loumercerwordsofwisdom.blogspot.com

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Oh, Please! How hard can it be?

Company comes and company goes and I take the trash out so I can sort it and get out the recycle stuff and put it where it goes.  I have box right outside the door for the plastic.  I have a bag on the door for the pop cans.  A box is under the Philodendron for newspapers and another for the junk mail.  The glass gets set on the buffet and I take it to the tin shed.  Call me a nut, but nut I am.

It is all set up, all that needs done is everything in its place.  I guess I should be happy that it made it to the trash, but you know me, if I ain't bitchin' I am probably dead.  I like to go for walks and when I do I always carry a sack.  I come home with lots of good stuff!  I find aluminum cans which I stomp and put in my sack.  Sometimes I do the plastic if it is not really dirty.  No spiders allowed in my sack!  I even found a muffler once which was kind of heavy so I kicked it over and then came back that way and got it.  It went in the scrap metal pile.

The cans go in a drum with a big liner and when that is full, I got me some spending money!  Cardboard gets torn into manageable pieces and goes to the recycle place along with the glass, plastic and newspapers.  I have a box in the front room that accumulates stuff for the Disabled Veterans.  People actually contribute to my piles from time to time.  Remember when we used to use rags?  That was the good old days!  Now we buy nice square microfiber things to use.

So, here is my question, when you pitch that beer can out the window, what do you think happens to it?  Are you doing it so I can find it?  If you are, thank you, but I can not be everywhere.  I used to walk on the levee and I could really make a haul there, but guess where I make my biggest finds?  Right out here in my own trash can!  You would think when people live with me day after day that they would get the idea that mother is a trash picker for a reason!  But no.  What is it the Bible says about a Prophet is not without favor save in his own country?  Well a woman who recycles has the hardest audience under her own roof!

I have seen park benches made with recycled plastic and they are beautiful.  I have seen what aluminum cans can do when thrown over the fence at the Animal Shelter.  They land on the trailer and are then sold for medicine for the doggies.  Glass, I don't know about, but I am sure it becomes something better than a mess on the side of the road.  So, I am not going to nag you, but if you come to my house, I would appreciate it very much if you did not throw your beer cans in the front yard.  And leave your cigarette butts in the can on the back patio.  If you are tired of that jacket, throw it in the box over under the big North window.  We will have a good time if you just humor me on this!

Have a good day, put litter in it's place, and remember to smile cause God loves you!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Elvira the dog and Icarus the cat are having a nap!!



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Every body and every thing gets along in my harmonious little home, be it human or web footed, or four legged.  I have my office on the upper level of my house so I need to go down a short flight of stairs to get any where except bed.  In the office I have 2 big pillows for the dogs and this small bed for the kitty.  No one has any particular sleeping place assigned and it is not at all unusual to see 2 animals sleeping on one of the pillows or one of the animals in this cat bed.  It is rather unusual to see 2 animals in the cat bed though.

This is Elvira the dog and Icarus the calico cat.  Aren't they cute?  Daisy is over on one of the pillows.  I could not resist this shot.  Now you should know, that if I decide to set it the recliner and put my feet up, the first thing that happens is Icarus jumps up on my chest and lays down.  Then Elvira jumps up and lays on my right arm.  Daisy, not to be outdone then plops on my legs.  Elvira will reach over and smack the cat on the head several times trying to get a reaction.  Reaction is usually for me to stand up because the whole concept of the recliner is then lost.

When I go outside to either let the waterfowl out or put them in, I am also accompanied by this menagerie.  If I go down to sew, they each have their place in the sewing room.  Weave and the same thing.  Never guess what happens when it is bedtime!

So there you have my social life in a nut shell.  I get more unconditional love in one day right here at home then most people get in their  whole life through.  All my little animals came from either the pound or some where that was going to end up in the pound.  I always thought I would like to have a Standard Poodle, but pound never seems to get them, so I am happy with my bunch of little ankle biters!  What they lack in size they make up for in devotion.



Thursday, October 28, 2010

This is a refrigerator covered with bumper stickers or are they refrigerator stickers?

Well, in  case you do not know where this refrigerator is located, I  am going to tell you!  It is not in my home.  Wish it was, but it isn't.  I especially like the one that says "There is no way to peace, Peace is the way".  Bet you think this is the refrigerator of a Bleeding Heart Liberal, and you are about half right.  This belongs to a woman who is younger than I am, but can remember when it was all about peace and love.  My generation was more the "Beat Generation" with Ginsberg, while Jan was the John Lennon devotee.
I was busy having babies in the 60's and then divorced in the 70's and it was mostly a blur after that.  But I remember the bumper stickers, "If it feels good do it!"  "Insanity is doing the same thing over in the same way and expecting different results." My personal favorite was "Ten Commandments are not multiple choice."

