Witnessing a Miracle

      As I sit here typing, dead tired but yet totally exhilarated, I can't help but be amazed at the precious gift of life.  You see, this very morning at 6:55 a.m. I was allowed the privilege of witnessing a miracle.  My niece, Cheri, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  Not since the birth of my own son had I witnessed this unbelievable miracle and I am so grateful to Cheri for allowing me to be a part of this blessed event.   I would like to introduce you to Jayna Brielle.

     My sister Jane called me around midnight last night to tell me they were at the hospital.  Of course Aunt Karen wasn't going to miss out on all the fun so off I went.    Cheri and her mom were already settled in the labor and delivery room and her dad was nervously sitting in the waiting room.  I wanted to be where the action was so I went straight to the L & D room.   

      Boy have things changed since back in cave times when I gave birth!  For you more mature mothers out there, remember when we had to suffer through labor and they wouldn't give us the good stuff until last minute?  Well, not anymore!  Cheri was resting comfortably and feeling no pain.  So much better!  But for us 2 old ladies who had to sit in chairs all night...not so much.  Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long and at 6:55 this morning we, I mean Cheri, had a beautiful baby girl.  I've never seen a more beautiful baby except for my 2 grandchildren.  Of course, no baby could be as beautiful as they are!

     Unfortunately, Jayna's daddy couldn't be here to see her come into the world.  Cheri and Diego live in Costa Rica and he wasn't able to come at this time.  For several reasons they decided it was better for Cheri to be here when the baby was born.  In a few months momma and baby will return home to be with daddy.  It was hard for them to be separated but thanks to modern technology they can talk via skype daily.  Hopefully in a couple years or less they will all be back to live close to our family.  

The Proud Parents

     Jayna is a bouncing baby girl weighing in at 7lbs even and 19 3/4 inches long.  Momma and baby are doing great.  As for Auntie, I'm tired but I'll get over a little lost sleep.  The one thing I will never get over though is being a part of such an awesome experience.  Thank you Cheri.  I love you and your new family.

    

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat   

 

One of Us Has to Go!

     It all started some time ago when I started hearing scratching noises.  I thought birds had gotten into the chimney which is no longer used.   I did think it odd that every time the noises started Felix, my cat, would stare at the ceiling, whining and carrying on.  Then last week, Kenneth pulled in and happened to notice that the dormer window in the attic was open.  

     Now, if you knew my husband you would know that he doesn't do well with heights and this window is not an easy one to get to.  Behind this window is an open space over the living room which has a vaulted ceiling.  There is nothing in this space except insulation and there is no way to get to the window from the inside.  But knowing that the window is right over the living room ceiling he knew it had to be closed before it rained.  With his brother to hold the ladder, he climbed up and closed the window.  We thought that was the end of that.

      We couldn't have been more wrong!   Two nights ago, before Kenneth got in from the barn, I suddenly heard the most awful scratching and clawing noises (of course these things never happen when Kenneth is around).   Felix was going crazy trying to get to the ceiling!  This time I could definitely tell the noise was coming from overhead.  It sounded like something huge and like it was going to come right through the ceiling any moment.   Before Kenneth came in the noise stopped.  Unfortunately, after we went to bed it started again.  Felix was crying and trying to climb to the ceiling.  Between the two I couldn't go to sleep.  And of course, Kenneth was sound asleep and never heard a thing.  

     Yesterday afternoon I came in after a day out and it wasn't but a few minutes until it starts again.  The monster in the attic was back.  This was the worst yet.  I've never heard such clawing and scratching!  I just knew he was going to fall through the ceiling any minute.  Kenneth still hadn't heard it.

      By the time Kenneth came in, all was quiet and luckily it stayed that way all night.   This morning he was mowing the yard and guess what he saw!   The attic window was open again.   Now if you are like me, you are probably thinking, "the window is loose and is sliding down from the top".  You would be wrong.  This window is being pushed open at the bottom.  And you would never guess what he found next.  

      When he left the front yard moving to the side yard he happened to look up over the side porch.  Along the edge where the siding meets the roof  was a large gap where a whole section of the wall was pushed out.  Our monster in the attic not only had an entrance, he also had an exit!

     We still don't know what kind of critter we have but whatever he is he is smart enough to open a window.  We have called a contractor to fix the wall and try to figure out how to lock a window that you can't get to on the inside.  In the meantime, one of us has to go...and it's not going to be me!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Wordless Wednesday - M & M's Anyone?

True Reflections

   

     According to The American Heritage Dictionary, a mirror is defined as:  1. A surface capable of reflecting sufficient undiffused light to form a virtual image of an object placed in front of it.    2. Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.  3. Something worthy of imitation.

