest of the stay is free flowing and uneventful!
     
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    June 02

    Cleaning Overload

    I've been absent for awhile.  Our company has a major audit coming up and my boss is in clean up overload!  I've spent my last 2 weekends here painting the halls and lunchroom in the plant.  They have not been painted since the building was built about 15 years ago.  It also has not been cleaned in 15 years.  Jessie's mopping over the dirt doesn't count.  I almost had a heart attack when Steve moved the microwave off the counter.  How do you get that much stuff under a microwave? And I still have not figured out some of the things I found on top of the cabinets?  So I cleaned the counter with Ajax and it's white again and we washed and patched holes and painted.  When we finally worked our way around to the refrigerator I stopped.  I stared at it for the longest time.  I knew it had to be moved so that I could paint behind it but I simply could not make myself do it.  After seeing what was under the microwave the thought of what could possibly be under the refrigerator was to frightening to think about. 
     
    But it had to be painted. So we plunged ahead and after several serious pushes, we managed to get the wheels to roll.  I was right!!!  There are somethings that should not be unearthed.  They could make a sciFi movie about what we found.  There were at least 10 different experiments being conducted under there.  That was it, I told Steve he could paint back there.  I wasn't dressed for the part.  You'd need rubber boots and gloves and a resperator to stand back there for any length of time and I was NOT cleaning it!!  I draw the line at that.  I'm not in to hazardous waste disposal.    As for the stove, we both looked at each other and then painted around it.
     
    This weekend I will be back again, the ceiling still needs to be painted, the plant manager's office and the QC lab, too.  We have this weekend and 3 days next week to get it finished before the big day. 
     
    I'd say that once this audit is over I'll be able to relax but 2 weeks later we have another one and Steve will have more things that he wants fixed and repaired. 
     
    Why doesn't the company hire a painting service?  We're not going down that road, it hasn't been repaired in years!!
     
     
     
     
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