Thought for the day - I hate being sick

It's true...shocking I know, but I hate it.  And I hate being sick for several reasons.  One is, and this never fails, being sick makes me really miss Mom.  I mean, who doesn't want their mother when they don't feel good?  Luckily, some people still have that option if for nothing more than a phone call.  Me....not so much.  I try not to let it depress me, but sometimes it does.  Other times, I try to rise above it, using Mom as an example.  Whenever she was sick, she seemed to push through it and continue with her daily life.  It was rare, except after chemo treatments, to see her just laying around not feeling well.  I always thought that pretty amazing.

Another reason I hate being sick is my work ethic.  I really have to be bad off not to go to work.  I hate calling in sick because for one, I need the money, and also I just don't do it.  It's not how i operate.  I didn't feel great when I got up this morning, but I went to work anyway.  I could've called in and the other two people could have easily handled a Saturday at the bakery, but Bob needs a paycheck.  As the morning progressed, I felt worse and worse, but managed to greet each customer as I always do and make them feel welcomed.  Also, now that I have graduated and am only working part time, I don't have insurance right now and that really bites.  If this turns into anything more than a cold or sinus trouble, I'm in for a major problem.  That will get fixed eventually, but for now it's a scary place to be in.

So, I will do what I can to get over this as quickly as possible.  And of course, I had plans for tonight that I was looking forward to for weeks.  Oh well.....that's how it goes sometimes.  Can't have it all!

Cheers

An Old Family Photo - A Bivens Family Christmas

I love this picture.  I need to make a better scan of it, though, but still I love it.  It is from the early 1950's at the family home in Wingate, NC.  There are actually many other pictures from this day.  They hired a photographer to come and take family portraits.  I have some of the pictures somewhere and I need to find them.
Front Row:  Uncle Jessie, Mary B (Mom), Grandmother Bivens, Mrs. Price (Aunt Evelyn's mother)
Back Row:  Margaret Carroll, Jane B. Carroll, Grover Carroll, Evelyn P. Bivens, John A. Bivens, B.Y. Tyner, Mary Lee Tyner, Johnny Bivens, Billie Snipes, Quincy Snipes, Bill Laney, Q.B. Snipes, Dorothy B. Laney (Grandmother), Sara B. Orr, Jim Orr

Antique of the day - the collar box

I posted pictures of this on Facebook awhile back.  I found it in a box while I was cleaning in the garage one day.  It really is amazing all of the things I find out there.  Some I keep, some I let go of.  Either way, it's fun to look at these things and remember.  Anyway, this is a collar box.  At least, that is what I have been told and I have no reason to doubt it.  If anyone knows differently, just let me know!

This piece came from Isabel Wolfe, my cousin.  She was my Grandfather Laney's first cousin.  My Grandmother and Isabel were very close up until the end of Isabel's life.  In the mid 1980's, Isabel's next door neighbors convinced her to clean out her attic and have a yard sale.  Why Isabel listened to them, I do not know.  Anyway, she had her yard sale on a Saturday.  On the Friday night before, she called Mom and Grandmother and told her what she was doing.  She said that if they wanted to come and look through the things that night they were more than welcome to.  Of course, it was all for sale and she didn't just let them have anything because they were family.

This belonged to Isabel's father.  It is orange velvet with a sterling clasp on the top.  Inside, there is beautiful apple green satin.  Mom and Grandmother got several fun pieces that night, all of which they paid for.  I know that Grandmother also bought a brass lamp.  Mom got Aunt Nell's parasol and a butter churn.  The sale was a success and life goes on.  Still, I'm glad to have it.  I just don't have any collars to put in there LOL

Quote of the day

Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.

                                                                           Lao-Tzu

Song of the day - Dream of the Forgotten Child

I was introduced to David Lanz's music by my best friend in high school, Tanya.  I'm a sucker for flowing piano pieces and this is a beautiful one.  I haven't yet mastered it on the piano, but I'm still trying.  I love to play his music and find it very relaxing.  Hope you enjoy!

