Solution found :)

Make a list for MENSA man- aka Mr. Wonderful...

That was simple!

I fixed the sink by the way...

And the wood pile has been moved, and the front porch will be

finished by tomorrow-

Good work Mr. Wonderful!

:)

Bye Bye Monster~

Monster told me some very interesting stories...
as you can imagine he would-

He also knew some funny jokes...but I think he got them from Leelee ;)


When it was time to go- he wanted to STOMP in the rocks once more- so he did :) I had to pull him out a few times...but I think he was just pretending to be stuck~


-
Someone in Florida will be getting the monster soon and I'll be sure to update you when I find out he arrived safely-

-

I hope he comes back some day :)
Bye Bye Scary Monster- have fun all the places you go!
You always know how to find me-

;)

Scary Monster visits Mayden~

This past Saturday Scary Monster showed up in my mailbox!

He made a very long journey and we have done our best to make him feel at home during his visit with us.

First I showed him my daffodils :) He was very sweet and tried not to stomp on any of the flowers :)

I think he likes my hair? :)

Then we took him out to dinner to a very nice Italian restaurant-

The children had a wonderful time with the Monster- He is VERY good with kids :)

All we drank was sweet tea! Honest! :)

Our front yard has some very large boulders in it- it's an interesting story...maybe I'll tell it one day :)
But the Monster LOVED them! Said he felt like he was right at home~

When bedtime came hubby said that Monster would have to sleep in the guest room, but I thought he might get lonely...so I let Amy snuggle with him.

Apparently Amy is not as hospitable as the rest of us. The next night- I made Amy sleep outside.

Scary Monster has been a wonderful guest and I have promised to send him on to another bloggers house at the end of the week... (but I made a photo copy of him to go in a "one day" blog book).

He goes to Florida next! ;)

Sunsets, Snow, and Bridges to the Past~

The aging lady looped stitch after stich with a crochet needle as she worked on a baby blanket in her favorite chair.

She had buried her sister on Sunday.

She was the youngest of 5 children, and all of her brothers and sisters were now dead. Her parents died decades earlier.

The cluttered and tiny house she sat in was comfortable, and the window across the room from her recliner faced the west. A firey orb of fading sun was sinking behind a line of trees in the distance. The blue cold of that March evening settled in on the farm and it's fields, but not on the warm memories of the days events.
-

She rocked gently- and looking over at the sofa, she thought of C, her oldest granddaughter, and namesake of her own mother. "Grandma, will you teach me to crochet? I know how to knit, and I have tried to crochet, but I would like for you to show me how you do it."

-
For over an hour the 82 year old woman, and her 37 year old grand daughter sat on the couch and practiced making making a chain, and then a single crochet, and a double, and a triple. The older woman explained that her Grandmother had shown her how to hold the yarn so that it looped around her little finger, and laid across her pointer finger for taughtness. This crochet secret had made it's way to yet another generation...handed down at least 4 times, perhaps more?
-
Smiling and putting her needle work aside, she arose slowly from her chair and the beloved Grandmother walked to her kitchen. Inside the refrigerator was a large tupperware container full of slow simmered pot roast, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. A large plastic tub of perfectly seasoned and tender baby lima beans, as well as some fresh cooked green beans only needed re-heating to prepare a perfect meal. Her granddaughter had fixed all this food so that the older woman wouldn't have to cook for the next several days. She laughed when C said, "You'll be sick of pot roast long before you finish it all!"- but it freezes well! :)
-
She fixed a plate with a sampling of everything and heated it up. The aroma of the tender meat, softened potatoes and delicious beans filled the kitchen and living room. She thought about moving south...to be closer to her son, grandkids, and great grandkids. She thought about the 80+ years she had lived in this area, and about all of the friends and family she'd lost in the last 20 years.
Maybe it was time to go. Maybe it was time to settle in with the living and let them care for her.

She looked around her. This had been her home for a very long time. Could she move? Would she survive such an upheaval? What was the alternative? To stay in that 100 year old house and die alone. Not much of choice really.
-
She finished her supper in the kitchen, and returned to her chair.
She picked up her yarn and crochet needle and turned on the TV. She nodded off and dremt of her mother, Cora, and her Grandmother, Amanda, and of her siblings, and of her late husband. After a while, she opened her eyes- realizing- that those who had gone on before her would always be with her, no matter where she was.

But the living- her son and grand children- wanted to be with her now...in the flesh, and inside this limited sphere of time that they all shared.
She had stories to tell and crochet patterns to pass on.
She was the last remaining bridge in the family that linked the past to the future~ she was loved and needed. And she knew it...

