Thankful Thursday, just my luck.

Some people accuse me of just being lucky but I have a feeling that a lot of my luck comes from Devine intervention. I do think that God is watching over me and for that I am thankful. This morning, Mr. T (Our Cat) decided he wanted to go outside at 4:10. He always goes outside sometime early in the morning and usually it’s my wife that lets him out since he is her cat. Somehow Mr. T learned to shake the mini blinds with his paw to wake us if he wants to go out so that is how he woke me up this morning. But because I only had 20 minutes left to sleep anyway, I decided to get up early and let him out myself.

1. The first thing I am thankful for is the extra 20 minutes I had. I devoted part of that to quiet time just to sit, reflect and be thankful. It was nice to have the extra time to start my day out silently. I will explain why I needed this in a few moments.

2. I left for work 10 minutes early this morning and on my way in I passed a little church. The sign outside said:

We need to talk,
...........................God

Thank you for that little reminder. We just spoke but we will do it again today I am sure.

3. I am thankful that I still have a job and that God has given me the ability to do it well and also do so many other things. I am not worried because if I lost this job I know there are so many things I can do. In fact I am not worried about much of anything these days. “I will fear no evil for thou art with me”

4. When I got to the Navy base this morning, I was still running 10 minutes early. I would expect the traffic to be almost nonexistent at that time of the morning but it was already heavy. As I went a little further I found out why. It’s graduation day for the school on base and people were already arriving. Had I been 10 minutes later,(my normal time) I would have been late for work. I am sure there were reminders but somehow I didn’t see them. Thanks again God.

5. My mother has “fallen and couldn’t get up.” Now this doesn’t sound like a blessing but I have a feeling it will turn out to be one for reasons I won’t go into here. She lives in a really bad part of town (again for reasons I won’t go into) but it is her choice to live there and we can’t seem to change her mind. Well she decided that she wanted to get something to eat so she decided to drive herself to a restaurant.(let me just say she had food in the house and most likely only ate one bite of whatever she ordered at the restaurant) She is 80 and very frail and isn’t supposed to be driving. But she is a hard-head and did it anyway. Of course she forgot her cane but she somehow managed to get to a restaurant and eat. Someone helped her into her car after dinner but when she got home, she had to get into her house by herself. So she tried to do that without her cane and with no lights on since she forgot to leave any on.

Well she fell and broke her hip and since my brother who normally lives there (and takes care of her…..Ahem) was spending the night in a dryout facility she just lay there alone in the dark. This is when the thankful part comes in. Since she lives in a really bad neighborhood, chances were that a gangsta or drug dealer (other than my brother) would come by and rob her or something worse. However a nice person(Good Samaritan) just happened to be walking by and noticed that she had left the light on in her car so he walked up to the house to tell her she would have a dead battery in the morning. He found her laying there in the dark and called 911. So what I am thankful for is that a good person found her instead of a robber.

Anyway, she is ok and having a hip operation today to have a pin put in it. She will be out of it for a few days so I will be traveling to Florida this weekend to see her. Is my life interesting or what?

Have a great day and say a little prayer for my Mother.
Greg

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means...

It's week number 12 for the Random Dozen so without further ado....



1. If you could master one sport, what would it be? I guess that would be running. I was a pretty fast runner when I was young and I did a little distance running after I hit 40 but I was never fast for any great distance. My best time for a half marathon was 1 hour and 45 minutes and I think that will end up being my life’s best run.

2. When you make a major purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make an informed decision? That depends on what I am buying. For the most part though I am an impulsive buyer. That is why I hate those displays by the checkout counter. Hmmm do I need a Snuggie today? Perhaps the Slap Chop is what I am looking for?

3. There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name? That would be Martin Cumberland. Hey I kind of like that name. It sounds a lot like Richard Chamberlin. Oops I just showed my age.

4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food? I don’t know which is more eclectic, my taste in music or my taste for different foods. Giving up just the top one in either category would still leave me with lots of options. I guess I would have to pick music. Good by KC.

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference? I much prefer the yellow or even slightly green ones over the over ripe ones. I keep those to make banana bread which reminds me, it’s that time again.

