JUST A HIPPIE GYPSY

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

2009-12-18T07:02:00.005-05:00

GiST 21/365

1) Being in possession of an ice scraper.

2) Smiling at the sight of two girls posing on the trunk of the huge pink elephant that sits at the cross roads.

3) Finding my candle making stuff in the storage shed! Making a candle and failing. Finding a video on You Tube and re-melting it on the stove (vs. the microwave) and better the second time but still a wick failure! Lesson learned - nothing is as easy as it looks.

4) Flipping the heat on in the house.

5) Missing Survivor last night because I had to work, but knowing I can watch it on the Internet later today (maybe tomorrow).

Lunch Box

2009-12-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

Brought to you by {W}rite of Passage

(Written in fifteen minutes!)

Grammar School Lunches –

You must know,number one, the school was a two room Parochial school that taught maybe sixty students in eight grades located in the living quarters of the Nuns of Divine Providence. We had no cafeteria and we ate at our desks during most the school year. Weather permitting, we went outside. I vaguely remember picnic tables along the south end of the yard.....only vaguely.

Anyway. Lunch was an important affair when taking place on the playground. When allowed outside the four walls of formal education, it was a mass sprint to acquire the best spots the play ground had to offer. The best being, sitting in the shade under the sliding board. This was not typical namby-pamby sliding board, but the mother of all sliding boards. I can close my eyes and still see it, still feel its cold metal under my hands. It was 10 feet tall (at least!), made of solid iron, its steps pitted for traction and worn silver by the millions of trips us kids took to the top of the magical tower. You could see the entire grounds from atop.

But the best of times was when the weather turned very cold and icy, so cold that the ground was frozen and ice formed on the blacktop. We would polish the board with wax paper until it shone and was as slick as snot. Then we would carry buckets of water from the water fountain and toss it in front of the bottom of the slide making a hazardous path towards the merry-go-round (which was like a monstrous tilt –a-whirl top!).

You would climb the steps to the top, crouched on your haunches facing downwards waiting to be shoved with herculean effort by those behind you to descend down, hair flowing behind you, hats taking flight, a steak on the the greased death slide, hitting the child-made frozen path and steer your self by keeping hold of your knees, as far as you could go careful to avoid taking out a first grader or some goof ball not paying attention. Many a child’s life hung in a suspended balance as they failed to fall sideways before sliding, at breakneck speed, under the crushing jaws of the Merry-go-round! We would scream , shout and cheer as we ran towards the bone crushing monster and stopped it moments from smashing in the head or obliterating the bones of the greatest slide of them all. Or at least that day.

Lunch? Everyday, without fail, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich lovingly folded in wax paper accompanied by a tiny bag of Frito’s and two cookies.

Lunch was wolfed down and the cartons of milk tossed back quickly in anticipation of that precious hour of bone chilling, death defying, bone marrow crunching, dare devil and double dog dare playground time after lunch.

GiST #20

2009-12-17T08:43:00.003-05:00

1) My knock-off Movado Museum watch in motion again.

2) Releasing the unmistakable aroma of Gain detergent as I unload the dryer.

3) The self-serve station at the post office to avoid standing in the long long long long and then long again line.

4) The V-6 in the Sonata, vvvvvvvvvroooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm

5) Remembering it's garbage day and getting the container to the road before the truck arrives (5amish!! Can you believe it???

Number 18 Number 18 Number 18

2009-12-16T08:24:00.003-05:00

GiST

1) Coffee - the nectar of life - first thing in the morning.

2) Ability to remove myself, if only for just a few hours, with a short journey/adventure to parts unknown.

3) A pen that feels just right in my hand and writes with a smooth flair.

4) Small towns without even a four way stop.

5) An Amish buggy tearing down the two lane highway! I have not seen such a throw back sight since leaving Ft. Wayne over two years ago. I knew the Amish/Mennonites had settled around this West KY area, but I had yet to see them. They are a fearless people.

Number 17

2009-12-15T07:54:00.004-05:00

Grace in Small Things 17/365

1) Awaking to the distant chords of The Nutcracker Suite playing from the television turned on in the living room and being overwhelmed with the image of taking Bridget, as a very young child, to the Louisville production every year.

2) Christmas lights glowing in the black darkness.

3) Joe ironing my shirt.

4) Bob's Old Timey peppermint candy.

