Another Tuesday, Monday…

I really don’t like a holiday on Monday.  My whole week starts off on the wrong foot.

I have been on the go this morning, out to the bank and paying bills.  It is that time of the month again.  And, I have to confess that I am totally wound up in the Casey Anthony trial.  Lucky for Blagojevich, who is in the middle of his second trial.  I am too busy with this other trial to give much thought to old Blago,     other than hoping he is found guilty on all counts this time.  Plus the Anthony trial is being shown live on cable and the Blago trial is not.

Summer has started with a vengeance, the heat and humidity were oppressive yesterday and it is starting out to be the same today.  The air conditioner is going full force. 

Just checking in today, nothing much new going on here.  I hope you all are having a good week.  Stay safe, and be happy!!

  Beth

A Memorial Day Prayer

By Rev. Dick Kozelka (ret)
First Congregational Church of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN.

Eternal God,
Creator of years, of centuries,
Lord of whatever is beyond time,
Maker of all species and master of all history --
How shall we speak to you
from our smallness and inconsequence?
Except that you have called us to worship you
in spirit and in truth;
You have dignified us with loves and loyalties;
You have lifted us up with your loving kindnesses.
Therefore we are bold to come before you without groveling
[though we sometimes feel that low]
and without fear
[though we are often anxious].
We sing with spirit and pray with courage
because you have dignified us;
You have redeemed us from the aimlessness
of things' going meaninglessly well.
God, lift the hearts of those
for whom this holiday is not just diversion,
but painful memory and continued deprivation.
Bless those whose dear ones have died
needlessly, wastefully [as it seems]
in accident or misadventure.
We remember with compassion those who have died
serving their countries
in the futility of combat.
There is none of us but must come to bereavement and separation,
when all the answers we are offered
fail the question death asks of each of us.
We believe that you will provide for us
as others have been provided with the fulfillment of
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

50,000 Names Carved in the Wall

There's teddy bears and high school rings
and old photographs that mamas bring
Of daddies with their young boy, playing ball.

There's combat boots,he used to wear,
When he was sent over there.
And there's 50,000 names, carved in the wall

There's cigarettes, and cans of beer
and notes that say I miss you dear
and children who don't say anything at all.

There's purple hearts and packs of gum
fatherless daughters and fatherless sons
and there's 50,000 names carved in the wall

They come from all across this land
In pickup trucks and mini vans
Searching for a boy from long ago

They scan the wall and find his name
The teardrops fall like pouring rain
and silently they leave a gift and go

            There's Stars of David and rosary beads

and crucifixion figurines
and flowers of all colors large and small

   There's a Boy Scout badge and a merit pin
Little American flags waving in the wind
and there's 50,000 names carved in the wall.

*****************************************************************************************************************************

It is with the deepest gratitude and love that I salute the men and women in our military that courageously fought and died for our country so that we might all be free.    

  Beth                                                                                         

Lovely day for our trip..

It has been partly sunny so far today and we made the trip in good time.  While there we stopped for a visit with my beautician Sherri, then on down the main street to the specialty pharmacy where Sandi works (she compounds special drugs) then out to the cemetery to put the flowers on Jim’s grave.  This is close by where my friend Christine has an assisted living room in the Knight’s Templar nursing home where we visited with her for about half an hour.  Then on down to visit a minute with my friend Jo who with her family run a trucking company.  She wasn’t there as she is in South Carolina at her grandson’s helping care for her new great grandbaby who was a preemie. Her daughter, son and granddaughter were there and were getting ready to Call Jo right away tell her that we had been there. Wonderful to see them  and get big hugs from them all.  I had some wonderful friends there.  I wasn’t able to see Anne and Bill (who has stage 4 cancer), I will try to call them tonight.  I drove by my old home and was heartsick for a minute seeing the high grass and the weeds in the yard, and then I remembered, that is not my home any more.

While in my old home town I spotted a garage sale on the way to the cemetery.  I couldn’t pass that up.