6. Your favorite tree is? This is easy. I like a good oak tree. They are the best for climbing and shade. But then Ule Gibbons said a pine tree tastes pretty good.

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you? About 10 years ago I would have given myself a 10 but technology is changing so fast I am most likely down around a 4 now.

8. Has H1N1 touched your family? I am not going to jinx myself by saying no to this question. I do know people who have had it.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing? I put the @nal in analytical. Sorry I had to say that. I question everything. “Inquiring minds want to know”

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala? What the heck kind of question is that? Are there no more choices? Of the three I would have to say cat. But only because I think cats are smarter than dogs or koala’s.

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago? Just a few but that comes and goes. I have gotten in touch with a few of my highschool friends but after a while we find out why we grew apart in the first place. We had nothing in common other than we went to the same school.

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why? I go for the regular lane. As I see it, the more people in front of you, the greater chance that one of them is a moron who has picked something without a price tag or two similar items with different prices which will cause the dreaded “C S M on register two” call. And there is always the chance, be it ever so slight these days, that one of the people in the regular lane will insist that you go first since you only have a few items. It is rare but it does happen sometimes. Can you say “blue moon?”

Have a Great day,
Greg

Toy time.

For the last few I have been raising money here at work for The Good Neighbor Fund. It is an organization that gives out Christmas baskets to needy families during the holidays. They usually give out the necessities like food and sometimes help with other financial necessities like power or water bills.

But along with those necessities for life, there are love necessities. Can you imagine being a child on Christmas morning and finding a bare tree with nothing under it for you? As bad as we had it growing up, we did get presents every Christmas. And since Christmas is all about giving, the Good Neighbor Fund sends presents for the children along with the food baskets. That's where we come in. Our company does a toy drive every year to collect new toys to go along with the food baskets.

I have found that it is easier to get people to donate a little cash than a present. (even with these tough times) So every year I put on food sales here at work to raise money for toys. This year we were crunched for time though and only had three weeks to get something going. I put on a hotdog sale one Friday and a spaghetti dinner sale the following Friday and managed to raise almost 300 dollars for toys.

Now I'm not bragging by any means even though I do think that is great that people are still willing to give when they are struggling themselves. I am simply reminding you all that by you being able to read this, you either have a computer and/or a job so you are doing better than a lot of people. So this year make sure and give a little more. Because giving to a child is what Christmas is all about.

Have a Great Day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday, Bring on the rain.

The past few weeks have been cloudy here and I am not just talking about the rain. But the last few days we have had rain and lots of it. As my wife’s grandmother used to say; It’s water in the well. And since we do have a “well” that is something to be thankful for in itself. Oh by the way, we had no flood damage as the storm went past us even though I heard reports of several feet of water in the streets of downtown Charleston. (which by the way is in a lower flood danger zone) I’m just saying.

1. So the first thing I am thankful for is the girl at our insurance company. She could have been like the lady at Allstate and said; “4000 dollars, take it or leave it” but instead she did her job and got us a better rate. We are in “better hands” now.

2. I would again like to say that I am thankful for our service men and women who are protecting us at this very moment. I am truly thankful for each and every one of them. I pray that God protects them.

3. I am thankful for an outstanding spin class last night. I pushed it harder than I ever have before and It really helped to burn off some of that stress that has been following me around. And we got some good news too last night. They are changing the evening spin times to an hour earlier and different days which will make it much better for me to workout.

4. I am thankful that all the cars continue to run well. Funny thing though, my MIL’s car died the other day and it turned out to be a bad battery. That makes 5 batteries that have gone bad in the last month. Two were on the trucks, one on my car, the boat battery and then my MIL’s car battery. What in the world is going on here? Battery attack?

5. I am thankful that my hair is growing back quickly but now I am wondering what to do with it. Having it shaved off sure was convenient. We were saving on shampoo and combs too. I will have to give this some more thought as to what to do since winter is upon us. I don’t think I looked too bad with it shaven and I even got a few compliments but I am still getting used to the way I look.