So this refrigerator is in the coffee house I go to in Beulah.  I found this place this spring  when I was wandering around with the tall fellow.  I did not have the privilege of seeing this until my second visit.  I was enthralled, but the tall guy was offended (my first clue). 
This is the lovely proprietress, Jan Miller.  Her place of business is the Stompin' Grounds Coffee Shop.  This broad can rival Starbucks with the selections she has of coffee and tea.  And there is a bunch of breakfast sandwiches and a lunch menu also.  I am not sure if she still does the BBQ on Saturday evening.  Good excuse to go up there and see her I am a thinking!  She is open everyday until 2:00 PM except Monday and Tuesday.  I usually wander in about coffee break time almost any day that grabs me just right.  Like to take my friends up when I can catch one which is not every day, but sometimes.
                                  
There you have my musings for the day.  I have succeeded in making myself lonely for the Coffee Shop so I must now work in a visit to see my friend.  Not going to be today, but very soon.  Maybe I will see you up there!  And if you get there before I do, please be sure you tell my BFF that Lou Mercer sent you and she should be along directly!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Bless these little animals, oh Lord, and do it quick!


Last Sunday was October 24, which was Blessing of the Animals at our church.  This is always a fun time of the year.  People bring their animals in and Pastor Lamb blesses them.
 Here is David with some sort of very big bird with a very big beak.  I think this is a Scarlet Macaw. 
Here is Pastor Lamb down on her knees talking it over with a couple of miniature dachshunds.  I am not sure who won the first round of talks, but Pastor is pretty persuasive and I think she finally got them to eat a treat.
Here is the Great Pyrenees and the English Mastiff being very good.

Here is a great Pyrenees talking to a Schnauzer. In the background is the English Mastiff.  I tried very hard to neither look nor smell like food while taking my pictures for this blog.

And here is the last shot of David getting his hair groomed by his Macaw.  A good time was had by all. This is always a good day at our church because people love their animals.

The Blessing of the Animals is always a big hit and brings all the animals into the sanctuary.  This year Diane Hustead was good enough to volunteer to run the vacuum and other stuff that needed done after the service.  Hooray for Diane!

While the animals were very well behaved, when you get that many in one place sometimes they forget their manners a  little bit.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The killer cat and the feathers I get to clean up!

See that cat there?  That is Icarus, my calico.  She is peering under the treadmill in hopes that the bird she brought inside might accidentally be under there!  See all those little things on the floor?  Those are feathers the bird neglected to take with it when it escaped the clutches of this evil feline!

More feathers in the hall way!  The bird is probably getting cold and scared long about now!

Here we are in the kitchen/dining room.  By this time I am getting a little tired of taking pictures and am in search of the vacuum cleaner.  I have already taken the dove outside and put it up high.  I know there is virtually no chance of survival due to the cat fever aspect of the ordeal it has just endured, but hope none the less springs eternal in the human breast!

Ok, now the mess is cleaned up and the cat is looking at me funny.  I know that cat's bring us treasures like mice, birds, snakes and centipedes because they love us and they think we are stupid and can not catch our own food, but come on guys!  I let my cat watch me eat and at no point has Icarus ever seen me devour any of that stuff. Now if she could go out and bring me home a side of beef we might be talking here, but she does not.  It is all this stuff that I have to clean up and dispose of properly.  (Yeah, like there is a way to dispose of dead wild life in the kitchen properly!

But as long as I have a doggie door and  a cat, I am sure I will have this little problem from time to time.  I have talked to her and she just flips her tail, looks over her shoulder and walks off with a little swish.  This is the same cat that will wake me up in the middle of the night while perching on my shoulder and giving me tiny little licks on the cheek.  God only knows what she had dropped in my bed, but I do jump up and look, just in case she thinks I need a midnight snack!

It takes special people to love cats and I guess I am one of those people.  She rules the two dogs with a disdainful glance and they just watch her walk away.  So for the next 14-15 years I know I have a companion and I also know I do not have to worry about eating!  Lonely?  The local animal shelter is full of these furry little creatures.  Just call my friends at the Pueblo Animal Shelter and I am sure someone will help you find a special one!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

And the phone call came, as it always does....

Just got the phone call I have been expecting with the news that we have lost another client.  We had planned a farewell party for him for last Tuesday, but he wound up in the hospital, so we postponed it for a few days.  This is never easy, these parties, but it gives us all a chance to say goodbye.  Missed this one.

Why is it when that phone call comes, it is always a surprise?  We were expecting it, we knew it was coming, but just not today and not this early in the morning.  And why is it that when it comes the first response is to find someone to hold me when I cry?  I am a strong woman, and I know other strong women, and yet that is the first thing we want; someone to hold us. 

