Tuesday Coffee Chat - 14 June 2016

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This week's prompt: What would you do differently, if you knew no one would judge you?


I love to sing! Mostly, though, I don't do it unless I am alone. I can't stand my voice. The old recordings of people mocking my voice, laughing at me, saying that I couldn't carry a tune in a tin bucket (who could?), and that I sounded disgusting have muted the song in me that is dying to get out. Their laughter brought me tears deeper than they could ever fathom.

Heavenly Father gave me a song in my dreams once, but when I woke up I could no longer remember the words. The voice was the most beautiful that I have ever heard. I can still feel the music that was left behind.

If I could sing without fear of judgement and ridicule, I would sing and probably never stop.

Helicopter Crash

It was Friday afternoon. I was standing in the Walmart, waiting on the bank teller to finish our transaction, and there it was on their TV screen. Two helicopters collided. 12 US Marines missing…Hawaii. Everything else was jumbled. My ears closed and the tears opened. I couldn't breathe. Everything was spinning. What were they saying? What happened? Was our boy okay? They said Hawaii and he is stationed in Okinawa, but had he been sent to Hawaii and unable to inform us, unable to get through? I couldn't think. All I could do was turn to David, point at the screen. "Look!" I said to him. He stood there looking, as confused and scared as I was.

I hadn't brought the smart phone with me, so I couldn't send Davey a Messenger message. David had the presence of mind to text Laynie, who was in another part of the store. He had her send a message to Davey. She couldn't get through because she was having trouble connecting. This wasn't doing any of us any good at all. It was all we could do to finish our shopping and get back home to our Internet connection. The drive home seemed incredibly long…

I finally got through to Davey on FB Messenger. He was okay! Our boy was okay and still in Okinawa…farther away than I'd like for him to be, but at least he wasn't in that helicopter accident. It has been a very tearful weekend as each news report showed that they still have not found those missing Marines and aren't even really sure what happened to cause the accident.

The US Marine Corps is a brotherhood. These boys are our boy's brothers, which makes them our boys, too. I can imagine that their parents' and wives' hearts stopped to hear that knock at the door and see the official cars in their driveways, uniforms at their doors. As I breathe a sigh of relief that our Davey is safe, I breathe a prayer that soon these families will get the call that their boys have been found alive, safe, and in good health. 

Please join me in that prayer.

Remember the Veterans

"Freedom is never free." Author Unknown

Today is Veteran's Day. We should remember those that have died in service and honor those that are serving or have served in the military. In honor of those who have given their lives for our freedom, there will be a ceremony honoring the veterans at the courthouse square. Here is a photo of the local veteran's memorial.

©2014 Suzanne Gunter McClendon

One of the local veterinarians in town also has a flag display, along with a message on their sign.

©2014 Suzanne Gunter McClendon

While you're out and about, how about shaking a veteran's hand and thanking him (or her) for his service to our country?

31 Days in the Moment - Bear Bottom and Deer

28 October 2014

Last night David and I took a drive down to a nearby area called Bear Bottom. It is a good place to go at twilight if one wants to see deer, which we did. There is one yard there in particular that is usually loaded with deer first thing in the morning. Last evening, however, we didn't see any there. We turned off of that road onto another known spot for them and hit pay dirt. There were quite a few deer there along with some dogs. The sound of our tires over the gravel disturbed the deer and little white tails started flipping around all over the place, some of them crossing the road.

I didn't get any pictures this time around, unfortunately.

This time of year we need to be especially mindful, even along the freeways, of the wildlife that share this earth with us. If we aren't, both we and the deer and other wildlife could suffer great injury. A run-in with a deer (of any size) won't do the car any favors, either!

31 Days in the Moment - Merry-Go-Round

21 October 2014

We didn't really do very much today. Mags didn't go to school because she spent most of the night throwing up. We all took this opportunity to sleep in and try to catch up on the sleep that all of the coughing and hurling has kept us from getting.