I noticed as we were going into town that gas right off the interstate was still $4.19 a gallon.  I filled up in town for $3.75 this morning.  Here in Pekin it is pretty well set at $3.84 a gallon.

Now on our way home we stopped at a new Avanti’s restaurant in Bloomington where we had a bowl of clam chowder soup, hot bread and butter and chicken parmesan.  Not too bad although I think the Avanti’s here in Pekin has better hot bread.

Click on the pics for a larger view.

As we were traveling through Bloomington I saw all kinds of new buildings, such as Bob Evans, a Holiday Inn and several more places.  I do think the economy is making a bit of a recovery.

All for now, I will visit you all later.

  Beth

Isn’t he cute??

My next door neighbors have put a squirrel feeder on the light pole behind my back door.  This little fella has been eating like a hog the few days it has been there.  What he doesn’t get the blackbirds are after.

Click on the pic to make it larger.  The date on the pic shows 2007.  After being here a year I finally found my other camera.  The battery was dead.  I didn’t change the date when I put the new battery in.  Mystery solved.  I think I have finally found all missing items that I lost when I moved.

The squirrels around front have been digging in my marigolds.  That is not very nice of them.  Last year they kept digging the petunias up.  I don’t think these squirrels are very cute. 

It is cold here this morning at 51 degrees, supposed to get down to 45 degrees tonight.  The weather forecast for tomorrow is partly sunny so I am crossing my fingers for that.

We had severe thunderstorms last night and parts of my city was without power.  I was fortunate and so was my daughter and son in law as neither of us lost power.  For 1 & 1/2 hours the local channels on TV were broadcasting the weather’s progress.

What are you all doing for the holiday weekend?  I know that the American Legion at home that Jim was a member of puts flags on the graves of the military.  It is beautiful with all of the flags waving.

Gotta go now.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Thunderstorms…

all night long and it is still storming.  We are under a tornado watch until 1PM CDT.  It is 55 degrees this morning, much cooler than yesterday morning.  My family in Missouri is all safe.  Thank God for that.  I was watching the devastation from the tornado on the news last night, just sitting there crying, putting myself there, and praying for the ones who lost so much.

I am hoping that the weather fairs off for Friday.  That is the day that my daughter and I plan to visit Jim’s grave and put flowers there.  It will be a year in July since I have been there and that bothers me a lot.  Distance is the downside of my moving here.  I will take a minute to stop in and say hello to a couple of my friends that work downtown.

There is nothing new to report here today, except of course the weather.  This has been one of the worst years in history for tornadoes .

I hope you all have a wonderful day.  For Paul on vacation at Martha’s Vineyard, have a great time.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

'Cut the city in half': Death toll rises to 89 in Missouri tornado

This is heartbreaking news and the death toll will undoubtedly rise as the search is continuing.  http://www.htrnews.com/article/20110523/MAN0101/305240013/Update-89-killed-Joplin-Mo-tornado?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE  This really makes me feel small this morning.  My worries seem like nothing compared to this disaster.  Nancy, I know that you are in northern MO.  Please let us know that you guys are OK.  I do have a niece that lives at Kansas City and various relatives in south central MO.  Bryce, I hope you guys are all OK.

We got thunderstorms and just a small amount of rain yesterday.  We were under a tornado warning for about an hour yesterday, the worst storm being north of us.  No damage or loss of life, thank God!   This morning it is sunny and 68 degrees right now.

My smoke/carbon monoxide detector is acting up.  I am going to have to call maintenance at 9 AM to have them come and check it again.  I really hate that.  Why does this happen on a Saturday night? 


I still can’t access Blogger dashboard through IE.  I am having no problem accessing it through Firefox or Chrome.  If any of you are having trouble with dashboard you might want to try Firefox or Chrome.

And now I need to get busy and do a bit of cleaning.  I hope you all have a great week.

