The Years of Our Lives...

Listening to the soundtrack from: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

Beautiful.

Sobering.

Went on a nature walk with my four doglets...I saw an armadillo trotting towards me and a cotton tail rabbit...The little cotton tail rabbits have been frolicking around our home along with beautiful red cardinals and it is adorable...If you could animate it, it would look like the old Snow White movie.

I'm Still smiling thinking of a dump truck from the county who drove down our driveway as the girls and I stood speechless as they dumped a huge pile of dirt near our well! They were at the wrong place! Oh my! Who says life in the country is without action?

Visited my dad yesterday....He's 81 and a dear.

Here is a pic of he and mother in the early 50s. Neat eh?



I mentioned the movie, The Best Years of Our Lives (below post) and a full post on it on one of my other blogs, thats-italian to Daddy yesterday, he remembered it well...He says. (He is a sensitive soul at times) "It's kind of sad isn't it?"

He was 16 at the time and in a private military school in Biloxi, Mississippi.

I've got some good stories for ya from Daddy coming up by the way in future posts. He was a cutie and a character at that but also a leader.

The visit was soooo nice though. Daddy took us all out to eat, Hubs and our four daughters...Poor Dad has macular degeneration and breathing problems from smoking a pipe for years... He is on so many meds, they have blown him up like a balloon poor baby. My daughter, Marianna and I are Family Herbalists and would love to see him go natural but he likes his doctor and is in the system. I'm not one to pressure but I can pray.

I would like for him to live closer, we worry about him. He falls sometimes...and has a very hard time getting up but he doesn't want to move away from his town, I'm not sure why, since he doesn't know many people there. He doesn't like change much though. Reminds me of myself and I'm sure I remind him of himself too. ; ) (You should read some of his salty editorials)

Yep, that's Dad. Mercy-plus with some definite Prophet sprinkled here and there.

While we were there, Daddy wanted the girls and I to go upstairs and go through Grandma Jeanette's clothing in the closets. Grandma Jeanette passed away around nine years ago and before that she didn't leave the house for two years. The upstairs is frozen in time...incredibly surreal. The girls and I went through her clothes bagging them up along with two racks of shoes sitting still in time for years. Some of the heels had disintegrated into little heaps of sawdust upon the floor. Our faded photo was there...Her mother's photo there...All kinds of things frozen in time. Mail, letters etc. An old console tv set as well...Jewelry our girls had made her, a felt bookmark hanging on the wall with sequined "I Love You" made by my little girls...now 17 to 29...

Life.

The brevity of life here on this earth.

When we left to come home our hearts broke...He was standing there with his hand on a tree looking up at the sky. I told Hubs..."I think he's going to cry"...We cautiously watched him to make sure he would be okay, but we gave him his dignity, we didn't want to embarrass him.

When we arrived home I called and shared my concerns in a diplomatic way...Him falling at times with no one to help. He tells me...

"My knees go out but I can get myself up if I pray close to my bed where I can pull or push up against the bed. I have to remember to pray close to my bed..."

God be with you and yours...Until the next time.

~Amelia

Updates, Sad & Amusing

Well it looks to be a lovely golden eve here...But oh how it has been a strenuous day even though a beautiful one.

It's rather wearing to move things from the other home to be sold and not have storage for the things here! There are no storage buildings built so it's a rather catch-22. Hubs tools are in closets etc. here, attic flooring has not been fully installed. So as you know...that is a difficult one at this time.

I had a lovely Mother's Day, Hubs and our Girls took me out to a very neat pizza restaurant in the middle of the huge metro, near the museum district and such...It's in an old house, and it's a rather hippie place. I didn't mind, the pizza is good and the hippie waitresses and waiters seem to be okay with me too. The pizza is wonderful there and there is a special nook upstairs we like to sit. The last time we ate there was for Lea's 28th birthday last fall...I just really like the place. A neat eclectic place.

I was disturbed though the day before Mother's Day. We usually have home church since the churches in an hours' radius from our last home have gone off the deep end. But ya know? I was so disappointed when looking at sites and calling churches. One site (an old, old church) had a pastor who looked like a youth pastor and touted his school and denominational college and football team more than Jesus. In fact there was no mention of Jesus on the site. No one answered the phone. I called our old church when we lived here ten years ago...I don't know if it was the pastor or elder but they were not encouraging about visitors. He mumbled the schedule for morning Sunday school and service saying that was it for Mother's Day. No kind of "Please come! We would love to have you!" I did find one site, another old church but the entire staff were women though. The entire staff. I will say this for them. I did find excellent Bible study material on the site, how to have a personal devotional time etc. I called one little very, very tiny historical church church and at least that pastor did have a nice welcoming recording that ended with "Blessings!"

