Arctic Blast-ard

Raw, biting cold has descended upon my southern home in Atlanta.
I'm not acting pretty, I'm "pinched". Cold frown on my face, as if I was standing in Vermont, 27 inches deep. Oh ,but they say snow is so beautiful. Who is "They"? because "they are Wrong!!"
Scarfs, mittens, coats, socks, boots, leggings have made an appearance on the multitudes. The layered look, a fashion disaster, has hit us all. Like a sledgehammer, gross layering of ugly clothes. Bundles and bundles, that do nothing to keep you warm, just keeps you from moving.
Try buckling a seatbelt, with a huge down parka on and gloves!! I'm praying , at this point, to go through the car windshield!!! My skin is itching, even after a shower with baby oil, loathe this bitter,winter pill.
We are lucky in Atlanta that our days with this Arctic Blastard, are few. The merciless, cruel, winter spits in our face.
The only thing I want this cold is my "Tini".

http://www.flickr.com/groups/winterbites/discuss/98255/

GROSSLY, OBESE, PUSSY!!!!!cat

Just returned from Barnes and Nobles and the "Diet" books attacked me at the door.
What is it about ,A NewYear, that warrants everyone to begin a diet??
Even our precious Laniney, was told to "shed" a few.
Our cat needed a vet visit, which to animals is like going to the dentist. Bill was elected to drive and Emma haul, Lainey-bird (another one of her names), to the V.E.T.(all my animals know the word, we have to spell everything!!!)
Fear of the words, need to lose, kept me at bay. The vet looks at you with, "bad-parent" eyes. It brings out the "ugly" in me, so I avoid confrontation with idiots, even if they have huge degrees hanging "all over" and are still paying off student loans, AVOID THEM. I knew what they would tell me. Lainey is a fat, crippled, three-legged cat, who sits around like she has just swallowed "Tweety" She is healthy and large. My family could not get in the door quick enough, to tell me what I was doing wrong!!!! Thinking out loud...... I spoke"Its' the New Year, everyone goes on a diet" "She is just pear shaped", "Do they make Spanx for cats!!!"??? Grossly Obese Pussy, is that a bad thing? Maybe I had better go back to Barnes and Nobles, I know they must have a book about how to get your "Pussy" smaller, I think I will ask for help finding this book.

Tivo, record, tape EVERYTHING!!!!!

Happy New Year.
Supper with the kids, and lights out by 10, I'm a happy woman.
Around 2am, I woke my Bill up and asked what all the "racket" was about???
Guess it was the fireworks??Clueless in Atlanta, and proud of it!! When we woke EARLY, as usual, our coffee and start to the new year, was whatever we had taped on TV.
OMG,(yes, I'm up on all the text lingo)what would we do without recording things. We would see nothing!!! Horrible thought!!!!
I even have the Tournament of Roses Parade taped this morning, I watch nothing unless its a day or two later. How much fun it will be in a couple of days, to watch the Rose Bowl Parade over coffee. It thrills me.
This morning we watched, The Kennedy Center Honors, at around 6ish, awesome. In a strange way it makes everything seem special. I don't know if its the weird time of day, or just the fact that we are watching things by our self, a private showing.
I tape everything, you never know, when you will get the urge to have a "special screening" of Deadliest Catch. I need to go watch the ball drop in New York City, now, its Friday afternoon, Happy New Year!!

My Mother's Friend

I recently had the priviledge of saying good-bye to Shirley. Mrs. Ivey died this morning, my mom's girlfriend.She knew that death was near, so she began to call all of her friends to say "Good-bye". We have known that Shirley was in a no-win battle with cancer. What a beast that cancer is, and pancreatic cancer, the devil himself.
I think it was Monday(by now, you know that days of the week escape me!!), Mom,Dad and I went over to see Shirley. As she lay in her bed, much like the baby Jesus in a manger,she reached for us. Her breath was shallow, but there was a clearity in her eyes. Mom sat next to her and held her friend, tight. Laying her head on Shirley's chest, both of them kissing each other. Dad and I were sitting at the end of the bed, watching mom. I have seen my mom grieve over the loss of her daughter and her first grandson, now her dear friend is trying to tell my mom, that its all ok. Of course there were no words spoken. The silence of love between friends, I felt like I was witnessing something beautiful. Then my turn to sit, a minute. Her skin, so bruised and thin. I held her hand and stroked her arm, and she said to me " Bonnie you are so beautiful" like she was looking at an angel. Next she softly said " Bonnie, I know how you feel" and she was thinking about my broken heart. You see she had lost a young son also. We were mothers connected in grief. In her last moments she was thinking about my heart. I thought that when she said I was beautiful, that maybe she was letting the medication do the talking, and then when she was talking about our boys, I knew, that she was totally aware of all things around her. I wish that I had told her, to look for my Ward, when she went to heaven, but I did not, somehow I think she was letting me know, that she would be doing some "mothering" real soon, with our boys. It was one of the most precious blessings, that I will always cherish, saying "good-bye" to Shirley and seeing her so near the new journey that she is now on.

