Happy pre-spook day...

It really has been a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Perfect fall weather, great to be alive.

I have a little book I try to remember to make a note of things I am thankful for in, on a daily basis: and today it's just mostly Everything!

Volunteered today and Sunday at the Botanical Gardens here in town, over on Weems Road, for the Fall Kids Fest. I did this last year, and enjoyed being the person in charge of Face Painting, so thought that would be fairly easy and amusing to do again this year. I had a pretty good day, painting assorted body parts; mostly little faces, with cheeks about the size of a quarter, so they probably did not get full value for a $1 ticket.

I think we enjoyed ourselves: I know the adults did, especially the ones who really got into the season and came dressed up in costumes. I found out too late that we could get 'bonus points' for coming in seasonal garb, so will probably wear the clown costume, or the graduation gown and mortarboard tomorrow... to get the 'double credit' for volunteer hours.

When we got started this morning at 10:00, it was fairly slow was slow, so between customers, I used the down time to practice on myself. (Though I did not attempt to paint on my own face, as it would have taken forever holding the mirror, and trying to figure out how to do it backwards.) But think I did a pretty good job of decorating my left hand, arm with various and sundry ladybugs, spiders, spiders, etc in keeping with the season of spooks. And when I got hot from sittingonthe porch at my 'station' in the afternoon son, had to peel my long sleeved shirt off, and found a whole new, uncovered space on my scrawny little bicep: so during the next lull, gavemyself a red heart-shape, with a blue banner, that says MOM in yellow. I am quite attractive in the 'works in a tatoo parlor' way, and really do not want to take a bath before I go to church tomorrow.

Do you ever think that those people you notice ahead of you in the check-out line who are covered from their wrist up their arms, across their torso and down to their ankles must work in tatoo shops? Otherwise think about how much cash they have invested in something that is going to look like the fell in a bucket of paint in twenty years. Now we know what they do when they are having a slow day at work. Do you ever think about what they are going to look like in forty years? Do they ever think about what they will look like in forty years? Don't come knocking on my door, telling me you changed your mind, and want to get all that body art removed.....

Fortunately Mine will come off with soap and water....

creative and crafty, sort of....

I am organizing a craft event at church, and getting pretty excited about it. Probably as excited as my kids used to get over the prospect of spending the day downtown at the IronWorks Trade and Convention Center when the annual 'Christmas Made in the South' event comes to town: which is this weekend, and I am really looking forward to Not Attending. I am sure with a big fat advertising budget, that big, well established commercial event will be a big success, and with all the advertising that is being done, it will likely draw lots of customers who will spend lots of money, and have lots of vendors take their profit and leave town on Sunday night.

This little amateur event at church will be on Sat., Nov. 20. We have about forty local people who are doing all kinds of neat things: knitting, tatting, crochet, making canvas bags, quilts, 'up-cycling' clothing, handmade wooden picture frames, custom-design jewelery, baked goods,
pottery, papergoods, paintings, monograming, embrodiery, handmade pillows, scarves, utility bags, a wonderful home-made salsa recipe, and my own personal favorite: papier-mache mobiles.

All local people, doing local crafts, with all the proceeds from the event staying right here at home, in our community, circling around and around and around.

I will not confess right here, and divulge to the entire universe (watch what you say on Facebook!) how this whole thing got started, but as for the hand-made papier-mache frames with mirrors: I think the crafts are pretty, and pretty creative, but have to admit that the idea is crafty as in the 'underhanded sort of crafty'. That's all I'm tellin'!

the weekend... past and future...

All last weekend I was up in the woods of Harris County, serving on the Emmaus Walk as a 'worker bee'. I have worked several times in the past, but this was my first turn on the Worship Committee, which I deliberately angled for so I could do their floral work. It was little actual action, and lots of sitting and chatting- which could either be very dull and boring, or interesting opportunities to get to know people with whom you have Emmaus in common. It was pretty interesting for me... making connections. Plus it was a beautiful fall weekend, and I slipped away every day to walk my miles out on a quiet peaceful country road enjoying the sunshine, fall leaves, sneezing, sniffling, dripping my way along....

