An Old Farmer's Advice:

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.

* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.

* Every path has a few puddles.

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen, anyway.

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'."

* Always drink upstream from the herd.

* Good judgment comes from experience, And a lotta that experience comes from bad judgment.

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
& leave the rest to God.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

O.K., normally I don't make New Year's Resolutions. They are the ultimate pitful of failure. Every resolution I've made in the past umm...23..? 33..? O.K., awright, 43 years has failed miserably. I try to be a sport about it, but after failing like that for so many damn years, well, your sense of getting it right, just dies. So, why bother?

But, this year I've made the commitment to do what I'm resolutely planning on doing! No, it's not losing those 5..? 10..? 12..? O.K. awright, 15 pounds that crept up on me after losing my job in October. Yeh, staying home is definitely a weight-gainer! But, losing my job has also been the incentive I needed to make my resolution take its steps to becoming a reality.

As some of you know, when I lost my job, in October (my position was eliminated, which in layman's terms means, You're fired!) I thought I would go ahead with the business of being a childcare provider. A goal that I looked forward to. I love children and I love helping them grow and develop. I was sooo excited about this, but unfortunately I guess it wasn't meant to be. I received no calls or inquiries, even after advertising steadily for several months. Not one! I was so disappointed. What was I going to do now? Money was running low, Christmas was coming and bills were going unpaid and I DID NOT want to go back to working full-time as a sandwich slinger, in a deli (this is the position I was in before it was eliminated).

I also didn't want to go back to work full-time, b/c my son was doing so much better in school now that he was coming home each night after school. And because I wasn't waking him up at 5am to get him off to daycare, in time for me to be to work at 6:30 am, he was less cranky and more rested than before (which I'm sure attributed to his hostility at school). You see, previously, when I was working, his entire attitude in school had been agressively hostile or completely lackadaisical. Not at all like the little boy I see everyday now. I truly believe that my being here for him every morning and every evening has made the change in him. He knows he's going to be able to come home every afternoon and that I'm going to be here for him. Children need a sense of security, I suppose, and my being home has seemingly restored that security in him, and the change in him has been a positive one. It's a change I want to keep.

So, a part-time job is what I needed to be looking for, and after weeks of searching for one that has mother's hours (jobs other than MickeyD's) I finally found one. Now, each morning before I go off to work, I put my son on the bus and then head out to work. I'm done with my work, usually around 1, so I'm able to be home before he gets off the school bus at 3. The only drawback is my financial situation is still bleak. But, as the days go by and I'm finding that I have an hour or two on my hands each day, I've been able to get back into the habit of writing and have been able to finish the manuscript for my next book.

That's my New Year's Resolution. To totally complete my manuscript and begin the process of finding an agent and a publisher. The first draft of my book is completely finished and I'm now beginning the scary search of finding an agent. I'm really anxious about this too. I don't know what to expect and the fact that I now have to part with my youngest baby (I've been working on this book, for what seems like forever) and put her in the hands of someone who might think her best home is at the bottom of the slush pile, well, that kind of rejection scares the shit out of me! But, I suppose the only way to see if my baby will float is to send her out in the ship.

Here's to trying not to bail and seeing if she'll swim!

Just like the Dory quote in my previous post...
'Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...'



~~~Subject change~~~~

Ohmygawd, it's finally snowing! The white Christmas we all wanted so badly is now happening. A little late, but my son is thrilled anyway, now we can finally go sledding! Yes, I sled down the hills too. AND make the long trek back up the hill as well. All in the name of cruising back down and having fun with my little guy.

See ya at the bottom of the hill!

~~~~Update~~~~~

We got about 4 inches of snow, the fluffy white stuff. Not so great for making snowmen or much to Little Guy's disappointment, to make snowballs to pelt at mom, when her back is turned.

But, it was perfect for sledding. I was exhausted after two and a half times of sledding down and trudging back up the hill (you put on some heavyweight snowpants over your jeans and thermal undies and see how fast you hike up a hill). But, it was a lovely afternoon anyway. And the hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows and a spoonful of fluff, after coming back inside, was especially nice for taking the red outta our cheeks and putting the warmth back into our bellies. I only hope this good feeling about the snow lasts for more than a week, considering we've got another three months of it. Nah, it probably won't, but at least we had today!

I'm back on my quotes kick. I found some pretty good ones, that I wanna share with you guys.

~~~~~

The world has many edges and all of us dangle
from them by a delicate thread.
The key is not to let go. - Anderson Cooper

~~~~~

You won't get offered a second chance
if you don't open yourself up to possibility. - Terri Hatcher

~~~~~~

Sometimes, if you don't know you can't do something,
you end up doing it, in spite of yourself. - Lorraine Bracco

~~~~~~~

Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from. - Nora Ephron

~~~~~~~

There's no point in making a pie crust from scratch. - Nora Ephron..again.

