Of yard sales and Flea markets

This has been a very busy week - my blogging has come almost to a standstill as I've been trying to get ready for our community yard sale tomorrow (Saturday) and a Flea market with my friend Bee Ree on Sunday.

As I used to have an antique booth in a co-op in another town that I had to give up when we lost our lease...I've got "stuff" stuffed into my tiny townhouse and I NEED to get rid of some of it. I'm just praying that the weather holds out. The sale tomorrow is from 8:00 to 1:00 and it is supposed to be very hot (90+ degrees) so this should be interesting. I don't know how many of my neighbors are participating but I know of at least one on my street. Competition may be good for bringing people into the development! I started setting up tonight with some little items so that I won't have so much to do tomorrow morning. The more I put out the more "Stuff" I found to put out! Help !:-)

The Flea market on Sunday is another one that could be a lot of work for naught if it is so hot that not many people venture out even for bargain basement bargains! Well, wish me luck everyone!

Florida

Well, dear blogger friends, I'm back from a very quick, but highly successful, trip to Florida. I flew into Tampa International Airport on Monday morning. This is a good time of year to go as it is between seasons and the airport wasn't busy.

I quickly retrieved my luggage and found the shuttle to take me to St. Petersburg where I was to meet my sister, Missy M. Mother and Dad are in a nursing home there and I really needed to see them. Mother is 87 and has Parkinson's Disease and Dad is 88 and has Alzheimer's. They are together every day and the staff just loves them! They both need skilled nursing care and we are so lucky to have them together in this wonderful facility. I can't say enough about the staff and the care they receive. Thank you all very much!

As I said, it was a very quick trip and I was on my way back home on Wednesday evening. We were to take off at 8PM but the announcement was made that because of severe thunderstorms our plane was stranded in Ft. Lauderdale and we could expect a delay of at least 2 hours. When these things happen, there is always a silver lining and while we waited, I met Pat who had lived in my area for awhile and the time passed quickly as we shared the many things we had in common. Finally, it was time to board for the flight home...by the time we took off it was 10:35PM and we landed at 12:30AM. By the time I got home it was 1:00AM Needless to say, I was very, very tired but as the saying goes...waking up in your own bed - "priceless!"

I've Been Tagged!

I have been tagged by Mary of Across the Pond. Thank you, Mary this is a first for me and I will give it my best!


What was I doing 10 years ago ~ ~


* I had just moved into my townhouse and was planting my tiny, postage stamp garden plot.

* I was working in a large retail department store.

* I joined a wonderful church and was immediately "at home."

* I made some amazing friends who have become my "sisters."

* Visited New York City with my daughters and son-in-law.

* Was getting ready to be a Gramma for the 1st time.


Five Snacks I Enjoy ~ ~

* Jello sugarless Chocolate Pudding and sugarless Cool Whip

* Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams and cup of Bigelow Cozy Chamomile Tea

* Fresh Orange slices (I like Navels)

* Provolone Cheese and Keebler Wheatables crackers.

* Pepperoni slices and Wellington Cracked Pepper Water Crackers.

Five things on my ToDo List today ~ ~

* Get ready for my Class Reunion on 14JUN2008.

* Looking forward to Daughter's visit on 13JUN2008.

* Get ready for trip to Florida to visit Mom and Dad on 16JUN2008.

* Blog - I've Been Tagged!

* Everything Else - LOL!


If I suddenly became a billionaire I would ~ ~

* Tithe to my church

* Set up trusts for Children and Grandchildren

* Donate to favorite Charities. (many local)

* Buy a Mercedes (maybe two - one would have to be a convertable)

* Never do housework again

Five Jobs I've Had ~ ~

* Soda fountain clerk after school

* Assisted in Legal Office after school

* Clerk in Department Store in Finance Office

* Store Trainer in Large Department Store

* Research Assistant in Dental Lab

Five Things you may not know about me ~~

* I like to make Holiday tags out of my old Christmas Cards.

* I love twilight - winding down from the day - that cozy feeling of being secure for the night.

* I collect Royal Winton Chintz (and lots of look alikes, too LOL!)

* I enjoy dabbling in pencil sketching and drawing.

* I enjoy writing - family memories - poetry - and now blogging.

Since I am new at this, I've chosen Jillian from Jillian's Pages and Ginger from Enchanting Cottage. I have enjoyed writing this post very much. Very introspective!

Strawberry Shortcake Memories

I had strawberry shortcake on my mind when I stopped by our local farm market after church on Sunday. Fresh picked, home-grown strawberries - I just had to check them out! I picked up a quart of berries and brought them to the counter. Even though strawberry season is almost over, there was a moment of sticker shock when I heard Mrs. Farmer say, $5.00 please. A picture of the "you pick it" farm flashed through my head but the extra gas there and back would have wiped out any savings.

All this brings back some favorite memories of the time our family went to a "you pick" farm near our then home. Daisy K. was about 7 years old and Daisy J. was almost 3. We got to the farm on a beautiful late May or early June afternoon and picked up our quart baskets. In those days they were made of lightweight wood and pretty sturdy. Their Dad and I each took a row and the children, after finding nice red, ripe berries would put them in their baskets. We worked along pretty well for awhile. Daisy K. was pretty efficient for 7 and really tried not to eat too many while she worked. (I know there will be some disagreement here about what really went on!) The sun was warm but not too hot - a nice day for berry picking. Mr. S. filled one basket quickly and put it in the space between the rows to save time instead of walking it to the wooden carrying tray at the end of the row.

