Happy Birthday Grandma Frances Hall

Happy Birthday, Mama! November 20, 1919

For those of you who never met my mother....she was the strongest, most beautiful, most Christian woman I ever knew! This only child left an easy life behind to "dig in the dirt" with my Daddy, and raise three rather headstrong girls! I know that Margaret, Mim, and I inherited her strong will and determination...that attitude of believing that we could accomplish anything we put our mind to. Mama worked side by side with Daddy in the Nursery Landscape business to provide us with a wonderful home, where, though we didn't have a lot of things....we never lacked a sense of belonging and safety, accompanied by a huge dose of love. We learned early that responsibility was always before any "rights" that we earned...that nobody owed us anything...and that Mama expected us to be our best...no she demanded that. She sacrificed so much to make sure that every one of her "girls" got a higher education.. She believed that women were equal to men, but that education was a necessity to accomplishing equal footing! She was a woman who was NOT able to stay at home like the June Cleavers of her time....but we did not stay at home either. We worked at the nursery in the ways that we could, from very early ages. She believed that the nursery was a family business, and after school that is where you could find us all! Every Sunday you could find us in Sunday School and church...there was no excuse for missing worship.
Mama, we all love you and miss you every day. We thank you for all you gave up for us. Yes, we know you are laughing "up a storm" as we try to accomplish, as a "village", taking care of the man you handled all by yourself!! He IS quite a challenge, but we know you want us to do a good job..and we will!

New Car

Well, we just bought a new car...It is a Toyota Highlander. It is supposed to get really good mileage, and it has great goodies! I was a little guilty over not buying American, but if the "Big Three" don't join the rest of our country, and get some bailout money, their warranties might not be the best!!

Speaking of bailout money...I have an idea where I would like some of mine spent. Daddy still owes about $1,500 to the VA for a loan taken out in the 70's. Since he has turned 90, and brings in about 600 a month from SS, and no longer works in the nursery business....well, I just thought that the government could use some of my bailout contribution, or Margaret's or Mim's...in that original 700 billion we each contributed $450,000....I think they could just send a mere $1,500 to The VA to forgive a WWII veteran's business loan...what do you think??

Anyway..back to the new car..Friends...I DO NOT have to locate my keys in the bottom of my purse anymore. Really...I just have to have them in my purse...reach out, grab the handle and unlock and open the door...that simple..NO KEYS..then, I put my foot on the brake (I am having the hardest time remembering that step!!)...and push a button on the dash..NO KEYS... when I get to where I am going, I push the same button to turn off the car, get out, close the door, and push a button on the door, and all the doors lock...NO KEYS... Wow! I will never have to dig in my purse for my car keys again...Of course, I WILL have to remember to put my "thingie that is not a key" in any other purse that I might carry...or my pocket....Ain't Technology Grand??? Ain't...according to our third graders..that is a proper contraction for the two words "A Not"...I hope I used it properly!!

God's Smallest Heroes

Leave it to Him, right in the middle of me..me..me, He places another of His children in my heart...another one, who makes me question the world's climate of hate, when do we change, what will it take? He places another story in my life, that again makes all of my petty concerns pale in comparison.

I want to introduce you to a beautiful little girl, Jakeria. Like our new President, her mother is white and her father is black. She lives within walking distance of the school... her mother has a job at Applebee's and her dad is in the service of his country in Iraq.

I just met Jakeria last week, because she has not been in school for the past 6 weeks. She was the victim of a brick hurled in hate, by a 14 year old boy who took great exception to her heritage.... you see, racism exists, even in black communities.

This little 8 year old hero needs our prayers, as well as the boy who threw that brick. She has forgiven him....she told me, so...so shall I. She says that God has plans for her...she had a dream, and Jesus told her so! I believe that is true...but that doesn't stop my heart from cracking in two, as I sit quietly with her, waiting for her mother to come pick her up, because the headache has become too great to bear. You see, the brick hit Jakeria in the back of her head, which required hours of brain surgery to save her little life.

I continue to pray for our littlest heroes...the smallest of God's children, as they must walk through this hate filled world..and I praise His glorious grace, as He places us in the midst of it, to bring His love to His heroes.

Lazy J Showing Her Fall Colors

Dean, Baxter and I took our afternoon walk and came upon some fall colors on the Lazy J. We picked up and ate pecans as we walked around, which is one reason Baxter loves to come along on our walks :)! This is one of my favorite times of the year up here; the weather is beautiful, the birds are beginning to migrate, the alligator(s) are beginning to "hunker down", so the otters are showing up. I just hope to have my camera with me at the right time, so I can get some pictures of these cuties!

I did get some pictures of the fall colors...and the beautiful sunsets with our friend, Salty!