  Beth

Just wondering…

why running across the bottom of the obit pages in the Peoria Journal Star there are numerous ads for senior apartments, condos, funeral homes, and crematoriums??  Being just the tiniest bit over the hill (remember the word tiniest) I tend to check out the obit pages carefully…I always breathe a sigh of relief when I don’t see my name there.  I don’t know any of these folks who are listed here, at least I thought I didn’t.  I spent my high school years in a city 65 miles to the west of here.  And lo and behold, there was an obit for an old classmate of mine from the city to the west a week or so ago.  Now I am not keen on checking the obit pages any more after that find.    No telling what I might find there.

Just wondering…why it is almost impossible to access Blogger dashboard last night and today.  I have found a workaround going through a search engine.  Reminds me of the days on WLS when we were constantly having to find a workaround for everything.  Not complaining (well maybe just a little bit) I just want things back to normal.

It is 70 degrees and very humid this morning.  We did not get a drop of rain last night.  Thunderstorms are predicted for today.

I was up way before 6 and I have my laundry all done, bedding included.  I am splurging today and have put a small rib-eye steak out to thaw for my lunch.  I rarely eat red meat, but I have been hungry for a steak lately so I bought one.  I will fix a baked potato to have with it.

Just wondering why I am sitting here typing when I have several things I need to do.  You all stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

I am worn out…

after a morning of garage sales.  I should amend that statement to say pleasantly exhausted.  I found some cookbooks this morning and a Karen Robards hard back.  As I was packing to sell my house and have several moving sales I sold almost all of my cookbooks.  I have regretted it to this day.  I am one of those people who love to sit down with a cookbook and read it from cover to cover.  I take most recipes and make them my own by experimentation.  I do love to cook, I always have.  What I don’t like is the cleanup, plus there is only me and my freezer will only hold so much.  And then too, there is my back which really complains if I stand for too long in the same place.

After the garage sales we stopped by Wendy’s for a chicken sandwich.  I did not count the calories, I just enjoyed.  And then on, winging our way over to Wal*Mart where I purchased geraniums and marigolds.  My daughter came home with me and helped me get them planted.

Did anyone watch the Mentalist last night? That Simon Baker is such a hunk, makes me wish I was 20 or 30 years younger.    Anyway Patrick Jane shot and killed Red John, put the gun on the table and put his hands in the air as the fuzz were crowding in.  Now we have to wait until fall to find out what happens.  Since Baker is the star of the show and it has been renewed for next season I imagine they will figure something out.

Time to get off here and do something, anything.  I hope you all have a great weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Thursday’s child…

has been out gallivanting around town.  First to get my hair cut, then to pay my cable and heating/electric bill.  Prices have gone up for everything.

It is beautiful out today, 61 degrees right now, to get in the mid 70s.  I have filled my planter with potting soil and filled up around the lamp in my front yard with new soil.  Last year I planted petunias, red, white and blue ones.  This year I am thinking about geraniums for the planter and marigolds for around the lamp since Pekin is the Marigold Capital of the world.



One thing I don’t like about marigolds is that they stink.  But that’s ok ‘cause I won’t be outside sniffing them. 

I need to close for now as I am getting ready to go to 8th Street Station aka Grumpy Pete’s for lunch.  I will be sure to eat a bite for you all.

  Beth

Not for another 6 months…

Whew, I am glad that is over, my 6 month cleaning and checkup at the dentist.  I really hate going to the dentist.  My mouth always hurts for a week afterwards.

You all know I love to people watch.  When Jim was in the hospital I helped to entertain myself and Jim by watching people and creating a scenario for them.
 
My appointment this morning was at 8 AM and the office was full already.  One couple (probably mid 80s came in and sat down.  Her name was Mary.  She had on tan slacks, a coral colored sweater and beige what I call old lady shoes and red dyed hair just a shade lighter than I Love Lucy.  As stated before, I hate going to the dentist.  I was sitting across from Mary and her husband.  He asked her if she had finished making the spinach balls last night.  She told him no, as her shoulder was hurting (having arthritis in my shoulders so bad I could relate to that.}  Then he asked if she stayed warm in bed last night.  She muttered something and he said what?  Then very loudly she said I already told you.  By now I was smiling and my mind wasn’t thinking about Melinda (hygienist's name) poking her hands in my mouth.

