Death Is A Sure Thing

Putting flowers on Scott's resting place

 I'm not thinking about death today because I think my time is just around the corner or that I am wanting to die any time soon.   I'm just thinking about death today because other's are dying and I am having to face that fact. 



The stone for Jim & Paula Hardy

  The Holy Book promises us days until we are satisfied with life....I'm not there yet....I'm not satisfied with my life or my number of days yet.      But because I am 72 years old, it is something I must consider and ponder.
On Father's Day at COTM, they sung a song that I loved and immediately turned to Ken and said that is the song I want at my 'she is gone' service.  I would love it if they sung it exactly like they sung it that Sunday, with fiddles, up-beat and emphatically.  I could picture several fiddles and people getting up and dancing around.   No, I am not morose, it just seems victorious and appropriate.



My older sister:  Virginia Merle Montgomery

  The course says:  "It don't matter where you bury me, I'll be home and I'll be free.  It don't matter where I lay, All my tears be washed away."
Now the interesting thing is that last year when Ken and I set up a living trust and a will, I was the one who came up with the decision (and Ken followed my choice) of when we die, donating our bodies to medical science.   That shocked the lawyer working with us and it seems to shock our children.   But I came up with that decision because I despise the financial advantage that those in the death business take on grieving loved ones.   Why spend thousands of dollars preserving a body or cremating the shell or digging water proof vaults, etc.  Eight thousand is considered a modest cost these days to handle a dead body. Grieving people too often spend much more.   http://www.anatomicgift.com/
That just is not right.  One could cruise the world with that much money...or seed a church in a heathen country or leave that money for your children and grandchildren.. 
It seems the group Jars Of Clay may have first sung this as that is what I could find on the Internet.  But I liked COTM version much better.

When I go, don't cry for me

In my Father's arms I'll be

The wounds this world left on my soul

Will all be healed and I'll be whole.

Sun and moon will be replaced

With the light of Jesus' face

And I will not be ashamed

For my Savior knows my name.

It don't matter where you bury me,

I'll be home and I'll be free.

It don't matter where I lay,

All my tears be washed away.

Gold and silver blind the eye

Temporary riches life

Come and eat from heaven's store

Come and drink, and thirst no more.

So weep not for me my friends,

When my time below does end

For my life belongs to Him

Who will raise the dead again.

http://youtu.be/nHzcHW-xNC8

http://nana-splace.blogspot.com/search/label/O%27Neal

Standing by Millie's resting place

“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her only that she is gone,  or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,  be empty and turn your back. Or you can do what she'd want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

In honor of  Charlie Duty



Maybe I am thinking about death today because Jennifer's (Joel's wife) Dad passed away last week.  And Friday we will drive to Dallas for the memorial service.   Everyone deals with death and loss in different ways.  It always hurts and there is always a deep loss.  It helps a lot when we know that loved one is with Jesus.  And Jennifer had that assurance before he passed. 



And I just wanted to document that when I leave this world, it is OK to donate my body to the advancement of medical science.  It can just be a part of my legacy--a gift I can give to help another sick or diseased person who comes along -- it is a way for new doctors to learn and do a better job in the future.  I won't be there,  I'LL BE HOME AND I'LL BE FREE.

This Is One Happy Man

Yep, the Papa is a happy man.  He has been looking at guns for a very long time and finally went and got one.  Here he is taking it apart and figuring out how to clean and load it.

Then the neighbor friends took him to the shooting range and he tried it out and thinks he did pretty good.

Then he took his eight-hour safety class and had his mug shot taken.  Went to the court house and applied for a concealed carriers liscense.   And now our happy man waits.

At What Point Does The Mother Daughter Relation Flip Flop?

It may have happened today, but it simply can not continue!    My younger daughter, Sommer turned 35 this week and I don't become 73 till October.   She is half my age  and today she laughs and says I HAVE TO FOLLOW THE RECIPE.  Come on, I never totally follow recipes when I don't have the ingredients.

It goes like this:   Back in  June we went to visit the Collier family and we spent a week at Sunset Beach, North Carolina where Dan was working.  One evening we went to eat at the Sugar Shack, a Jamaican eatery.


