Thankful

Yep, mighty thankful that the predicted tornado passed me by. It hit in the Nashville area, mid-state. Mighty thankful for three consecutive days off, even if it did rain for two of them. Mighty thankful that I still have enough strength to rake this humongous yard and the birds are thankful that I'm finally raking the leaves, exposing juicy worms. Yeck! Only managed to clean out one flower bed; took 8 trash bags. And my cheerleader bird was who-whoing right along. Mighty thankful that the Lord rose on the third day. And it is still raining...in sheets. And the bathroom leak gets larger. Drats.

So where have I been? Right here, in the Big Rip, working my @@@ off. Six straight days of not knowing what I was doing. Nemesis had the week off, remember? But to her credit, she did leave me some notes; still had to call or ask around for help, but.... They worked me so hard until I dragged home, hit the bed, and that is where I stayed until time to get up the next a.m. Exhausted. I think some of that may be related to the low levels of vitamin D. I'll have to read up on that. At any rate, it would have been a piece of cake had I known what I was doing. Takes more effort and time when you're struggling trying to find information or keep from making a mistake. My head has NEVER looked so ragged. We'll take care of that today.

What's new? We're losing an assistant mgr.; he's hooking up with a store in S.C. Did I tell you that his daughter, born with all the health problems, looks like an absolute doll? He has a lot to be thankful for.

I learned from the young lady chosen for the position in Covington that she is getting just about the same amount of training and help that I have received. She was calling all week and we learned together. She gets her help from the folks who trained her in Jackson; I rely on the folks in Dyersburg. This lack of information must be the culture, on the local level, at least. All I can say is: "I have plans for you; to prosper you, not to harm you." What if I'd been chosen for that spot? Same situation, even down to locked drawers with no access. It was briefly discussed, AGAIN, about going full time but no mention of when. I did mention that it wasn't solving the problem and have been promised that it would be worked on. Get cracking.

Mrs. Savage, the former owner of Serendipity, passed away at the beginning of the month. She lived to be a hundred years old. What a tale she could tell, I'm sure. The notice in the newspaper gave short shrift to her life, only noting that she had been married to a former banker in town.

The folks behind me moved out and left a mound of debris at the curb. The people working on the house moved out a ton more. Where does it come from?

The dogwoods are in bloom. None in my yard but they are beautiful to look at. The wisteria is in bloom along the fence. Now I know what those runners are. The irises which I brought from D.C., coming up. The azaleas in this area are in bloom but not the one in the back of the house. It is covered with honeysuckle which, if it ever stops raining on a day off, I'll pull out. Put all the flowers out this morning for a good soaking. It's supposed to be clear on Wednesday so maybe I can finally get them in the ground. And maybe, just maybe, they can start painting the front.

Here's some information on a local landmark, Fort Pillow, which has a storied history.

Jay, enjoy your trip. I can't hit a spa but maybe hitting the bike consistently will work off some of the weight that has found its way back onto my frame.

That's it from the Big Rip. Have a blessed week.