Have a Great Thankful Thursday,
Greg

Random Dozen, more randomness.

1. What was the last song you listened to?
“Sooner or later love is gonna get ya” Oh now it’s “Give me some lovin.” I got to hurry and finish this question. Ok I had to come back and add to this list because I know how much Lid loves this song: “Your eyes have a mist from the smoke from a distant fire.” That one’s for you Linda.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything? I once bought a Chrysler New Yorker that was loaded. It was silver on the outside with blue leather seats. The dash was wood grained and it talked to you when something was wrong. This was before everyone else went to talking cars. The next day after buying the car, it didn’t start. After two days of troubleshooting the mechanics found out that the starter wasn’t fully plugged in. (two days to figure that out) Everything on that car quit working from time to time and there were times when we would be driving it that it would all of a sudden say; A door is ajar. I wanted to shoot that car. It left my wife stranded more than once and I ended up trading it in at a huge loss just to get rid of it.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing) That would be my divorce. I struggled with it for so long fighting feelings of guilt and religious beliefs. But in the end I went through it. After listening to her lie with her hand on the Bible and seeing her put on an act that was deserving of an Academy Award, I knew I did the right thing. After the divorce was over and we were leaving the courtroom she came up to me with a smug grin on her face and said. “I fooled THAT judge” and I replied; “That’s not the judge you need to be concerned about. ” The last time I saw her was 20 years after the divorce and she was the same hateful person she always was. I asked her how she was doing and she gave me directions of where to go. I wanted to say "If I wanted to go THERE I would just follow you" but I just said Sorry you feel that way and let it go.

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon? I used to watch it every year but now I do the Turkey Day 5K run in Downtown Charleston. If there is any parade left when I get back home, I will watch it in between cooking.

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately. That would be Psalm 23; 4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G? Hmmm let me think. I gotta keep this G rated. I do like a good soak in our tub with Calgon or some other bath oil. We have one of those old tubs with the feet on it. It’s not very manly, call me crazy but I enjoy it.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to? The dressing!! I make the best in the world if I do say so myself. I cook the main part of the Thanksgiving dinner and my wife makes the pies because she makes the best pie crust in the world. She even makes the crust for my pecan pie which I make the filling for.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book? “Go Dogs Go.” I can still see the photos from that book and recite many of the lines.




9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.) We collect Civil War artifacts. (Also known as the War of Northern aggression) We have lots of bottles, bullets, belt buckles, pipes and other things from the War of Northern Aggression. I will get photos for another post.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper? If I have the time I go with wrapping paper and I prefer to get a gift that is wrapped. Last minute presents end up in a gift bag. We keep some handy just for such an occasion.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day? When we were in grammar school we walked home in the afternoons. It was only a mile. I can remember leaving the school grounds with a large crowd of kids but as we went along, the crowd got thinner and thinner. We lived on the last paved road in town and there was only one dirt road past ours. For the last block, we walked alone. On some days my grandmother was there to watch us but some days we were at home alone until our parents got there.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish?? I hate seeing anything die so I put the bucket at a distance so I don’t have to watch it. Once they are dead, I am ok with it. The same goes for hunting or anything that was living for that matter. I can eat veggies but only if I don't see them picked. :)

13. What would be your solution to the political circus that is killing our country and keeping our service men and women in harms way? (I added this question for Veterans Day since I am a Veteran.) Make it a requirement that anyone who runs for any political office in America be a Veteran. No one should be allowed to make decisions for our military unless they have been in their shoes!!!

Thank a Veteran today, Some of them will die for you tomorrow.
Greg

Just a bit stressed here!!!

As you may have noticed I haven’t blogged in almost a week. It has been a bad few days for me. Just when I get one trouble behind me something else comes up and smacks me in the back of the head and knocks me down again. I thought I had all my troubles behind me but that isn’t the case.