In my quest I couldn't help but wonder how the lost who don't know Jesus must feel if I was feeling so alone on my quest to find a decent church to visit...

That Saturday eve. the girls fixed a delightful dinner for me Al Fresco...So nice. Orange Chicken over rice with veggies, with a nice iced tea with frozen fruit to ice it with.

There was a very horrible thing though that happened after dinner. The four doglets went a-barking at something in the nearby wooded area...My hubby went to check and it was our poor kitty. She was dead. It looked like she had died within 24 hours. She had been missing and I was afraid someone had taken her in, she was a beauty. She looked like she was on her way home poor little baby and something got her, or bit her or she died of natural causes...I was upset. I'm still reeling from it and can't sleep well because of it along with the topsy turvy way things are around us with moving and such. It was a horrible thing to see my cat laying there. We had gotten her ten years ago when we lived here before...I just hate what happened...It sickens me and makes my heart hurt, especially when it looks like she was trying to come home...


We've had some visits from Mr. B and Byron...they are a hoot. Sweet men and friends of our family. They bring fresh veggies from their ranch garden in fact Mr. B and Byron took Mar. for a ride to see the magnificent huge garden. Mr. B wanted to ride with Mar. He says... "You're prettier than Byron!" Ha! They have a cookout kitchen and all there...Marianna enjoyed seeing it all.

Life can be funny here at times. My mom is 81 years young, and let me tell you I mean YOUNG. I have a friend who asked her if she had had a face lift if that tells you anything. She likes to come visit us. Well....One morning she comes and the gate is locked. What does she do? She climbs the high fence next to the gate and goes over it. Yes, she did that. Marianna told her to not do that anymore!

Hubs has bought me a camera for Mother's Day so I do hope to start getting some pics up in the near future as soon as everyone gives me a tutorial on it..

That's the wrap... Things do seem a bit unsettled this week so I could use an extra prayer or two...But I'm counting blessings for they are many!


Oh and by the way...We saw one of my all time favorite movies this past Mother's Day weeks, "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) Oh my goodness gracious that is some movie, a bit sad at times but victory perserveres and prevails. I love the flyers parents...Such precious, precious people.

See the Trailer Enjoy the beautiful theme music too....



Here's the Amazon link...Some good reviews and a synopsis of this most wonderful movie.



Here is one of my favorite clips. This shows a great example of a faithful marriage through thick and thin as their grown daughter is sensing life difficulties. With four daughters, I so understood the entire picture.


Oh and one more thing...Marianna stopped by the little jewelry store in the little town owned by the local vet's wife. She was so very sweet. Such a classy southern lady. The jewelry store opened in 1924 by her parents. She remembered us! She sent five little pocket calenders home with Mar. Her poor veterinarian hubby passed away just last year...I had talked with him over the phone about our sick little poodle one day shorty after he retired, he was so alert and so very helpful...Who would have known he was fighting for his health? I'm sure they remember the 40s well. Yes... I can't wait to go see my friend in the little town. She too was friends with Mrs. Blount. In fact? She told Marianna she would like to see Marianna teach piano. After Mrs. Blount passed away there has not been another piano teacher in the town or area for anyone...So that gives Marianna something to chew on indeed. The Lord will lead and guide...

He is good. What am I without Him? (Thinking of the Twila Paris song...What am I Without Him) A great song...Nothing like listening to Twila in the country here... Beautiful.

Goodnight All.