The Sugar Shack at Sunset Beach North Carolina

 Well after we had ordered, the waitress brought out this most divine appetizer and she called it Jamaican Johnny Cake.  It was not the traditional island fried cakes, it was like a glorified cornmeal cake with wonderful spices in it.  It was warm, dense and moist. 

Sommer being the cook extraordinaire and taste bud professional, was determined she would figure out how to make it.    So a few days ago,she posted on A Spicy Perspective her rendition of what we had eaten in Sunset Beach. 

At work on A Spicy Perspective

http://aspicyperspective.com/2011/07/jamaican-johnny-cakes.html#more-5362

Waiting for a Table to Eat Jamaican Cooking

This morning on a whim, I decided to whip up the delectable tasty treat for myself.  Upon pulling out the list of ingredients, I discovered I was out of cake flour, out of unsalted butter, white sugar and there was no buttermilk.  And honestly, I've never ever bought vanilla bean paste before.    That did not bother me, I often switch out ingredients.   So I used regular flour, Crisco, brown sugar and Keefer with "Premier Vainilla" Hecho En Mexico.  Sounded fine to me.


The batter looked light and fluffy.   I thought my ground coves might have been very old.  (I don't use cloves very often as I have an aversion to the smell of cloves due to dental abuse when I was a small child.)
I poured the batter into two baking pans and baked at 350 degrees as instructed.  As soon as my Johnny Cake was cooled enough to cut, I eagerly sliced a piece and sat back to enjoy.     The Johnny Cake had the nice dense, moist consistency, it was OK......well, it was good, but not amazing like that at The Sugar Shack.   So I send Sommer a message on Facebook telling her about my experience.
SHE LAUGHS AT ME!  (I need to come back and add, Sommer's laugh was very respectful.)  And sh promptly reminds me that I need to use cake flour, real butter, sugar and full fat buttermilk.      OK, I accept it,  she is the baking queen of the Carolinas and her Jamaican Johnny Cake was amazing beyond words.    And my little 'lower-fat rendition'  was ordinary but OK.    I'm going to freeze most of it for special occasions and forget how amazing it is suppose to be.      No, I'm still the Mama and she is still the daughter -- she just has passed me by in the kitchen and I have no problem with that.  I'll eat my soups and my easily made salads and let her soar to the stars through A Spicy Perspective.  And when I am old and feeble, she can cook anything she wants for me exactly the way she wants to.    Wait a minute, what am I saying .... she can do that already.

And is it fair to eat real butter and full fat buttermilk and look like this?

Oh, perhaps it is because Sommer is diligent working out!

All My Sisters Visit

I love family.   I love MY Family!   And I love my sisters!
This was a most rare occassion, when all three of my sisters visited at the same time--and in HOT Oklahoma!  The occassion that brought them was my brother, Bud and his wife, Barbie's 50th Wedding Anniversary party.   Only Bill was unable to attend.  It would have been perfect with our eldest brother, evenso, it was a 'mini' reunion. 

Sarah and Paula both arrived on Thursday evening.   So on Friday, they made appointments at the beauty shop where my neighbor, Jeannie K works.  Sarah had not had a hair cut since she last visited 18 months before.

It looked so pretty, that Paula asked me to take a photo of the back of her hair. 

Sarah looked very beautiful when Jeannie was done.

Paula had already had her hair cut and she just wanted it washed and set.  Oh my, did everyone make over Paula's "PERFECT HAIR."    All natural, all healthy and beautiful and at the age of 79, they would say.

Then Paula asked about a waxing job.  What an experience.  I have never had this done to myself. 

So here are my beautiful sisters.  Below is Sarah, who is 85 years old and very little gray hair.  She is a sweetheart.

And here we are having fun at the beauty shop.

This is Sarah at the party.

And Paula at the Party.

And Barbie, who everyone thinks is my sister instead of sister-in-law.

And here is Bonnie with her granddaughter, Allison.  In this photo, they are getting ready to leave town.

And here is Bonnie with Jim at the Party.

Thank God for creating family and thank God for MY family!  My sisters are WONDERFUL!