So, failing in that, because there is definitely a shortage of arms around here, I must do the next thing, and that is to rage.  Rage against the unfairness of life, rage against a young life cut short,  and rage that our government, our churches, the hierarchy of the world can do nothing about this damn disease that steals our people while the population in general thinks we have actually found a cure for this.  Rage while our young people have unprotected sex, because it can not happen to them!

Right now my mind is a dither, and I just wanted you to know some of my feelings at this moment.  You have all been there so I am sure you understand.  Just want you all to take the time to turn to someone and tell them you love them.  Tomorrow is another day and you may not get the chance.  And remember in spite of it all, God is good and his arms are always there for me.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Doug and Dorothy; a study in the human side of living.





I should be horse whipped for what I am about to attempt!  Those two little people there are complete and absolute Saints and I am going to attempt to tell you why without even knowing half of what this man and woman have done for the betterment of this fair city where I reside.
 
I first met Doug Gale  and his lovely wife Dorothy while I was attending Christ Congregational Church in Belmont.  Belmont is a subdivision of Pueblo, Colorado.  I think that was about 6 or 7 years ago.  As I recall he was pushing participation in the Crop Walk which is a fundraiser designed to restock food pantry's and such.  I did not pay very much attention to Doug and Dorothy other then to make a note that here was two old people that I should be nice to.
 
Then I began to notice that Doug and Dorothy were turning up at a lot of places that I frequented.  Peace rallies, Political rallies, various fundraisers, church functions and then I ran into them at SRDA delivering Meals on Wheels, Martin Luther King functions, the Ghandi Peace Garden.  Lord those people were every where!  I do not remember what I was working on that caused me to need to drop things off at Doug and Dorothy's house, but it was then that I began to see just what a force these two were in Pueblo. These people worked with any thing that had to do with old people, young people, civil rights, animal rights, gay or straight, military and they even turned up down in Peppersauce Bottoms when we were sandbagging to keep the torrential rains out of those homes.  My God the man is next in line to God as far as I am concerned!  And by his side is his lovely wife Dorothy.
 
Anyone who has ever met Doug and Dorothy will realize that while Dorothy is his beloved wife, he is in turn her caregiver.  Doug is on our Pastoral Relations Committee at the First Congregational Church and is quick to note to all that it is Doug and Dorothy.  Always Doug and Dorothy.  The only time Doug does not have Dorothy by the hand is when he has duties that take him aside and then he makes sure their daughter is there to hold her hand.  He thinks we should hold hands in church when we pray.  His reasoning is he always has Dorothy, but there might be some people who have no one and this would give human contact.
 
What can I say about this couple?  How can I make you understand that while I can not even tell you how many people these two have helped feed and clothe, given peace and respite , given hope and comfort, and never complained that it was an inconvenience to give any one a hand up.  No dog goes unpetted and there is always a smile on the face of this little fellow and a twinkle in his eye.  I must admit that as I have come to know Doug and Dorothy better, I find myself trying to immolate Doug. 
 
I think it finally dawned on me at the Peace Flotilla this year.  This man has organized schools, city fathers, churches, and I do not know what all to get the biggest crowd ever to launch the floats.  And the daughter held her mother's hand so Doug was free to mix with little kids, men in suits, women with flowers and a dog or two that ran past. 
 
I pray for these 2 people every day and I pray for this woman on this computer that she can be just a little like Doug and Dorothy. I pray that I can gain half their goodness, a fraction of their faith and just  tiny drop of the compassion that these two people are filled with for the whole human race.

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

John Clay, I gotta get up there and see you again in beautiful Beulah!

This is a carved statue that was in John Clay's wood carving shop when I was up in Beulah, Colorado in the Spring.  I actually met John at that time and I think I did a blog on him.  If I didn't I sure should have because he is a very talented man.  I think he told me this one is Father Christmas.  If it isn't it sure should be!
 Then here we have a little Indian Chief almost ready to go to war.  I did not measure this and I should have.  There is a big one in the Beulah Inn that I know I did a piece on earlier.
 Here are some tulips that you can stand in your yard and people will drive by and say, "Damn!  Those are the biggest Tulips I have ever seen."  These are, of course a work of art, as is everything John Clay does.
 Now what is this?  This is a necessary item in the shop.  John assures me he goes through a lot of band aids on any project he does, and I do believe the man!  If anyone should know it John!
 Here we have some of the tools of the trade.  There are several different sized power/chain saws.  There you will see a hand and a foot.  Those belong to John and in my usual inept way, that is all you are going to get until I get back up there and catch the illusive little man.
 Here is a tangle of cords and more tools which are a bit smaller.  Looks like a mess to me, but the man turns out some very intricate work in this tiny shop.
But here is the part I want to tell you.  When I first went up there John showed me a tree root behind his shop.  He was working on it at the time and had called it "The Dragon's Nest."  This has a mother dragon, father and then lots of little babies.  I snuck by his shop when I did the Indian at the Beulah Inn and took more pictures.  It did not look like he had done much, so I need to get up there this week and find out what is going on. 