     Most of us probably have some type of mirror in our homes and I'm no exception.  If I weren't afraid of embarrassing myself in public, or scaring some little child by going out looking like the wicked witch of the west, I wouldn't own one.  I've never considered the mirror my friend.  It's like looking at a picture of myself and I hate pictures of myself.  I think it has something to do with self-denial, or some other psycho babble.  But my insecurities aside, have you ever thought about what you are really looking at when you look in the mirror?   

     Take a     good     long      look...past the lines and the wrinkles.  That reflection you see is more than a pretty face.    It's a true picture of your life story;  a road map of sorts, of all the events in your life that have led up to this point.  That scar on your forehead from when you were 7 and scratched your chicken pox, or maybe one on your chin where you fell and had to have stitches learning to ride your bike.  See the worry lines that appeared after spending weeks sitting by your sick aunt's bedside.  Look deep into the eyes that used to be much bluer; see into the heart and soul of the person you've become.  

     The person you see looking back at you is a culmination of every moment of your life.  Every joy and happiness gave you that beautiful smile and those deep laugh lines.    The pain and sorrow you've suffered left its tracks in the form of crows feet and frown lines.  All together they give your face the character and look that makes you uniquely you.  Think of each as a well earned battle scar and wear them proudly.    This is your virtual image that reflects the total you, present and past, the beautiful person you are, not just outside, but inside;  an image worthy of imitation.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Written for GBE2 Week #45 prompt - mirror

Wordless Wednesday - Even in the Caribbean!

 

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Top 10 People I Would Love to Chat With

GBE2 Week #44 Prompt - Make a list and give it a name.

     For this week's prompt we are supposed to make a list.  Sounds easy enough...I make lists for everything.  But then I started thinking...hmmmm (scratching my head),  no one wants to read my grocery list or my to-do list; so what would make people want to read my list?   After much thought, I decided to write a list that at least I found interesting and fun to come up with.   I decided to make a list of people whom I would most like to sit down and chat with if it were miraculously possible.  This is definitely a list that I will have to give some thought to.  So, here goes, in no particular order.

1.  The first one came to me instantly.  My Mamaw Williams died

     when I was only 4 years old.  Most of my memories of her are

     from pictures and family stories.  I've always wished I could

     have known her better.

2.  Mark Twain - Who wouldn't want to sit

     down with him and witness first hand 

     his wit and wisdom.   I am  such a fan.  

     Many of his quotes are phenomenal 

     and  among my favorites.  I believe his 

     writing  is  nothing short of genius.

  

3.  Mother Teresa - Mother Teresa is one 

     of the most admired women in history.  I 

     would consider  it a great honor just to be 

     in her presence, let alone  get to talk with 

     her about  her life's work.   I don't think 

     there will ever be a more loving, selfless, 

     generous, yet strong woman than her.

4.  Lucille Ball - I love Lucy!  I've always been a huge 

     fan  and I think she is the funniest female that has ever 

     lived.  Her timing and delivery was impeccable.  But

     also, there was another side to her.  It had to have 

     been  tough back in the early days to make it in a 

     man's world so she also had to be a shrewd business 

     woman.   Oh, the stories I bet she could tell!

5.  Mary, Mother of Jesus - What better example of faith could we

     have.   Her faith was strong enough to face the scorn of society 

     in order to carry the son of God.  I would sit at her feet hoping to

     learn what it's like to have faith that strong.

6.  Benjamin Franklin - American scientist, 

     inventor, statesman, printer and 

     philosopher.  It would be amazing the things

     you could learn from him.  I would have so 

     many questions about so many things.  I 

     would really like to know exactly what the 

     founding forefathers had in mind when they 

     wrote the constitution.   Somehow I think 

     his interpretation would be much different 

     than  what is  accepted by

     today's standards.

7.  Rosa Parks - I can't imagine having the

     courage to do what she did.  She stood 

     up  for what she believed in even 

     though  it could have cost her  her life.  

     I admire  that kind of courage and 

     would love to  hear  how she found that 

     inner strength  and conviction.

 

8.  Katherine Hepburn -   Now there's a 

     woman  who would tell it like it is.  It 

     would be so much fun to sit with her 

     and dish the dirt on the early days in 

     Hollywood.  I'll bet she could tell some 

     stories you've never heard before!

 

9.  Corrie Ten Boom   - Suffered horrible 

     torture and cruelty at the hand of the 

     Nazis at Ravensbrook  concentration 

     camp when after watching her sister 

     die was released because  of a clerical 

     error.  She still kept her faith and 

     went on to help other survivors.  To 

     hear her story in her own words would be 

     unbelievable.

10.  Walt Disney -  What an imagination he had!  

       He  was such a visionary and would be so 

       much fun to talk with!