I am blessed to have this woman in my family- I hope she moves to North Carolina, and that we have some time to foritfy that bridge.

For History's sake-

Amanda Alice Reed married Edward Lewis Stocker in April of 1882 and was the mother of

Cora Stocker, who married Oscar Crill- and they were the parents of my Grandmother,

Mable Lucille Crill- who married John Runkle and they were the parents of my dad,

Mike Runkle- who married my mother Elva Shelia Alverson- and next came me-

Cora Michealle Runkle...

I was tired in this shot...but at peace and felt a gentle spirit.
I had done what I needed and wanted to do...and it was time to come home.

I hope my Grandmother will call this place "home" one day soon.

_________________________

_________________________

All seriousness aside now- I do have something funny to tell you~ Guess who I found in my mailbox yesterday???

A very Scary Monster!!!

I have lots more to tell about my adventures with this creature- but it will have to keep until tomorrow! I will say that he arrived just in time- and I have enjoyed his company.

I promise- you will get a big kick out of reading my adventures with my new friend!
He is much better behaved than he wants you to think :)

"Indiana", Gateway to the world?

I have the street signs to prove it~

Mexico? Half a mile?/>
Twelve Mile is where my Grandmother lives, and where dad grew up- it's not far from Logansport or Kokomo (not the one in the tropics)-

It is pretty far from Denver, CO.

Peru-

But I thought that was south...wayyyyy south!

___________

Grissom Air Force museum-

But not one soldier in sight~ boo :(

Not sure about where this sign leads... (lol!)

Loved this shot~

Moo...moo...

I took this shot because of the Baron- it made me think of him :)

There's a post coming soon- with actual thoughts and not just photos...but I'm out of time. I hope I can get back here tonight and write about my trip.

So much is sloshing around in my head and heart these days-

James Bond was waiting for me in my chair (the movie, not the man!) and I watched part of it last night. It's funny how on a 60 inch TV the actors look almost life sized!!! I had to turn the fan on in the living room- I was getting a little warm! LOL

Be back soon- next week things should return to normal...whatever that is!

(Oh- and I think I need to look up the word "Haitus"- apparently I don't really understand what it means!)

A "Monumental Day" for Mayden~

Mr. Iamnot made an interesting comment yesterday-
and I wondered, for several hours, what he was talking about.

Finally- I sent him an email asking him, "Was it a year ago today that I developed a cyber crush on you?"

Nooooo- that wasn't it :)

Anyway- I do think it was about a year ago that I found his blog- and we've been friends ever since...but no, it wasn't an anniversary of any sort that he was talking about.

He was reminding me that the new James Bond movie was coming out on DVD tomorrow!

Mr. Iamnot...

I think you are the best :) Thank you for thinking of me...especially now. I hope my hubby has the video cued up and waiting for me when I get home!!! That would be sweet!

Hugs friend :)

(I'm still in Indiana- I will be home on Thursday...hope to catch up with all of you then. I seem to run short on time every night...I miss reading up on you-)

"Brian"

(I planned a visit to my Grandmother in Indiana for the week of the 12th, but her sister (and my great Aunt) passed away last week and my trip got moved up a few days. The following is a reflection of my day today...before the funeral, and afterwards...about someone I was close to in my early teens- :)

He was dreamy...
Oh my goodness- sooooo handsome!
Over a foot taller than me- with dark hair, smiling eyes, a quiet- but strong personality...commanding, but not controling- he was sweet, he was good looking, he was a few years older than me...
and he was my cousin~

:)

On a trip to Indiana in 1983 I went on my first car ride with a "boy" to Little Ceasers Pizza. Brian was 16 and I was 14, and he couldn't wait to show me his new car. I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world- to have such an adorable 3rd cousin- and to be going out with him- even though it was NOT a date! LOL...
;)

Anyway- Brian and I had been pen pals for years...at least until we got into our late teens. He went to college, and I got married. Many years have passed between us- but I saw him again today, for the first time in 15 years.

Oh- the things I remembered...

He drove a dodge- 5.0- and I still have a picture of it!
He was in 4-H.
One of his sheep gave birth, and he named a lamb after me- "Cora".
However, the little lamb broke it's leg and had to be put to sleep...
He cried when the lamb died- and so did I.

