Risky Business

My recent change in life circumstances has forced me to become a little bit bolder. I'm inching out on that shaky limb, ever so slightly. And, you just might find this information interesting. Here's what has happened:

• I painted my toenails, lime green, this week! Maybe that's not bold to you, but it is to me. I've always been a soft pink, or on occasion, sometimes red, kinda girl. Why did I do it? Well, why not????? I'm going to try glitter polish, next.
• I booked an airline flight. I did it, even though I fear I might get stranded, at a strange airport, I think I can handle the wait. I'll take a portable pillow, and put a toothbrush in my purse!
• I went to a new church, by myself. Participated in their Sunday Worship and survived the experience. I've been back twice.
• I bought 2 quarts of Eggnog. Yeah, I know it's not December, but if it's fresh, and on the shelf in July, why not buy it? I like Eggnog, even if it's not the season. (I froze one....for September!)
• I signed up for, attended and finished training, for a regular volunteer position, at a local museum. I was sincerely surprised, that they took me on. 

Small steps, folks. But, after all, I am on a journey, and who knows how long that trip will be? Life does not stand still. And, we are called to keep moving. We need to keep changing and charging forward. Being stagnant is not an option! 

Dear God: I get it.....at least for now. With Your help, I'm going to do this. Continue to be with me as I take these risks. You are my constant.

 

Prepositions, Tense Usage and Spelling Lessons

 Okay. I am beginning to channel Brittany Spears. This morning, after hearing a well paid, well known, Two Star General of the United States Army confuse, yet again, the word cavalry (which I am sure he intended to use) with the word Calvary (which he didn't), I said to myself, "Oops. He did it again."

I do not pretend to be a stellar student of perfect grammar, but I do have some particular quirks. The language, of the above mentioned general worries me, because he has his finger on the BUTTON!  And, his lack of education seems obvious, in my book. What is the US Military Academy teaching? Certainly, not the Holy Bible......or diction!!!!!

I had a boss, once, who kept asking clients, "Where did you go to school at?" I just kept wishing, just once, that someone would have replied, "Well, thank God, it wasn't the same one you attended." And, our current governor regularly uses improper verb tenses. He seems to be forever quoted as saying,  "I seen it" and "He done it". His grammar rivals that of the late Dizzy Dean. Was he absent from school, the day the rest of the class learned about irregular verbs?

Judging is not a gift of the Holy Spirit. I honestly try, to be a kind and caring individual, accepting the differences of others. But, these things drive me crazy. I know, that I can't change the speech of others. I might as well adopt, as my motto, "It makes no nevermind. I ain't gonna change a thing."

Dear Lord, help me to be a more accepting person. Remind me that I am not in charge. Remind me to calm down. Life is short. Teach me patience.

Little, Life Lessons Learned.

 If there's one thing that I have had a hard time learning, over the past six months, is that I cannot fix everything. And, it's been a hard lesson.

• I've learned to to mow the yard, and in the process frightened myself, quite thoroughly, numerous times. It's not possible to mow sideways, on a slope, and tree branches do not necessary bend when struck, with the front end, of a John Deere. Both good lessons......NOT to be repeated.
• I've learned that I do not want to use a chain saw. Violent machines are not to be handled by slightly timid old ladies. It will stay in its case, until someone comes around, who can use it safely. Mother nature can take care of my dangling tree branches!
• I've learned to go to unfamiliar places by myself, and more importantly sleep alone.
• I learned to talk to annoying folks, on the phone, who don't speak slowly and clearly enough for hearing impaired persons, like me. "Kill them with kindness" and tell them it's MY fault, that I cannot hear them. They always change their tunes, after that.
• I've figured out how to use a cell phone (sort of) and made use of the driving map icon. I can text, now, and occasionally send a photo. Sometimes, I still have to ask my grandkids for assistance with other features.

But, I cannot turn back the clock, and do certain things differently, or even make things the way they were. I cannot take away the sadness, that I often feel. Those things are not fixable. 

However, I can choose to appreciate the life that I currently have, and am blessed to live.

I can smile. I can count  in my blessings.

Dear Lord. I appreciate your goodness.

Nansense Nonsense, or something like that

 Everyone, these days, communicates by text messages. My grandkids can text. My adult children text. And, believe it or not, this old lady can send text messages, to her many, equally mature, associates. I have learned how to capitalize, use numbers and add punctuation. I can even throw in some text speak, like u for you, r for are and don't forget to add a thnx or 2! I've got this!

I do however have one small question. What's up with this auto-correct thing?. Tonight, I tried to sign my text ( Yes, I know it's not necessary, because my name appears at the top of the message), with my initials, and here's what happened.

I texted (past tense) my friend. Signed off with NKK, and it was sent as "Nell".  So I typed nkk (lower case letters, this time)...it was sent as "No.". Lordy, I thought. Next, I tried NKK, again. "No.", was sent, one more time. So, I wrote my whole name, Nancy K. Kincaid, checked for correct spelling, tapped the arrow and off it went, correctly.

What am I doing wrong? I'm befuddled and mystified. This new fangled stuff is hard.

Dear Lord. Sometimes, just sometimes, it's easy to feel old and inadequate. Adjusting to the new is hard. No one wants to feel left behind, but sometimes we do. Our one constant is you. You are our rock and our redeemer. You are with us at all times.