By evening, Maggie was looking for a way to make herself hurl, figuring that if she could just get it all out, she would be fine. She wanted to go to the park and see if the merry-go-round would do the trick. It didn't. Neither did the age-old trick of sticking finger down the throat.

I took the opportunity at the park to photograph the merry-go-round. I wanted to take a picture that shows it in motion, but I can't seem to get the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture to work together so that I can get the shot. Plus, I can't get a really good spin going on the merry-go-round because I am too short to reach the bars to spin it and not have the base brushing up against my pants. In the past, I didn't have a problem with this merry-go-round, so either it grew or I shrunk!

31 Days in the Moment - Leaving Day

14 October 2014

Today got started very early. We left at approximately 4:30 this morning. It was probably the hardest drive of my life, driving into an uncertain future, not knowing when we'll see our son again.

We stopped at the Waffle House for a good-bye breakfast along the way. David, Jr.'s flight wasn't scheduled to depart until 9am, but we knew that we had to get ahead of rush hour traffic or we might not get him there in time. We were right. He had to be there about an hour early for the security check-in and we almost didn't make it. We got to IAH between 7:30 and 7:45am and let Davey and his baggage out at the drop-off area, then we went to find the terminal parking, which involved us driving toward the airport exit and turning back around heading for the terminal parking garage. We met back up with him at about 7:55am and it was time for him to go through security.

I snapped a few pictures and David, Sr., tried to get a video, but the video camera was having trouble focusing for some reason. My camera was having some issues of its own, but I did get an interesting impressionistic photograph at the very end. I know what Davey was wearing, so I know which blob is our boy, but that's the only reason it is clear to me!

We said our good-byes and I commenced to blubbering as he walked away, into his future. My husband and I headed on into ours, which involved getting hung up in Houston traffic for what seemed like forever due to a stalled vehicle and two accidents. One of these issues affected traffic on at least three levels of the roadway. That had to be the most exhausting drive I've ever made. Having vehicles all around me and not being able to get out of there wasn't helping my claustrophobic tendencies, either.

We finally made it back home and took a nap, but it wasn't nearly long enough. There were folks and things here that needed our attention no matter how exhausted we were, like a kitty that wanted to play Tasmanian devil, and getting Maggie from school, and various other things.

Life goes on, though very altered from the plans that I made all those years ago when I first decided to become a mommy.

31 Days in the Moment: Helicopters and Toesies

7 October 2014

David, Jr., went to the school with Mags again today. He visited with some of his former teachers. He wore one of his uniforms. I think this particular uniform is called "Service Charlies". He also met a fellow that is interested in joining the Marine Corps. Having a few referrals while on leave would be good for him in that it could earn him a rank bump.

He got a remote control helicopter and went to the park to fly it. The helicopter doesn't respond well if it is facing directly into the sunlight. He had to turn it off to get the helicopter to land. Thankfully, it didn't break when it landed.

I am pretty sure that I broke the toe beside my pinky toe today. I was passing the Power Tower, not paying attention, and rammed my foot into the base of it. Now, it is pulsating a little bit, but only hurts really if I touch it. It has a nice bruise going, too.

For supper, we're having baked chicken, angel hair pasta and a blend of veggies, including zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. Yummy!

Laynie called and she thinks that something bit her. She's been sick this evening. We will be driving into the city to see what we can do for her if she decides that she needs for us to come to her. Prayers appreciated for her! Thank you.

A Sick Recruit

David E. McClendon, Jr.

Please keep Davey, our youngest son now in the Marines, in your prayers. We got a call starting off with "Don't freak out. I'm in the hospital with pneumonia." He was told that it is a fairly common occurrence during boot camp, probably from the vaccinations.

Hmm Don't freak out, huh? Sorry, it's my job.

We have an extensive family history with pneumonia, so being upset about it is a given. All of my Granny's family died because of the flu and pneumonia.

Medicine has supposedly progressed since then, so maybe less danger of that happening, but it does still happen.

Please pray for our son to be better very soon. He will supposedly get out of the hospital on Wednesday and then be in the medical group for another week, then it is back to business as usual.