We wrote letter, after letter, after letter...for several years. He was as dear to me as anyone could have been at that time in my life. It was devastating to me that he was almost 14 hours away~

"Sigh"-
We grew up. We went to college. We married people who were significant in out lives. We lost contact...
And then today, in a funeral home...I saw him again across the room. I walked over and put my arm around him and said, "Hey cousin...how are you?"
It took less than a second for him to register who I was. He looked bewildrered- so surprised to see me again. He hardly knew what to say...but I could see 24 years roll back- to a time when I was 13, and he was 15. We met in almost the very same spot...a fact he was quick to point out ot me.

"Oh, my goodness- Cora! It has been so long!"

"Yes, Brian, it has. It's been too long."

His wife, blonde- blue eyes...petite...stood in the distance. He didn't introduce me to her...
I wonder why? LOL :)

Oh- much has changed. We are both nearing middle age- both in the middle of lives well lived- both doing what was and is expected of us.
Both of us reflecting on a time when the world was open to us- when all the choices we could ask for awaited our choosing. We chose.
We walk our distinctive paths. We plod along with the past behind us.

But TODAY, we remembered~
And the memory was sweet...

Young, enamored, ready for what life would bring~
Fast foward- and here we are...

He is still handsome. I can see the "boy" in the man he has become.
He is successful, grounded, and married to a woman who could pass for my sister-
except that she wasn't "family".
Lucky her-

And lucky me...
He and I share blood-
and that can not be undone ;)

I hope we might become pen pals again...
I'll let you know how it goes :)

"Not a a post II" (lol- Phos!)

The Moon recovered from her eclipse~

My Daffodils bloomed in spite of the stange weather~

Storms pass and leave treasure in the sky~

-

And I smile- because we walk together :)

Thanks for all the ways you've been here- and there- and everywhere~

-

-I'll be in Indiana for the next several days- but I'm taking my computer with me :)

New Theme song, "The Middle"...not really a post~

THE MIDDLE
By: Jimmy Eat World
-
Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head
You feel left out or
Looked down on
Just try your best
Try everything you can
And don't you worry
What they tell themselves
When you're away

It just takes some time
Little girl you're in the middle
Of the ride
Everything, Everything will be just fine.
Everything, Everything will be all right, all right

Hey, you know
They're all the same
You know you're doing
Better on your own
So don't buy in
Live right now
Just be yourself
It doesn't matter
If it's good enough
For someone else

It just takes some time
Little girl you're in
The middle of the ride
Everything, Everything will be just fine.
Everything, Everything will be all right, all right

It just takes some time
Little girl you're in
The middle of the ride
Everything, Everything will be just fine.
Everything, Everything will be all right, all right

Whoa..

Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head
You feel left out or
Looked down on
Just do your best
Do everything you can
And don't you worry
What the bitter hearts
Are gonna say

It just takes some time
Little girl you're in
The middle of the ride
Everything, Everything will be just fine.
Everything, Everything will be all right, all right

It just takes some time
Little girl you're in
The middle of the ride
Everything, Everything will be just fine.
Everything, Everything will be all right.

A thank you, a thought or 2, and Hiatus

First-
I want to take a moment to thank Roxanne for the lovely header she made for me :)
(And she inspired me to figure out how to post a link properly! LOL :)
It was a thoughtful and inspired gift...I don't know if she knew that "hearts" are my favorite symbol- perhaps it was intuition? I was delighted when I found out that "Cora" not only means Maiden in Greek, but in Spanish (as Lux pointed out) a similar name "Corazon" means Heart...so it was destiny for me anyway!

Thank you Roxanne- and I hope that any bloggers who would like to have a custom header will contact you. I hope you will be wildly successful in this new line of work- I love what you did for me! :)

-

Second...
I wanted to share this with you~

"I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help.

There is no mistaking love.

You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame that heals our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our connection to God and to each other."

-Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

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

Like my dear friend, Enemy of the Republic, I think I'm going to have to step back for a while. I've got to clear off my desk- and clear out my head, and heart- and try to get through a stack of stuff that I've been putting off for a while.

-

I'll be around- and most of you know how to email me if you want to ask me something...and quite a few of you have my ph#- and you are always welcome to call me.

-

I leave you with one last thought- (at least for now!)

-

"The more you judge, the less you love".

-Honore de Balzac

Love to you all...I will keep in touch~

There and back again~ (click for "Windjammer")

Yeah... we're home!
(Wait...BOO!!!...I wish I was still at the beach!)



The Windjammer is my favorite hotel...click on the link above and you'll see why!
All the rooms are ocean-front with beautiful views.



