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Post by drlj on Dec 18, 2022 8:07:06 GMT -5
It’s supposed to be sunny today but so far it’s still cloudy. More details to come. Coffee is ready so I can deal with the fact it is 14 degrees later, too. Enjoy the day.
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Post by millring on Dec 18, 2022 8:09:28 GMT -5
I've been looking out for answers I think frankly there are none There is honor love and family And work left to be done And when I listen to the whiners Who say this world has gone to hell I can smile and disagree Because I know you well -L. Taylor
46 years
She speaks “Bless your heart” like a native. No discernible accent. She learned the language as a child and has spoken it ever since.
If I were to speak it, it would sound like a bad script rehearsal. I can’t fake it.
She doesn’t need to.
The love falls from her words as naturally as rain from the sky. As natural as grace. And the old and infirm welcome it just as naturally as she offers it.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Old people smile at her words like they’ve been in a strange land and they’re hearing their native language spoken for the first time in years.
They may have been in the good and able care of others, but at the same time they’ve been starved for the intimacy she offers them. They eat it up.
She listens. She listens even when it means getting real close so she can hear. And she asks them to repeat themselves if she doesn’t get it. She could fake it and nod. She doesn’t. She leans in closer. She holds an offered hand.
And so it was as she started helping to care for Marjorie this past year. She quickly became the brightest light in a life so small and cordoned off by age that it consisted mostly of one chair set in front of a picture window so that Marjorie could watch the bird feeder just beyond the glass. The books that used to entertain her had become blank pages. The TV had become noise.
But when she came into the room to clean it, she always took the time to sit with Marjorie for a while.
There was never much new to talk about, but that’s just another of her gifts – questions. She prompted years of retold memories to pass the long and previously empty hours.
You could find her in the room with Marjorie most evenings before leaving for home. She would be kneeling on the floor in front of Marjorie. They’d be laughing and talking and sharing, hand in hand.
Yesterday she went to Marjorie’s side. It had been a rough night before. In words I couldn’t summon if I had to, she leaned in real close to Marjorie’s ear and said quietly, “I love you Marjorie. I’m going to pray that angels might come to make your journey go easily. Tonight you’ll be in the arms of Jesus.” And then she bent forward and kissed Marjorie’s 98 year old lips – because that’s how they always say goodnight.
Marjorie nodded. And about an hour later she was with Jesus.
Who is this woman I married?
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Tamarack
Administrator
Ancient Citizen
Posts: 9,390
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Post by Tamarack on Dec 18, 2022 8:42:57 GMT -5
A foot of snow yesterday. Two sessions of snowblowing, which includes clearing neighbors' sidewalks, clearing some parking spaces on the street, and a path across the front yard to save the mail carrier some steps.
Fourth Sunday of Advent. Off to church, thence more snow shoveling to reach the shed for some winter carpentry.
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Post by Cornflake on Dec 18, 2022 9:12:43 GMT -5
Good morning. Clouds kept the temperature up this morning so we got a temporary break from freezes. They'll probably resume tonight.
Church at 10:00. It's the fourth Sunday of Advent in Arizona as well.
I could easily have gone bust in Wordle. Lucky to get a four. Wordle 547 4/6*
⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 ⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟨🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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Post by Marty on Dec 18, 2022 9:16:12 GMT -5
Good morning. -1F- 11F sunny? When it's this cold sun does not help, cloudy does. Don't even know how much snow we have but overall it's not that much. Just enough to make things crappy out there. The girls invited themselves to breakfast. I love having a meal with them but they could pay for themselves every once in a while. They order the biggest meal on the menu and then take half home. Can't complain to DaWife, I'll get yelled at. 92 Days Until Spring
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Post by millring on Dec 18, 2022 9:16:44 GMT -5
I borrowed this image from the internet. There was no way I could have captured the moment on my phone camera as I was driving by it holding mail in my one hand and the steering wheel in the other. Snow geese. I'd never before seen them in Indiana. Yesterday while out in the country -- 10 miles south and 4 miles east of town -- I saw five white birds lift off from a field and circle away and then toward me. White as snow, but with black wing tips. It was thrilling to see. Later in my route I caught site of a red tail hawk kiting in the wind. At first I couldn't tell what I was looking at. I kept driving by and the hawk kept on hovering in place. Completely still in the wind. A kite without a string. It went on for so long that I actually took the time to turn around and see if it was still there. By then it was across the field perched in a tree. But by the time I turned back around, there it was again -- hovering in the wind. Most of the year if you see a soaring bird in the sky it's going to be a turkey vulture. But at this time in early winter, the hawks outnumber the vultures in our skies.