     I'm sure if given time I could come up with several more interesting people I would love to chat with, but for now these are the ones I would most like to meet.  Who knows, maybe one day after this life I'll actually get the chance to do just that.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Going to Town

Written for Week #43 GBE2 Prompt - Shenanigans

     Remember when you were in high school and in every class there was that one person who always did everything  by the book.   They always did their homework on time, followed all the rules, worked after school at a job, never went out partying where there was drinking or drugs, never smoked, made good grades; in other words, was a boring Miss Goody-Two-Shoes.

B - O - R - I - N - G !

     Well, in my class, that boring girl was me.  I was that workaholic who never seemed to have time for fun.  I never wanted to do anything to disappoint a teacher, and certainly would never have thought of upsetting my employer.      I worked after school and weekends at the local drive-in restaurant; sometimes it seemed like I spent more time there than at home.  But, above all, the one person I never wanted to disappoint was my mother.  Mother and I were great friends as well as having a mother-daughter relationship.   Because I had worked since before I was 14 and had always been so responsible mother never gave me a lot of rules to follow.  She always told me that she trusted me as long as I never gave her a reason not to.  That meant the world to me and I was very careful that I didn't do anything to make her not trust me.  Even though she never gave me a curfew if I was doing something that I knew I would be out later than usual I always called her and told her (and that was before cell phones!).   So now you're thinking, boy, she really was boring!

     Okay, for the most part, I probably was boring.  But, believe it or not, there are a few things in life that could cause even a Miss Goody-two-shoes to cross over to the dark side and break the rules.  For this at the time, 16 year old it was

Three Dog Night!

     I was one of those teenagers that loved nearly all music so it was always hard for me to pick favorites, except when it came to Three Dog Night.  I love, love, loved their music and had a huge crush on Cory Wells, one of the lead singers.  So started the downfall of Miss Goody-two-shoes.

     It was late summer, 1969.  Three Dog Night were going to perform at the Kentucky State Fair in Freedom Hall.  Herein lies the problem.  It was the Kentucky State Fair, which meant crossing the bridge to Kentucky...in Louisville.   Living in a small town in southern Indiana, the biggest city I was allowed to drive to was New Albany.   Now that may be just a bridge crossing from Louisville, but when you considered city size and traffic  they were worlds apart.   To us, going to Louisville was like most people going to New York.  Therefore, anytime you said you were going to town, it meant you were going to New Albany.  My mom didn't even drive across the bridge.  We only went to Louisville when dad was with us to drive.  You get the picture.

     But this was Three Dog Night!   I had to find a way to get there.  Teenage mentality took over.  My friend, Diane and I told mom we were going to town.  In my teenage reasoning, it wasn't really lying.  We were going to town, we just didn't say which town.    I knew mom would let us go because  she was great about letting me have the car.  I felt really bad, but not bad enough to not go.  So off we went to the BIG city of Louisville and to the fairgrounds.  My first driving experience in that much traffic!  Luckily, we made it without incident.

     And, boy was it worth it!   There were no chairs, everyone stood up and we were within 3 feet of the stage.   The concert was amazing!  I even imagined that Cory looked right at me a few times when he was singing.  It was this teenage girl's fantasy come true.

     Okay, so my wild-child side didn't last long.  I told mom the truth after-the-fact because my conscience got the better of me.  Since I fessed up and we had made it without any wrecks or muggings or anything bad, she didn't punish me.  I was so relieved.  But even if she had, it would have been worth it!

     Maybe it's impossible for a Goody-two-shoes to completely turn over a new leaf, but, the occasional shenanigan sure made life a lot more fun!

  

Until next time...that's my view.


Kat

Wordless Wednesday - Zoo Memories or Missing the Old Days

Then

and now...

They grow up too fast!

It's MARCH MADNESS, BABY!

     Unless you live under a rock, at least in this part of the country, you know that MARCH MADNESS means BASKETBALL, and lots of it.   It's all that is on TV and the only topic of discussion no matter where you go.   During tournament time if you don't eat, sleep and breathe basketball you are out of luck; you might as well hibernate for the next few weeks.

     My house is no exception.    Most of the year there is almost nothing that would keep my workaholic husband in the house.  Not so during March Madness.  You can find him most afternoons that tournament games are on TV either on the couch or in his recliner until time to milk the cows.   And at night after he gets in from the barn you can find him on the couch trying to stay awake to see the end of the ballgame.  If I go on to bed he might wake up and come to bed before his alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m.

 

      One thing that I must make perfectly clear.  Even though he will watch any ballgame he can find on TV, there is only one  that he would ever root for, the only one that matters as far as he is concerned.  He is a...

 

True Blue

 

Bleeds Blue,

 

Die Hard, 

 

Died in the Wool, 

 

University Of Kentucky Wildcat Fan!

