Coco In Pictures (Scroll slowly and take it alllll in)

I spent several days at the beach last week.  Very enjoyable time was had spending time with Aunt Genie, Niece Casey and Cousin Joan.
I don't think I have ever seen Coco sleep as hard as she did when I took these pics.  She probably wore herself out barking at the passersby and fell asleep in the window sill.  Enjoy!

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Her nose was cold.

I did end up waking her up.  LOOK at that face!

Awww, and then the signature roll over for a tummy rub!

Peace!

What's for Lunch Mama Gladys? Lima Beans and Cornpone

I'm at my parents for a week or so, awaiting test results.   Coco and I made the treck over yesterday afternoon from Navarre.  Mom is currently hitting my chair with the vacuum cleaner, so I lost my train of thought.  Not hard to do.  Perhaps Mama Gladys is trying to tell me something?

All houses are just about full on the compound today.  Uncle Tom and Aunt Lorraine, the folks who are usually ALWAYS home have been in Birmingham for about 3 weeks.  Aunt Lorraine is battling some complications from a gall bladder that was removed back in the fall.  She is on the mend finally after some hairy episodes.  I love when there are lots of people on the place.  I visited with the Comegys' last night and plan to have a bowl of chili with the McDaniels' tonight.  Delightful!  I would much rather convalesce here, so my cranky self can be spread among many, not just a few.  It's also so beautiful.  I can look at the very full pond (hooray for rain) or look up at a sky full of stars at night.

The pic is of a meal Mama Gladys fixed back in October: lima beans and rice, cornpone, spinach salad, bread and butter pickles, and you guessed it - sweet tea.  Dad's hand can be seen at the right of the photo.  It's pretty much always like that while he is eating.  Just a sentimental tidbit.

Peace!

Advent is upon us!

Hey my good peeps! I've been away for a couple, three months because dial up was so slow. I have since learned to reduce the size of photos, making them load faster (They don't need to be ENORMOUS like I usually use). I have so much catching up to do.

Here's a pic taken by my cousin Philip's wife Mandy. It's my Christmas card photo!

Panhandle Pastimes

Repairing the sewer pipe at the Lake Eufaula lot. Dad and a buddy put the sewer pipe in previously, but Dad was afraid it wasn't a good seal on one seam. We dug it up and fixed it.















After a morning of work last Thursday, we went fishing and the light was so good late in the day that I snapped off a few pics. This was the same day of the video on my previous post.















Our catch!















I think this was a fish fry we had last week. My cousin Kathy was visiting from Pennsylvania. She was very happy with her fish.















Everybody fixin' their plates at the same fish fry (we have one about every week).






























I found an old mouse toy and Coco was quite taken with it.
















Peace!

My Sentiments Exactly

Being out at the compound is like my safe pasture. We all have like mindsets and there are few surprises. We are definitely not without our issues, but there aren't too many new ones :). Here is Coco the wee min pin with her perpetual grin at Mama Gladys and Grandpa's.

The Coffee Cup in Pensacola

--- Here's a pic I forgot I had. Cheryl and I were in Pensacola early one morning after taking Natalie girl to the airport. We always wanted to eat at "The Coffee Cup". In the background is Creola, the cook who has apparently been there for 37 years, according to a newspaper article in the lobby.

---I'm in Chipley this week. Dad has kept up the old homestead property like a park and it's supremely peaceful to walk Coco around outdoors. She and I took a boat ride yesterday on the pond, her first ever boat ride. She was a bit scared but calmed and was looking over the side at the water.

---My sweet boy Matthew is arriving tomorrow - hooray! First I have to take a basic ed test (TABE) at the vocational school in Chipley to get the ball rolling with LPN school, a program that my new job will pay for. Starting o-ver a-ga-ee-in...Sung like the Reba tune!

---Quick aside: Nat's beau's Mom (Michelle) and sisters stopped by the other day and it was so nice to talk with them. They are moving to Texas to live with Michelle's in laws while her husband is deployed to Iraq. Besides Chris she has 3 daughters including one newborn! Living in Navarre puts you up close and personal to what folks go through for our freedom. God bless our troops and their families.

---Peace...

(This is my first ever post using dial up -- patience IS a virtue.)

Weekend Wrap Up

Well, I ended up scooting to Chipley at the end of last week after all. There were some jobs over there I wanted to check out. I applied in Chipley and Graceville, FL. I've decided to move to Chipley and cancelled my interview in Gulf Breeze this a.m. I truly don't want to start another job and up a move again in a year. We plan to sell our house here in Navarre in a year, after Natalie girl graduates.

I took Coco with me to Chipley and she did great. I will be taking her with me to Chipley when I move. She does much better having "a person", as she's a bit high maintenance.