5) The season finale of Dexter. Wow, never saw that coming, (though I should have).

Grace in Small Things

2009-12-14T07:57:00.002-05:00

16/365

1) Being told by a second party how the first party brags about how wonderful/good you are!

2) Zac Brown Band.

3) Finding the perfect Christmas gift.

4) CBS Sunday Morning segment about Paul McCartney and the Beatles. (I'm a long time Beatle fan)

5) Joe bringing home a Courier Journal (Louisville's Pulitzer prize winning newspaper).

Number 15 - 350 to go!

2009-12-13T09:23:00.010-05:00

Grace in Small Things

1) Small pocket notebooks

2) Honey made by local beekeepers.

3) My new friend Rita - Who has these little nervous tic's like Rodney Dangerfield

4) Joe coming home from a short trip to Central KY

5) My sonic toothbrush.

Grace in Small Things

2009-12-12T04:15:00.004-05:00

14/365

1) Getting a paycheck every week! I use to get paid once a month! What a difference (in so many ways).

2) The scent of candles

3) The beautiful fleeting 4pm sun drenching the bedroom.

4) Babies with bows in their hair (little wisps of fine baby hair)

5) Vivid dreams starring friends from long ago.

Careful what you wish for

2009-12-11T05:53:00.003-05:00

What seems like a long time ago, when I first "retired" from the Beverage Company I hoped that the next job I found would be less stressful.

I figured that I would take it easy for awhile. My father was very ill and I had been away from home for over two years and wanted to spend time with family. My Mom's 80th birthday party was planned for that summer and relatives from all over were coming in for the celebration. There was plenty of time "later" to look for a job.

I began to envision the career I would seek out. Less stressful meant I could leave it at the doorstep when I went home. I did not want my cell phone ringing 24/7 with problems I had to smooth over or find a way to resolve. I wanted a job where I could sleep soundly at night and not toss and turn until the sky began to lighten and soften from the blackest of night to the gray of a winter morn. I wanted to not bolt upright from a sound sleep when my subconscious remembered I forgot to download my orders the evening before because I got distracted. Or bolt upright from a sound sleep when I remember that today is the day I am suppose to turn in a lost equipment report which I have not even started. I wanted to not feel myself become worried senseless because I have upset a customer with some regulation that is outside my realm of authority and those higher up could care less. I wanted to leave behind forever the mini anxiety attacks being brought on by some Big Wig from Atlanta that was going to hop in my car and spend the day with me visiting the Bengal Camp. And on and on and on.

I wanted a job where I did not have to recall what I wore last week so that I would not wear the same thing twice to visit an account.

I rolled it over in my mind that wearing a uniform would be good. Very good. It would be heaven to not think about clothes!

And my wish came true. I iron my pastel button down oxford shirts and laugh at the absurdity of my never having worn much less owned such a shirt before. My apron with my name and lone star makes me ponder irony.

As I fall into bed and sleep soundly and without a single honest work related care in the world, as the frustrations of too much responsibility are replaced by the frustrations of ego...

As I wake at 330am in the morning after a deep six hours of sleep I also marvel at the power of the invisible hand coupled with the fickle finger of fate that can make a dream a reality.

This is Harder than it looks

2009-12-11T05:48:00.002-05:00

GiST part 13 of 365

1) Pancakes with cherry preserves (more of the food theme)

2) E-mail from Gayle (hi G.!)with picture of childhood buddy.

3) Pumpkin spice flavored coffee

4) Making it home in time to see most of Survivor.

5) Finding a $5 bill!

12 of 365

2009-12-10T11:20:00.002-05:00

Grace in Small Things

1) Lip gloss

2) Talking to Mom on the phone

3) Receiving first Christmas card

4) Having a nice conversation with an elderly lady in the line at the PO that made the 20 minute wait tolerable.

5) Chicken-n-Dumplings at work (there is a pattern of food stuff in my GIST's!!)

extra! Extra! UK beats UCONN in a thriller and I stayed awake for the whole thing!

GiST 11/365

2009-12-09T09:06:00.003-05:00

1) For some crazy zen like reason, I enjoy ironing my cotton long sleeved shirts with the can of starch.

2) A pb&j for lunch

3) Reading an article on line about the lack of jobs and professionals taking retail jobs for the Christmas season and how the retail industry was remarkably improving because of it! Better customer service----hello.