Thought for the day

And here it is...a new week is beginning.  I am feeling the need to change my morning routine, but I just do not exactly know how yet.  I had thought about exercising first thing when I wake up.  It's ideal to hop out of bed and go for a walk or ride the exercise bike or hit the heavy bag out in the garage.  Well, at least I thought about it....that's something, right?  Then I thought why not get up and cook breakfast each day for us?  I love breakfast food and can eat it any time of the day, so why not actually eat it when breakfast is supposed to be served?  It's a possibility, definitely, but I didn't do that today either.  This is one of those days when the weather does indeed affect my motivation.  It's gray and overcast this morning.  We're expecting thunderstorms as well.  I actually do love days like this, but they do little for making me want to actually do anything productive.  Oh well.

Once I begin getting myself on a normal work schedule...or at least a consistent work schedule...I can incorporate some new things into my daily life.  Now, there's nothing wrong with my morning routine...coffee, crossword, email, internet, feed the cat....I just want to switch that up a bit.  Maybe not every day, but at least one day a week do things differently.  I also want to put some creativity back into my daily life.  I am finding myself truly missing creative arts in my life.  Yes, I watch stuff on YouTube...theatre stuff mostly...but it's not the same as doing something creative in real time.  And I'm not talking about anything major, I just need to take time each day to be creatively engaged in one way or another.  That could be anything from playing the piano (I'm so out of practice) to sitting down with a coloring book for 20 minutes.  Somewhere out in the garage, I have blank coloring books from my childhood that I need to fill in!! I just want something to make me feel connected to creativity again.  I can do that.

Anyway, that's my thought this morning.  I will ponder the things that I want to do in order to switch life up occasionally.  Until then, it's time for more coffee and another crossword.

Cheers

Recipe of the day - Crab Casserole

I found this recipe in my 1990 Wingate Baptist Church cookbook.  My cousin Edith gave it to Mom for Christmas that year.  I have found several really tasty recipes from this book and when I was looking to try something new, I started looking in the book and found this recipe.  Hope you enjoy!

Crab Casserole
1 lb. crabmeat
3 beaten eggs
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Dash of hot sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Chop crabmeat.  Add all other ingredients except for butter and bread crumbs.  Mix well.  Place in 2 quart casserole.  Mix butter with bread crumbs.  Sprinkle on top.  Bake 45 minutes.  Cheese may be sprinkled on top as well if desired.  Serves 6.  (Freezes well)

*I used canned crabmeat because that's what I had on hand.  It worked well but canned crab gives it more of a dip consistency, so I served it over rice.
*I used stuffing mix instead of bread crumbs and that worked well.

Enjoy!

Song of the day - Sacrifice

This is one of my all time favorite covers of any song.  O'Connor, despite her extreme politics at times, brings a very raw, human edge to the song.  And, it showcases her beautiful voice.  I first heard this when Courtney Wright put it on a mixed tape for me in college.  I later found the album it was from, which has other great covers on it as well.  Enjoy!

Quote of the day

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

                                                                           Jimi Hendrix

Thought for the day - Game of Thrones fan letter

Dear Game of Thrones,

Admittedly, I do not watch you.  I never have.  It's not that I do not want to, I just haven't yet.  Don't worry, you're on my list to watch.  Honestly, I can say that your genre is not something I am initially drawn to, but once I start watching I almost always enjoy.  That is why I have not seen you yet.  Plus, when something is so hyped like you are, I would rather wait until the hysteria has died down before taking that viewing plunge.

Back to my initial reason for writing this letter, though.  I wanted to thank you for having your premiere last night on HBO.  I missed it.  I saw no reason to start watching yet since I have not seen any previous season.  I would have been confused and Michael would have had to explain everything to me.  And I know that you know how annoying that is when you're watching a show you enjoy and having to constantly tell people what is going on.  Yeah, it's frustrating.

