Lessons

I have a wonderful relationship with my youngest daughter.  We both work at it and we both appreciate it.  I had a difficult relationship with my mother from which I learned to never slam a door shut with my daughter.  I have a difficult relationship with my ex-mother-in-law for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was mostly my fault.

Having said that, my mother was a wonderful grandmother.  She loved both of my girls unconditionally which is not to say that she didn't have expectations.  She just loved them.

My ex-mother-in-law manages to make my child feel less than.  That's it - just less than.  She is not a happy woman and it shows.

I have been disappointed with one of my granddaughters and I have distanced myself from her.  I was talking about this today with my daughter and she very subtly asked me which kind of grandmother I wanted to grow up to be. 

I, of all people, know that people do change.  They grow up.  They make better decisions.  They regret the decisions they previously made.  They deserve, especially from their grandmothers, unconditional love.

Thanks, hon.

Water

These pictures (courtesy of Rain Scroggins) are of the Canadian River in Canadian, TX the last week of June, 2014.  These pictures are of a tragedy unseen.

Last week, 2 people went horseback riding together on one horse.  They evidently went down to see the river, which was at flood stage.  To date, the riderless horse was found.  The family dog made it's way home.  Funeral arrangements for the 7 year old are pending.  Multiple agencies, on foot, on horseback, in boats, on all terrain vehicles, and in the air are still searching for the second rider.

Hope is dimming for her safe rescue and we are all now praying for her recovery so that her family can have closure - a word I normally dislike intensely.

Water is a powerful thing and, all too often, underestimated.  Back in the early 80s, when I was still working in the desert, we had several flash floods which carried vehicles off the highway.  While the vehicles were recovered miles away, some of the occupants of said vehicles never were.

Listen to your weather forecasters.  Read your local newspapers.  Listen to your local radio stations.  Listen to your gut.  Be careful, be safe, be well.

PS:  If you want to leave comments, they would be appreciated.  If you want to comment on any of the people involved in this heartbreaking event, do it elsewhere.  I will not tolerate hurtful or hateful or just plain useless speculation.

Not Every Day

I obviously have not been posting every day.  I have not even managed to participate in Fun Mondays on Facebook.  I have been busy.

I am settling in at my new job.  I have found a place to rent.  I have gone back to Hereford and put most of my life in boxes, ready to be moved during the only 4th of July weekend that my daughter has had off in years.  I am grateful for my child - both for her trailer and for her very much appreciated manual labor that goes with the trailer.

I will be updating more later - probably not tomorrow, but later.

Homeless but not hopeless

It has been an eventful week.  I have not found a place to rent yet.  I did figure out that, based on fuel mileage and the price of gasoline, that I can spend $200 a month more than I had planned on if I just don't have to move 25 miles away.

The hunt continues.

In the meantime, a very old and dear of friend of mine died.  He was also Dad to one of my best friends.  The memorial service was this past week and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend.  It was a good service for a good man.  I will write a more fitting tribute for him later.

Today, I just want to do some basic housekeeping and not forget to post.

I got paid so all of my current bills are paid.  I still have some back bills to catch up but that will come.  I got my hotspot replaced so now I will have internet wherever I am and not be dependent on the library, gracious though they may be.

I rediscovered audio books to make my drive a little more productive and enjoyable.

I am working my first night shift and I was right.  I do like nights.

I loved arriving at my new town on a Friday evening and seeing Main Street lined with cars near the movie theater.  Yep, we still have a main street walk-in movie theater.  Given the option to close it or update it, they (the powers that be) decided to update.  We have a Main Street walk-in Imax theater.

I had some of the best Thai food that I have eaten in recent memory in the little bitty town of Friona, population 4, 123.  The curried beef with pineapple was WONDERFUL!

We made it through Friday the 13th with a full moon and it is now June the 14th.  Happy Flag Day, y'all!

Keep Your Fingers Crossed!

I have been bugging people and calling people and acosting strangers in stores and restaurants, asking about rentals.  Today, I MAY have succeeded in finding something.

I called a lady about a rental that was advertised that was not what I wanted.  It was furnished, it was upstairs, and it was more than I wanted to spend.  But - people who own rentals sometimes own more than one rental, right?

I am going tomorrow to look at a 2 bedroom duplex in the neighboring town.  It will be a 24 mile commute as opposed to a 153 mile commute and it will give me someplace to stay while I am looking for the place that I know is just waiting to be found.