Peace, Man

 My son, the musician, invited the family to a free, outdoor concert on Sunday afternoon. A man of very few words, he informed us that the concert would be held, in a park near the Art Museum. Could that be Volker Park, I queried? Many years ago, the park had been the site of Kansas City's summer-long version of Woodstock. I was remembering photos of (because, we never went down there) hundreds of "hippies" smoking you-know-what, fooling around naked, in the nearby creek and grooving on folk and rock  music. Maybe, he replied.

We are a adventurous, supportive bunch, so, we packed up a blanket and drove downtown. It was a bit of a hike to the open field, but we arrived and found a nice shady spot to sit, close enough to see and hear the band. The son, gave us a wave and we settled in, for the show. Looking around, I studied the gathering audience.

"Wow", I remarked to my adult daughter, "this certainly is a mature crowd". (In truth, I was thinking, these folks are all senior citizens...average age of about 75!) One by one, or in pairs, the crowd sauntered slowly around the field, looking for a good spot, to view the show. The footgear was predominantly Birkenstock, and I was surprised to see that quite a few of the women had fashioned their graying locks into braids! I even saw a few tie-dyed tee shirts. Odd, I thought. 

The concert ended with a Jimi Hendrix-like, version of the "Star Spangled Banner". Even odder!

Later, when we met up with our musician, I mentioned my observations. It was then, he informed us, that we had just attended the first concert, held in that park, in fifty years. Obviously, many of the attendees were back for the reunion! It was, in his word, "Historic".

Man, did I feel old.

Holy Lord. There is truly nothing new under the Sun. We keep making the same mistakes, over and over. Lead us, guide us to do Your will. Direct our peace making.

Weather or Not

 Springtime often brings severe weather, to the Midwest.

In the past week or so, the National Weather Service has issued several Weather Alerts, for the Kansas City Area. For those of you who are not living or have never lived in Tornado Alley, please note that a Tornado Warning and Tornado Watch (our two most frequent Spring alerts) are not the same thing. Here is a brief lesson in the difference.

A Tornado Watch means to be alert and aware that the weather conditions, in a certain designated area, are just right for the possibility of a tornadic disturbance. It's a call to keep an eye on the sky and be aware. Oftentimes, a Watch will be issued for a couple of hours or a whole day or night.

But, a Tornado Warning is more serious. Sirens hopefully sound, and police cars may roam your neighborhood, with lights flashing and horns blaring. It's an alert to get to the lowest spot possible and cover your head, immediately! A Tornado is coming your way, and it could be arriving, within a few minutes.

Now, I have lived in Missouri and Kansas, my whole life. I've seen a couple of twisters and I know what kind of damage they can do. I know about Watches and Warnings, but I'm living in a changed world now. I am alone, and I cannot hear! The sirens have gone off, in my neighborhood recently, and I haven't heard them. Like many audio-challenged folks, I take my hearing aids out at night and I am oblivious, to most sounds. Therefore, night time Tornados are the most deadly kind. Thankfully, although the Tornados were spotted, sailing overhead this week, they did not touch ground and I didn't see the Wicked Witch of the West! 

I am not afraid of not waking up, you understand, I just do not want to be painfully swirled around in  the air, before I cross over into eternity. Sensibility reigned, and I asked for and promptly received a weather radio, from my D.C. family. The weather radio has put my mind and body at ease. Now, thank goodness, I'm going to be able to be alerted, via a really loud and obnoxious alarm, to head for the safety of my basement.

For this lovely gift, I am truly thankful.

Dear Lord, we thank You for keeping us safe. Remind us to be watchful and ever thankful for Your many blessings.

Opening a Door

Lest my readers start to think that I am only reporting the bizarre and unpleasant happenings, in my new life, here's a tale with a happy ending.

What does the average person know about door hinges? If you are anything like me....very little. I mean, most doors have at least two and they are used to open and close the door, to which they are attached. Hinges are the two metal things on the side of a door. 

So, to continue, the average door hinge consists of three parts. Two flanges and a pin piece that holds the two flanges together, allowing the door to swing. One flange is attached to the door frame and the other to the door, itself. The pin holds the two pieces together. Door hinges are usually mounted so that the pin is removable, from the inside of the room or house or wherever the door is located. This keeps a thief from removing the pin, taking off your door and hauling off your flat screen TV! The pin is always removed from the top, of the hinge.

So, yours truly, Mrs. Do It Herself, decided she wanted to remove a bathroom door. I had in mind  staining and adding a piece of decorative trim. After watching a couple of U Tube videos on  "How to Remove a Hinge", I discovered that antique door hinges are not featured on any existing video. I couldn't "just use screw driver and tap the safety cap off the bottom of the hinge". (Most modern door hinges don't even have bottom caps, I learned.) But, my hinges (and I am taking this personally by now) have pretty little round caps on both the bottom and the top of the pin! 

The bottom round caps would not come off the hinge! I tried prying they off and screwing them off, to no avail. In desperation, I grabbed the pliers and yanked on the pin, from the top, and TA DA, out popped the pin. That dumb little ball on the bottom was decorative. Now, we know!

Success! My son helped me rehang the door (seems like solid wood doors, aren't designed for old-lady handy persons to be toting around.) And I'm back in business.

Dear Lord. Where there is a will, there's a way. Your infinite wisdom and guidance makes all things possible. Remind us to listen to Your directions and grant us the ability to use the common sense that You have given us. We praise Your Holy Name.