Thank you for the prayers.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #19

QUESTIONS
Is there one person who can drive you nuts, even if they aren't doing anything in particular?

Yes. Actually, more than one.


When you were a small child, how did you answer the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

When I was a little girl, I answered, "A school teacher."

As a young teenager, my response was, "An architect."

I ended up starting college as an Early Childhood/Elementary Education major because I was too afraid of the math involved with architecture. I spent many moments drawing houses and buildings as a teenager. It was something that my daddy did, too.

It was something that I used as a stress reliever in days gone by until I was called a gold digger because of it. After the loss of my father-in-law, one of the people included in question #1 called me that because she didn't understand that house planning/design was a coping mechanism for me. She thought I had hopes of benefiting financially from his death. No amount of money on this planet could have eased the pain of his loss. I loved him as much as I loved my own daddy. Drawing and designing houses were a way to process the grief. I can't explain why, but it helped me through lots of hurtful moments.


Do you drink more sodas, iced tea, or water?

I drink more Diet Coke than anything at this point. We have to use artificial sweeteners in the iced tea due to David's diabetes. It makes me sick to my stomach if I drink it. I was raised on iced tea so sweet that you could nearly stand a spoon in it and that is the way that I prefer it. Granny made it that way, too. It was great. I am trying to drink more water, but I cannot drink the tap water here. It is disgusting and loaded with things that I am allergic to. I drink bottled water instead, which I realize is tap water, too, but it is purified and I generally do okay with it.


My favorite flavor of iced cream is________________.

I haven't met an ice cream flavor yet that I totally dislike. One of my favorites, though, is Moose Tracks. I also like Dutch Chocolate, Rocky Road, Banana Pudding (all of these are Blue Bell flavors)...and many, many more. I can't pick an absolute favorite!


Do you like to dance?

Not really. I am incredibly self-conscious. I don't like doing things that put me on display. However, years ago my late father-in-law pulled me out into the street in the little town where we lived and had me dance with him there during one of the town's street festivals. Only he could have gotten away with it. No one, not even him, has ever been able to get me over this major case of shyness.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #18

The chats have now moved to Wednesdays. For the longest time they've been on Tuesday. I'll try to remember the new day!



QUESTIONS
Do you ever watch You Tube?

I visit and watch videos on YouTube on occasion. There are lots of cool tutorial videos there for crochet and knitting and all sorts of other fields of interest. There are even lectures from various universities on there.


How are your picture taking (photography) skills?

They are not where they should be at this point. I love photography, but when I got sick, it set me back quite a bit. I was on track, but now I'm having to learn things all over again in regards to the manual settings on my camera. My eyes are having trouble and my hands shake and that affects spur-of-the-moment photography. I have to tripod everything to have any hope of a clear, sharp photograph. On a good note, however, I sold an image on a microstock photo site last week! That made me very happy.


What's your "go to" meal to prepare when you're in a hurry?

Our speedy meal is probably hot dogs.


Do you like shoe shopping?

No. I don't like any kind of shopping really, at least not the type that has me actually going into a store. Online shopping suits me just fine.


If you could be royalty for a day, would you try it?

I don't want anything that is going to have the spotlight on me. I would rather be invisible, so the answer to the question is NO!

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #17

QUESTIONS
Do you like beans? (the dried bean variety) What do you like them in?

Yes, I love beans, but there is a part of bean eating that I'm not so fond of!


Does your house have enough storage?

This house has plenty of storage available. Unfortunately, we have too much stuff to store. We're working on eradicating some of the extra stuff that one accumulates after nearly 30 years of marriage.


Do you have any childhood memories of a store?

I remember as a little girl going to J. L. Brooks' store every Saturday. We had anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar that we were allowed to spend. Each week I got a #1/2 to #1-sized bag of all sorts of candy. There were Tootsie Rolls, peanut butter logs, sweet tarts, little chocolate balls, pixie sticks, caramel candy with white cream centers, bubble gum, and all sorts of teeth-rotting goodness. I looked forward to Saturdays just for the candy run!