Speaking of Melinda, I had told her before that her name was very old.  My grandmother’s name was Nancy Melinda.  If I had been conscious after my daughter was born I would have named her Melinda instead of Marcia as I think Melinda is a beautiful name.  Jim actually named our daughter as I was pretty sick with toxemia after my daughter’s birth.  To this day I have always thought Marcia was named after one of Jim’s old girl friends.  LOL!!

And now back to the old couple.  They were so cute together and it made me miss Jim so much as he was so good to go to doctor visits with me.  One thing puzzles me though, what in the world are spinach balls??

After my appointment I went to Aldi’s and then out to the grand opening of a new bank in town to see if I wanted to put some of my vast fortune in their bank. HA!!!!  They are very nice!

I hope you all have a  good day.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Guess what?

The sun is finally shining.  It was 38 degrees when I got up this morning at 5:50 AM.  The rain started Friday evening and when I went to bed last night it was still drizzling.  The furnace is running now and the two 90 degree days we had last week are just a memory.  Oh well, that is Illinois weather.  Hot one minute and cold the next, rain when you don’t need it, and no rain when you do.

I have a load of laundry in which I have to go check in a minute. Then I have another load to put in.  A never ending cycle isn’t it?

My kids came over yesterday to eat with me.  I fixed a new recipe with chicken breasts dipped in beaten egg and then in finely crushed cracker crumbs mixed with Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix.  WOW!!  It was really good and I will try that again.  350 degrees preheated oven, cover with foil, bake 45 minutes covered and then about 20 minutes to finish browning.  Tender and delicious.  Then I had potato salad and baked beans, an easy way to fix a meal on a Sunday.   There were leftovers for them to take home and some for me for today.

As soon as I get the laundry done I have to make a store run.  I am needing a few necessities again like milk and bananas.  I have to have a banana to eat with my oatmeal each morning.  Potassium and all of that good stuff you know. 

I hear the laundry calling.  You all have a good week.  stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Friday the 13th..

was a very good day for me.  Probably one of the happiest mornings I have spent since I moved here to be close to my daughter and SIL.  My daughter went with me and we spent the whole morning going to garage sales.  The weather was absolutely perfect, sunshine and in the mid 70s. 
I found some good bargains for me.  Ten books by John Sandford (one of my favorite authors)  I had been looking at several of the titles online for my Nook.  The price for the e-book, $14.99 each.  These books were one reader books which I got for 50cents each.  I was talking to the gal having the sale.  I told her that I was delighted to find some of Sandford’s books at a garage sale.  As we were talking I told her that I was averaging about $50 a month buying books for my Nook.  Then she told me something that I have been smiling about ever since.  She said that she had a Nook too but that her husband has grounded her from using  it as she spent over $300 the first week she had it on e-books.    After shopping for e-books at Barnes & Noble I can understand how that could happen.  I police myself and check out my favorite authors to see if they have bundled any of their books and set a limit for myself.
After the garage sales we ate at 8th Street Station aka Grumpy Pete’s where they have the breaded wall-eye in the buffet on Friday.  YUMMMM!!!!  Good stuff!
But all good things come to an end.  It started raining last night and it has rained ever since, still pouring down.  Today is the Food Drive for the Post Office.  I have a sack of food all ready but I don’t dare to set it out by the mailbox as I know it will get wet. Hopefully I will see the letter carrier to hand the sack to.
The blogger shutdown the last couple of days reminded me of when we were blogging on Windows Live Spaces.  They were always performing maintenance on something.  Anyway, I am glad Blogger is back up and running because I really did miss it.
I hope you all are having  a sunny weekend.  Stay safe and be happy!!
  Beth