4) A well deserved afternoon nap.

5) Fortune cookie "Your problem just became your stepping stone. Catch the moment."

Offical Kick Off of Write of Passage

2009-12-07T18:18:00.004-05:00

Character.

Working with the general public all day long exposes you to the entire spectrum of personalities and character types. Serial shoppers , mean people, deformed people, challenged people, rude people, warm people, hyper people, people who allow their kids to run wild, people who are amused, people who are bored, people who just want to eat, people who just want to shop, people who want to eat and shop, people who hold purses for their wives , people who just hold purses , people who help their mates to the bathrooms, fat people, skinny people, people returning from cancer treatments at Vandy, people with no hair, people with too much hair, people with seeing eye dogs, people without an arm, people without sight, people without shame, people without compassion ,people who want candy, people who want pies, people who express gratitude, people who express impatience, people who want gift wrap, people who tell you how to do your job, people who are grateful you know how to do your job, people who want bows, people who want boxes, people who want an uncrushed box, people who want what is on the top of the highest shelf, people who like snowmen, people who are afraid of the weasel chasing the ball, people who look good in wraps, people who look short in wraps, people who ignore you, people who call you by name, people who smile, people who scowl , people who hum, people who talk to themselves, people who touch everything, people who bark at their children not to touch anything , people who look lost , people who are lost, people who rush to the bathroom , people who do not flush, people who line the commode seat with tissue paper and leave it behind, people who miss the trash can, people who refuse to touch the door plates and open with their elbows arms crooked like a doctor entering the OR , people who startle easily, people who enter the wrong bathroom, women who scream when seeing a man in the women’s bathroom, little boys in the women’s bathroom , sad looking little girls exiting the men’s bathroom, old folks on walkers, young folks in wheel chairs , broken arms in pink casts, broken legs in blue casts , crutches , canes, and XXXL “do you have anything larger” people, Tennessee orange , Alabama red , Florida orange and blue , Kentucky Blue, Austin Peay Red, Western Kentucky red, tall athletes, bus loads of retires looking for Horehound drops, basketball teams, volleyball teams, cheerleading teams, little league teams, coaches, People with books, people with newspapers , people with Bibles, people with brief cases , people with notebooks, people with lists , people in groups, people alone, people together, people kissing , people hugging, people kissing passionately , people rocking , people expounding on religion, people preaching politics, people talking about mission trips, men and women in fatigues, men and women in dress uniforms, people attending weddings, people attending funerals , people traveling , people passing through, people stuck, people yanking children by the arm, people with twins, people with four day old babies, people carrying baby carriers, babies laughing, babies crying, children running, children throwing tantrums, children playing in the toy department , children in Uggs, children in cowboy boots, children barefoot, children with a white streak in their hair (natural), children living with their grandparents , children visiting their grandparents, grandparents visiting their children, soldiers returning from Afghanistan, newlyweds, married 64 years, those who love, those who do not love, those who are affectionate, those who are chatty, those who are sour, those who are happy ,those who are sad, those who are lonely, those who are in a hurry, those who linger too long ,those who want something from six months ago ,those who want the last one, those who will not take the last one, those who wait until it goes on sale, those who don’t care what it costs, those who tell you how wonderful you are, those who tell your boss how wonderful you are, those who burst out the door shouting how rude you are, those who touch, those who grab your hand, those who tell you secrets, those who tell you dreams ,those who tell you “thanks” and not mean it, those who tell you thanks and mean it, those who dress like hookers, people who do not wash and smell bad, those on spike heels, those in combat boots, those in work boots, those who run out on the check, those who checks will not cash, those who return (used) merchandise, those who steal merchandise, those who argue about merchandise (that is clearly marked 25% off!!), those who want the manager, those who run out of gas, those who need a jump, a phone book, an aspirin, those who need a slap in the face, a course on etiquette, a bath, a kick in the ass, those who are too sweet, too young for motherhood, too young for fatherhood, too young for military service (they look like they are 12 sometimes), and then there are those who make you cry with their stories, who make you laugh with their witticisms…….

How in the world could I make up stories about the character of the people I meet and greet in a typical day?

The reality is enough.

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This post was written in response to a writing challenge from {W}rite-of-Passage, a "...group of writers seeking a challenge, getting critique, and finding community."

