Take the High Road

The idea that a southern pastor would sink to the level of the muslim extremists bothers me a great deal. While understanding his point of view, the only possible result of burning the quran will be extreme retaliation on our forces in muslim countries.

At some point in time, the high road must be taken. I believe in standing up for what is right, but this isn't right on any level.

So much football..so little time..

Everyone knows of the football traditions of the south. We have a long standing passion for tailgating, pep rallies and Monday morning quarterbacking. It's one of the traditions that is comforting-along with quilts on cold evenings and deer hunting starting at Thanksgiving.

Football season cycles around each fall and I can count on the fact that the rivalry stimulates the blood after baking in the summer sun for months. We are all dedicated to our teams with such ferocity that being without team to yell for is like being without a spleen. Well, it's just unheard of.

Today I am going to Louisiana to visit my son. Football in Louisiana has become a beacon of hope there. We have been Saints fans for years...but actually being in the Creole Country during a Saints game is just short of revival.

Hope everyone's team does well. Unless your team is playing against my team.

So pretty

Can't wear them, but I can sure admire them.

stop stealin' my sunshine...

How does one stay so negative?

Have you ever been around anyone who can just find a problem with simply everything?

i.e. “Yeah, it’s sunny today, but it’s still too hot”, “thank you the 24k gold nugget, but it’s way too heavy”.

How exhausting it must be to carry around that dark cloud. Stop a moment and pity those people. And please, Lord-don’t let them steal my sunshine.

Football is in the air....

Renderings

On a recent cooking show the host was frying bacon and when it was time to drain the bacon, she saved the grease calling it “renderings”. They were “hickory smoked renderings”, not bacon grease. That sounds sooo much better, but it’s still bacon grease.
Isn’t a rendering a depiction or interpretation? A rendering is something that represents an object. I work with architects and they present renderings to clients to let them know what their buildings will look like. So if it is something that is leftover from something (bacon grease) OR it’s something that is a reflection of an original... Don’t you think we leave renderings of ourselves?

We leave others with renderings: how we made them feel, how our presence affected them. They remember our words, our attitude, how we presented ourselves, and then how we looked.

Our “renderings” of ourselves is most important. It’s what will be remembered after we are gone. Our eulogies will be renderings of our lives. Did we do good work? Did we treat others fairly? What is our legacy? Was I strictly self serving or generous and helpful?
Each day and each decision we make constructs our rendering. Bad decisions cause us to do things we normally would not consider. Bad choices cause unhappiness which results in bad attitudes which result in negative treatment of those around us and negative treatment of ourselves.
So it’s pretty simple. How we are interpreted is up to US. Our choices reflect who we are. Our attitudes and what we say and do reflect the person that is inside. Make good choices and make an effort to correct the wrong ones.
If a rendering sketch was made of you-how would someone interpret it?

My Little Corner..of...

Eight years ago we moved to Midas Road. The house was to be temporary and the ultimate goal was to purchase something with a boat slip. Well, eight years later we are still here. Through the years we have made it "ours". Built a pool, a tiki bar, taken down walls, painted the inside my favorite color of all-salmon.

We are lucky that in our little neighborhood everyone here is retired military. We are seemingly all about the same age-with young adult grown children. It's quiet and it's private. And it's my refuge from the remainder of the world.

It has rained for 3 days now and I have not moved my car since Friday (love weekends like that). On this Sunday morning, I am sitting on my back porch with the radio playing and the rain falling. The temp is is 74 compared to recent high 90's. Other than my usual worry about my grown up children and sweet grandchildren, life is pretty perfect. I would love to be thinner, richer and smarter...but..

We choose our daily thoughts like we choose our clothes. Of course the clouds roll into our heads on their own-but we have the power to clear our brain and insert positives thoughts. Prayer helps. Meditation helps. A moment of silence helps. But it's all up to us how we perceive the world and our surroundings.

I choose life, I choose to be happy. Into every life a little rain must fall. But one thing that is certain-the sun always comes back.

Grandma's Apron

I don't think our kids know what an apron IS....

The principle use of Grandma's apron was to protect [pointing out the obvious, right from the dictionary definition] the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken-coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

A boy (my grandson) and his Daddy (my son)in the park. I wish I had a time machine to go back to when my kids were toddling and small.

I would take more time to listen. I wouldn't tell them to "wait" until the dishes are done, I will "watch them turn a cartwheel, etc. in a minute when I get finished."