Thoughts to Live By

1. Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.
2. You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.
3. Love…and you shall be loved.
4. All people smile in the same language.
5. A hug is a great gift…one size fits all.  It can be given for any occasion and it’s easy to exchange.
6. Everyone needs to be loved…especially when they do not deserve it.
7. The real measure of man’s wealth is what he has invested in eternity.
8. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
9. It is important for parents to live the same things they teach.
10. If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have nothing today to be thankful for.
11. Happy memories never wear out, relive them as often as you want.
12. Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated the best.
13. The choices you make today will usually affect tomorrow.
14. Take time to laugh, for it is the music of the soul.
15. If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.
16. Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
17. Love is strengthened by working through conflicts together.
18. The best things parents can do for their children is to love each other.
19. Harsh words break no bones but they do break hearts.
20. To get out of a difficulty, one must go through it.
21. We take for granted the things that we should be giving thanks for.
22. Love is the only thing that can be divided without being diminished.
23. Happiness is enhanced by others but does not depend upon others.
24. You are richer today if you have laughed, given, or forgiven.
25. For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.
26. Do what you can, for who you can, with what you have, and where you are.
27. The best gifts to give;

• To your friend loyalty
• To your enemy, forgiveness
• To your child, a good example
• To your mate, love and faithfulness
• To everyone, charity

I was cleaning out an old folder this afternoon and I came upon these thoughts in a message that I had received and printed out 10 years ago.  Makes a lot of sense to me. Number 10 is my favorite.

  Beth

Hot Wednesday…

Today is to be another hot and humid day.  Yesterday reached 90 with high humidity.  I turned on the AC for the first time this season.  I asked for warmth and I got it.   

I have been up early this morning, changing the bedding and I have it washed and dried already.  I have been to the store  to get the necessities.  You have to treat a heat wave like a blizzard and get stocked up.  LOL  Anyway, when it is this hot I do everything I want to do early in the morning.

Well, Sis, we found out who was murdered on NCIS.  It was Mike Franks.  I liked him but I was actually fearful that they were going to kill off one of the main characters.  This Sunday on Desperate Housewives someone will be murdered too.  Why is it that the PTB (Powers That Be) always kill someone on the last show? I hate that, then we have to wait till the new shows in the fall to see the conclusion.  Not to worry, that is a small thing in the scheme of life.

I am in the middle of a good book by Lisa Gardner.  She is a great author for you murder mystery fans.  I love murder mysteries.

Nothing much to tell today except that it is HOT!!

Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

The start of a brand new week…

and I hope this week is better than last week; too many things happening last week that were very stressful for me.

My brother and sis and law went on a cruise to the Cayman Islands last month.  That is the 3rd or 4th cruise in the last 6 months. I just received the DVD of their photos.  they got some great shots.

I have never had a desire to go on a cruise.  I have always wanted to visit England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.  And now I think that will never happen as my get up and go done got up and went.

Let’s see, what shall I do today.  I have already cleaned the bathroom and I ran the vacuum over the weekend.  I don’t need anything from the store and please keep me away from Bergner’s and Kohl’s as I spend way too much money there.  I didn’t get the car washed so there is that option.

Summer is here.  It is to be in the 80s today and near 90 for Wednesday and Thursday.  Turn off the furnace and turn on the AC.

I had a friend ask what my mom had on over her dress in the picture.  It was an apron.  In those days women made most of their own dresses and if they had enough material left they would make a matching full apron to go over the dress.  I can also remember the sunbonnets that mom made for us girls to wear when we were working  in the garden.  Mom planted lots of lima beans and butter beans.  Most of them she would let dry.  We would then lay the shelled beans on newspaper in the attic for them to dry.  There would usually be enough beans to last most of the winter.  To this day I love lima beans and butter beans.  When Jim and I had our garden we would plant green lima beans to climb the fence around the garden.   Oh what a lovely memory.  We would both spend hours working outside.

I hope you all have a great week.  Be kind to each other, watch what you say, because words once said can never be taken back.

