Anxiety

Laura went to school dressed as anxiety!   Halloween produces anxiety in many teachers as the children are very excited!   

Laura had to fill me in on who anxiety is.  It’s from the  Pixar's new movie, Inside Out 2 .  A sequel to the 2015 movie Inside Out.  The main character is 11-year-old Riley. In the first movie, audiences meet Riley's core emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. They live in Headquarters, the place in Riley's mind from which they operate her emotions.  In Inside Out 2, Riley is 13 and thriving in her new city. She has friends and is a star on her hockey team. But when puberty hits one night, four new emotions shake up Riley's core emotions: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and, most of all, Anxiety.

 

Most Valuable

 Another World’s Series is history and Freddie Freeman was named MVP.  I hope you tuned in.  Baseball is great entertainment.  I rooted for the Dodgers so it was really fun to watch for me.  The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the advertisements.  But I lived over them.  There’s the mute button!

Freddie Freeman is an interesting man.  His parents were both born in Canada, but he was born in California.  He has both US and Canadian citizenship and been a Dodger fan all his life.  His mother passed when he was 10 of melanoma.  He wears a long sleeve shirt in every game to honor her.  His Dad is his biggest supporter raising him on his own. Freddie’s son was ill this season.  He was diagnosed with Guillen-Barre syndrome, a rare condition causing nerve damage with symptoms including muscle weakness, tingling and some paralysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Freddie was out for five days over the summer in order to be with his son during his battle with the disease.  He has a thankful heart and a strong faith.  Freddie is a fourth generation Salvationist. His grandfather (Ed Freeman) is a highly respected band master (for the Tustin Ranch band). His father is one of the finest trombone players in the entire Salvation Army world and his uncle Bruce is easily one of the finest cornet players. Several of his cousins are currently officers throughout The Salvation Army world.  Congrats to Freddie for being valuable to more than just the baseball world❤️

Ballerina

Ada is a ballerina! No scary costume for her.  She said “Momma I want to be something pretty!” Most little girls love dressing up.  Astrid and Ingrid did.  Sisters make the best friends💜The word "ballerina" comes from the Italian word ballerino, which means "dancing master". It originated in the late 1700s.

 

Charlie

One of Astrid’s clients had a feral cat.  The manager said the house rule was no wild animals.  Astrid told the man she’d take Charlie.  They caught him and Astrid brought him home.  She had him neutered.  He is an outside cat and a big hunter.  When she came to get her gifts of blankets, her dogs came along.  Charlie followed too.  He came on the porch where we were sitting.  He sniffed me and then jumped on my lap.  I’m glad Astrid saved Charlie.  The other feral cats were trapped and put down.

I have leaves to mulch but I’m waiting on rain. It’s really dry.  No rain in two months.  My neighbor’s maple still is pretty but most of the trees are bare.  The oaks have leaves.  They are the last to fall.

 

Another Blanket

Baby blankets finished.  These two are for Astrid to gift to two of her friends.  One for girl and the other a boy.

 

Back when I was teaching I brought Laura to school for a school picture. She was two!  Forty eight years later, she still has a school days picture each year! 💗 Laura’s turned out nicely this year. Everyone is in a line.  The children are called to the picture location by class.  They have a short bench like stool for everyone to sit on.  You sit, they snap.  It is done in a few seconds.  Many don’t turn out great, but they’re a memory nevertheless.  Clayton won’t go get in line.  No pictures come home in an envelope of him.  We had to “collect” for the pictures.  I hated that.  Some poor kids did not bring their pictures or the money.  I think it’s done differently now.  I felt it wasn’t my job to harass children about money.

Greta is 14

Happy Birthday 14 to my green eyed girl—October 26!

Green-eyed lady, lovely lady. Strolling slowly towards the sun. Green-eyed lady, lovely lady💚💚💚

When Ada stayed two nights with me recently. I had her reading on a much higher level!  I’m amazing😂

 

Sally O’Malley

 Every Halloween 🎃 Logan and Astrid throw a dress up party!  Sally O’Malley showed up.

I’m 50 and I can kick, stretch, and kick!