     Kentucky basketball is not just a sport, it's a way of life.   Kentucky fans take their basketball seriously and this time of year it comes before eating and sleeping.  Kentucky fans are loyal to their cats and will follow them to the ends of the earth.  They are true blue to the end.

     Now I'm not trying to take anything away from all the rest of you college sports fans out there.  I'm sure you are just as loyal to your chosen teams.  It's just that with Kentucky fans it's almost like a disease that is chronic and spreads like wildfire. I think they call it "Wildcat Fever".   Even a hint of rooting for another team is paramount to treason.  After all, we have a reserved seat for Ashley Judd right behind the team.  How many teams can say that?

     Okay, so maybe I'm having a little fun at my husband's expense.  I do like basketball and I am a huge UK fan, but I have been known to secretly root for other teams as long as they aren't playing the Wildcats (but whatever you do don't tell my husband!).  

     It won't be long now till we crown a national championship team.  When that happens it will be all over but the shouting until next season when we will again shout...

GO BIG BLUE!

 

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

    

Wordless Wednesday - Survivor

 

Winter's Sole Survivor

Just Not My Thing

Written for GBE2 Week #42 Prompt - Confrontation

     This week's prompt, confrontation, is a tough one for me.  Let me make this perfectly clear...

I hate confrontation!

I am no good at it so I try to avoid it at all cost.  Some people are quite good at the art of confrontation, and it is, after all,  an art form.  Good confrontation  requires -

       1.  complete knowledge of the reason for disagreement;   

       2.  thick skin so that no matter how sharp your opponents 

            barbs get they bounce right off;   

       3.  a degree in sarcasm and 4 letter words;   

       4.  an ability to look stone-faced and tough, without any 

            sign of weakness;   

       5.  the ability to meet it head-on, with no regrets.  

 I fail miserably in 4 out of 5 (and I'm not even sure I would always be successful in #1).   

     Okay, I admit...I'm a wimp.    Even as a young person I always tried to be a people pleaser.   I never wanted to disappoint anyone.  I would rather have let someone walk all over me if it meant  avoiding a confrontation.    I'd like to say that I grew out of it, but, truth be told, I still have most of the same tendencies.  I still don't like to disappoint anyone and will do anything I can to avoid confrontation.  In some ways I am a little more outspoken than I used to be, but still not much of a fighter.  I'll leave the fighting for those who enjoy it.   As for me, I prefer to be a lover of all that is good and leave the fighting to the professionals.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Stormy Weather

     

      This is the sky in front of my house about 10 minutes ago.  It's still windy but the sun is trying to peek out following a thunderstorm.  We were lucky.  All we got was a little wind and some hard rain.    The worst is a few broken limbs, very small sticks, scattered on my lawn.  

 

     This rainbow was in my backyard.  Rainbows usually give me a peaceful feeling.  They are so beautiful.  Unfortunately, it is hard to feel peaceful at the moment.

     Not everyone was as fortunate as we were.  Many areas both to the north and south of us were hit very hard with major tornadoes.   Many of them are still being hit as I type.  The TV has been a constant picture of destruction from several areas; as well as warnings to take shelter.  I have heard of 6 confirmed deaths so far with people still missing.  Henryville, IN, one of the hardest hit areas is not that far north of us and very close to where I grew up.  Nearly the entire town is wiped out.

                                                                                   

All afternoon more and more warnings.

Amazingly no one was hurt on this schoolbus.

This was the school.

This is the actual tornado that flattened 

Henryville as posted by the news channel.

Besides the tornado, they had hail as big as golf balls.

     As I thank God for his grace and mercy in sparing us and our loved ones from damage, destruction and even death, I also  pray for the families that have been hit.  My heart is filled with pain for these poor families.  Many of the counties south of us have been hit just as severely.  Unfortunately, the same counties were just beginning to clean up from severe destruction caused by  tornadoes that went through Tuesday.

     I know these deadly tornadoes this week have also caused death and destruction in other areas of the midwest.  Illinois  was hit hard and I just heard today Alabama was hit.

     The weatherman just gave the all clear for their entire viewing area which covers southern Indiana and much of Kentucky.  That's great news for some of us, but too late for others.    All the pictures they are showing are devastating.  So much destruction.  Breaks my heart.

     Weather is so unpredictable.  It's suppose to be too early in the year for tornadoes - but that doesn't seem to matter anymore.  Thunderstorms and tornadoes in the winter, so what's next...snowstorms in July?  I don't remember all these storms in this area when I was growing up.  Are they happening more often?  I don't know.  

     For some of these people hit today, or Tuesday, it's going to be a long time before they will have any kind of normalcy in their lives.  I will keep them in my prayers.  I pray no more deaths will be attributed to today's disaster.  I'm sure it will be days before we will know.

     If this is what is called an "act of nature" I hope it was the final act.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat