Rain Rain...Go Away..Come back Another Day

Ever heard the saying "when it rains, it pours?"  Boy, were they ever right.  The Tampa Bay area and actually just a rather wide slice right across Pinellas County into upper Hillsborough got smacked with a horrendous storm yesterday.

I mean, it rained "biblical portions" evoking a thought from within me whether or not to seek higher elevations. The idea of an Ark was appealing too.

I awoke in the morning to the sound of heavy water cascading overhead...I quickly went to the kitchen to check the yard.  There was so much water coming off the roof that you could not even see out the windows.  Then I opened the front door a bit, it was very windy and the view was not much better. I could see that the water was rising, you have to step up a couple of steps to get into my house...the water was over the first step.

The phone rang, it was one of our friends checking if I was alright, as he knew Joe was working outside of our area.  His house was starting to see water creep on up to his front door and his backyard was totally flooded...he has a canal in back of his house but it had risen to within a few feet of his back door. I thanked him and told him to stay safe.

We had not had a good rainfall for almost a month, so the land was very dry...but when it rains like this it runs right off the land without percolating down into the water fields.

The weather was on constantly, it seems that a Bed, Bath & Beyond stores roof had collapsed due to the weight of the downpour.  The roof drains could not handle it fast enough to alleviate the weight of the water.  Looking at the devastation, it was a matter of luck that no one was seriously hurt or killed.  There were reports of several other collapses too.

I thought I had gotten by pretty good, we had sprung a few leaks in the kitchen ceiling - but it didn't look that bad.   Or so I thought, I woke up this morning to find 1/4 of my ceiling on the floor, what a mess!  Wet sheetrock, insulation and lord knows what forming a yucky mess on everything it touched.  

Well, I guess that's better than some here...some people wound up with two foot of water throughout their houses, plus drowned cars.

My sister called from Washington State last night, she asked how much did you all get? I told her 12".

"HOW much? she said.....yup 12" of rain...it's as if you took three months of the year's downfall, squeezed it into a 12 hour time period and let loose...

Hasn't happened before in the twenty years that we're here and I'm hoping that it will not again....

Just Wondering...

   It seems appropriate to use my fire breathing Dragon for this entry...this news story is just over the top. 

  I just finished reading a news article on a group of radical Muslims who are threatening hotel owners, boycotting some European goods, brandishing guns, searching for European's to kidnap - all over a published CARTOON. 

  Now, folks, I'm not really into ridiculing any religion that's out there...but, I know, that I have seen cartoons ridiculing God, Jesus, Moses etc.  Did we Christians threaten mayhem and murder?  Nope, don't think so. 

  I keep on hearing and I have been told that the Muslim faith is one of peace.  I want to know where the peace is?

It seems to me that there should be some common ground for all religions to achieve peace. 

  So, what's next?  More murder, mayhem and the like? Like a spoiled child laying on the floor screaming it's head off, kicking like mad to get it's way...that's my view.  

 What makes them think that their religion is so sacrosanct? I really think the rest of the world needs to stand up for themselves and tell them to back off. 

  These people are like the old fashioned school yard bully...you give in an inch and they literally take the whole dang yard.

The Porch....a short story

The view from the front porch was rather serene. Little tendrils of greenery curled around the support columns of the porch, framing the front garden as though it were a finely painted picture. 

 The porch floor was painted a light gray, which went well with the off white siding of the two story house.  You climbed down red brick steps to reach the path to the garden, which was surrounded by a small white picket fence.  There were two trellises filled with an overgrowth of Rose of Shannon..which bloomed brilliantly in all it's glory.

  You could just tell that the garden had been well tended at some point, but had fallen into a slight bit of neglect recently.  In the front of the garden there was a magnificent dark pink Crepe Myrtle tree, with it's tan bark, gnarled and peeling in places...perfect for a child to climb in. A single paved road was off in the distance, oh say about fifty feet from the little garden.

   There was a well worn metal rocking chair, complete with comfortable padding in place.  A three person slider was against one side of the porch with some other chairs positioned here and there.  Small tables for comfort were also arranged between the chairs.  It was a place for comfort, you could feel comfort in your bones as you sat on that porch.

  The old woman let the screen door close gently behind her.  Her little dog Buffy followed closely at her heels.  Lee quietly bent down and picked the little dog up placing him on the slider as she sat down in the rocker. All you could hear was the thump! thump! thump! of Buffy's short tail showing how excited he was to be sitting there with her.  "Hush now, you calm down child" said Lee in her soft South Carolina accent. 

 The little dog had been her constant companion since the passing of her husband Nick.   All of their children were grown with children of their own, they came back to visit when they could but she felt lonely.  So little Buffy was a comfort for her. 