Meanwhile, Daisy J. was having a ball going back and forth between the rows. Picking a berry now and then but mostly just having a good time finding them. Suddenly I heard a quiet, "watch out!" and I looked up to see a small, sneakered foot planted squarely inside the full quart of strawberries! We all started laughing at how perfectly Daisy J's foot fit inside the quart basket. Mr. S. just shook his head and started refilling it. We ended the afternoon with more than enough berries to eat and share and it is one very special memory I have of strawberry time.

Something Different Today - Piet Hein Poetry

I discovered Piet (pronounced Pete) Hein a few years ago and really enjoyed the wit and wisdom of his "Grooks" which is what his short, pithy poems are called. This Danish poet, author, scientist, mathematician and architect (1905-1996) wrote about a thousand "Grooks." I googled Piet Hein and found some of his poems online and thought I'd share a few of my favorites:

What Love is Like

Love is like a pineapple,
sweet and
undefinable.


Thoughts on a Station Platform

It ought to be plain
how little you gain
by getting excited
and vexed.

You'll always be late
for the previous train
and always in time
for the next.


Wisdom is --


Wisdom is
the booby prize
given when you've been
unwise.

Virtue

A bit
of virtue
will never
hurt you.

Making Sense

Life makes sense
and who could doubt it,
if we have
no doubt about it.

Problems

Problems worthy
of attack
prove their worth
by hitting back.

T.T.T.

Put up in a place
where it's easy to see
the cryptic admonishment
T.T.T.

When you feel how depressingly
slowly you climb,
it's well to remember that
Things Take Time

Grook on Long-winded Authors

Long winded writers I abhor,
and glib, prolific chatters;
give me the ones who tear and gnaw
their hair and pens to tatters;
who find their writing such a chore
they only write what matters.


I hope you enjoy these wise and funny sayings as much as I do.


The Illustration and all text is owned by Piet Hein's estate.

Happiness is?

I found this in my paperwork today and thought it would make a good subject for my blog. I don't know where it came from, but I had obviously copied it out on yellow legal paper for my own enjoyment. Probably when I was taking some adult courses at our local Junior College a few years ago. I'd give recognition for whoever wrote it if I could, however, I did not save the original. So with your indulgence, here it is:





WHAT CONSTITUTES HAPPINESS?





- Control over your own life


- Optimism


- Belief in God


- Meaningful activity


- Satisfaction with job, hobby, etc.


- Close relationships


- Having a clear purpose in life





- Also:


- Look for the humor - acting "happy" makes you feel happy.








For myself, I would list Belief in God as number one and Close relationships as second. Control over your own life would be very important to me, as would Satisfaction with job, hobby, etc. I think a good exercise would be for YOU to put these in the order that you feel most important to you! Enjoy!



I also found this:



"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." - Carl Sandburg, poet (1878-1967)

This 'n That

Photo courtesy Associated Press

Ms. P. called on Friday night and asked if I wanted to go to see Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia) the next day with the rest of the gang and, of course, I said, "Sign me up!" I have to say I enjoyed "Prince" even more than "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." There is just one unfortunate thing (this was pointed out in Christianity Today and when I heard it I had to agree) - Prince Caspian has an accent. He is a Telmarine, not a Narnian so actor Ben Barnes, I'm thinking, decided he needed to sound different and made up an accent. I say unfortunate because it sounds exactly like, "My name is Prince Caspian. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" But then, Ben Barnes, being so very young probably never saw The Princess Bride!

I have been experimenting with something called hypermiling. (Google hypermiling to get more information on this experimental way of driving.) Hypermiling is driving your car in such a way as to save miles per gallon of gas. Since I started hypermiling, my mileage has risen from 9.8 to 15.4 miles per gallon! Here is how it is done...first, though, I would caution you to ONLY do this on the highway (always stay in the right hand lane) or when you are on back roads with not a lot of traffic as you can expect to receive many different kinds of hand signals and mouths opening wide with what I can only guess are friendly people trying to say "hi."

Okay, here it is: drive at the speed limit or 5 miles below it. KEEP OFF THE BRAKES. Drive slowly enough to be able to coast up to traffic lights and any traffic ahead of you. This is very, very important as coasting is an important part of hypermiling. When going uphill go as slowly as possible and take your foot off the gas when going downhill. This is sort of like driving as if you were on a roller coaster. Stay as far behind the car ahead of you as is reasonably possible...because zooming up to traffic and then slamming on the brakes is what uses up so much gas. Also, whenever you can, take turns without using your brakes. Do this ONLY when there are no other cars around and you are going slowly enough to do it safely. It is a little hard to get used to because of how we were taught to drive and how we have thoughtlessly driven our cars for so long.
In this day and age of almost $4.00 per gallon (and maybe even more in the future) gas, I am willing to try anything and I think hypermiling just might catch on. Then I won't be the only one on the road doing the legal speed limit!