I really needed a break so this past weekend we decided to take a day off and go fishing. About a mile from the boat landing, my boat died and we had to row back to the landing. I decided to go ahead and finish the work on my cars and one thing after another fought me as I worked. I had problems with tools, parts and even sand gnats. If you aren’t from this area and have never experienced sand gnats they are more than aggravating. They are enough to make the pope curse. And the worst thing about them is they have this knack for attacking you when you are working hard or trying to concentrate. Needless to say they ate me up and I said a few choice words. The local name for them is flying teeth because they are so small that you can hardly see them but they have a bite like a beaver.

The next “wonderful” thing that added to my stress was a “nice” letter from the “good hands people” You know the insurance company that cares about us so much and saves us bunches of money. Well our flood insurance is up for renewal next month. Have you seen the flood insurance commercials where they say that flood insurance is cheaper than you think? Well guess again. Last year our premium was $208.00 a year. This year those same good hands people wanted $4100.00 a year. Don’t you think that is kind of an excessive jump since we made no improvements on our house and have never filed a claim? Yes you read that right 208 >>>>> 4100.

So I called the good hands people, oh who am I fooling it was Allstate and they gave me some story about it being all FEMA’s fault and refused to discuss it anymore. This is the point where I lost my temper and said some things that were not so nice and that I would take my business elsewhere. She said that it didn’t matter where I went, I was going to have to pay that same amount. So we called the people who have our home owner’s policy and they got us the flood insurance for $1100.00. I have to say that I am fighting the urge to call that woman back and tell her off. It won’t do any good so I will simply tell everyone I know not to use them. “You are in bad hands with Allstate” “Raising your rates….. That’s Allstate’s stand”

So what caused the large increase you might ask? Well it was partially (but not totally) FEMA’s fault. They decided that our side of the island which just happens to be the furthest side from the ocean, just happens to be the highest point in the entire county and also just happens to be 99% black is in danger of flooding while the front side of the island which just happens to flood on a good high tide and is 99% white is at a low risk. Something is fishy here. I have not yet begun to fight on this issue. You can expect some letters to fly on this one.

And one last stressful thing has to do with family (children) and I prefer not to discuss it here. Let’s just say it has me totally stressed out and I can see why some animals eat their young and it's not because they taste like chicken.

I am trying to have a good day,
Greg

Thankful Thursday and Birthday Wishes

It’s Thursday again and truly another Thankful Thursday. I again have so much to be thankful for.

1. For starters, it’s my oldest son’s birthday. He turned 18 today and I am simply happy that he is alive. When he was born he was very ill. For the first three weeks of his life he stayed in the neonatal unit at MUSC. (Medical University of South Carolina). A few minutes after he was born, he quit breathing and was taken by Helicopter to MUSC in downtown Charleston. My wife was in the original hospital over in Mount Pleasant SC recovering from her C section. I had to leave her and drive to MUSC where I nervously waited for any news. It was several hours before I got any news at all. I spent that first night of his life praying in the waiting room. They had him in a drug induced coma with an oxygen tube in his lungs supplying him enough oxygen. My wife hadn’t even seen him yet and didn’t until the next day. It was the longest night of my life. I am so thankful that God protected him.

2. I am also thankful for the nurses and doctors at MUSC. They really are angels and saints. While we were there a number of children came and went. Most were healed but a few didn’t make it. It takes a special person to take something like that. Just hearing about the loss of a child that I didn’t even know made me sad. Those nurses sat up with and held my son every night until he was released.

3. I am thankful that I seem to be over my cold. (Finally) I went to spin class last night and managed to make it to the end with only a little wimping out. Truth is I had to slack up a little at the end but I did make it through. Next week I will do better.

4. I am thankful that I got my son’s car back together and it worked. I mean it really started and ran. I impressed myself on this one. It was way out of my comfort zone to take an engine down that far and repair it. In the end, I had no “extra” parts and all the plugs had a matching socket to plug into. Who knows what I will tackle tomorrow. Well God does but I hope He gives me a few days to rest before giving me my next assignment.

5. I am thankful for more free wood. They are cleaning up the lay down area here at work and my boss asked if I wanted all the wood that was left over from old projects. Of course I said yes so today I am bringing home the lumber. It will be a great start for the new greenhouse we are planning on building. Yes it’s another project but God knows I can do it.

Have a wonderful Thankful Thursday,
Greg