A Pity Not to Post Today

Oh my, it would be a pity not to post today.  Joycie and I had such a lovely time last week in the little town we decided to take another run today and brought Zuzu too. So neat, just so neat. I wish I could think of more poetic words but they will come as I type. After all we must all realize this is an account in the life of Mrs. Amelia for remembrances and just fun reading, hopefully posts of God's Victories in life. The drive to the little town is beautiful in itself, nature abounds, the golden sunlight on the trees is divine. A picture, a portrait of God's Handiwork at it's best. Last week we found ourselves at a drive in hamburger place, we were nibbling at our savory treats as a bird nibbling golden grains in paradise listening to the radio and enjoying life. We start up our engine and the battery is dead. *laughs* Yep, dead. It was one of the "Oh no" feelings. The manager comes out and helps, jumps our car and tells us to please stop by again, he just moved here from the city and loves it, the small-town atmosphere and the friendly people. We smile and agree of course telling him we too are back as newbies but oldies too from ten years ago... On the way home what do we see? We see a real wildfire on the beautiful scenic road rushing across the prairie! It was put out but was definitely a threat....I can't tell you how many fire trucks from surrounding areas were coming down our thin little road. Pick-up trucks pulling up to where cattle was being kept. Downright scary. We stopped at one area where smoke was just starting to rise from a black spot as if a giant magnifying glass has been set atop of it! I hopped out and poured ice from my huge glass of tea from the hamburger drive in upon it and put the smoking center out....Interesting. When I got back in our car I wreaked of smoke. It reminds me of sin. Put it out when it starts! Stick around and you will wreak of it. The sunsets are so pretty here, even in Smalltown. We go to our local restaurant where nothing has changed...amazing. The royal wedding is playing on a fuzzy tv there in the entry room...A girl in a tank top with tattoos on her legs turns and smiles and tells how she would be a nervous wreck if she were in the brides shoes...She was nice bless her heart. Most`people in Smalltown will talk, and I like that! In the burbs people could be odd. They were too busy to talk for the mostpart. Too busy to enjoy real life. Enough said on that. We have baby birds in the wheelbarrow, talk about cute, love seeing the mommy bird take care of them from my kitchen window. We were delighted to see a local ranch hand who had come to help plant grass for our immediate yard not want to disturb the birdlings....Good character. We have some wayward cows that make their way into our property and it is cute. Our youngest  Grace (17) all dressed for ballet class, pink tights, black ballet skirt and tshirt for modesty and PASTEL COLORED PLAID RUBBER BOOTS go to shoo the cows...Oh to have a camera! Of course Charlie-dog runs circle around the longhorn's hooves...The cows go into the holding pen where they stay. Today? We go down the wonderful familiar scenic route to Smalltown, go to the old jewelry store where there is a sign up. "At Rotary Meeting, Be Back at 1pM" We peer into the windows, the place has been there since 1924....It's still the same, still the same. We drive to our old piano teachers home, I loved her so very much. She was my friend. No age gap divided us, no sirrie bobbie. We were citizens of Heaven and we knew it, she understood me and was a wise confidant'. A sweet confidant', when she was young she looked like Greer Garson, the young portrait of her beautiful likeness of Greer hung near her piano. Oh how I miss her. We drive down her street today, we are playing Louis Armstrong's, What a Wonderful World....The street? Just the same for the mostpart, only a new pride, a new neatness in a few homes. We see a soldier's star banner in one of the windows, we see the same shutters with heart shapes cut out. I tell J that Mrs. B may be watching from above....I say outloud: "Mrs. B we're on your street and we're listening to Louis Armstrong" J says she is going to start crying and I'm with her. We couldn't talk as we get to Mrs. B's little mint green house. Only Louis was singing.....Such fine memories from years ago... My daughter J tells me just now that the sweet people like Mrs. B just being themselves make the biggest impact and don't even realize it. Marianna is prayerfully considering teaching piano in the country to children here. And yes, she uses the same old fashioned publisher in curriculum. She realizes her gift and desire as a teacher may very well be because of sweet Mrs. B. I tearfully type how I remember the first time I talked with Mrs. Bover the phone... When I inquired about prices, she told me she would try to find sheet music on the clearance table for 25 cents a sheet if needed in addition to the old publications of piano books...Her monthly charge? She charged $20 a month and a discount per student after that. She tells me "Just tell the girls to bring their smiling faces." She would later tell the girls to try their best but... "No one is perfect but Jesus." Yes. Mrs. B was special indeed. Mr. Mead?  He was another friend of mine. He walked with a bit of a hunch and would hold one hand on his hip as he walked, a baseball type hat on his head, a little man with glasses.... he owned a tiny little tire fix-it shop. He would slowly limp hunched over a bit with his hand on his hip and roll the tire with one hand as he would submerge it under water to spy the leak. He had been in Smalltown since WWII. He never married. The first day I met him, I had had a flat and was so disgusted, the little car dealership had referred me to this sweet saint. I met him and noticed by his empty chair he had been reading a book on Heaven as he awaited customers. He would come visit us and later send me little cards signed so cute with Joe M. and was such a dear. We would visit him every now and then as we were in town. He's in Heaven now too with Mrs. B. It's strange two of the sweetest people ever, they aren't here anymore. This day reminds me of a song one of our better high school choirs did one spring program... I remember it was so old fashioned. It was about a town revisited by a previous resident. The lyrics went as the young young men sang with their beautiful sweet but masculine voices....And everybody knew my name..... I'm not sure if anyone remembers my name in Smalltown I was for most, a picture of an outsider except for beautiful people like Mrs. B and Mr. M...but that's okay. For some reason it still reminds me of the song....I wonder if it's because of the old fashioned sound of it....or just me returning.... ? I do know this. Mrs. B and Mr. M would remember my name if they were still here That wraps up the private thoughts and meanderings of Mrs. Amelia on this fine evening in the country. Good evening to All... ~Amelia P.S. See my entry today on my other blog to see a Tribute to David Wilkerson and two fine sermons, Eternally important. You will also hear Mrs. B's favorite song on my playlist....Claire de Lune.