Do you ever shop at a farmers market?

We do on occasion, but we would much rather buy directly from the farmer at his yard stand. His children are his sales team and it is fun watching these little business folks do their jobs.


Do you still have your wisdom teeth?Are you wise? :) :) :)

All of my wisdom teeth were removed just after I had our youngest surviving daughter, when I was 30 years old. I have learned a lot since then, but I don't know that anyone would accuse me of being wise.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #16

QUESTIONS

Would you rather drive or be driven?

I have been the sole driver for our family since 1996. I am a much better driver than passenger. I stink as a passenger. But, with my health issues stepping up, I am having to hand over the reins and become a passenger in the very near future. It will drive both me and the driver du jour crazy!


If you had your choice of a shiny new BMW with no conveniences inside, or an older model Ford or Chevy with everything one could want for comfort and convenience inside, which would you choose?

Hands down, I would choose a black and white 1957 Chevy Bel Air just like my daddy had AND the 1960-something white Thunderbird that he had when I was in junior high school.


Do you eat many vegetables?

I love veggies, but we don't have them nearly as often as I would like to have them. Hopefully, that will be changing very soon.


If you could blink your eyes and make a change to your body, face, hair, or nails, what would you change?

Can it be more than one change? If so, I would delete about 70 pounds of extra "me", reshape my nose, and make my eyes be balanced instead of having a lazy eye that is also crossed. I also might make myself about 6 inches taller.


Please finish this sentence. "Goody! Someone just gave me two hundred dollars and I must spend it doing something enjoyable today. I'm going to___________________."

...Take a long drive to somewhere other than this county looking for flowers to photograph and cemeteries to visit!

A to Z April Challenge: Y is for Yellow

I used to be really picky about the colors that I like. My children have taught me the beauty of former "not favorite" colors. Yellow is one of them. It is the color of choice for our youngest son.

 

Here are a few yellow things that I like:

Farmhouses.

Daffodils.

Roses.

Marigolds.














Butterflies.




Pansies.




Image References:

Farmhouse: By Johann Jaritz (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0-at or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Daffodils: By 4028mdk09 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow Rose: Graham Thomas by Suzanne Gunter McClendon.

Marigolds: Located on a local college campus by Suzanne Gunter McClendon.

Butterfly: By Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Pansies: By Maninair9 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

A to Z April Challenge: T is for Texas

I was born, raised, and spent the first thirty-nine years of my life in South Carolina. David was born in Georgia, but his family moved to South Carolina when he was eight years old, where he lived until we moved out here to Texas in September 2004. We had our babies there and had several hundred years of family history that we left back there.

Texas...the place that we live now and sometimes call "home"...has a lot of interesting things to offer. One of my favorite things about Texas is the wildflowers. Ladybird Johnson was really big on flowers, too, and because of her the roadsides are loaded with Texas wildflowers today. People drive for hours to find that just right patch or field of bluebonnets in the spring in which to plop their babies and dogs and get the perfect picture to share with family.

Texas has other things to offer, too. Like Paris, complete with its own cowboy hat-wearing version of the Eiffel Tower. Little frame churches are all over the place, but if you find a really pretty one, take its picture quickly because fires have claimed several since we've been here. Here is one of the little churches that was located in the Spanish Camp area of Wharton County.

Texas is a big state and has big businesses that often share the same fields, like cotton and oil or gas wells.

Big weather keeps the area hopping and very much aware of the need to be prepared for anything. We can have four feet of water standing as far as the eyes can see, but still be under a burn ban and an alleged drought. There have been at least two floods in our area since we moved here. One was during our first Thanksgiving here in 2004 and another was in the spring of 2009. The first one had people having to be rescued by boat from the low-lying areas of town. The second one had parts of our neighborhood under water. Here is a photo of the park that is in sight of our house.






