Greetings

Greetings Everyone,
It has been a while since I have been on the blog, so long in fact that I had to go back to old old e-mails and find the address. It was fun to catch up on all the activities of fellow family members. I wish I could say exciting and wonderful things have been happening in my world, but alas it is pretty much same ole, same ole. We haven't turned the heat on yet, our target date is always Thanksgiving day. Last year we made it to the day before. We have been burning firewood. John loves to cut wood. My job is to load it in the truck and help unload. We gathered black walnuts this fall and now are cracking them. It is a time consuming manual process. We manage to crack enough for john to consume over a few days, then back to cracking. I don't think we will ever get far enough ahead to freeze any. We gathered 110 gallons of walnuts(before hulling), of course the end product is much less. Rebecca and Tom had the last of the fall harvest. They gave us some dill for the green beans on Thanksgiving day and some turnips and lettuce. Our broccoli and lettuce didn't do well. Katie I wondered how little Wellington is doing? I know it is hard on you and I am sure he doesn't understand this shift in his world, but he is lucky to have such a wonderful caregiver. I tried to get Sharon to adopt a dog I saw at the PetSmart adoption Sunday, but she wasn't sure and you really need to feel good about your decision to bring another pet into the fold. We went to Whole Foods last week, yes I still shop there even though I am not wanted by them as an employee. They were packed. We love their chocolate flourless chewy cookies. They are huge, for only .99 cents, but they are so rich you can only eat a little bite. One cookie lasts a couple of days, just nibbling on it. I keep putting the vibe out there that I want to work there, so maybe in time. Quiet Moments is holding its own, but the massage professional organizatons are now talking about tough times ahead in the profession, but to hang in there, of course they say the hardest hit will be the area that I am working mostly in and that is for relaxation and stress reduction, although if I was in Johnson County I think I would be doing ok, but rural america has the buck up and tighten the old belt and if your stressed get over it. Can I have a little cheese with that whine? I know some of you yourselves are not working at this time and I am hoping good opportunities will your way come and for those of you who may not be as content in your employment as you would like, I wish you contentment and if the chance arises a bigger and better opportunity. Just ride this wave and don't let it pull you under and hopefully we will come out of this with a better sense of balance and be much stronger and if worse comes to worse we can burn wood and eat walnuts. Well have a glorious fall day and enjoy the weather and the wonderful food that will be devoured later in the week. Happy Thanksgiving one and all.

Otherwise

Jane Kenyon wrote this beautiful poem, Otherwise. It makes me feel more aware of the many things I have, for which I am thankful.

Otherwise

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

Looking Forward to the Holidays

Yesterday, November 18th, I attended a beautiful service at our church. A Mass was said for senior family members, both living and dead. The service opened with children bringing candles to the front of the church while a narrator described all the wonderful duties performed with great love by our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. It closed with two songs. One was about a mother's hands lovingly caring for her children. The other was about a father's manly presence during good times and bad. I mourned the absence of our parents and realized that their passing left a special void during the holidays. That void makes me comprehend how much I miss Mom and Dad. By the end of Mass my grief had passed. I felt our parents' presence and I knew everything would be alright. I am glad that I attended this special Mass because I can face the holidays with a much better attitude. I have a sense of well being as I reflect on all the loving memories I have of our family. Family love is a wonderful treasure. Everything else is dust.

Old Man

I had such high hopes today. Wellington had made it through Sunday and Monday nights without an accident. He had also made it nine hours yesterday while I was at work (shorter than my work days will be when my students return from their internships next week, but longer than the 5 ½ hours I was at work on Friday when he had his third accident in a row). After voting today, I decided to work from home (actually, I mostly just sat on the back porch and read).

Since I was home and could supervise Wellington, I brought him up from the basement (where he’s been living since his accidents became an almost daily occurrence) and allowed him to hang out with me and cats. I left the back door open, so he and the cats could come and go as they pleased, but all four of them mostly laid in the sun while I read the paper and a couple of books. I let Wellington out every 90 minutes or so and took him on a couple of good walks.

