Camille'sBigSister

I had heard a really great saying about the sun coming up in the morning, but just can't remember what it is. I always wished I was an enlightened soul!

I do remember "don't look back your not going that way." But still there was one about the sun coming up, hmmmmm

Tavi, the only one I can remember right now is in the last verse of a poem, but it's not about the sun coming up, so it's probably the wrong reference.

"Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;

Behind each cloud is the sun still shining...."

You're right about Rikki-tikki-tavi; he was the brave mongoose in Kipling's story. But I didn't think of that name at all when you told us yours.

Chelsea, go to www.gfbreadbasket.com, and read about the two women who started the company. Perhaps if you emailed them about your problem with cooking schools, they might have some very good advice for you.

Cecile, I miss you like crazy! Praying that your family finds a house soonest!

Rachel, Madame Presendent, thank God you aren't leaving us! Too awful to think about!

I had to tie up these loose ends before going to bed. Goodnight all.

Cissie

Cissie, I loved this, it brought my childhood back to me. As children my brothers and I knew intuitively that it was best not to tell our mother about the swamp and the raft we had made, nor about the tree house we climbed up into nor .... and I don't really ever even remember her asking. Our childhood was private.

So was ours, Rinne. I think our mothers didn't ask because they had their own sweet memories of childhood.

Cissie

Thank-you Cissie, Let's see I think you are saying it right, it would be the short a and vi sounds like a long e. My mom was reading a book and came across the name, it was actually a boy's name. The book was The Far Land, but I lost my copy years ago. I believe the man that gave her the book was George Boothalee or something like that, think he moved to Oregon someplace. I don't know why I am giving you that history lesson. Must be the gluten!

It isn't the gluten, Tavi; I thrive on history. Don't forget that I'm the Distinguished Chair Of Literary and Historical Oddities Department at good old UCCF.

Cissie

Well, I have to agree. Our teachers on this board can probably chime in as well. Home Economics is gone for most schools. Schools are being forcrd to cut out programs such as art, music, home ec, etc over athletics. Due to high demands of organiized sports most children today cannot be just that CHILDREN.

Pardon this rant butt ....

Too many bloody parents think their children are the great athletes of all time and will 1) get a college scholarhip or 2) go pro. I cannot stand some uneducated parents on the sidelines of an 8 year old soccer match yelling at a 12 year referee. I get very mad and I want to smack the parent.

Too many "coaches" do not know what the F#$% they are doing. They read a book and think they "know" how to coach. Very frustrating. Team sports are supposed to show children how to work together and accept an outcome -- win or lose - -

Pardon the rant ...

Rave on, MacDuff!!! When you're right, you're right!

In my capacity as Distinguished Chair of Literary and Historical Oddities Department at UCCF, I bring to the attention of all citizens of Rachelville that there was a time, within recent memory, when children actually played. Alien though the concept may be to modern minds, children were not organized into structured activities, supervised by politically correct adults. Yes, dear ones, it's true; children once enjoyed the freedom to play as they pleased, and what's more, (I hope you are all sitting down.) they had FUN!

As you may have surmised, I was one of those children. We went bare-footed all summer; we climbed trees, hung from branches, and built tree houses from the planks of fallen fences; we grabbed hold of sturdy vines and swung down mountain sides; we played Capture the Flag, Crack the Whip, Mother May I, and Aunt Dinah's Dead; on extremely hot days we played Monopoly on a shaded porch; we played Pirates, Gypsies, Cowboys and Indians, and Little House on the Prairie - from the books, not from the TV adaptations; we pulled wagons along neighborhood sidewalks, collecting "tin foil" to support the war effort; we rode bikes and skated on those sidewalks, suffering our scrapes and bruises as just temporary nuisances; we played impromtu games of softball with scruffed-up balls and falling-apart mitts, and if our quarrels broke up the game, our mothers didn't rush out to impose peace; and sometimes we did the unthinkable - the thing that would raise horror in the minds of today's grownups - sometimes we lay on our backs in the clover, gazed upon the sky and clouds, AND DID NOTHING AT ALL!!!!!

