The fun never ends

OK, so I got fed up with all the funny little things IE8 was doing and downloaded Firefox. Idano why I was so hesitant to do that. It's great! Well, it WAS great... until... apparently some sites are just die-hard IE fans and refuse to let FF in. I tried one site three times and every time it crashed all my browsers. Now I just have to learn which sites require a switcheroo.

In other news, several times just today, I've heard someone say those words our family has come to know and... tolerate... 'never saw anything like that before!' We have to laugh. Honestly, you wouldn't believe how many times we hear that phrase. It's like our purpose in life is to train the repairmen and customer service reps of the world.

I opened a new bank account - for household expenses... plus there was a $25 start-up bonus - and when I went in to make the initial deposit, nobody could find me in their system. Their supervisor had called me just a few hours earlier to confirm that I was coming in, but I just wasn't there. And nobody could figure out what to do about it. It was New Years Eve and the right people weren't there.

I got my new CVS Extra Care card in the mail yesterday. This evening, I went online to register it and it wouldn't recognize the number as valid. Called customer service, got it all fixed, went back to register it and... 'sorry, this account is locked'.

DS was trying to use the old computer - still on dial-up - and kept getting connected at about half the usual speed. (And I use the term speed quite loosely). I made a phone call a few minutes later and could faintly hear someone else's conversation. The phone company sent someone out a couple weeks ago to check on that same problem and the man found nothing.

Kinda gettin' the picher here? We have decided there's an invisible M (our last initial) tattooed on our foreheads and 'they' see us coming. The family joke is... it's the tattoo. And at least one of us says it, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, practically every day. Well, if that's the worst cross I ever have to bear, I'll grin and bear it. 8-}

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Where AM I?!

I live in Florida, right? So how is it that at 7PM, it was 32.5°?! So much for global warming. I am SO over winter already.

Did you ever look in the mirror and laugh? After a couple days in hibernation, and one browser blip after another, it doesn't take much. I think it's time I took a shower, brushed my hair and went out into the world for a few hours.

PS - Know what else was funny? The sign behind me says 'beware of dragon flies'.

Entering the 21st century

Well, it took me 10 years, but I finally made it. On 31 December, I hooked myownself up to DSL. I gotta tell y'all, it's a love-hate relationship so far. At first, it was pretty fast, Then, yesterday, it got slower and slower until it was worse than dial-up! Duller finally called tech support and the guy ended up telling us to unplug every phone in the house, then plug them back in, one at a time. The last one was the culprit. Apparently, there's something wonky in that jack, coz it was kinda like speeding down the autobahn and pulling the emergency brake. The engine was revving to beat the band, but the car wasn't going anywhere. OK, no phone in the family room till it gets fixed. WAHOO! The speed was back and I was zipping along with the rest of the Jetson world. When I had to tear myself away to run some errands, Duller decided to give it a whirl. After a while, he called and said he couldn't get anywhere. The browser refused to display any pages. (This was on the desktop on which I had finally downloaded 57 Windows updates that were collecting for about 2 years). DS finally stepped in and did... er... something and got it working. This afternoon, it pulled the same thing on me. DS tried, but it didn't work this time. I finally did a system restore - back to pre-updates - and now it's working again... BUT - there has to be a but - I can't get Norton to uninstall. I keep downloading their removal tool, saving it to the desktop, but it's not there. Tried just running it and nothing happened... just showed the loading progress box, finished and poufe. Oh, and the connection keeps jumping to local only (as opposed to local and internet). Techie says it's likely a bad card in the desktop... or maybe a virus. *sigh* Right now, I'm running CenturyLink's virus scanner. Looks like I'll have to take it to an expert to get rid of the Norton remnants. I did the same procedure on my laptop and it went like clockwork. Then again, I hadn't tried to uninstall it via add/remove programs first.

Am I having fun yet?!

On the plus side, it no longer takes me an hour to download an mp3 file. And I don't have to go to the lie-berry, which is closed Sundays and Mondays, to view little veejo clips. The first one I saw, BTW, was such a hoot! Check it out here, at the end of the post. And I actually read every couponing/money-saving blog in my list in ONE DAY! WOOHOO!

OK, looks like it just can't be all roses and no thorns. Now I'm trying to print two steenkin' coupons and it says thank you for printing, but nothing happened. Did a test print and the printer worked, but won't print my Betty Crockers. Methinks it's their overzealous security program. Never a dull moment! I'll be seein' y'all soon as I get the kinks out. 8-]

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Quick Lessons

Back in high school, I was placed in some 'accelerated' classes. It was the first time I had to actually work at keeping up. I reckon it was good for me and I thought I was pretty hot stuff. (Yeah, back in those days, the smart kids were the cool kids - and no, it didn't increase my coolocity one iota). And I LOVED learning. Anyhow, one life lesson that is indelibly engraved in my brain is that no matter how good you are at something, there's always somebody better.