Halloween

Today is Halloween, and I am blogging some old memories that make me smile. The first one is Adam at 3 years old. Yes, those are "Underoos"....though my mother was a great seamstress, I must admit to complete failure with a sewing machine! So, poor Adam had to put up with a lot of "store bought" thrown together costumes. So Batman was it that year!


The next picture was in Mrs. Savitsky's Kindergarten class at Kreative Kids. Adam and Erica were the best of buddies. As you can see from this picture, Spiderman was the "Target" special in 1981.


The third picture leads me to one of my most precious Halloween memories. This "dracula" outfit was my first attempt at make-up!! Adam was so excited as he headed off to school for his big Halloween Parade!! Didn't he look scary??? I decided at the last minute to take a half day from school, got someone to cover my class, and made it over to school for the parade.... He did not look nearly as happy as he hastily made his way across the platform...of course, he might have just been trying to look scary...ooooooohhh!!!However, when I walked back with him to Miss Graves' class, he was very sad..he said, "Mommy, my friends don't know me, and they are afraid of me!" Miss Graves let me take him into the restroom, and I washed all that scary make-up off. I am so thankful that I went to his parade!!




My next attempt at a "make-up" costume was when he and David Valenzano decided to go to middle school as monsters! This time, no one was afraid of him...However, Adam developed a case of impetigo the next day....must have been bad make-up!! All because his mother couldn't sew!!! I think he has forgiven me for that one...




The final picture that I have, is one of he and Lori in college...Lori can always bring the biggest smiles from the "boy"!! Such a "Joker" !!

I thank my "little dracula" for giving me so many happy Halloween memories...We used to decorate his bedroom with spider webs, and skeletons, and ghosts, Oh My ... and yes, Adam, you even shared your Reese's Peanut Butter cups...oooops...maybe you didn't "remember" that part :)

The World Series

Make a Smilebox postcard

Wow...The Rays in the World Series! Would you ever have believed it Sports Fans??
Dean headed down to St. Pete to take his 88 year old mom to the World Series Game 2. Coach Ray Hughes, from Aucilla Christian Academy, who coached Bobby Thigpen in high school, and our good friend from church, went with Dean. As did a contingent of baseball fans from Monticello, including another birthday celebration for Ricky Finlayson, who celebrated his tenth at the Trop.

Ray actually caught a foul ball, and the usually reticent, shy coach from ACA, went absolutely wild!! He brought the picture to church this morning to show EVERYONE!!
Next to Dean's mom, Lori and Adam, and the long suffering fans in St. Petersburg, Ray wins the award for Rays mania!!

Dean had an absolutely wonderful time, as he checked off another bucket list item...It is the 3rd one in this year...We saw a Yankees vs. Red Sox game in Fenway Park....we went to the College World Series in Omaha, and now he actually got to the World Series....Thank You Tampa Bay Rays...... HOOOO RAYS!!!

Teachers, my friends, my heroes

As most of you know, I spent 30 years in a classroom of either 2nd graders, 3rd graders, or 4th graders. It was in those classrooms that I met my dearest friends... some were and are still teachers, some were and are parents of my students, and some were students. This continues today.... What you may not know, friends is that I have returned to the classroom...well, on a voluntary basis for three days a week.

My friend, Anita is teaching her final year of third grade, preparing for a wonderful retirement. She has had some health issues that would have forced anyone else into an early retirement, but she perseveres. Now, before my friends, who are colleagues, shake their head in wonderment....she had finally been assigned that dream class...the sweetest and smartest.....enough said!

So, Anita has graciously allowed me to share in her good fortune...I get to come in 3 days a week and just help her do whatever she needs me to do...I've been grading papers, collecting candy money and forms and getting them into the right hands, taking lunch choices and count, re -explaining directions, making lists, passing out Pizza Hut reading award certificates, re - explaining directions, helping with computers...and so on and so on...trying to do those things that would give her a chance to just TEACH! That is something that most teachers would love to have the time to do....:)

The children are awesome...God gave me the talent...But, my friends....after 8 years of retirement, a full three days a week in the classroom is TIRING! I HAVE kept my retirement promise, so far...I DON'T do Mondays and Fridays!!! I'm sure I will get used to once again getting up in the "wee" hours of the morning, travel to Thomasville (not much further than my commute to Bardmoor), spend my day with the MOST creative thinkers, drive back home, collapse on the couch....get the picture? The only scary part is that Mr. Rodemoyer, the principal, wants me to get on his substitute list, so that I will be able to sub for Anita, when she has to be out...something about continuity....

So to my friends, my heroes....you know I love you and appreciate all you do for the kids. They are lucky to have you and so am I. And to my friends who are not classroom teachers...you know I love you and your kids....you ARE teachers and parents and grandparents.... If you have a moment, and your child or grandchild is in a school with that special teacher...appreciate that teacher for all the love and work it takes to travel with your child for this year.