Hurricanes and tropical storms are no strangers to this area either. We knew from Hurricane Hugo back in South Carolina in 1989 how powerful these storms can get, even hundreds of miles inland. We're approximately fifty miles from the coast. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita came to call on the Gulf Coast. Katrina sent the folks to Texas, and Rita chased us all out, natives and newbies alike. We were told to leave, so we did. During the evacuation, we visited Paris. We spent the majority of the time in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but made a day trip from there to Coffeyville, Kansas. That was an incredibly interesting place!

Texas has a wonderful assortment of critters, big ones and little ones. Birds, bats, snakes, butterflies, alligators, deer all sorts of interesting creatures. You saw one of the snakes yesterday. Today, you get to see an alligator and a butterfly.

Out in west Texas, there are beautiful, towering mountains that I've never been to. Considering that mountains, regardless of their beauty, scare me to death, I may never see them in person. Big Bend has some truly amazing scenery. My camera would surely be happy there!

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #15

QUESTIONS


Do you enjoy crossword puzzles, word finds, or any "word" activities?

YES!!! I have enjoyed doing word puzzles for years. I am not particularly good at crossword puzzles, but I need to challenge my brain for it to heal, so I at least try. I hate anything to do with math, but I love doing Sudoku puzzles. I know that isn't a word game, but it is a type of puzzle that I enjoy. I do about a zillion word find puzzles a day and I sometimes give myself a time limit as an additional challenge. I also like the challenge of the cryptograms that are in some newspapers. The variety puzzle book that I get has many different types of word games: scrambles, codes, letterboxes and a host of other types of puzzles that keep me busy for a very long time.


What's on your dining room table right now?

A printer and assorted other things that a college girl uses for her studies.


Do you like Italian food?

Yes, I like Italian foods. We generally just have spaghetti, but I have really enjoyed other Italian foods that I have had.


Did you ever want a brother, twin, or sister, when you were a child?

I can't say whether I ever wanted one or not when I was little. By the time my brain woke up to the fact that other people were around, I had three younger siblings. I was approximately seventeen months old when my twin brothers were born and they were about seventeen months old when our little sister was born. I was 2 years and 11 months old when she was born. It was upon me before I knew what was happening. :)

 Since I have them, I reckon I'll keep 'em!





How far away is the nearest grocery store?

The nearest regular grocery store (HEB) is about two miles from our house. Walmart is about four miles across town. Our HEB is a medium-sized one. There is a really big one about fifteen miles away to the south of us. The really, really huge stores (Kroger, etc.) are about thirty miles away, closer to the Sugar Land/Houston area, north of us.

A to Z April Challenge: S is for Snakes

I love nature photography of all types, most especially flowers. Sometimes, though, nature gives me special living, breathing surprises while I'm on the hunt for flowers to photograph.

Here is a not-so-little surprise that I found in our backyard back in June 2009. He (or she) posed for me like modeling was its day job. I wasn't scared of it and it didn't seem to be scared of me either. I believe the ID that we got on this snake was that it was a broadband water snake. It wasn't a poisonous snake, though I didn't know whether it was or wasn't at the time. I just wanted to take its picture. :)

We've had other snakes grace our yard with their presence. On at least two occasions there have been coral snakes. Boy, are those things fast! On another day, there was a juvenile copperhead that was way too near our dog Shep. It blended in with the dirt very well. There have been others during our ten years here on the Texas Gulf Coast, even one slithering through our kitchen. So far, we've been very blessed that none of us have been bitten by one.

Snakes love plain M&Ms.

What about you? Have you ever been bitten by a snake? Have you ever seen a snake in your yard or house? Finally, are you afraid of snakes?

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #14

QUESTIONS


What are you doing for Easter?

I can't think of anything particularly special that we'll be doing except maybe going out to see the spring flowers. That may change, though, because it appears that it may rain through the weekend.


How many spring flowers have you noticed the last week or so?