Reading

Read these three books this week.  So many books so little time.  All were eye opening.  Connie Chung was one of 10 children and the only one born to her Chinese parents in America.  People’s real lives are not what we usually think they are.

 

Red Maples

Three Red Maples in a row at Lake Dardanelle Park!  

From Arbor Day Foundation—Red maple is one of the best named of all trees, featuring something red in each of the seasons — buds in winter, flowers in spring, leafstalks in summer, and brilliant foliage in autumn. This pageant of color, along with the red maple's relatively fast growth and tolerance to a wide range of soils, makes it a favorite.

 

Reflection

Today, it wasn’t the trees that amazed me but their reflections on the water! I must pause to really see. 

“No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.” Old Proverb

I’m trying to think more positively about my surroundings!  I’m blessed.  Praying for a soft, long rain.  My earth is so thristy.  

 

Place Where I was Built

The house that built me 🤍

“Thought if I could touch this place or feel it

This brokenness inside me might start healing

Out here it's like I'm someone else

I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in, I swear I'll leave

Won't take nothing but a memory

From the house that built me”

M. Lambert 

Voted Today

I voted today and voted my conscience!  I was number 1622.  Everyone should vote.  It’s the foundation of our democracy—we’re all created equal. Each with one vote.  No one better than another. Make yourself heard—vote.  I waited in line 30 minutes, but the time passed quickly.

Apples Galore

I saw this about types of apples.  Growing up I recall, red delicious, yellow delicious and Jonathan. My favorite apple is yellow delicious.  They’re new types yearly.  Back in the 1990’s, Fuji became popular.  I like them. Gala apples cropped up about the same time.  They don’t have much favor seems to me. Pilgrims planted the first U.S. apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.   It takes almost 5 years for a tree to produce apples, a bigger tree can take 10 years.  Dad planted some dwarf trees because they produce the quickest.  They die sooner too.  There’s over 2500 types of trees to choose from. I think I’m to old to have an apple orchard!

I’m reading this book by Elizabeth Strout. If you read “I am Lucy Barton” and “Olive Kitteridge” I think you’d like it.  I don’t read a lot of fiction but I like Elizabeth’s books.  

 

Focus on Need

I was crocheting a baby blanket but Ada said Tiger needed a blanket.  That’s a priority! She’s gone home and I’m alone again. We enjoyed each other.

I got a new iPhone working to understand how it works.  Hope I can use the camera.

 

Squirrel Away

Greta thinks she can do anything boys can.  Those boys got nothing on Greta! She went squirrel hunting Saturday!  Got two.  She made Greg skin ‘em!

 

Dress Up

Ada goes home tomorrow.  The time has flew by. Today we played dress up in box old clothes Laura brought over.  She fed the donkeys and horses apples.  We picked up all the walnuts and put them in the wheel barrel. I read about 20 books to her.  She loves books.  She has matured so much since summer.  We have not had one cross word.  I did whatever she wanted the first time she said it. 🥰 

 

Flowers Afresh

New flowers for her Dad—Laura buys the flowers and arranges the bouquet in his vase.  She had enough flowers to fix a pretty bouquet for my Sister Patsy.   Brother Clayton’s and Richard’s looked wonderful!  Come February Larry will be gone 5 years.  🥲

 

Update

Helen is able to come and go checking on Fleta.  Dr. said the break looks like it is healing.  Lots of forms to fill out, stuff to send off by mail, prescriptions to pick up.  Helen is tending to all the details.  You are fortunate if you have a daughter or sister, A son is a son til he takes a wife; a daughter is a daughter all her life. Plus—a sister is your mirror.  This boils down to “thankful for Helen”.

 

Book Talk

Tonight my friend Kay and I attended a “ meet the author” at AR Tech.  Eli Cranor (one of my 6th graders long ago) teaches creative writing at Tech.  He invited S. A. Cosby to talk about writing.  It was very interesting and entertaining.  Shawn writes southern crime fiction.  His 2021 novel, Razorblade Tears, debuted #10 on The New York Times Best Seller list. His latest book is All Sinners Bleed. I’m going to try one of his books!