 Lee used to play agame with the dog and pretend to fall asleep in her chair, which upset Buffy to no end.  He would go up on hind legs, standing upright against her legs, yipping at her to wake up! It seems the little dog was ultra protective of Lee.   Her youngest son lived close by, so he would check on her and take her to the store for food.  She depended on him a great deal and he was a very good son. 

  Lee would sit on the front porch and watch as life went by, she knew the routines of the people on her block like the back of her hand.  She knew when the postman would arrive, when the school bus would pass, when the city run bus would be running by to go "down town". 

 The house that she had lived in for almost forty years sheltered her now, cocooning her grief, lending her the memories of what had occurred there, sharing the love.  

 Lee rocked silently back and forth, reaching ever so often for her glass of ice tea.  She knew she was loved...but every time her children or grandchildren came to visit she did not want the visit to end.  She would stand on that porch, in the early morning light, waving goodbye..saying "You 'all come back and see me ya hear!"   It became a mantra for her, something that she did year in year out, as if her family would not return unless she performed her vocal rite.

  Well, she would wait for them to come back after all, all she had was time.  In the meantime, the porch was a real comfort for her...all the greenery that Nick had grown with such love.  She knew that the plants responded to love, the beautiful Gardenia bush that had bloomed for years in the back yard had died almost in unison with Nick.  Lee liked to think that the bush was blooming in heaven for Nick, that he took a little piece of his garden with him.

  Lee just smiled to herself enjoying the tranquility of her porch with her little faithful companion.....rocking and daydreaming.

Just Random Thoughts

Time is a funny thing.  Everyone always says.."Hey, I'll do it later, maybe later, next day, next month, next year".  I think back on the people who have gone from this mortal plane and just really wish there had been more time.

Time, precious time - time to tell them how much we did love them and not to have to say it over their graves.  Better to go to your grave knowing you were loved than not.  At least I feel that way.

Well, now I'll get off this morbid mode of thought that I've found myself in. Something cheerful is needed.

Oh, someone sent me a very funny take on the world right now....so here it is in all it's glory...read on McDuff....

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named Bush, Dick and Colon. Need I say more?"   

It was sent showing quotes but without any reference as to who actually made the above statement....but it's a hoot

Answering Jeanette's Questions...

Jeanette listed all these on her site...so I thought I would play it sounds like fun...

1.   If a film was being made of your life, what actor or actress would you like to see in the lead?

Sandra Bullock, she's kind of zany (like me) and acts down to earth, beliveable.

2.   If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

That's a hard one. I hate Florida, loved New York....maybe meet half way and pick Maryland...very pretty state.

3.   If you could meet someone famous (alive or dead) who would you choose and why?

Well, I would choose someone who was dead, just cause this gal wants answers! Seriously, I think I would enjoy meeting Socrates (but only if he can speak English now).  He had thoughts that were far beyond his time, considered radical for his age period....I'd like to know how his mind worked in person...another would be Michangelo.

4.   What is your all time favourite film or book?

Mine is a series of books.  The stories of Angelique...written by a husband and wife team....you get both sides or points of view, follows her from being a child through adulthood.  Every so often I start to re-read them again.

5.  If you could change one thing about your appearance what would it be?

Definitely lose weight.   I am working on that as we speak.

6.   If you could appear on a T.V. programme, which one would you choose?

I've been on TV many times for one reason or another - it does not impress me. I certainly do not like these reality shows either, they just want to highlight man's own stupidity back at you.  If I could be on TV, I would enjoy some type of gardening show....ala Martha Stewart.

7.   If you were going out to dinner, what type of restaurant would youpick?

Probably Asian.....a good Japanese restraurant is a treasure.

8.   If you could invent a totally new gadget that would make your life easier, what would you like it to be?

Probably a robot that would clean my whole house and yell at my hubby when he drops his clothes on the floor!

9.   If you could own a racehorse, what would you call it?

Little Biscuit...after Seabiscuit. Mainly for the fact that my Dad was the first person to "break" Seabiscuit to the bit & bridle...and the only person to ride both Seabiscuit & War Admiral.....my Dad still loves horses...

10. What is the most memorable event in your life so far?

Too many great memories. But it would have to be the birth of my three children...my life wouldn't of been the same without them.

11. If you could live your life over again is there anything that you would change?

Oh what a question. I would do more, see more, love more...just be more. I have a favorite saying "If I knew then what I knew now...oh boy what fun would I have!"  (Nothing nasty guys...just that you don't come into your full "self" until you really mature - until you get that feeling that you don't really give a crap what anyone thinks...it's your thing)

12.  What one thing annoys you the most?

People who keep coming up with stuff to ruin the internet experience for everybody from spammer to virus makers....they are all rotten pests.