~~~~~~~

Do not just order people to do a thing,
grab an oar and row with them.

~~~~~~~~

Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go,
life is how we get there. Always allow time for traffic. - Kermit

~~~~~~

Experience is a hard teacher
because she gives the test first,
the lesson afterwards.

~~~~~~

And here's one we all could take to heart, in almost every situation.

~~~~~~

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming. - Dory from Finding Nemo

~~~~~~~~

If you have any good quotes, let me know. I am after all, a quote hoarder.

My daughter will be home for Christmas! I'm so happy! Although we talk or email one another every week, it's just not the same as being together.



I've decided that this Christmas I will give her one of the gifts I have been holding onto to give her since she was a little girl. Now, I realize that most couples after they divorce give up any of the expensive gifts and romantic things they gave to one another after they divorced. Why hold onto something that no longer pertains? And I'm the first to agree with that and I did give up most everything my ex gave to me, except for two pieces of jewelry. A string of pearls and a ruby heart necklace. Neither are worth thousands of dollars, but each symbolizes something to me. I had considered returning them to my ex shortly after we divorced, but after thinking about it for awhile, I decided against it. They were given to me at momentous occasions in my life. The ruby was a gift when I became pregnant with my daughter and the pearls were a gift after her first birthday. Both occasions were filled with love and joy, that centered around her. I decided they should belong to her when she was old enough to understand the sentimental value that they symbolized for me. I will give the ruby to her on Christmas Eve and along with it, this poem that I wrote especially for her.

~~~~~~

Love is elusive.
It will not allow itself
to be captured or possessed.
It prefers kindness and respect
and a generosity of souls.
Sometimes it will linger, in one place,
for an eternity,
Sometimes days,
And sometimes, for just a breath.
But, during its stay,
beautiful things can happen.
You, my daughter, is what happened
when love rested its wings
for a moment.

~~~~~~~

And the pearls? I believe they should, someday, lay gently against her collarbone as she pulls her wedding dress over her head.

The leaves have long since fallen from the trees and been raked up, bagged and for some, banked around the house. The trees are completely bare except for the few apples that cling determinedly to their branches. And the hard ground no longer sprouts green grass or colorful flowers. Winter has definitely made its presence known.

We wait anxiously for that first Nor-Easter to strike us helpless in our homes and as we wait, we prepare ourselves for the oncoming onslaught of the white stuff. This time-consuming preparation is an absolute necessity in our homes and our vehicles. For our homes, we stockpile wood, ready the furnace, wrap our older homes in plastic or pile bales of hay around the foundation. All in the name of keeping Old Man winter’s icy breath from creeping into our homes.

For our vehicles, we load the trunk with enough essentials to last a week if we’re stranded. Chains, ice-melt, shovel, a flashlight, with at least two packs of batteries. One or two thick wool blankets, another set of clothing. Boots, hats, mittens and maybe even some food rations to get us through. So much stuff we may have to remove the spare tire to get it all in. Never mind that at least three plow trucks will likely cruise by us as we sit helpless on the side of the road. Or that 9.5 % of all other drivers, that pass by us, will have a cell phone attached to their ear. And hopefully they will call 911 for us (if in fact we are the lone 5 % who do not own a cell phone...yes that would be me). But as the saying goes, better to have all that stuff than not, especially when we need it.

Travel advice for the brave soul that dares to venture out in a Nor’easter seems like a pertinent article to write this time of year. With this article I’d like to share some of my own advice for being prepared. Actually, these are the words of experience, from someone who’s found herself on the wrong side of a snowbank, one too many times.

The first and foremost piece of advice I can give; STAY HOME ! Just call in sick to work, grab some of that stockpiled wood, light a roaring fire and just cozy on in for the day. And when the power goes out, which it inevitably will, light the candles or oil lanterns and grab that bestseller you’ve been wanting to read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG HERE)
** Don't have a bestseller to read? Check this out and place your bid. ebay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But, if you absolutely MUST go out, here are ten of my own personal must-haves. And remember these are tips from an ‘experienced’ winter driver.

1) A brand-new pair of wiper blades. So you can actually see where you’re going through that twirling, twisting snow.

2) Plan ahead and leave for work an hour or an hour and half early, maybe even two. Because driving at speeds of only 20 - 25 takes a loooong time to get there.

3) Charge your cell phone (if you have one).

4) Have a list of telephone numbers for all local tow trucks. If you don’t already have it, get AAA. It’s the thing to definitely have, especially this time of year.

5) Stay inside your car. Bundle up with those extra blankets, hats, mittens and slip on those warm boots.

6) Be like an outdoorsman/woman, buy some Hot Hands or Hot Feet (body generated warming packets that slip inside your mittens and socks).

7) De-Icer and Lock De-Icer, for the windshields and doors. It beats having to chip away at a sheet of sheer ice, on your windshield or door handles, after a day of freezing rain.

8) When cold weather starts, pour a container of Iso-Heat in the gas tank before filling up. This will keep your gas line from freezing up.

9) Jumper cables (a no-brainer).

10) And lastly...just stay home.



I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!
Happy Holidays!