  Beth

Miss you mom…

A picture of my mom with her family.  My mom is the beautiful lady on the far right.

  Beth

It’s Such a Pretty World Today…

Look at the sunshine.  And it is lovely here today.  It is 50 degrees right now to reach the upper 60s today.  Then for the next few days we are to reach the upper 70s –80s.  We had a thunderstorm last night and a little bit of rain.

If I still had my driveway behind the garage I would be out cleaning my car up, and I may do that anyway.  Water is the only thing I don’t have to pay for here, however no hoses or sprinklers are allowed.  I did a decent job of washing my car the old fashioned way a couple of weeks ago.  I really enjoyed the workout.  So I will be off after a bit hunting my floppy hat and rubber gloves.

Other than that, not much else doing here today.  I am hungry for spaghetti with meat sauce so I think I will fix that today.  I bought some Texas Toast with cheese coating at the store yesterday so I will fix a couple pieces of that to go with it. 

My daughter brought me over a beautiful bouquet yesterday for Mother’s Day.  It is lovely and the fragrance is filling the room.

Click on the photo to make it larger.

I can’t come and visit you all right now because the blogger dashboard is not working.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Let this post be a warning.

“If you're running down my country, man, You're walking on the fighting side of me.”
While I do not agree with everything that takes place in my nation’s capitol I will cherish my right to defend them till the end.  My heart is saddened by a comment left on my last post.  The kind of comment that would have been better said in a private message to me.  This person seems to forget that 2,977 Americans were murdered in the United States of America on September 11, 2001 because of an extremely evil person.  Take a look at these images.  That extremely evil person is dead now and I am rejoicing on behalf of every mother, father, son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister who perished that day.
  Beth

Is Spring here or not?

I woke up to 32 degrees and heavy frost this morning.  Just when I had put my winter coat away.  I do think it is going to get better this next week to reach into the 70s.  Fingers crossed for that.  I hope all of you in the deep freeze had your plants  covered. 

This is turning out to be quite the week too.  Last week storm devastation and a lovely wedding.  This week, the death of an evil person.  My  own worries seem paltry compared with this.  I hope this means the beginning of the end and we and our allies can bring our troops home.  I am weary of war.  I was a small child during the World War II and I have lived through the many wars that have followed.  I would so love to see peace while I am still on this earth.  I pray every day for that.

I am trying to think what I have accomplished so far this week.  Not a lot, that is for sure.  I have cleaned, done laundry and run errands.  It is not hard to keep this place clean with only 2 bedrooms.  I was used to 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  And the price of gas here right now is $4.29 a gallon so that puts a damper on going out just for the fun of it.  The price rose 20 cents in 3 days.  I am trying to consolidate all of my errands in one run.  I just heard from the pharmacy so I have to go pick up a prescription with no time to consolidate. 
I will be back to visit you all when I get back.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth

Proud to be an American…

If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away.
I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A.,
There's pride in every American heart
And it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, God Bless the U.S.A.

~ Lee Greenwood ~

Can it really be true?

Is Osama bin Laden really dead?  And what does it mean for the US?  Increased terror attacks targeting America and our allies?  I don’t know but I  am worried that bin Laden has not really left the building.  What I am thinking is that there are hundreds more look alike clones just waiting in the wings plotting their next move.  My most fervent prayer is that this can be the beginning of the end of the wars that are being fought.

******************************************************************

I have been out shopping this morning, to the bank, to the K-Mart and to Kroger.  I had to get an early start on the week.  I also have done two loads of laundry. 

Yesterday I cooked, tenderized round steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and strawberry shortcake.  The strawberries now are so huge that they have no flavor.  I can’t wait for the local ones to be in season.  I had leftovers for lunch today instead of a TV dinner (patting myself on the back).

It is 55 degrees today with no rain in the forecast until Thursday.  Hooray for that!!

I hope you all are having a good start to a great week.  Stay safe and be happy!!

  Beth