I think it was my youngest sister who sent me a page of prayers several years ago. The one which stayed with me was:
God, give me patience, and I mean right NOW!

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Today I was marveling at how diverse the women in my family are.
Sister #1 raised five children, drove a school bus, and then became a darned fine nurse. She specialized in geriatrics and came to be very knowledgeable about wound management. Now that she has retired, she has a business making clothing for craft fairs.
Sister #2 became a jeweler, and had her own store. Then she became the Director of Christian Education for a large church.
I’m the third, and I spent what feels like a huge part of my life in school and then teaching for 11 years. Now, I’m the office for my husband’s company, and I care for our mother.
Sister #4 had a career in the Navy and then resigned to raise her family. She went back for additional classes and now teaches English to kids at risk, and may soon become a principal.
I was thinking how diverse we are, how wide spread our interests are, when I realized that each of us chose to work at some point in our lives in a service field. Teaching, nursing, Christian education, the ties that bind us are closer than I realized. Each of us have chosen a field that has an impact on the quality of life around us. I doubt you would be surprised to find that there is a good deal of volunteerism in our lives, too.
So…. maybe we are not as diverse as I thought. Sister #1 driving in stock car races, and winning, was different. And #4 has been involved with historical reinactments for the 1750 era. Things like that bring a zest to life, but they don’t change the underlying concern for people.
The next generation has engineers, biologists, managers, international buyers, and business owners. The opportunities have changed for these young women, and they have branched out. In their generation we have the best of both worlds, diversity combined with interest in family.
The best thing about all this is that there is nothing keeping the four of us from trying new things all the time. We may join the next generation in diversity, yet!

Last Friday I hosted my quilting bee. For years, like clockwork, these ladies have come to my home once a month to sit and quilt and share quilting news. Occasionally we work on each other’s projects, but usually we work on our own quilts as we sit and chat.
This should have been like any other of a hundred visits, but it was special. Very special. We were rejoicing that one of our members had lived through a heart attack less than two weeks earlier. She was with us, talking about her experience. She was clear on how serious it had been, but her natural good humor was underlying everything she said, and she was GLAD to be among us.
We are not young women, but neither do we consider ourselves to be old. Don’t let the fact that we quilt make you think we are little old gray haired ladies. And that’s the rub. We all thought we were too young to have to worry about heart attacks.
Now, we feel mortal. We look at our friends and family differently, because we know that we could loose them, or we could die without warning. It makes you reconsider what’s important. I’ve just spent hours getting ready for a bridal shower. Perhaps, instead, I should have been spending time with my family.
Today I made sure to talk to each person. Each one got a hug, and plans were made to get together again, soon. My goal is to get past the trivial conversations, and get to know them better.
Since I don’t know when my time will be up, the only option I have is to make the best use I can of the time I have left. What does that mean for you? How would you best use your time? It’s something I need to ponder.

Well……I re-programed our business computer. With about an hour’s help from Dell, and a couple of hours of guidance from Stepson Number 3, I got almost all of it back on and running. Most of it agrees to work as it did before, but I need to do a little tweaking.
T told me that the wonderful little calendar in the bottom right corner of my screen that just appeared one day was a a gift from “Gator,” and that I didn’t want to let them anywhere near my computer again. We also managed to loose “Gain” in the process, and I’m happy to have kicked them out. We’re going to add a spywear program this coming week.
Now I’m trying different pop up killers. I’m being inundated with ads from companies who want to SELL me a pop up killer…….like I’d buy anything from them after they’ve driven me crazy! Huh!
So, the experience was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I still need guidance in setting up drivers, but the rest of the reprogramming was pretty easy. Perhaps some of my friends have rubbed off on me over the past four years!
I’m a confirmed believer in back ups, though. I managed to save all but one program, and it was time to update that information anyway. Regular backups can save you, yeah they can. Memorize this….and live by it: Save Early And Often!