Lots! Queen Anne's Lace is out now, which means the bluebonnets are on their way out most likely because I don't remember them being out together for long. The first ones were some little yellow things that aren't dandelions as well as the dandelions. Then some little white ones and then the Indian Paintbrushes. Then, a week or two later came the first of the bluebonnets. Now, the Queen Anne's Lace and Black-eyed Susans are showing up. Oh! And the roses around town are blooming! I love the flowers around here!

Here is a shot of the Queen Anne's Lace taken with my phone.

What was your favorite thing in an Easter basket, or as dessert at Easter dinner?

I have always loved the Easter eggs themselves, but I love the chocolate robin's eggs and marshmallow eggs and most anything chocolate. However, I've never really liked the taste of the big chocolate bunnies.


If you were a dog, what kind would you be?

Hmmm...Okay, how about a min-pin? It's a little bitty (short) version of a vicious full-sized dog.


What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Pepperoni, bell peppers, and onions, but I'm not stuck on those. I like most anything on the pizza except for mushrooms, black olives, and definitely no bleu cheese or sardines. ICK!

A to Z April Challenge: M is for Music

There are many different types of music in the world these days, something for everyone to enjoy. I have an eclectic taste in music.

Below are few examples of some of my favorite styles of music.








Enya's music is sometimes called "New Age". I don't know what that means in regards to music, I just know that I love her style. "Oiche Chiuin is my most favorite of her songs.




Okay, so U2 is another Irish group, but I love this song and the story behind it. The story, as I heard it, is that Bono forgot his wife's birthday. This song is for her. Here is "The Sweetest Thing".




I grew up with old country music. Loretta Lynn was the queen of country. Here is one of my favorite Loretta Lynn songs. She sings it like I feel it.




Luther Vandross.....this song says it all: Dance With My Father. Rest in peace, Daddy.




Jackson 5, Shake Your Body Down to the Ground. This song brings back lots of memories, but most especially of the time my cousin Tammy and I spent with our great-aunt Mae in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina.




I grew up in church, several different kinds actually. I was mostly exposed to Pentecostal Holiness and Church of God. Music was an integral part of the worship experience. Sandi Patty has one of the best female voices in Christian music. I wish that I could sing as high as she can!



This song was one that I requested every week as a little girl at Orville Pentecostal Holiness Church: The Old Rugged Cross.



What is your favorite type of music? Your favorite song?

A to Z April Challenge: G is for Gemstones

What are your favorite gemstones? What sparkly makes you drool at just the thought of having it?

They say that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but that isn't the case for this girl!






My favorites and the reasons why are as follows:


Emeralds

Emeralds are a beautiful green gemstone and they represent Ireland to me. It is often referred to as the Emerald Isle. But, even more important than that, the emerald is the birthstone of our youngest son.

Rubies

Rubies make me think of Dorothy's shoes in The Wizard of Oz and "I want to go home". Rubies are hot and fiery, full of passion. They are also the birthstone of our daughter Dorian who was born into Heaven.

Sapphires

Sapphires, a beautiful blue stone, represents our oldest son. All during my pregnancy, that is what we called him. I don't remember at this point what started that nickname, but that is what we called him even though I knew I was carrying a son.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch 2014: #13

Please be sure to click the button above and visit with Patrice on her front porch!


Questions:


What has kept you busy lately?

Trying to keep up with the A to Z April Challenge! If I am not writing a post, I'm trying desperately to come up with something to write for a post. If I'm not doing that, I'm trying to respond to comments or make comments. I guess it is called a challenge for a reason. :)


Are you making or creating anything?

I am not making or creating anything so much as just taking lots of pictures. The flowers are everywhere and I love photographing them.


What are you really hungry for right now?

Nothing really because we just ate supper. If I could have absolutely anything that I wanted, though, it would be langostinos.


What song has stuck in your head lately?

This one:




If I could celebrate my upcoming birthday with you, what would we do?

If you were celebrating it with me here in Texas, how about we celebrate it looking for flowers to photograph? There are fields full of them.  If you like antique shops, there are lots of those around here, too. Happy birthday in advance, Patrice!