Cotton picking, road trip!!!

Emma and I left yesterday, I think it was Saturday?? The holidays have me OFF!! in more ways then one. We decided to take a quick, road trip to Jacksonville, Florida. The drive is interstate , until Tifton, and we take back roads until we reach our destination. The home of my parents, Mary and Homer Blackman. The back roads are filled with character, so much so, that we were afraid to stop anywhere to go to the bathroom!!! These roads are straight out of "Deliverance", my hood. They did offer endless fields of cotton, that is so beautiful, and tweaks my interest. Often I have pulled off the side of the road, and had a "drive-by" photo op. Not this time, we kept moving. Then there are all the pe-CAN, not pe-kahn, trees lined up in perfect rows, demanding that we look with respect at their majesty. I love the moss hanging, so clear, on the empty trees. Massive quantities of road kill always adds to the flavor of the south, after a while, you don't even notice it. Which is sad, in a way?? I love the screen doors, with the big birds embossed on them, one day I will find one to drag back to "the burbs", they need some class.Clothes hanging on lines, Jesus is coming signs, nailed to a pine tree, another photo op. I always like know he is coming!!! Finally flat, Swampy, Florida land, and we arrive. Bugs and humidity and Christmas lights on everything that you can hang a light on!!! I do mean EVERYTHING!!! As always, this will be a short visit, but the writing material that I will gather is sooooooo worth the trip!!! Family is everything, wherever they hang their lights.

Can you use Avatar in a sentence??

Yesterday, or it could have been the day before??, the family went to see the movie AVATAR in 3D.
Over the river and through the holiday traffic we traveled. After the sticker shock ,ticket costs of twelve dollars a person, they lifted me to my feet and to my seat. Already Ebenezer Scrooge had entered my body, this needed to be a great movie. This beautiful film, by James Cameron, stole my heart. Every frame of digital strangeness, fascinated me. This was a live action film, and computer-generated effects. That means nothing to me, except that I don't believe that this entire film is done on a computer. BUT it is. There is really no Pandora? These Avatar people, are my people. I want to protect them. ( Hart reminded me, in the car, that it is just a movie!!!) Well, what does Avatar mean?? I need to know more. ( Let it go mom!!! you are reading too much into it!!!) Never....James Cameron wrote this story, I think it had something to do with Native Americans and how we took their land, and how we are destroying the earth.
I came home with research to do.
Av-a-tar-[av-uh-tahr]
1. Hindu mythology, the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape!! ( that is why they had tails!!) ( I think they were blue because of the ocean, opinion!!)
2.an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.
3.Computer. a graphical image that represents a person, as on the Internet!!! ( don't like this one!!)

I think Pandora may be heaven, wonder why he called it Pandora?? Maybe because we never know whats in the box? So many questions? and I still cannot use Avatar in a sentence!!!

WANTED- Attention to Details!!!!

This Christmas, more than others, I've noticed that we Americans have lost the attention to details.
We have "gift-bagged" ourselves into being lazy wrappers of gifts. I lead the parade on this one, and I am not proud. The presentation of the gift is, as precious as, the contents. I have been known to not wrap, AT ALL!!!
What brought this realization to the front of my cluttered mind was, School Gifts!!!
My ELL (English Language Learners) kids may give , unusual gifts, like personal decorated EAR PICKS, but the wrapping is "old school'. Bows, ribbons, and cellophane! Dirt wrapped in cellophane, looks grand!!
This year I received Brazilian candy, homemade, in an individual wrapper , surrounded by cellophane and in its little, tiny box. Just one piece, in its own box with a handle. Beautiful. Then I gazed upon Santa's shirt and ribbon was the tie, that was the wrapping. It was folded and molded, origami wrapped ornament!!! None of us wanted to open the package. Awesome , attractive, presented with love, I felt it. There were homemade cookies, with labels telling us, the kind of cookies they were,petite little morsels, all wrapped and then wrapped again!!! Four little chocolate chips, four little peanut butter, four little nutmeg, all about the size of a perfect quarter, not touching each other!!!! Ribbon and design to die for, I kid you not!!! Homemade rose water soaps, in a gold foil box, just the size of the soap. I cannot even explain how the box opened and out came these little soaps, rose buds in my hands. No rubber gloves this year, or packages of panty hose, although those too were wrapped to perfection!!! A banner year, of sweetness, came our way.
Gifts bags are not horrible, there are so many cute ones to choose from. They certainly make gift wrapping easier, but I'm not so sure we don't lose something in the giving.
So this year I asked, Bill , Hart and Emma to wrap gifts, I can't take all this pressure!!!