John is now working on stone carving and I hope this is not the end of the Dragon's Nest.  I don't think it will be cause that thing is going to be fabulous.  So John, you are on notice!  Lou Mercer is coming back to Beulah and you are going to get reported on again and this time I will get a picture of the whole John Clay!

John Clay does custom carving in and around Beulah, Colorado.  I am sure he ships orders elsewhere.  Call John for prices.  1-719-485-9605.  And be sure and tell him Lou sent you!  Won't get you any discounts, but makes me feel like I did something to help a Beulah Artisan!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

I think I am a self centered ego maniac!

It has just come to my attention, through self induced introspection that I am indeed an ego maniac!  Introspection is defined as self examination of ones own emotional state and mental processes.  Ego is defined as ones own self.  And we all know what maniac means.  So by self definition I am just crazy about myself.  This is not to say I am egocentric.  The last guy I dated was a true egocentric, which is defined as one who is the center of everything.  That being said and all defined for the guy in Canada who keeps a dictionary handy to converse with me, I shall continue.  (And Hi to Fanty!)

A friend asked me what a blog was.   Now there is no dictionary entry for that, but if you go online you will see it is a combination of Web and Log.  It is defined as a  journal, or something that interests the author.  Now I envy the people who are actually showing their work, such as the one lady who can teach me to make a quilt in 8 easy steps, or the lady who makes the brownies, and especially the guy who does daily blogs and updates on Cuba.  Those pictures are to die for and I have gained a plethora (over abundance) of knowledge about the workings of the Cuban government as well as the people in the street. (Type in Malceon)

But then you come to my little blog which is not really a journal, nor a diary.  Some times I explain things that are dear to my heart, or cry over a love gone wrong, or show you something I made.  The point here is that there is no rhyme nor reason to what will so up on my site, and this is where I get the idea that I am perhaps a bit of an ego maniac.  I love to write my blogs, and I love to read them!  I even have a book printed every 3 months in case some body missed one!  This is a mark of someone who really likes themselves!  But I stop short of being and ego centric, because I am not the center of my universe.

I just want to share with you my thoughts while I have your attention and you can not get a word in edgewise.  So I shall keep hammering away and trying to tell you something new every day.  Like today you learned  two new words and some of you learned three.  I do not like to get too deep into anything, because then I actually have to think!  But right now, what I am thinking is this...I am doing something I love.  I am expressing myself and you are getting to know me better.  Sometimes that is all one of us needs!

Thanks for reading and tomorrow or Monday I will have a surprise for you!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado!

 This is the beautiful Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  These pictures were taken October 9, 2010 which was the date of the annual Southern Colorado  AIDS Walk in the Garden.  Bear in mind that as I was taking these pictures, I was also walking the 3 miles that were required to fulfil my committment.  So if the pictures are a little blurry, and not centered, please forgive me.

The first picture is the shot of where we are going.  There were a total of 200 walkers so this is going to take a little while to do.  If you look closely at this picture just off center is a tiny white dot.  That, my friend, is a human!  That dot is about 2 city blocks away on a twisty, turny trail.  My goal is to catch and pass that dot and all the other dots ahead of me!
 This is one of the many formations in this Garden of the Gods.  There is just no name that could have been given to this place that would fit any better.  I have driven through the Garden, but there is nothing to compare with walking these trails.  I wanted to do this for a long time and when I got the opportunity to be a fundraiser and get to walk, it was just more than I could have ever  asked for!

 As we got further into our walk we came a lot closer to some of the formations.  This particular shot is where we crossed a parking lot and we are now about half way back to where we started.  I did not think I would ever be able to walk 3 miles in this thin Colorado air, but I think I could have gone a lot further!  May do it some day for no reason!  

I want you to pay particular attention to the sky in all of these pictures.  Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?  It is like God picked the most spectacular day of the year for this walk, but that is not true.  Everyday in Colorado is a true miracle to behold.  When I came to this part of the country 34 years ago, it was just some where to go.  Just a place to be, but now it has truly become my home.  People say "Where are you from?" and I tell them proudly, "Colorado, via Kansas!"
And here we are on the final leg of the walk.  Well, not us, those are the people in front of us.  We are back here with the camera.  We started out behind 200 people and we ended up with 15 ahead of us.  Pretty good for an old lady, but this old lady is just now hitting her stride, so watch out world, Here I come!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Remember when I raised these baby birds?

