You Guys!!

On this 14th day of Lent, 

I am so grateful that I don't have to go outside!  

We are having snow, snow mixed with rain, freezing rain, icy mixed with rain and then, just plain rain.  

Weird weather day here in the great Mitten State.

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Judi, with an "i", can you tell me where you live?  Are you my visitor from New Jersey?
I have a regular visitor from New Jersey and since my youngest and her family are probably going to move there this summer, I'd like to know who that reader is.  Okay?  (My nickname is Curious George).
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Well, I didn't expect so many comments yesterday.  I wasn't fishing for comments.  It wasn't a "mandatory comment day".  I wasn't being a --what is that term I've heard--"Comment Whore"?  But, I am so glad to see so many.  I made a list about a year ago, I asked you to comment your name and where you were from.  I actually made a list in Excel and if I see an area and don't remember who lives there, I check my list.  I know--I am obsessive about things weird.  So--even if you don't comment, I know who's been by to see what nonsense I posted.  That makes me smile too.

I woke up kind of late this morning--primarily because I had a fitful night, for some unknown reason, and didn't get to sleep until nearly 4:00am.  I struggled to get out of bed at 9:30 am--Buddy was nudging my face with his cold, damp nose and Maggie was nibbling on my hand.  Once I open, even one eye, Buddy sees me and jumps off the bed and he and Maggie start their meowing and crying and if they could humanize their sounds it would be something like, "Mom, get up.  We are starving.  You sleep too late!  Get up!  Get up!" and when I swing my feet out of bed, they start their dance around my ankles as we all move toward the kitchen.  I don't even have time to go potty, until they are fed.

When I do get out of the bathroom, they run ahead of me into the bedroom--they know my routine so well.  This morning I turned left out of the bathroom and headed into the computer room.  Completely threw them off and they followed me, meowing all the way.

I looked out the front windows and saw Dar, walking up my driveway.  I ran to the front door to unlock it and let her in.  For the next hour, she regaled me with--I don't quite remember what, but I know there was talk about Jesus sitting in the chair by her bed and how she woke in the night and was scared and he "talked" her down.  

Every day, I am so grateful for Jesus, but especially on days that He talks Dar down before she decides to come over here.
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I have been a bit down the last couple of weeks.  A lot of that is sadness over my blogging friend, Balisha.  Hard for me to accept that she is dying.  She is such a wonderful gardener and had made plans for what she was going to plant this spring.  How can her flowers still come up and bloom without her there to take care of them, post photos of them and post about them?  It is not fair!!

I remember being so angry the month after my Mother died and the 500 Tulips and Daffodils she had planted the fall before, all came up and looked beautiful.  I wanted to take a weed whip and go out and cut every one of them down.  How dare they come to life when my young Mother was dead?  So angry at those dang flowers.
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Well--maybe I will feel better tomorrow after I get out and socialize.  My Daddy's first cousin and best friend passed away last week at his winter home in Florida. He was 94.  His visitation is tomorrow night at the same funeral home where Fred was (I will try and not think about that--hope it's not in the same room) and his funeral is on Friday at our Church.

The first time I've gone to Church since June 1st.  So--I will get to see our Minister, and the ladies who will put on the funeral meal.  Also get to see relatives, that I want to see--the cousin that betrayed me, I will try and stay away from.  Perhaps, tomorrow night I will also get to see Jen and the kids.  I wasn't going up to the visitation, but Karen called and wanted me to ride up with them.

Then my curiosity overtook me, thinking that the kids won't be at the funeral on a work-day, so I will go. I will take any chance to see Jen and the kids.

Is that awful of me to be happy for this chance?  I mean it's a funeral after all.  I should be sad.  Can't quite be that way.  Cousin Billy had a great life.  He was the most non-judgmental person I ever met.  A nice Christian Methodist man.  He was 94--it will be a celebration rather than a sad occasion.

I still might be an awful person though--to attend the visitation ONLY to have the chance to see my littlest grand kinders.