I also took her with me to Seagrove Saturday Night. Cousin Joan, Cousin Lee, Aunt Lola and I had a stellar Saturday night and Sunday at "Old Charcoal". Other than Coco barking at the early a.m. joggers, we had a lovely time. Apologies to Lee who got in from work at 2:30 a.m. Oops. Cousin Joan and I went to an early Mass at St. Rita's and Aunt Lola served a dandy breakfast and coffee upon our return. Beautiful, unseasonably cool weather to boot!

I'll leave you with one of my favoritie Bible stories from John 21 (NAB):

1 After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.2 Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples 3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.4 When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5 Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No."6 So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.7 So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.8 The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.9 When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."11 So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three 5 large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.12 Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, 6 "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord.13 Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.14 This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

Peace...

Sick Days

I went to bed at 10pm last night, after a day at my backbreaking cleaning job (it was better - I totally have a system now). This pic is what I woke to at 11:30 am. A picture speaks 1000 words. I'll leave it at that. Dogs are great aren't they? Ever present comfort. Other comforts: Jesus, advil, pseudofed, Mama Gladys, Cousin Joan, iced green tea with honey/lemon...


What's on my mind today:

All of these shootings are sad and scary. Here's a prayer for all involved, the souls of the murdered, the shooters, the folks that are contemplating such acts, etc. Please include all those dealing with the Swine Flu outbreak here and our neighbors in Mexico, their families, Mexican brothers and sisters here in the US.
Prayer is from this link -> http://www.scborromeo.org/prayers/guadalup.htm:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, intercede for the Church, protect the Holy Father, help all who invoke You in their necessities. Since You are the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the True God, obtain for us from Your Most Holy Son the grace of a firm and sure hope amid bitterness of life, as well as an ardent love and the precious gift of final perseverance.

Dearest Lady, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me Your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my prayer, offered with deep felt confidence to beg this favor.

O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to Thee under the glorious title "Guadalupe" - the Virgin who crushed the serpent.

Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my path. Invoke the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to fortify my will to frequent the Sacraments so that, thus enlightened and strengthened, I may prefer God to all creatures and shun every occasion of sin.

Help me, as a living branch of the Vine that is Jesus Christ, to exemplify His divine charity always seeking the good of others. Queen of Apostles, aid me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. Keep my apostolate fearless, dynamic, and articulate, to proclaim the loving solitude of Our Father in Heaven so that the wayward may heed His pleading and obtain pardon, through the merits of Your Merciful Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron Saint of North America.

Keep On Truckin'

This is just a quick post, primarily because I don't want to get out of the habit of posting every day. Haven't heard back from Cloud10 about rescheduling training. Choosing not to worry about it.

Boring details:

1. I finished up laundry for my backbreaking cleaning job tomorrow.
2. Ran to Pensacola with my dad to look at the possibility of getting a new computer. We did not because it's hard to get them new with Windows XP - a Cloud10 requirement. A requirement I'm starting to disagree with. (Chuckle - the visual of my dad and me actually running to P'cola - by the bay, on 98, over the bridge, etc -Silly).
3. Suffered most of the day with cramps (I'll leave it at that).
4. Ended up talking again to Computer Masters Tech guy extraordinaire, Steve. He gave me some good advice about wiping my computer again and a better way to reload Windows. He also ruled out the possible problem with the headset, which I had pretty much already ruled out with some other tests.
5. Spent eve in recliner with adorable wee min pin, Coco, snoozing at my feet on recliner while I loaded every possible necessity and driver onto thumb drive. So's I kin git to crackin' on the reloadin' of the Operatin' Seestom tomorrah eve. Oh, all occurred while Les Miserables played on the DVD and Cheryl commented often to my "uh huh". (You KNOW Les Miz viewing was inspired by the lovely Miss Susan Boyle. )

Yahoo Cap'n Phillips (Sp?) has made it home safely!

Funny pic of a sleepy Coco taken by me.

Blogger 101: Where did my blog traffic go?

This is a curious thing. Earlier this week I had all these folks coming to my site. By yesterday my traffic dropped off to a trickle. It makes me wonder how they got here and why they stopped. I'm looking into it.

Does blogger/Google drive folks to your site for you to get a leg up? Were there pop ups on my site from affiliate program ads that scared my peeps away? Are people still coming but my counters not tracking them? The number from the Blogger monetize tab is different from my counter by about 20. The more I learn the more questions I have. From reading I've done so far, you have to market your site in various ways. One thing I've done is listed my site on my local newspaper website. I may list it on the backs of local Catholic church bulletins. Time will tell.

Speaking of time, mine is running out this am. I have to go set up my modem and phone for my "Getting Operational" session at noon. Dearest Coco the wee min pin is at my side and will be sad when I have to banish her, Festus, and Gracie to the garage for my session. The pic above is of coco taken by her Aunt Cheryl. Keep my computer and me in your prayers this day ;).