I managed to do well in several college classes during my junior and senior HS years. But I never dreamed of doing so well that I would have my own parking space. Nor imagined finishing college quite so fast.

Trouble reading the designation?

Roots

Are y'all into genealogy at all? As an adult, I've learned that history really IS interesting! It's all in the details. The stories behind all those boring dates and places. In high school, they didn't tell us about how Francis Marion led the redcoats on merry chases through the swamps of South Carolina, earning him the nickname Swamp Fox. Or how Rose O'Neal Greenhow toured Britain and France, hobnobbing with nobility, to muster support for the Confederacy. In all fairness, given they had less than an hour a day to cover thousands of years, anything more than the bare bones just wasn't feasible. Home schooling SO rocks!

I'm not sure if my fascination with history led me into genealogy or vice versa. It was such a kick to learn that one of my ancestors rode with Marion, but learning that he (Marion) had once fought against the Cherokees put just a bit of a damper on that enthusiasm. And to obtain copies of Confederate pension records for 2 of my great-great grandfathers. One was wounded at Olustee and sent home, temporarily, to recuperate. He was actually at Appomattox in April of 1865.

I think, for me, there is a deeper motivation for researching my ancestors. There's a part of me that needs to know that I am related to some 'good' people. Growing up, my immediate family personified the term 'dysfunctional'.. and then some. I sometimes wonder whether others are likewise - or otherwise - motivated. Just my curious nature. 8-]

a rare glimpse inside

A little girl comes to visit me sometimes.
She's a shy little thing and doesn't say much.
When she does speak, there's a quiet sadness in her voice.
She wonders, sometimes, why her mommy hates her.
Did she do something horrible?
I try to reassure her, to convince her she is loveable.

Why has it fallen to me to do this?
This was her mother's job.
What kind of person makes an innocent child feel this way?

Sometimes I catch a glimpse inside her guarded heart.
She has so much love to give.
But she's afraid.
She's been betrayed and rejected by every person in her life who is supposed to love and nurture her.

Sometimes, when she forgets I'm here, she sings.
Songs about Jesus loving the little children.
She obviously loves music.
How sad that no one will encourage her gifts.
They'll wither on the vine.

But there is still the tiniest spark of 'maybe' in her eyes.
Maybe, someday, someone will just love her and take care of her.
Maybe, someday, she'll sing out loud.
Maybe, someday, she'll truly believe she is worth loving.

Why do I have to be responsible for this child's healing?
No one taught me the things I need to help her.

So I pray.
Please, God, heal this broken heart.
Give me wisdom, stength, courage to do my part.



She came again this morning.
I looked in the mirror and saw her hopeful eyes looking back at me.

What does 'shipped' mean?

Obviously, Amazon and I have very different ideas re the definition of the word shipped. Actually, it turned out to my advantage that shipping (of my camera) was scheduled for the 14th. A couple days after I ordered, I noticed the price was approximately #11 less. After a long search and a call to customer service, I ended up cancelling and re-ordering. Next morning, the price was $7-8 MORE than the original. Ain't God good?!

Anyhow, I got an email on Saturday saying it had been shipped. All weekend, and most of today, the tracking page said 'carrier notified to pick up package'. IOW, it was still sitting in their warehouse. Not exactly my idea of having been shipped. Finally, late today, it says departure scan... Jacksonville, FL. DAWG! Duller could have picked it up and brought it with him tonight! Well, if the PO doesn't lose it - they've done that more than once in the past year -it shouldn't be long now. Meanwhile, my shutter finger is getting twitchy. I'm thinking St. Marks will be my first target. Picture it, cruising the refuge, my new camera and laptop by my side, XM (my other Christmas gift) floating from the radio... doesn't get a whole lot better, eh? 8-]

And now, I'd better start checking faucets and such outside. Yes, winter is back. ..... Rats! I just checked the forecast. It's supposed to rain Wednesday and possibly Thursday! I might just have to travel a bit further than the refuge. LOL!

Love y'all loads!
Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Boredom makes me silly

A few years ago, when we were planning a move from one end of the state to the other, we spent a lot of time on the turnpike. That gets real old pretty quick, doncha know? Late one evening, while we were having supper at Miami Subs, we decided to have some fun at one of the toll booths. I have no idea how we got this idea into our heads, but I'm pretty sure I was the instigator this time.