FREEDOM, SWEET FREEDOM!

Cissie

Susan, many wise words spoken. I'll add a story about my grandmother. About a month before she died we were having tea and I said to her, "do you know what I figured out Gramma" and she said "what?" and I said between birth and death there is just this one breath". She looked at me and her eyes kind of went "clang, clang, clang, like a cartoon character in a funny way, and then she laughed and she said, "that's true". So, a month later she went travelling and she went off her medication and she fell ill and died but not before 15 family members travelled to be with her and spent the day weaving a net of love that lifted her away. Twice she stood, after hours of nothing but death rattle for breath and announced she was going to her Lord.

Only in this breath do we have the opportunity to express our deepest heart, the past is gone, the future is not here. Please do not be too hard on yourself, the fact that your family loves you says much about the person you truly are and not the misery laid on you.

Profoundly beautiful story, well told, Rinne.

Cissie

OMG....Donna I need your help!!

I'm still having problems with these "biting" ants. No more being nice and swatting them away....I wanna squash these suckers right into the ground.

What the heck is going on?? How can regular black ants bite or sting me like this?? I'm finding the whole thing to be rather disturbing. These are some very mean ants.

They are in a very bad mood! The heat has affected their wee brains, you see. Sprinkle a line of boric acid across doorways and/or windows, wherever they can gain entrance to your peaceful abode.

Cissie

I'm premature posting (Learned that from Susan.) because I checked in very late today. Blame it on the cafergot, which destroys the migraine but puts me to sleep. I have read far enough along to catch up with all your good wishes for me. You are all so kind, and I love you! Whoa! What? Crushed ice? Lord have mercy! I never thought of that! How dumb can I be?

TAVI - what a lovely name! Is it pronounced Ta- (short "a" as in ah), and vi ("i" as the European "i" pronounced as the long "e" sound in Peep)? Accent on the first syllable?

Tavi, our entrenched bum. Love it!

Cissie

My head is killing me - bad migraine. Guess I'd better use one of those adorable suppositories and pass out.

Love and prayers to all. G'night.

Cissie

Oh, Karen, how awful! I'm so sorry! Does this go on all night too?

I don't really know what collagenous colitis is, but it sounds God-awful!

Cissie

Karen:

What does the doctor say about all of that? That really does not sound good at all. How long has that been going on?

KAREN, Sally is right. Does your doctor even know? It sounds as if you should be in a hospital!

Cissie

WOW!!!

YEAY!!!!!!!!!! God is Good!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Vincent! I'm gonna stay on this string and wait for updates, instead of switching back and forth. God bless you!

Keeping my prayers going for wee Megan.

SUSAN, we love you! I sent you a pm.

Cissie

You're partly right on that one, Sis. I am 3/4 Irish and 1/4 German.

OUCH!!!!

-------Praying for Megan----------

Well, Jeny, I guess I'm about 80% Celtic, 15% English, 5% German. It was all so long ago, even the German part; they didn't come over until 1750. Important to note: They ALL settled in the SOUTH!!!!!

Praying for Megan.

Cissie

Is anyone here? Nashville is on Central Time, so in my time zone Megan should be in hospital in 8 minutes. Praying.

Cissie

Vincent, I forgot about Nashville being on Central Time. What hospital will Megan be in? Continuing to pray.

Cissie

Thanks, Jillian! I'll be ordering today!

Cissie

I use Maranatha brand peanut butter, and it is delicious! Kroger carries it in their health food/organic food section. I've never had a problem with it. It has no sugar at all.

If you get it, you'll see that the oil is floating on top, so you have to mix it, then refrigerate it. The easiest way to mix it is to dump it into a bowl and mix away, and then return to jar. I add 1/4 tsp of salt because it isn't salty enough for me! (I have a low sodium count, and must eat salt!)