When we arrived, we walked out on the balcony to look at the Atlantic ocean...and guess what we saw?

Dolphins! And not just a few...but about 15! This is just one pod!

Trust me- those ARE NOT SHARKS! I looked up and down the shore- and the dolphins could only be seen in front of our hotel!

-

The Sunsets were stunning-

And we had a lovely time- we didn't do anything extraordinay...we just tried to unwind- and enjoy the time off- the time away. We did go for a walk on the beach and I found a whole sand-dollar! :)

I gave it to Tim~

Bye little dolphins! Hope we'll see you again soon!!!

-

Thanks for all your "well-wishes" for this trip! I felt them~

Hopefully my post tomorrow, or later this week, will be a little "deeper" than this one! :)

~ Break ~

I'll be away for the next several days~

I'll be a the Crystal Coast..."Emerald Isle", North Carolina :)
Thought I'd leave you with some photos I've taken in South Africa, and South East Asia.

* A baby red rhino...rare-and facing extiction.

Lions are hunted for their skins-
so these live on huge reserve.
There are no fences inside either!
I was very close...too close some might say.

-

-

"Simba" :) He was friendly...but still a lion- with claws to prove it!

Of course, as much as I loved seeing the animals- I didn't want to take any home with me...but I can't say the same about the children I met~ it was hard to leave them...

And it didn't matter where- or who- they were~ I became "attached" very easily :)

The landscapes were beautiful- I would return to SE Asia in a heartbeat!

But- there is no place in the world like the United States of America...I am blessed- and thankful to be an American. It took my being away from my country to understand and appreciate it.

I love being "out in the world"...but there's no place like home! :)

Hope you enjoyed these- and that you will all have a great weekend!

Made me ache a little~

when I read this...
-
"I never knew dawn could break
With peace so deep and hope so wide,
Till that first morning when I awoke,
And you lay sleeping by my side."

-Robert Sexton


What does this make you think of?
Who does it make you think of?
Is this a reality in your life now?

I thought of a morning- over 13 years ago...
My insides were stitched up- had a "grin" that stretched from one hip to the other...the Dr. called it a C-section.
And a warm tiny bundle (ok- he was almost 9 pounds, so not that tiny! :) was snuggled next to me~

I was thinking of my son...

Who is now taller than me- and has completely lost his baby smell-
I miss that!
And I miss the magic of those moments~
of dawn breaking with a peace so deep, and hope so wide.

But I don't miss the 4 am diapers ;)

I'm ready for Spring...ready for a new season...ready to hang my coat in the closet- and sit in the sunshine.

Ready to reach beyond the emptiness of winter... and not really sure how~

Bloggers meet! :) (for Sean's page- click here)

About a year ago I stumbled upon a blogger who was a soldier in Iraq-
He had only been blogging for a few weeks, just like me.

In 2004 and 2005 I led a group that wrote letters to people who were sick/in the hospital, and next we added soldiers (who were out of the country) to our list.
In particular we wrote to soldiers that were friends of, or were related to someone we knew personally.
I was thrilled when I came across Sean's blog because it enabled me to keep writing to someone in Iraq, and it gave me chance to make a new friend.

Sean was in my area for some training exercises over the last 2 weeks, and I got to spend 90 minutes with him this morning at a local mall.
We talked the whole time! (well, if you know me...getting me to be quiet is difficult! lol)

Anyway- I wasn't sure if our schedules would work out- but they did :) It was a lot of fun and I hope we can coordinate our schedules again before he returns to Iraq at the end of the year.

Thanks Sean...it was so nice to meet you! I hope next time I get to cook dinner for you! :)

***If any of you have a chance to meet a blog friend- be sure to do it. It really is special~ :)

Oh Deer! ~ /t and I have a yard full! :)

/t and I do not have the SAME yard though...
His yard is north-west of mine :) He has Buck's, and I have Doe's...

I guess there were 8 or 9...but these were all I could catch with the camera though :)

Shameless photo :) Took this one today- and there's no excuse for it~

Or for the next one either! :)

Hope you all have a "Super" weekend! I'm pulling for...umm- umm- umm???

Whose playing???

Horses and Grizzlies? Ponies and Cubs? A bunch of Yankees I think!

I'd be interested if North Carolina, or Texas, or Atlanta were invloved...but they're not.

LOL! ;)

My dad is from Indiana...so- I'm pulling for the baby horses ;)

Hope my friends from Chicago understand~ Hugs to you Susan! :)