We used the paper cup with just a little fruit punch left and added some crumbled bits of cookies and some tziki sauce (from a gyro), a squirt of coffee creamer, Whopper Jr (with the works) bits, honey, mayo, ketchup, and whatever else we happened to find. DS wishes I could remember the recipe. Maybe it's just as well... It looked and smelled pretty foul... quite realistic. Well, I held on to the cup till we hit the next toll booth. As Duller was paying the man, I looked at him with wide eyes and said, "I'm gonna be sick!' Now Duller has a real hard time keeping a straight face, so the toll booth attendant must've really wondered why he was grinning like a cheshire at his wife's misfortune. Just before we pulled away, I threw open the door, leaned way out and poured the contents of the cup on the ground. Duller was so gone by this time, he started to pull away without getting his change! From a twenty! The guy hollered at him and brought it out to him, bless his heart.

Not to worry, the rain came soonly and washed away the faux barf. What else were we to do for entertainment on the turnpike in the middle of the night?!

After that, we drove along dreaming up imaginary conversations with the toll booth attendants. Asking, in different accents, things like, 'Where big mouse? You have big mouse?'

So, what do y'all do when you're punchy?
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Shooting Stars

Bundle up and step outside around 1.30AM (EST) tonight. The Qaudrantid meteor shower might just be the best of the year. Maximum activity is expected about 1.40AM. Check out this article to find out more.


I'm having a hard time getting back in the writing groove. The experts say a little time off is good, that you come back with a new perspective. I've come back with an empty head. I haven't even taken a single picture yet this year. And the exercise/workout habit I had just established when I got sick has withered. So here I sit with no gumption and no scathingly brilliant insights into life, the universe and everything. I do have some great ideas for rearranging my office. But that will have to wait for the weekend when Duller is here to do the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, I'll be curled up with my heating pad under the blankets until it feels like Flarda again.

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^
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Orange

FC's post today made me think of my childhood home. I grew up in a very small town in the Tampa Bay area. Our tiny neighbourhood was surrounded by orange groves. My father picked oranges and my mother packed them. When I was old enough, I'd go straight to the packing house after school and 'help'. It just broke my heart the first time I went home after they tore down that packing house. *sigh* The groves, of course, were long gone before I even got out of elementary school.

We used to run barefoot through the groves, oblivious to the wonder of our environment. (Didn't everybody live in a place like this?) Nothing like a big juicy orange fresh from the tree. Sometimes we'd peel and eat them on the spot. I particularly enjoyed peeling a small circle at the top, then cutting out a small wedge where we'd suck out the juice as we squeezed with all our might. Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!

Back then, we saw orange groves just about everywhere we went in Florida. (We very rarely went north.) So many have been plowed under to make way for high-rise apartments and shopping malls. And Dismal World. >:\ Oh, they're out there, but for how much longer? And would we dare set foot in one?

my cousin's place

For a little history of the citrus industry in Florida click here.

flashback

I wrote this for a small group of friends about a year ago.

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

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car -- both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself "I must be losing it, I could have sworn we just went through a red light". After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again, and again they went right through. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on. At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, 'Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!" Mildred turned to her and said 'Oh, am I driving?'

I'm a terrible passenger. It scares the padoodles outa me when I see brake lights ahead and the person to my left speeds on as if he hasn't noticed. I sit there in a tight, white-knuckled little knot, shoving my feet into the floorboard as hard as I can.

Duller hasn't helped at all. He drives like all those other maniacs. And it certainly doesn't help that he's been stopped for speeding twice this year. That was before his accident. He used to drift off sometimes. I'd look over and see his eyes closed and yell at him. He'd look at me all huffy and say, 'I was praying'. (Yeah, me too!) I kept telling him God allows you to pray with your eyes open. Over the years, he's taken out a mailbox, driven over one of those concrete stops in a parking lot, hit a deer, run over a turtle (trying to straddle it)... I often wonder why he's still alive! My friends are beginning to understand why, for the past few years, I've been doing all the driving.

I have a magnet on my fridge that says 'Let go, Let God'. This goes against all my self-preservation instincts. (And I have some serious trust issues.) It's a daily conscious decision. Some days, I can sit in life's passenger seat and actually relax, knowing He's in control. It's the days that I try to grab the wheel that everything seems to go wrong.

I'm not sure just where He's taking me right now, but I'm gonna try my best to enjoy the ride.
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