I sat at my computer last night while Michael watched your premiere.  Mostly, I viewed videos on Youtube.  It's what I like to do.  I tend to watch mostly animal rescues, mystery videos and POV Disney rides.  What can I say?  It is what I enjoy watching.  To each his own, I suppose.  Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you.  Why, you may ask, since I do not watch you.  It is simply because for almost 4 straight hours last night, my Facebook feed was filled with you.  The majority of my friends on FB posted that they were watching you.  No doubt you had a huge audience.

I realize that there are lots of bad things going on in our world today.  However, it seems that has become almost all one sees online these days.  But for those almost 4 hours, it was all about you.  I did not have to get inundated with pro and anti Trump rhetoric.  I did not see stories about injustice and man's inhumanity to his fellow man.  I did not have to see how America compares to the rest of the world that provides health care to their citizens.   And I did not have to cut and paste anything to show that i care.  It was quite refreshing.

So, you now have a new fan in me.  Not because you are a great show, which I cannot say yet until I begin watching you, but because for a brief period of time there was some peace and quiet online and for once most people were focused on something that was not a tragedy.  And I really appreciated that.  I look forward to this season because I know now that there will be one time during the week that I can actually enjoy FB for what it originally intended to be....something fun.  Most days it is about as relevant as a high school slam book.  So, thanks for that!

Once you have finished your run, I will begin watching.  Late to the party, I know, but that's how I roll with popular trends.  Until then, thanks for a few hours of enjoyment at the expense of no one for a change.  It is much needed in our society.

Sincerely,

Bob

Thought for the day

I haven't written any this past week.  There really is no excuse for it.  But, I have not been in the best frame of mind this week.  Not depressed, per say. Just blah.  There were some good points, definitely.  I met with a friend of mine who works in a senior community and got some very useful information which I will put to use.  Then, on the other hand, one of my mentors is in the hospital for heart problems.  So, it's been a typical seesaw of a week.

This morning I did my usual routine.  Having my coffee, checking email, doing a crossword puzzle.  It's my daily routine.  Squirt is sleeping on the sofa, soaking in the morning sun.  Michael's still in bed, so I am enjoying listening to the radio and just chilling.  Sadly, I still have to change the station after With Heart and Voice is over because then it becomes all political talk and I need something else on a Sunday morning.  Luckily, one of the local college stations has some good gospel going on!

Anyway, as I sit here, I am pondering what is going to make this week different from last?  As I said, I was blah and got almost nothing accomplished.  I am still looking for jobs, but every day I see the same jobs posted online and there are only so many times I can apply for the same thing LOL  And I had the best of intentions to clean the house, but that fell by the wayside after vacuuming the living room.  At least I did that.

So, this week I plan on being different.  I am going to change a few things (taking small steps) and also make my attitude different.  I am capable of great positivity, I know that.  I just don't do it and then I sink into this black hole of life.  Some days, even just entering our house sucks the energy right out of me.  That all stops now.  I love my house and it needs to be a place of growth for me.  It is our home, after all.

This week will be about building myself up.  I am going to continue looking for work.  After meeting with my friend, I have a clearer vision of the path I want to take and that is most helpful.  I will get our house into the shape it needs to be.  I want to have one of those houses where people feel comfortable just dropping by and that when we decide to have folks over spur of the moment, we are not scrambling to fix the messy disaster.

I will incorporate more music and literature into life this week.  I will try a new recipe just for the heck of it.  I will not spend money unnecessarily.  I will take more pride in my appearance.  I will connect with people in real time and/or letter writing, which I've recently gotten back into.  I will make sure to get outdoors at least once a day, weather permitting.

I am just ready for something different so we'll see how this goes.

At least, that is the plan.

Thought for the day

I have a lot of negative energy in me right now.  I just need to find ways to hone that into something positive.  I'm going to conquer the obstacles in my life, one at a time.

That is all.  Brief, I know.

Cheers

Song of the Day - I Ain't Afraid

I heard this song at a chorus concert several years back and it's stuck with me ever since.  It's melody is haunting and the words are certainly accurate.  Originally written by solo artist Holly Near, I think it works better as a choral piece.  Very powerful words.

Quote of the day

Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life

                                                                            J.K. Rowling