10/365

2009-12-07T18:06:00.002-05:00

GiST

1) Walmart having monitors on sale

2) Getting into a check out lane with no one in front of you!

3) Working a shift with Rita - who loves to gift wrap (yea!)

4) Finding a peppermint in my purse.

5) Finding "Tales of the Scale" at the Salvation Army store - a book written by a blogger who use (notice the past tense) to have a great blog called Lose the Budda.

9/365

2009-12-07T18:00:00.003-05:00

Grace in Small things

Double header

1) Downloading the newest Neil Young.

2) Sirius Radio

3) Successfully selling Joe's golf clubs on Craigslist

4) Chocolate chip cookies recipe courtesy of Foodnetwork.com

5) Arriving two hours late for work because you read the schedule incorrectly and everyone covered for you and no one knew!

Second Week - GiST

2009-12-05T21:15:00.005-05:00

8 of 365

1) Having a Saturday off!

2) Having a Saturday off and finding out UK plays UNC on TV at 11:30!

3) Living in central time zone.

4) UK playing awesome 1st half and I was jumping up and down and then they played a mediocre 2nd half but they WON!! Great game!

5) Finishing my first draft for (W)rite of passage.

GiST

2009-12-05T06:32:00.004-05:00

7 of 365

1) Realizing I was watching a sunset and it was beautiful.

2) Not burning down the house. I remembered I had left the oven on earlier in the day when I rushed off to work! I had thawed out several chicken breasts and they had been in the refrigerator tooooo long and I thought I would cook them before leaving for work. Great ideas gone bad! Joe home at 330 and turned off oven! Chicken burnt to a black glob. That's what happens at 350 degrees for seven hours!!

3) Thin crust deLITE pizza from Papa Murphy's.

4) Money grams at Walmart - too easy and a Christmas discount.

5) The end of a trying day that was coupled with my out of sorts mood.

GiST

2009-12-03T22:20:00.002-05:00

6 of 365

1) Andrea Bocelli singing "Because God Made thee Mine" makes me cry it is so beautiful and fills me with memories of my Dad singing the song to my Mom.

2) My MP3 - Andrea Bocelli and some other guy singing "Because we Believe" because it gives me chills (and brings tears to my eyes too, it's so beautiful)

3) That I made it to the gas station this morning before running out of gas. I cut it way too close this time - almost.

4) Unexpected trip to Trader Joe's!

5) Message on the answering machine regarding job at the Mall ????????!!!!!!!!!!1

Grace in Small Things

2009-12-02T22:40:00.005-05:00

Five of three hundred and sixty five

1) Waking to the sound of rain.

2) Smell of brownies cooking. Yum yum.

3) AT&T cell tower finally (after seven months living here) turned on! Cell service in Tiny Town! Yessssssssssssssss

4) Employee appreciation days - 30% off the merchandise. That makes Buy one get one half price very sweet.

5) Getting a doctor appointment with a specialist immediately! Unheard of!

4 of 365

2009-12-01T20:32:00.004-05:00

Grace in Small Things

1) Satisfaction that comes from completing a task! Even if it is only cleaning out the cupboards and refrigerator.

2) Libraries - thank you Ben Franklin for dreaming up the concept of a free library. With computers and DVD's, music CD's, old books - new books and everything in between.

3) Finding a four leaf clover.

4) A cute little boy pushing miniature shopping cart at Kroger (I go to market quite often..lol)

5) Hearing laughter and looking north and seeing the playground covered with children! Flashback to Ft. Wayne and a playground next to the Little Caesar's covered with a recent heavy snow and the seemingly hundreds of colorfully clad kids frolicking on the equipment.

Grace in Small Things

2009-11-30T19:29:00.004-05:00

3 of 365
1) Christmas Carols on the piped in music to sing along with.

2) Finding exactly what I'm looking for in the stock room.

3) Two Amazon orders in one day.

4) Southern Comfort Egg Nog! (Hooray!!) at Kroger's. (boo Walmart).

5) Cat sleeping in my lap in yellow checkered blanket.

2 of 365

2009-11-29T15:00:00.007-05:00

Grace in small things

1) Good laugh about cat sitting on the back porch of the new neighbor - who owns a dog!

2) Finally making the telephone call I have been creading for some time and it turned out OK.

3) Reading "just one more chapter" while lounging on the bed - just like I did as a kid in my upstairs bedroom with the pink walls and the deep burgundy rug.