13.  If you could change your first name, what would you like to be called?

Actually my Grandfather wanted me to be named Alexandria and they all comprised on Sandra...with Lee thrown in to appease my Southern Grandma. I actually like the name Alexandria.  At one point when I wanted to be an actress, oh so many moons ago, so I wanted my name to be Sandra Stevens...

14.  If you were a keeper in a zoo, which animals would you most like to be in charge of?

Oh without a doubt, the avairy....I love birds and have hand raised a few. That was one of my joys of working at Sunken Gardens the birds, the Macaws...just beautiful.

 

 

 

 

I think I lost the last bit of her questions.....if I find them I will fill them in...

 

 

 

Will You Still Love Me When I'm 62

I look back and wonder where did all the years go? Is time speeding up, going faster than it did when I was a youngster? I think so.

It seems like only yesterday I was listening to a new group called the Beatles..they were really radical with their mod haircuts, English accents, style of dress and oh, baby, the lyrics! So much cooler than Elvis's swinging pelvis.

During my life I have met several people who share my January 20th birthday.  One is truly unbelievable and only through a strange twist of fate.

I was employed by Sunken Gardens in St.Petersburg for over eight years.  I started as a secretary and ended up the PR Director...one of the owners had married a girl whose Mom hailed from Virginia. She was born on the same day as I was, so we always wished each other a happy day.

One year, we started talking a bit and it turned out she was born on the same day, the same year, in the same city and then of all things! The same hospital that my Mom was in during the war. Her Mother had passed already so she could not ask how many room mates she had had or if she remembered anyone's name.  My Mom remembered having three girls in the room with her and they all had girl babies. 

I just thought the probability of the above has got to be pretty darn high.  Strange.

Then again, strange is a constant in an Aquarius's life.  My hubby says it's like a roller coaster with highs and lows...just hang on for the ride.

Anyway, he had to work today and tomorrow so we will celebrate my day on Sunday.  I'll be the one humming...."Going to a Party, Party......."

Hell Has Frozen Over..baby it's COLD in Florida

Oh Baby...it is cold in Florida, at least my little portion of it.  They say that it will actually go down to freezing tonight.  I mean, come on folks, I had the front door opened for fresh air just two days ago...with a nice balmy breeze blowing through the house. It's not fair.

We suffer all summer with intense, extreme, aggravating, suffocating, overpowering HEAT and do not forget - HUMIDITY!  So it's only fair that come wintertime we have delightful, balmy, spring like weather all winter.  Jeeze, I might as well be standing on a metal grate like my friend Betty Boop....just to get warm.

Oh, I know I'm going to hear from all of you that are snowed in just how rough you have it.....gotcha beat this year....you all didn't live through the hurricane hell that passed over us, around us, zig-zagged across our state leaving all of us in a Zombie like mode.  We were probably the only people in the world to develop a twitch from watching the weather channel...or should I say..the hurricane news channel.    Oh, does anybody know whether that last storm actually left? Zeta? Tell me again that storms are over by the end of November...someone forgot to clue in Mother Nature.

Anyway, I've got the cold but not the fun...no snow.

Ok, I was tagged a while ago by Chaispice but this is my first entry since then so here goes my five quirky things that I always do.

1) I have a tremendous fear of needles, hate them is not too extreme of a word with regard to them. I've been this way all my life. When I was younger and needed a shot my folks had to trick me into the doctors office. Drawing blood is a complete horror for me, I have passed out..also they seem never to be able to find my veins without stabbing me several times...which of course, adds to my panic.  I have to do it, of course, I know that.

2)I chew gum constantly.  I stopped smoking about five years ago, cold turkey, using only regular gum to help me.  Now I am addicted to gum. Wonder what that says about my personality?

3) I learned Gregg shorthand many, many years ago and when I write my poems I always write in shorthand...I've done that for years on end.  I recently found some poems that I had written when I was a teen...you got it .. in shorthand.  I was still able to translate it back.

4) I love to cook. I make a good deal of Japanese dishes from scratch as Oba-san taught me to do. I always cut the veggies up by hand, I never use a food processor. I know it would be easier, but I want to cook the way I was shown by her and also by my Grandfather, who was a Greek Chef. So I stubbornly cling to what I was shown...one slice at a time.

5) When I am alone, and I mean all alone...I put music from the 50's, and 60's on and sing at the top of my voice.  I love it, love the music....but will not do karaoke under any circumstances.  I used to have a good voice, but as you get older it sometimes changes and I feel the changes have not been for the good in my case.

So how weird am I?  On a scale of 0 to 10....

Oh, if any of you guys who are reading this have not been tagged...guess what?  TAG you are IT......