I know it is difficult to tell what these are, so I am going to tell you.  This is a picture of 5 baby cockatiels.  This little fellow in the lower left corner is probably the oldest of this clutch.  The little pink one behind the white one is probably 1 day old.  I do not remember what year this was but there were several years that I was in the bird nursing business.  Like everything in my life this started out so innocently.

Kenneth, my late husband had always wanted a parrot.  Well parrots cost a lot of money, so the compromise was made to give him a gray Cockatiel, so that is what he got.  That was one mean bird, so we thought he would be better humored if he had a wife.  So we purchased a White Cockatiel to be his bride.  As luck would have it, this was a match made in heaven.  Or seemed made in heaven until she laid her eggs and decided that was not for her.  So she ripped the eggs out of the nest, but Big Bird put them back.  It was soon clear that Baby was not going to be a good mother so she was removed to another cage and Big Bird hatched the eggs.  He tried to feed them when they hatched, but it was too much for him.  We put Baby back in, and she attacked the babies.  So it was clear what must happen.  I must be the surrogate mother to these little feathered creatures.

This entailed mixing food and feeding them with an eye dropper several times a day for a couple weeks until they could fend for themselves.  All the time Big Bird hovered near and spread his wings for them to sleep under.  Big Bird had a bad wing and could not fly, but he taught the babies to fly,  They were in a big flight cage with a limb in it.  He would line them up on the limb and then push
 the line of babies up the limb and as room ran out the first bird would fall off the limb and flutter.  It was at this point that I learned just how much Mother Nature had instilled in her wildlife.  Big Bird had never laid an egg and he had never seen a baby, but he knew what had to be done and did it.

Meantime down in the cage in the basement, Baby was as happy as she could be.  I would set her on my shoulder while I sewed.  She would rub her head against my neck and chew on my glasses.  No sign of the aggressive bird that tried to kill her babies. 

We hand raised all the babies until they were ready to go to new homes.  We named all the gray ones "Snapper" and all the white ones "Baby".  One "Snapper" went to Alamosa, one to Syracuse, Kansas, and I do not remember where else.  We raised several little batches of baby birds and it always went the same way with Baby.  Well, and with Big Bird and with us.  Baby just never was the mothering type.  Sort of like some women I have met.

When they reached a certain age, birds die and it was that way with our two little  friends.  Baby died first and it was very soon after that Big Bird also died.  I like to think they were flying around the Rainbow Bridge when Kenny walked over in 2003.  I know he would have smiled to see them, cause one thing is for sure, that man loved his animals and they loved him!




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Saturday, October 9, 2010

AIDS Walk 2010 Garden of Gods C/S

Well, today is October 9, 2010.  If my sister-in-law were still alive it would be her birthday, but she is not.  So it is the day we went to Colorado Springs to Garden of the Gods for AIDS Walk 2010.  What a beautiful day it was!  First I thought it was just right, then I thought it was cold, and then about halfway into our 3 mile walk, it got downright warm.

These are my two partners on the Loosey Goosey Team.  The one on the left is John Tenorio and Erik Gibson.  We have vowed to do a much better job next year, because all our money we raised stays right here in Pueblo.  Our team raised $1430.60 which made our team #3 on the fundraising docket.  I raised $1100.60 which made me #4 on the individual division of raising money.  Pretty impressive since there were 145 people raising money. 
 I am wearing my hat that I wore to the 10th Annual AIDS walk.  Do not remember what year that was. But it has lots of pins on it.
 Now look at this!  Who would not enjoy a walk through this scenery.  We actually went between these.  If you look real close you can see the line of people ahead of us.
 Here comes cousins Steven, Mark and Daryle Smalley.  Steven and Daryle live in Hutchinson.  Mark is currently in Denver. It was just great having them go on this walk with me.  I see them so seldom and they are all dear boys!  I used to change Mark's diaper.  Don't know about Steven.  Not Daryle, he was all potty trained when I worked for Aunt Alice.
 See we all got a red ribbon to wear and then we we got back we had to write our name on it and it then went into what is called the "Commitment Ball".  I knew when I headed up there this morning that some sort of commitment was in order!
 These are the shoes that carried this body on the route.  I am going to publicise them and then put them on eBay for sale to the highest bidder.  All proceeds will go to Southern Colorado AIDS Project and be earmarked for Pueblo.
This is the grand daughter that walked with me.  We had a great time.  Since she is a minor I shall just call her Dear Girl.  Next year she will help raise money and we will do really well.  Just got a late start this year or we could have really kicked butt!

And there you have it!  I have not put a lot of scenery pictures in and that is because I wanted to present the human face of this walk.  Scenery will be along in a day or two.  So, now I am going to have a nap and bask in the joy of the day!  A job well done, my good and faithful servant!