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Post by paleo on Dec 18, 2022 9:35:14 GMT -5
5 degrees out this morning with a wind chill of -12. It looks like we got about an inch of snow since I cleaned off the area between the house and garage yesterday. Temp is supposed to get up to about 20 this afternoon, so when it does, I'll go push some snow around again.
Meanwhile there are still presents to wrapped, guitar to be played and coffee to be consumed.
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Post by howard lee on Dec 18, 2022 9:45:17 GMT -5
36°F in Brooklyn this morning.
Tonight is the first night of Hannukah. The traditional foods are potato pancakes (served with applesauce or sour cream or yogurt for we modern types) and jelly doughnuts (why doughnuts I have no clue, but I ain't complaining).
Just down the street from us is "the world's largest menorah" (it's taller than the Soldiers and Sailors Arch, by Jehovah!), placed there courtesy of the local Lubavitcher sect. Google them.
I guess I am a minority here on the Soundhole, eh? Happy Hannukah, regardless.
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Post by Cornflake on Dec 18, 2022 9:58:14 GMT -5
Happy Hannukah, Howard.
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Post by drlj on Dec 18, 2022 10:09:27 GMT -5
Happy Hanukkah, Howard. Save a jelly doughnut for me. Better yet, express mail it.
We saw an eagle flying over a wetland area 1/2 a mile or so away. Cool & majestic looking. And very big.
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Post by billhammond on Dec 18, 2022 10:43:27 GMT -5
Snow geese migrate through MN but few live here season-long. We do have lots of resident trumpeter swans, though.
This video was taken about an hour's drive west of where TerryK lives:
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Post by t-bob on Dec 18, 2022 10:50:30 GMT -5
good morning - the western united states of america coast 7:45am.
the last day......A great documentary nature, David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet
enjoy your days
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Post by billhammond on Dec 18, 2022 10:52:42 GMT -5
Brunson's Pub is calling me to brunch, a Bloody and a Benedict, perhaps?
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Post by james on Dec 18, 2022 11:00:42 GMT -5
Argentina 2 - 0 France at half time.
Wordle 547 4/6*
⬛🟨🟨🟨🟨 ⬛🟨🟨🟨🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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Post by TKennedy on Dec 18, 2022 11:02:17 GMT -5
Clear, sunny, lots of white, little wind, but -8. Really pretty from the window and at least the ice will firm up quickly with low temps predicted for the near future.
Happy Hanukkah Howard!
Tuning in to the Cup final.
Snow Geese? Saw a gaggle fly over while walking a few weeks ago. Quite a beautiful sight.
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Dec 18, 2022 11:20:15 GMT -5
Happy Hanukkah Howard!
Cold rain drizzle. Coffee. Put up a little Christmas tree yesterday and decorated the living room with Christmas stuff. Looks good. This time of year brings up emotions and thoughts of those no longer with us. Sigh. Life is sweet and painful.
Wordle 547 3/6
⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟨🟩🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Mike
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Post by John B on Dec 18, 2022 11:26:35 GMT -5
Happy Hanukkah, Howard!
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Post by james on Dec 18, 2022 11:45:58 GMT -5
This is getting interesting.
Argentina 2 - 2 France
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Post by epaul on Dec 18, 2022 12:38:35 GMT -5
Still floating on a happy purple cloud.
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Post by drlj on Dec 18, 2022 13:16:47 GMT -5
Still floating on a happy purple cloud. Oh, man! Just like Woodstock!
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