Keep your fingers crossed and keep a good thought.  Ah, what the heck, pray for me, OK?

Casting My Net

Casting my net

Today, I came home after work intending to veg until bedtime.  It was that kind of day.  I didn’t know how much I didn’t know until I knew some of it.

I got a call about a possible lead on an apartment so I went to look.  I couldn’t find the manager at one place and the other place was not yet vacant or viewable.

I decided to take a drive.  I like, when I dispatch a call, to be able to see in my head where the deputies are going – what the terrain is like, what the surroundings are like, and any proximate dangers.  I took a call today from a little community about 10 miles east of the town I am in.  I drove out there and then took the VERY scenic route back.  I went almost to Oklahoma and then came back around on some county roads through the Lake Marvin area.

 

I did not find a place to live.  I did find two does with fawns and had to stop while 4 wild turkeys crossed the road in front of me.  I found oil wells and oil fields.  I found rolling, sage brush covered vistas and then tunnels of dark, leafy greenness.

I found peace.

New Noises

Noises

The first night that I slept in my new hometown, in my borrowed bed, I kept hearing a noise.  It was not a frightening noise but it was a noise that I could not readily identify.  It was sort of a murmur, a sighing, a whisper.

I lay awake for quite a while, thoughts tumbling about in my head and, in the background, the noise, which was coming from outside.

I finally identified it!

It was the evening breeze rustling the leaves on a full-grown, very tall,very robust cottonwood tree in the neighbor's yard.  The wind would come in waves and the leaves would rustle in waves and I was soon awash in waves of memory - of childhood trees and soft breezes.

I slept well that night.

Acceptance

Acceptance

I accepted a new job.  I am having, by virtue of that acceptance and the fact that there is NO available housing in the town to which I am moving, to accept the kindness of strangers.

I met Nancy when I interviewed for my new job.  She is one of the supervisors at my new job.  She very kindly offered to let me stay with her while I was house-hunting.  Since it is a 308 mile round trip from my current house to my new job, I gratefully accepted.

I do not like living with other people.

There, I said it.

Having said it, I am nothing but grateful for her kindness.  She has made me welcome, given me space (both figuratively and literally) and we are getting to know each other.  I am still looking, every day, for a place to rent.  It is beyond nice, though, to not have to spend my money and time on a long commute.

I just have always been better at giving - anything - than at receiving.

Writers Write

Writers Write, Aspiring Writers Aspire

While I was in the midst of organizing some things the other day, I came across a book that I had made of some old blog posts that I compiled.  Looking through it reminded me that I like to write.  I like to share my thoughts and memories and rants and raves.  I decided that, come June 1, which not-so-coincidentally was the first day at my new job in a new town, I would start writing again.  I would just do it for me.

Then the internet issues refused to be resolved.  I have had wireless internet for a few years with very few problems.  A couple of months ago, however, my internet just refuses to connect with my computer.  It was very frustrating but, since I could use the internet at work, not as much of a problem as it could have been. 

I am still too new at my new job, what with still being in training and all, to really ask about using their internet for my personal use.  Today, I used the free wifi at the library to do some personal business and had to reconfigure my computer to make it work.  I thought perhaps the problem had been solved and my wireless would work this evening at home.

I was wrong.

So, I am writing this as a word document and will save it until I can get to the library again.  I am also pre-dating this for the first so that I shall not start out this endeavor as an underachiever!

Fun Monday 4/28/2014

This week, we were asked to write a bit about ourselves for any newbies who might be out there and to post a "selfie" of us with our tongues out.

Wow.

I am, to paraphrase a Martina McBride song, "Della's daughter, my father's favorite youngest daughter,  and, by birth and marriage, related to a LOT of people."

I love my family, my country, my job, my dogs, the state I live in, and God.

I enjoy reading, Weight Watchers (or the results thereof), sleeping, my job, my dogs, my family and people of integrity.

Here's the picture and this was not my choice.  Having said that, please remember that the ability to roll one's tongue is hereditary, so thanks, Mom!

January

January has never been my favorite month of the year - nor is it now.  Christmas has been dismantled and put in the spare room until next year.

The weather is cold and windy and not friendly.

There are no really good holidays in January, until you get to the end of the month and my friend's birthday.  That is always a great day because, for two whole weeks every year, she is an entire year older than I am.

The best part about January is that it only lasts for 31 days and then we can be through with it for another year.