Cissie

Is presindency a word??

Of COURSE it is! It's right up there with relevation and spinach!

Cissie

Agreed! NO BATS!!!!!

Cissie

Vincent, thank you for the update. My prayers for Megan, God's precious child, are joining with all others in the vast stream flowing to The Throne of Grace.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Amen and amen.

Cissie

Cissie has been appointed as Distinguished Chair of Celiac Literary and Historical Oddities dept. at UCCF, you will note that we have a very over-developed Science dept. there.

Now THAT'S a title!!! Sounds so much better, put in your words! Y'all excuse me for a moment, while I write it down.

Cissie

Cissi, Minister of Defense in charge of our miraculous, dedicated, gluten-detecting geese, I thought you also had a position at our UCCF?

Sally would also like to add you will not read more poetic writing them from Cissi.

Cissi,

I've been thinking about Nancy, she's at the top of my prayer list!

Andrea... what page are you on now?

Cecile, I thank you. My family always expected me to be a writer, but I got sidetracked raising children. My parents gave me a much-desired typewriter when I graduated from high school. To this day, when I sit at a keyboard, words pour from my brain through my fingers so fast that I have to slap myself upside the head to come out of my trance!

Thanks for Nancy, dear friend.

Andrea, we're so happy to have our sunshine back!!!!!!!!!!

Cissie

P.S. There were blackouts in California today. Do you suppose that's why we aren't hearing from the west coast?

Cissi, Minister of Defense in charge of our miraculous, dedicated, gluten-detecting geese, I thought you also had a position at our UCCF?

Cecile, my dear, you are absolutely correct! I didn't want to overwhelm a newcomer with too much information, but yes, Susan put me in the U. I think I'm a professor of information from the good old days, and something else that I'll have to go back and find. Oh, and I think Susan also dubbed me Town Matriarch.

Cissie

Ok, I am home. I have decided that the job I want is to be the town bum, I think that sounds like a mighty fine idea, I'll just watch the comings and goings of all of you! I won't have to worry about a thing!

Town bum it is! Any news you pick up, while watching our comings and goings, should be reported to Cecile, our newscaster. She does an excellent job of casting news about! Amazingly, she's able to do this even when acting in her capacity as half a comedy team. We're all rather proud of her!!!

Cissie

I went back and edited my post about the spider, because I forgot to say it was a brown recluse.

Cissie

Welcome, Sally and Lisa!!! Oh, and Stuporman!!!

Lisa, I'm the

Minister of Defense in charge of our miraculous, dedicated, gluten-detecting geese

ALL: Honey bees are our friends. They will pollinate our crops and work their little fannies off to provide us with honey. They will never sting us because Rachelville is a safe haven for them, and they are most grateful. You see, they are also refugees from a mad world that is poisoning their food supplies. Bad, bad world!

Spiders are out, out OUT!!!!! Harmless little garden snakes are all right, if anyone should ask, but NO SPIDERS!!!!! I was bitten by a brown recluse spider in 1992, and almost lost my left foot. That was bad enough, but I fell into the clutches of two insane doctors who didn't believe me about the spider (I saw the damn thing!); came up with an off-the-wall diagnosis, and treated me with massive doses of steroids for 2 months. By the time I fired them, I had steroid-psychosis, two collapsed vertabrae, and my shoulder joints and left hip joint were dissolving. I'm fine now, no pain anywhere; all three joints have been replaced; but I'm a bit shorter than I used to be!

Cissie

I couldn't help it, I just started tearing up and crying. I didn't bluther, but I was shocked. Enough whining-----(sorry) Cissy, I have been to so many drs. over this, I don't know who to turn to next. The dr. I am seeing is a surgeon-he is #6 I think (lost count).

Lord have mercy! Robbin, I forgot to speak to this. You are NOT whining!!!!! You are sharing with your friends; that's what we're here for.

Cissie