About 30 minutes ago, I discovered a puddle in the middle of the living room floor. Which leads me to believe that in addition to possibly having a bladder control problem, Wellington just doesn’t seem to know where to go anymore. Apparently, the living room is a good spot to let loose.

He’s back in the basement now, much to my dismay. He’s got a pretty comfy bed down there, a night light, and plenty of water. I go down there fairly often to visit with him and let him out, and the cats like to hang out with him too.

Tomorrow the vet should call with a prognosis.

Aging sucks a big fat one.

Voting Lines

My colleagues guffawed when I told them I planned to wait until Election Day to cast my ballot for the next U.S. President (Obama). Advanced voting lines were as long as eight hours in some parts of Georgia. I knew it was a gamble, so I packed food, drinks, and several books; I was prepared for a several-hour wait. After working out at the Y and taking Wellington for an old age check-up at the vet, I set off for my polling place a little before 11 a.m. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see the parking lot less than half full. I took another gamble and left most of my books and food in the car. When I stepped into the building, there was no line at all. I was in and out in about ten minutes. Now, I’m free to work at home and enjoy this glorious fall day. Thank goodness for all those folks who voted in advance or sent in absentee ballots; they made my civic duty so much easier!

What was everyone else's voting experience like? Any advance voters out there?

Sal Attack

Our orange calico furiously rolls on the stained carpet
yellow eyes wild.
Toppling face first into the sleeping space heater
she jumps up
bewildered
and sits facing the wall.

Slowly

Slowly

She turns to look over her right shoulder.

Her squirrel-y tail shimmies, taunting her.
She leaps and rolls again, grasping with both paws
pulling her tail tip toward her mouth as she somersaults across the floor
and then sprawls on her back chewing her tail contentedly
yellow eyes slitted against the overhead light.

Funny Bone Tickled by Haiku

Here are 2 haiku jokes from the Haiku Comic.

Cross an elephant
and a kangaroo, you get
big holes down under.

A man got fired for
stealing from the slaughter house.
A pig squealed on him.

Sixth Anniversary

Hi Everyone,

Today marks the sixth anniversary of Dad's passing. In light of the economic crisis, Dad is better off spending eternity with his heavenly family. If Dad were alive, I can just hear his rant about all the money and time spent trying to get elected President of the United States. He'd say, 'They are all a bunch of crooks." Dad would also ask, "How are they going to pay for all that stuff?"(campaign promises). Dad lost confidence in our federal government when Kennedy died. He believed in the conspiracy theory. He refused to vote after John Kennedy's assassination. I don't believe John Kennedy would agree with that decision. I don't. I think voting is a privilege. However,the right to vote or not vote is protected by the Constitution.

Dad was quite a character. He made a lot of bad decisions in his life. But he was a straight talker, unlike many of today's public figures. I respect him for offering his customers the best products available. He sold them at a fair price. Dad was a persistent and creative business man; someone who liked to work and who did not want to retire. May he rest in peace.

autumn brings changes

Well things have turned cold, especially my feet. I am haveing a bad hair cut day. This women managed to give me a cow lick. Anybody got a hat I could barrow? ESB change their online banking. I spend all day trying to get help resetting up my stuff. It came down to don't put dashes between the numbers in your soc. sec. number. Who new? It's those little things that keep me going NUTS! Happy Halloween folks and I have the cow lick to prove it.

Boxing Match

I just called 911 (for the first time ever!) because there was a teenage boxing match going on in my neighborhood. It was a little frightening. I was out walking the dog, when I came upon a group of teenaged boys (some of whom I recognized) surrounding a couple of freshman/sophomore aged teens boxing (with real boxing gloves!) in the middle of the street. There were some younger boys watching and some older boys (whom I didn't recognize) watching and recording the "fight" on their cell phones. I didn't like the fact that these older boys seemed to have coaxed the slightly younger boys into fighting. They stopped as I walked by, and I said hello (didn't want to be uncordial). As I walked by the younger boys, I quietly said, "Be careful" so that only they could hear me.

