Bejeweled Barbie

 It is Thanksgiving Day, 2020. 2020, the year that will go down as one to remember, albeit not fondly. Even the most positive thinkers would have to admit that it has been a very tumultuous year. We as citizens of America and the world have seen things that we really have nothing with which to compare! There are some pretty funny memes on social media about the year 2020 and how it will be remembered.  All this being said, you might reflect that you have nothing to be thankful for this holiday. But, of course, most will admit that they truly do.  The things that are really important will come to mind.  I could compose a sappy list of family, friends, food, health, a roof over your head, etc.... But, did you ever consider that you don't have to eat your dinner out of a poop bucket? I am not sure if a quarantine is the ideal time to begin reading historical fiction from the World War II era, but, I did! I have been doing a bit of research for several years for a fictio...

While perusing Facebook at 2 A.M., which is my wont, I read a friend's repost of a meme saying, "No-Noise November so just SHUT UP!" It caught me as funny at first read, and then I quickly realized how much I felt the same way. Aren't you just sick to death of all the voices saying all the same stupid things?  Sounds of Silence? It might be said that many of us who are isolating more than others would be surrounded by silence, not bothered by the incessant voices of others. Ah, but the isolation of quarantine has driven us (among other things!) to an almost constant existence on our electronic devices. Instead of one or two human voices with whom we interact one-to-one in our normal environment, we are surrounded by a sea of voices, weaving in and out of the static. Don't you ever just wish the voices would shut up?  Friends or Foes Social media can be an entertaining and useful connection to people from the timelines of our lives. Especially during a quarantine-t...

Post-war German ruins (photo credit Morguefile) This morning I was having that first glorious cup of coffee in my porch swing on the deck. Looking out over the view in the neighborhood, for a split moment, it felt like any normal day in any normal time until reality of where we are barged into my sunny morning. Does anyone really know what time it is? Of course, this begs the question, "Where are we?"  And, probably more importantly, where will we be afterward? At the end of the quarantine, as now projected as April 30, where will we be? And, as a carrot dangled for a racehorse, our President has assured us that the world will be great again on June 1, if we will just stay the course.  I sure hope that Covid-19 is less threatening on April 30 and long-gone from conversation by June 1. However, I am wondering this morning about what the ruins of this "Covid19-War" will look like in America. Post 9/11 America After the events of 9/11 in America, everything ...

Charcoal Portrait by the Late Becky Perkins I am at that stage in life where most of my anecdotes, stories, and thoughts begin like the lyrics to "American Pie!"  "A long, long time ago; I can still remember...." It was the 1980's, the decade of frizzy-big hair, neon colors and very bad music.  I was young and my life seemed to stretch ahead of me with sparkles and butterflies. I was a stay-at-home, breastfeeding mother, neither of which were really mainstream or even desirable at the time. "When are you going back to work? How long are you going to nurse that baby?" Breastfeeding was basically considered a poor, lower-class choice. Not working was almost a guarantee you would be just that! Ken and I were oblivious to the criticism, often from those we loved. I was practicing social distancing before it was a concept. We only had one car, and my husband worked a lot of overtime at a soft drink manufacturer. In charge of the m...

Chevy Chase birthday? Or "Who let the dogs out ?" A very appropriate musical Card from my son to son-in-law that played "Who let the dogs out?" It isn't a party until the neighbors complain! Well, it is always hard to do a birthday party for my son-in-law. He is a football coach, and the season has started. So, we couldn't have it this afternoon because of the coach's meeting, so we were going to have it tonight after church. The church scheduled a guest singing group, and we knew we would never get out at 7 pm as usual. So, we didn't go back to the evening service, and we planned the party for 6:30 pm. And, the plan was for my daughter to bring her two male Labrador Retrievers to play with Belle, our Blue Tick Hound, in our large fenced yard. It was a special kind of mayhem...a lot of sniffing, chasing, stealing tennis balls, and activity not mentionable in polite company. After watching them for a while, we served our p...

Well, it was a holiday weekend, I suppose.  Happy July 4th from our house to yours. Saturday, Ken was catching up on outside work, clearing wood from some trees we had cut, burning brush, etc...I had purposed to spend the day doing heat and ice on my back, which has been bothering me a lot for a long while...and, spend time with our new dog, Cow-belle.  She is a Blue Tick Hound.( Ok, the name on her AKC papers is Belle....but she answers to both! And, she needs to earn her keep by being the new mascot for our Tuesday night jewelry show on YouTube, "Coffee and Jewelry with Barbie and Ken.") Ken closes the bidding on each item by ringing an orange cowbell. It got really hot out on the deck, even with the ice packs.  I mentioned to Ken at one point that I would love to have my new pool put up.   My daughter and her husband bought it for me for my birthday. Melissa knows I love to read in the water. Until she started college, we belonged to a pool which was ...

A bit of Monday morning humor... In Sunday School yesterday, our teacher played a video by Andy Stanley, son of legendary Pastor Dr. Charles Stanley in Atlanta, Georgia. I have, of course, heard Dr. Stanley preach before, but I am not a regular viewer. Many in my family have expressed a particular connection to his teaching. My late parents, my sister-cousin, my daughter-in-law, and my Aunt Zella all were greatly blessed at one time or another by Dr. Stanley. My Aunt Zella would talk about flying down to Atlanta to talk things over with him; he would meet her at the airport. She would rave about how much better she felt about whatever it was that was bothering her. She never exactly explained whether he led her to the Lord or not. She was a very successful business owner and well-known philanthropist who gave a lot of support to Methodist causes, among other causes, such as Boys Club. But, after these encounters with Dr. Stanley, something sure changed about her, and there was...