Friday, October 8, 2010

So, getting pretty tired of talking about my past, let's do yours!

http://www.firstgiving.com/loumercer

Today is the last day for me to do this and I am not going to ask you for anything.  Will just leave that there for anyone who might be interested.

Now, talking about my good old days back in grade school and even high school was a kind of hoot and there is many memories that are actually humorous, sad, learning experiences and such, but we can just touch on those "I remember when" moments lightly in the future. But as you see I grew up.  No one is going to set around and read about me falling madly in love, having children, divorces, job, moving cross country, and all this because I am not going to write all that down.

I read something the other day that really made an impact on me.  It was another blog I follow.  It went something like this: "If he was so great, where is he today?  I he was such a butt hole, why did you marry him? If you would rather be there, why are you here?"  Then I had another friend explain it so I could understand it.  It is called "free rent in the noggin and that is not good."  I shall now interpret that into terms that you (I) can understand.  Something in the past that dwells in your mind and takes your mind off the present day is taking up space in your head.  Can not think of the present or future because that memory is getting free rent in your brain space.  It has to do nothing to stay there, except to be.

So, like the every changing woman I have become, I am cleaning out all the bad memories, all the dead weight, and all the frivolous things that don't make two whoops in hell (like my momma used to say).  Oh, I will remember my heritage and the strong deep roots that have brought me to the point I am today.  I will pass that on to my children and grandchildren, but they do not need to know every step I took to get to this day.  They only need to know that this is where I am.  I am in Colorado and I shall stay in Colorado.  I have very little family here as they are mostly back East, but I have friends,  mountains, blue skies and my home.  I have my church and my God.

There are people who count on me here.  If I were not here I am sure someone would step up and take my place, but they would never be me.  For some reason God saw fit to deliver me to this particular spot 33 years ago, and like a noxious weed seed that fell on fertile ground, I have taken root and flourished!  I am happy here and I am sure this is where I shall stay all the days of my life.  Who knows what the good Lord has in store for this little atom that is but a piece of space dust?  Stick around and find out!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

It is a wonderful world today!!

Sometimes I just wake up and I am so happy!  Today is one of those days.  Do you ever have those?  I do not know what I dreamed, but I think I dreamed about my brother.  I must tell you about him someday, but not today.

I can hear birds outside so you know the sun is up. Well, it better be because it is after 7:00 AM!  I know I am late getting around, but I been pretty busy.  Checked my fundraising and I only need $13.00 to make my goal on that.  Still short on the personal goal, but I will dig that out of the savings because there is no way in hell that I am going to fail.  That is just not in my vocabulary.

Today is one of those days when I feel like I could grab the world in both hands and run to the end of it.  I just love days like this.  Maybe I will get out there and take everything out of that tin shed and sweep it good, throw most of the crap away and then rearrange the rest.  Oh, but first I have to go to town and get a new pair of shoes for the walk, because mine are falling apart before my eyes.  I would hate to get up in the Garden of the Gods and just have my shoes fall off my feet.  Bet that would put a damper on this good mood!

I am taking a couple camera's with me and you will see some beautiful shots when I post the next time.  My pink camera is 6 mega  pixels; my black one is 10, but the bottom falls off of it and the batteries roll across the floor.  So, I am thinking about borrowing one from Bret who seems to have an endless supply of money and can buy this stuff at his leisure!  Any way, you are going to see scenery that will have you grabbing your car keys and heading for Colorado!

And when you do that, you be sure you look me up!  I am always game to spend a few hours with someone who drives that far.  We will run up to Beulah and see my good friend, Jan, at the coffee shop and stop in and see Jim at his wood place where he does his carving.  Oh and I forgot to tell you that yesterday on my way to town a deer leaped across the road right in front of me and then jumped the fence into the cemetery!  What a way to get my little heart beating!

Well, people, I got water fowl wanting out, my tummy is growling and I bet a dollar I could find a load of clothes for the washer if I look hard enough.  So as mundane as the day may be, it is going to take more than that to bring me down today.  I love these days, just don't know why some are so much happier than other days.  I will go with it!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Let's take that Google earth thing one step further!

Did you ever just click on that google earth thing and play around with it? You can type in an address, say in Denver, and hit the fly me there button and hang on to your stomach!  In a matter of split seconds that camera will zoom from Pueblo, Colorado to the address in Denver and zip right down to street level.  There is no getting acclimated to this thing!  You just want to go some where and boom, you are there. 