When I got home, I called the HOA president, and she told me to call the police. So I did. Of course, the police transferred me three times (from one jurisdiction to another) before someone finally responded. Thank goodness it wasn't a real emergency!

I had been planning to take a long walk after walking the dog, but I decided to stay in this evening instead. I'd rather that I not run into any of those boys again so soon after my witnessing their boxing match. Since they were doing it right out in the open (on a different street from my home), perhaps they'll think that someone else called the cops.

Here I was, kind of enjoying having the house to myself, and now I feel a little spooked out. Darn it!

On another note, you'll probably notice that you have to sign in to access this blog now. I decided to make it private so that only we can view it. I hope that's okay with everyone.

I can't wait to see Honor, Beth, Jacob, Carol, Sharon, Margaret, and my folks this week! Perhaps I'll get to see Tom and Jesse too? I hope you all have a great week! Love ya and see you soon!

The New & Improved Granada Theatre

Last week the old Granada theatre here in Emporia had its ribbon cutting ceremony & this week is the first performance. The town has been working on restoring the old theatre for the last nine years & I have heard a lot of good things about the results. I actually was next door one morning last week getting a coffee & got to glimpse in while they were working on the doorway. What I saw looked amazing. The first performance is this Thursday, it is the Golden Dragon Acrobats. Thanks to Don Hill(for the tickets) & Carol(for watching Jacob) Peter & I will be enjoying the show. We are really looking forward to it. I think it will be a good stress reliever for Peter, who is having oral surgery the following morning. Some coworkers & I got to talking about the old theatre & it seemed I remember going to see movies there with my cousins when we were kids. Am I right or is my memory faulty? I will let you know how the show was, I'll have plenty of time on my hands while babysitting my drugged hubby on Friday. Yeah!

Congrats, Trent, on the new job opportunity!

Jacob can now say the complete alphabet on his own. He is an incredibly bright boy. He also knows his last name. I hope we can get a chance to see everyone soon.

Here It Is

Most of you probably know this by now, but ...

On Sept. 30, I accepted a position with the Department of Homeland Security (US Customs and Border Protection) to become a US Border Patrol Agent. I was offered Blythe, Calif., or Yuma, Ariz. I chose Yuma because a) it’s a bigger city (pop. 85,000) that offers more professional opportunities for Katie, b) it has an airport, and c) California taxes and cost of living aren’t friendly.

My Enter on Duty date is this Thursday in Yuma, at which time I will be sworn in, have an orientation, fill out HR paperwork, and tour the area. Next Monday, the government will fly me to Artesia, N.M., about 2½ hours northeast of El Paso, Texas, to begin an 11-week training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). My graduation date is early January. Upon completion, I will likely stay an additional 8 weeks for Spanish training. (I know a lot of Spanish but am out of practice and by no means fluent in the language.)

According to my schedule, I should finish Spanish training in late February. At that time I should get 10-14 days to get everything squared away in Atlanta before officially beginning work along the Mexican border. (Of course, this is dependent on me not flunking out or getting injured while in Artesia.)

This move probably surprises (or even sounds downright crazy to) many of you, but it was not an irrational decision; it was five months in the making. I’ve always had an interest in law enforcement and the desire to do something for the greater good. One of my biggest regrets is not enlisting in the military after graduation of high school or college. This is my way of serving the country, on the front lines of homeland security. It is something I feel strongly about and at which I believe I will excel.

The Border Patrol finds an average of only one qualified candidate for every 30 to 40 applicants. I am one of those few qualified applicants, and this is an opportunity I can’t pass up. Katie understands and is being supportive, even if it means being away from her for a few months and walking away from her (really good) job and career. It also contradicts our desire to move back to the Midwest but, in 20 years, I don’t want to lament about not accepting this position.

Lastly, Artesia is on Mountain Standard Time, meaning I’ll be an hour behind most of you. My evenings and weekends will be free, though. If anyone wants to call or e-mail, the contact info is below. (I'll also post updates on the blog.)

Cell: 678-447-7025
e-mail: trentmason@bellsouth.net