And I am going back again today. Having re-enlisted to assist with the floral preparations, so I know I will be there two days. Sneezing, snorting, blowing....

But will be going to Warner Robins on Saturday to visit with some of Paul's neices and their families. We went back in the summer, taking the houseguests who had not seen their relatives in years, and want to go again before they move on into the next phase, where-ever that might take them. We are hoping the nephew who lives in Augusta will be there as well.

So I will enjoy a couple of days of peaceful retreat in the pine-y woods of Harris County, and meeting, building relationships with other worker-bee/fellows who willingly give up their weekend to provide the 'behind the scenes' support and work that makes these weekends such amazing opportunities, so rewarding and enlightening for the pilgrims on their journey.

walking for those who can't... and remembering...

I am planning to participate in the Alzheimers' Association Memory Walk fund raiser again this year here in Columbus. It will be Uptown in Columbus on Oct. 30 (but I am sure there are lots of them being held all over the country during the official Month of Remembering. In addition to being a walker, I hve also made a donation to the St. Luke Respite Program group as a memorial for Choppy.

If you would like to send a memorial gift to fund research for Alzheimers, I would love to have you make a contribution to the team of walkers who will be participating from the Respite program where Choppy was an amusing additon to the group, and attended for several years while she was living here.

Please send your donations to:
St. Luke Respite Care,
Attn: Carol Boers,
PO Box 867
Columbus, GA, 31901
on the 'memo' line, please indicate: St. Luke Strollers.

(I am going to add a post-it note that will also let them know that my gift should be designated as a memorial for Choppy Fluker.)

I took my donation on Wednesday, and they talked about Choppy, remembering what a delight she was, her sense of humor and her facial expressions even when she got past being conversant, how much they enjoyed her being a part of the program.

Happy Columbus Day...

What did you do memorable on 10-10-10?

I baked a special request carrot cake on Friday, the 8th, and took it to Decatur on Saturday, the 9th, so I could go up to TN. to deliver it on Sunday the 10th. Complete with a non-appropriate number of candles for the birthday girl to blow out. We enjoyed a big slice for breakfast, and took a mostly lame turn through Rock See-ity.
It was the best I could do for 'memorable' when none of the other participants would come up with a unique, creative idea. We did take photos there at the 'look-out' spot where you can theoretically stand on a clear day and 'see seven states', thoughit requires leaning waaaay over, squint and hang on for dear life.

I think I will be better at remembering where I was when I hear JFK had been shot. Even though I don't have a photo of that....

a little evangelizing music, please

I enjoyed seeing one of my favorite people over the weekend. I actually have two favorites, and one of them came to Columbus for a couple of days under the guise of wanting to attend the wedding of a friend. But I know she really just came to see me: I choose to believe that I am truly the 'attraction', the mainest, primary, most important reason for driving eight hours (four hours each way to and from TN, especially the part where the only way to get from there to here and back again is through the misery of ATL traffic!)

We did, I think, mostly nothing together. But that's likely the best part/time of the weekend.

I went to Valdosta on Friday, to attend a funeral.

But was anxious to get back to Columbus, since I expected she would be getting here before I could get back from south GA. They were sitting down eating supper when I got here, and had lots of left over asparagus wrapped in the World's Saltiest, Thinnest Ham slices for me to eat.
BFF from elementary school came over for a little girl-y giggle fest, and they probably stayed up half the night talking and laughing like they have done many times over the years. Then they went on Saturday afternoon, to the wedding together at a big historic church downtown, where the bridal party was guaranteed the perfect backdrop for the perfect wedding photos.

The evangelizing part: spend time with people you love. Don't think you have to have a 'plan', be doing something unusual, remarkable, amazing, or exciting... just take the time to be with people you care about. Life is too short to have regrets, especially those of the 'I miss someone I can't tell, see, call, talk to, be with' variety. Don't wait until the season is right for family gatherings, or you have time to clean the house, or someone has a birthday/milestone event: go to visit, call and say 'meet me for lunch', make the effort.

Do it Now.