Before I knew it, both children were pre-teens and busy with sports and friends. Then they were teenagers and were never home. Now they are young adults and we have adult conversations. We talk about how precious time is. About how not to take things so seriously. The dishes can wait. The dirt can wait. Everything can wait except for that walk in the park.

A Popsicle kind of day...

Summer in Florida are not only hot, but sticky. Humidity can be 112% which means breaking a sweat between the house and the car.

MMMmmm...popsicles are great on days like these. I like banana best. It's the little things that get us through...

Sunday! Sleep, eat and coffee

Just that kind of day...

Land sharks, no sandbar sharks

Today was an odd day! We had a great lunch at Lulu's at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores (after some shopping) and then walked on the Gulf States Pier. The fisherman at the end of the pier had caught 3 sandbar sharks and we saw 2 hammerhead sharks! It was crazy!

There was also a large staging area nearby for oil clean up. Tons of heavy equipment, tents, men in orange vests and stacks of supplies. No oil on the pretty beach right now! The sharks are safe..for now..

a view

Twiggy in the 60's. Changing the standards of what women should be like. Sad?

This is the image of woman mid century. Voluptuous curves and softness represented a beautiful woman.

Fashion by region..a mystery

Fashion should be so simple as 40 years ago. People then wore suits and dresses when traveling by air. Now it's flip flops and board shorts. Living in Birmingham, we all dressed for church-there was no casual service. Little girls wore big bows in their hair and little boys dressed like Little Lord Fontleroy.

Gulf Coast living is easier where fashion is concerned. Business casual is more relaxed, flip flops are accepted almost everywhere at any time, and tshirts are the norm. I am very happy to be casual most of the time. But then..sometimes only pearls and heels feel right. Generations or geography cannot change that.

Maybe..

Hopeful. The oil has stopped. Let's pray permanently.

Where the land stops is where your troubles seem small.

Honey and summer

Honey and summer just go together. Everything gets a little stickier in the summer, as well as sweet. There are many benefits to honey. It oxygenates the blood, it is full of various vitamins and it just plain good.

My grandfather was a beekeeper. He was highly allergic to bees. So am I, along with my children. But I have always had this fascination with bees and their magic that they spin producing such sweet ends. Maybe because they were a little dangerous. Maybe because it is something I was told "no" to and wasn't supposed to get near. Why is it human nature to be drawn to the taboo?

Bumble bees are not even built to fly. The way they are made up should make it physically impossible to leave the ground. But they do. We can learn so much from tiny bees who are so determined. So this summer I celebrate honey and bees are all things sweet and impossible.

Leave your troubles on the porch

When I was a girl the front porch is where we spent our night. We listened to the cacadas and watched fireflies and listened to Nanny talk about life. This is where I learned about patience, forgiveness, treating others with respect and the importance of family.

Missing from our lives now is the front porch. Porch not needed. But taking a moment to share with our children, grandchildren, friends, siblings on a regular basis is needed. Turn off all things electronic.

Pour some tea and talk about your day. It's necessary.

Jimmy Buffett on the Gulf Coast

Don't miss out on the Jimmy Buffett from the Gulf Coast concert Sunday night, July 11 at 6:00 pm on CMT. We are going down to Landshark Landing to watch.

Great money saving website

Check it out! www.groupon.com

A Perfect Day?

There are some days that seem to go like clockwork from the time your feet hit the floor until you say your prayers at night.

While I have few of these days that go without some aggravating "event" that makes me say unlady-like expletives, most days are a matter of state of mind and your view of things from your corner of the pier.

For example, we were blessed with good weather for the Blue Angel Air Show (and the crowds were a good thing to see at our near silent beaches). Had the best steak I have had in a while tonight at Wintzell's and even the thunderstorms that popped up throughout the weekend have not dampered my enthusiasm. They watered my flowers and rinsed off my mom car.

Oil has been the topic of our world here on the Gulf Coast. Other than the usual hurricanes that ravage the coast, we seem to be the type of people that can handle most. Maybe the humidity and the no see-ums have tempered us to the elements. But the oil is a different matter. The unknown..not knowing which businesses will fail due to lost business, or how this will affect our daily life, literally. Our way of life has been changed due to the carelessness of BP. But we are all in this together, and will find a solution, clean up the mess and life will go on for our children and grandchildren. We still have cell phones, electricity and roofs over our heads. We are pretty slow, but can figure out the rest if we are allowed the basics. At the moment the beaches are almost perfect...allowing time for a possible plan to take place to preserve them.

I take this day to thank the maker for my large blended family, my crazy group of friends and my sweet husband. And those gulf shrimp I had tonight need an extra prayer too.