Now, just think about how quickly this little bit of technology has been handed to us to play around with.  I guess we went from the spy planes, to spy satellites to mapquest and now here we are zipping from my house to yours in a matter of seconds.  So think about this and tell me how it works.  I am sure there are megabillions of pictures that flash by, but how long will it be before the google satellite will be live on the scene?  We already have onstar and northstar and what else that can locate our car or our cell phone or whatever we have lost including our way.  Garmin was a lifesaver on my last trip, but it did have a lot of trouble getting me through one of the Roundabouts in Missouri.  Garmin knew exactly what she wanted, but I could not compute.  Finally she sent me around the mile and got me on the right highway  that way.

So now say I go for a walk.  Whoever wants to see at 7:26 exactly where I am.  Find Lou.  Can that be done in the near future?  I am betting on that.  Then the satellite up in the sky can follow me on my merry little way and I would never know it was watching me.  Granted this is a pretty expensive piece of equipment to play around with, but think of the ramifications of something like this.  We could lose our whole right to privacy, if you know what I mean.  google earth could just hover over my house and see every move I make and report right back to whomever is footing the bill.  I can see that little report now, "Lou took out the trash at 7:03.  She then went to the duck house and let the ducks out at 7:06."

Now I do not know about you, but this kind of scares me! I realize very few people have the resources to pay a satellite to follow some one around, but how many years ago was it that few people could afford the Garmin, or TomTom?  So let us think about this when we are out there marveling at technology.  Technology is only as good as the people running the satellite!

Monday, October 4, 2010

I am running out of time for the raising of the money!

Ok, There you have it.  I am 71% of the way there, but that means I am still short 29%.  Now as near as I can tell this blog has only raised $15.00  That is kind of sad, don't you think?  I know by your reactions to the AIDS Quilts that you are touched by this disease and my compassion for the people who suffer the devastation it brings.  This walk only comes around once a year and I really want to do good for these people.  Right now I am the #4 fundraiser and my team is #3, but that is not going to hold water here the end of this week.  There are some big money people out there who will blow us right out of the pond.

I would just like to show the fat cats that us little people can move a mountain if we need to.   By making a donation, and I do not care how small it is, you are telling me that you support me in my efforts on this cause.  Sometimes the road seems to go straight up hill and even a saint like me needs a little encouragement.  It comes this time in dollar bills. Course you can also pop up to Colorado Springs and cheer me on when my poor little body is walking up the side of a mountain in the high altitude where there is no oxygen and I am probably going to drop dead and then you will wish you had thrown $5.00 my way!

This is my last official plea and I would just be tickled to death to see your name on my list.  And I would go right through the roof if the guy in Canada or the one in Germany who reads me were to donate!  But I will take what I get!   And I will thank you from the bottom of my heart as the clients who benefit from these dollars also thank you. 

So good night to you and God be with us till we meet again!

Sixteen Annual Peace Flotilla, and a good time was had by all!

Last night at the Nature Center marked the 16th time that the little floats with candles in them were launched down the Mighty Arkansas River here in Pueblo, Colorado!  I had not been for a couple years and was just amazed at how much the event has improved.  This is all thanks to a little guy in our town named Doug Gale. You will meet Doug and his lovely wife Dorothy probably next week. I want to take pictures of them and do them full justice, because if God ever touched a man and said "Bring peace to the world and feed my people, it is this man."  I am inadequate to do justice to a man of this stature but I will give it my best shot!

But last night was the Peace Flotilla.  There were girl scouts, boy scouts, McClelland School children, Martin Luther King Center, and more floats then you could shake a stick at.  Someone said there were 83, but that was before I threw mine in the mix.  School kids are more organized.  They had blocks of wood about 10" square and their candle set in the middle.  Then they wrapped it up the sides with butcher paper which had been decorated with peace signs!  Very neat.  I wove some New Mexico Sunflowers into a circle and jammed some purple candles in the thing and called it good. Gave it to some sad looking kid who didn't have one to launch and made him all happy.  Made me happy too cause then I did not have to walk half a mile in the dark through the willows to the launch place!

Usually I run into lots of my friends at something like this, but they were sadly lacking last night. My pastor, Jeanine Lamb and another preacher friend, Steve Parke was there so I kinda hung with Jeanine.  Steve had his guitar and a friend or two and they were the music for the evening.  Gotta' love that Steve!  He does the folk songs and what ever it is us old hippies used to sing.  So they played and we sang at the top of our lungs, "If I had a Hammer!", "Where have all the Flowers Gone?", "This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land." 

Now I need to interject here that I had a lovely visit with Pastor Lamb, which I shall call her out of deference to her vocation.  Yesterday she had given a sermon that really made me think that I may be a good person.  Not perfect by a long shot, but my Lord takes me like I am.  It is me he wants, just like I am so it is me he's going to get!  Aside from the preaching thing she is also a very interesting person. Oh, yeah, and a very good listener.  Knows when to nod and everything!