4) Being told that I am #2 in sales for the week, #1 for the month. I modestly say that it is a group effort but inwardly my heart is doing the dance of joy.

5) Aspercreme - what a great invention!

Grace in Small Things

2009-11-28T23:13:00.002-05:00

One of 365...

1) White fences of central Kentucky

2) Kentucky almost beating Tennessee in over time

3) My sister understanding when I shouted "You're like Cartman singing "O Holy Night"!! Who knew!" (talking about her prowess at Corn Hole!)

4) My mother finishing up the grace before the meal by saying, "And thank you for food, friends and family...and everything that begins with the letter F" ... a one beat of astonishment at the table and then snickering and then laughter and then.."Football!" "Fruit"...etc. etc. etc. (though we were all thinking one thing...) and she clarifies, "Good things that begin with the letter F.."

5) Family together

All the time in the World

2009-11-15T19:07:00.002-05:00

My hubs went to Memphis for several days beginning last week. Last Tuesday. The few days stretched into a few more and now he will return tomorrow. it has been like a mini vacation! Only I am the only one to feed and let the cat out in the middle of the night.

When he left last week I thought, Oh Boy! I can lay around and read as much as I want and eat what I want and no fighting over the tv programs!

The reality is this, I started a book I could not get into...Little, Big. I am just not much of a "fantasy" fan. I enjoyed the imagery of the prose (...His hat looked as if it had been in a fight....) but I could not for the life of me get interested in the story. I would begin to read and find myself asleep. So much for reading.

I made my current favorite dish, Chicken Pot Pie. I have discovered the joy of using my eight inch iron skillet as a pie pan! Golly gosh (this is how I cuss these days because of my career at the People Pleasing family oriented Biscuit Barrel and their three strikes you're out cussing policy)it makes for a flaky crust! I might buy another one just for fruit pies! Anyway, something happened to my broth. I'm not certain what I did, maybe not enough chicken stock and onions. I used the Barefoot Contessa recipe as a guide instead of just winging it. It did not have the usual "Hamburgers! that's good!" kick to it that it always has when Joe is around.

And I thought I would breeze through a project I have been working on, off and on, for several months on the computer. Guess what? Never looked at it.

What I have done is sleep a lot, eat a lot and not read a lot. Download a ton of music from the MP3 program and work a lot of extra hours. And not care a fig about tv. (Anyone watching Survivor? I love that guy Russel from New Orleans. What a peacock!)

And it all ends tomorrow. I have missed him. Life is sweeter with him around, if not more hectic and demanding.

Farmer in the Dell

2009-11-14T05:13:00.002-05:00

Early to bed and early to rise makes a person healthy wealthy and just a plain old bore.

Actually, the damn three legged cat begins walking across my chest around 3am. And he is heavy! I am able to steal another 50 or so minutes of sleep before giving in and feeding that lard ass cat and then letting him out into the neighborhood which is his jungle.

It's 4am and I am awake. I like the very early hours. It's quiet and I feel like I am the only one awake....besides the farmers.

A lovely quiet. A delicious quiet.

I did a short four hour stint at Biscuit Bucket yesterday and not much happening of the unusual sort. A kid with a broken foot hobbling around on one of those foot boots, "What happened?" I asked as I have found people love to talk about their injuries, and since she was a young kid of about nine I added, "Did you kick a boy?" She laughed and told me she was going to tell everyone from now on that's what happened because it sounded better than tripping over her wiener dog.

The only other good action happened over by the Alan Jackson display. A young couple had taken the hat (Stetson knock off for $49.99. You too can look like Alan Jackson!) and she was taking a picture of him with her cell phone.

I swooped down on them and slipped one of the red and black cowboy ostentatious shirts with embroidery and snaps galore and said, "Here, slip this on, put the hat back on and hold up the back of the CD! " I was recreating the back cover. "Tilt your head down. You will look just like Alan Jackson." They loved it! "Are you sure we can do this?" I looked all around and put my finger to my lips, "We won't tell the sales person on duty what you are up to."

"Brilliant Face Book photo!" he laughed, "Now, who is Alan Jackson?"

They were not from around these parts. I laughed, they laughed and the older couple standing in the clearance corner laughed.

"You're next!" I called to them.

The older couple ended up buying several John Deere head gear hats.

I'm good.