Sit still. Listen. What do you hear around you?
I can hear the dog snoring, a car reving it’s engine, my processor humming, and occasionally, the sound of the cool air being forced through the ducts.
Silence is on my mind because until 30 minutes ago my house was full with 15 women, 8 men and 7 children. The children played and ran from adult to adult seeking attention. People gathered in twos and threes and fours to chat and bring themselves up to date on what was going on in the family. Newer members of the family were worked into the fabric of our existence. Bodies swirled through the rooms of my house as though eddies of a stream were moving them along and depositing them where they could start a new conversation.
Today was the bridal shower for my brother’s daughter. My oldest sister took over the organization. She arranged for the thank you cards, the guest mementos, most of the food, the plates and napkins, the memory book, and the invitations. I prepared my home for the party and did a little cooking. I have a minor amount of cleaning up to do, and a LOT of satisfaction at having hosted a lovely party.
I started more than two weeks ago, weeding and working in the gardens for a couple of hours a day, arranging for the high glass in the house to be cleaned, and getting a start on my Fall cleaning. I shopped with Sister Number 1 for shower things. We rarely have the chance to get together, so we had lunch, and then chose little gifts for our guests. Perhaps that quiet time with her was one of the best gifts to come from this shower. I tried to fit the preparation in around the things that normally fill my life, plus a few surprises.
This past week I haven’t had the chance to blog. I missed keeping up with what has been happening in your lives, and I’m eager to read what you’ve all had to say. I had a lovely note from billy…..just checking in….making sure everything was all right. It was lovely to know that I had been missed. *S*
So….I’m enjoying the quiet, listening to the lack of furor now that everyone has gone their way. I’m delighted that I was asked to be involved. I’m glad that everyone had a good time, and I’m glad that I can put my feet up and rest a while before we do this again.
This kind of silence is wonderful. May you all have the chance to experience it!

I want to wish my friend Midnight a Happy Birthday! Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate. I hope you’ve had a great time playing with those new Lie-Nielson planes. *S*
Happy Birthday, and many, many more!

License Plates….
The “Q” Section of the Chicago Tribune, for Sunday, August, 31, has a story titled “All Is Vanity.” Of course, it’s about vanity license plates. It’s incredible how clever people can be with seven letters or numbers.
These sixteen people have proclaimed their occupation with their license plate number. Can you tell their calling?
REVM UP 2
I SEDATE
NISE PKG
ONAROLL
RCYCLIT
IADDMUP
LF SAVR2
IFXWOOD
IFIXUM
I GTU FIT
BOOKWMN
SUPR BWL
NO PLAK
ELUMEN8
BIDNOFR
OH MISS

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This is Dear Husband at the wheel of the Serenity. Doesn’t he look right at home? When I suggested that he pose for a picture at the helm, it didn’t take any encouraging. *G*

I just had a big bowl of Vanilla Swirl Ice Cream, or “squirrel” as my family fondly calls it. I rarely crave ice cream, and it’s definitely not part of my diet, but this seemed like the perfect treat after spending large parts of the last twenty-four hours re-programming our computer.
It’s not quite done. I have some Window’s updates to double check, and then I need to install CD creator software. Our network is down, thanks to something I entered when I installed the O/S, so my stepson is contemplating how to get around that. I may even get the chance to use the scanner that comes with the Office Jet. I didn’t realize what a dinosaur that thing is until I saw the program disks. It was originally intended to run on 3.1 or 95, so it’s possible that it can’t be updated to run the scanner. At least I have a fax/copier/printer running.
About a year ago, a tiny two month calendar program appeared in my taskbar. I LOVED it. I thought one of the kids had installed it, but they won’t take the credit. Does anyone know where I can find software for that?
Back to ice cream…. I guess my all time favorite flavor is butter pecan in a waffle cone. I wait to order that at the places that carry the really sinful ice cream. I figure if I’m only going to eat ice cream on rare occasions, I might as well eat the stuff that’s REALLY bad for you! I like raspberry sherbet, too, and anything that goes well with hot fudge! What’s your favorite flavor?

This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Company, creators of an American icon. Harley’s have a signature sound that other motorcycles can’t seem to recreate, a deep rumble that announces you are in the presence of a HAWG.

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