Then they released the Great Horned Owl into the night sky and launched the floats. These were then caught by the Sheriffs Dive Team right before they went over the rapids and returned to their owners.  I am a thinking that my little float with the 3 purple candles might have gotten by unnoticed in the dark and made it's way to the sea.  At least that is the dream I shall hold on to as I once more, in my idyllic world think that peace may actually be a reality some day.
This is Pastor Lamb!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Now it is back to High School at Nickerson, Kansas.

Well, I did digress there a little, but I am sure had I stayed on the ancestry I would never move on with this little tale.  Sooner or later you are going to know a very lot about me.  May not all be good either!

Ok, so now I am back in Nickerson and I must go to school, like it or not.  In Nickerson one class was as large as the whole high school at Plevna.  I came from a city where everyone knew everyone and now I was adrift in a sea of faces, very few of whom I had any idea who they were.  I very promptly fell in with the "wrong crowd".  Never knew there was such a thing, but there I was smack dab in the middle of one.

Now, you are probably going to wonder about this paragraph, but I swear it is all true.  At about this time Nickerson began building a new High School.  I think I went to the old building and the new building at the same time.  I think, but I am not sure.  I remember very little about the 2 1/2 years I spent at that school.  I remember that I flunked sewing (Home Economics), scraped by Algebra, English, History, Latin and Speech was a complete disaster.  I do remember that one of my new friend's dad made home brew!  As I recall, that was a tasty concoction.  I do recall sleeping through a lot of my classes.

I recall dating once or twice, but never dated anyone the second time.  I recall that Hutchinson Naval Air Station was still in operation during my Junior year and the neighbor girl married a guy from there and moved back to Indiana or some such place.    Her sister dated one of the "swabbies".  Not me man!  Those guys were way to smooth for this little hick, although I did meet one who was here from France and I let him kiss me! Mama mia!  That's a spicy meatball!  Also about that time something was going on overseas and several Polish guy wound up in our circle.  That is all I recall about that business.

Sorry to disappoint all ye who had faith in me, but this is the way it was.  I know there are those of you who recall every moment of your existence, but I am not sure of dates and events enough to elaborate.  I am pretty sure I was there and I am pretty sure I behaved fairly normally.  I do recall the "sock hops" at Memorial Hall (?) in Hutch and I recall a guy named Joey and winning several dance contests.  That Joey was into what ever we danced to back then.  I guess it was just plain old Rock and Roll. He and I were a perfect match and we had lots of fun together.  I do not recall ever kissing Joey and years later I learned why.  Seems he was the first gay boy I ever knew.  (You do realize names have been changed to protect the innocent?) Joey actually died from AIDS many, many years later, although this is all through the grapevine.  I never seen or talked to him again after our sock hop days, oh and the fiasco when he took me to Joyland in Wichita and I threw up on the Round Up.  We made a recording in a booth there and I kept that for many years.  Wonder where that went?

During my life at Nickerson High School there were several memorable events.  Elvis Presley hit the scene on the Ed Sullivan Show.  Oh, that was love at first sight for a lot of girlies!  My brother joined the Army, went to Germany and came home from Germany.  Momma finished secretary school and we moved to Hutchinson. 

I think my head is going to explode!  I better go let the ducks and geese out and do something mundane for a while!  Hopefully see you tomorrow!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

It is me and my momma!!


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Do you see those 2 youngsters up there?  The one on the left is me and the one on the right is my momma.  Course I am a lot younger there and from the way I am propped up on the pillows I appear to be about 7 or 8 months old.  But just look at that smile!  I was pretty happy about something.  Probably had just been fed and was nice and dry! This picture is in a silver frame that is absolutely beautiful so I am sure my momma loved me when she stuck me in there all those years ago.

Now take a look at momma!  I bet she is about 4 or 5.  Got her a puppy and is one happy little girl!  I think she might be setting on the porch of whatever general store they lived close to. I imagine it was in Plevna or perhaps Abbyville.  I do love those leggings and boots!  Wish I could get me a pair of them right now!!

I have a picture in my store on eBay of a girl herding a flock of geese and I swear it could be my mother.  Has the same leggings and boots, but has a head scarf on her head.  Remember those?  Well, most of you probably don't!

So I am going to take these two pictures out of the bottom of that box and put them here on the computer desk so I can just glance over there and remember my roots.  That way when I get to thinking I am nobody important I can remember that it was women like my momma and her momma and grandmother that made this country what it is today.  I still got those same genes pulsing through my body and through my children's blood.

So I will go out singing

"I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers to big to ignore!"

Another year down the tubes!

Counting today, there are only 5 days left in this year.    Momma nailed it when she said "When you are over the hill you pick up speed...