Bill or I are continually hunting something…..phones, glasses, eye drops, dog leashes, wallet, shoes, jackets, etc. So, I’m still lying in bed when Bill wanders through the bedroom. He pokes around at the bedside table, apparently looking for something. “Whatcha doin’?” I ask. “0h , just plodding…. when your “system” breaks down, you just plod on along.” “You had a system?” I ask. I haven’t observed a system. LOL! 2/17/2020
2/28/19
In my “do something every day” way of living through HM recovery, today we sorted through and threw away more trash, mostly construction debris, at Titus 2. We are filling a trailer with trash too large for trash cans and preparing to head to the landfill in the next few days. We received more dirt for the backyard that will be spread tomorrow and hope to get sod planted soon. Saturday is another painting day. Three women are living in the Titus 2 community residence and additional inquiries and applications are being considered. Slowly, but surely………
On the Byrd home front, 7 loads of backfill are being shuttled into the back yard by backhoe behind the seawall, filling a huge hole from washout when the storm destroyed the seawall. We have someone lined up to reset pavers, someone to replace screens, someone to install fencing, someone to redo irrigation…….but all of them are backed up for weeks or longer. Slowly, but surely…..
2/18/2018
Zippidee do da! Our oldest granddaughter, Catie Byrd, was just notified that she is the winner of one of 4 FULL PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS to Mercer School of Law this fall in Macon, Georgia! (Papa and I are doing a happy dance!) Blessed to be the grandparents of wonderful young people growing into their personal sense of God’s will for their lives.
2/27/15
Bill has been eating soup during these cold days and what with having a cold, too. Tonight he observed that Progresso and Campbell’s seem to both be advertising a lot, having a “soup war”. The “soup war” he says is a Campbell’s win, hands down. They have the “mmmm, mmmmm, good” part down! He doesn’t eat soup for healthy nutrition. He eats it for comfort!
The sunset over Deerpoint Lake tonight was beautiful! Fiery reds/oranges/yellow…..A sunset like that is the reason we bought this house from friends Bob and Marian Wright in 2004. We watched it one night at a Sunday School party when this home belonged to them. It made me think of that night and the pleasure of being together with them when they were the hosts and we were the guests!
3/7/2020
Bill is fastidious about some things… like his computers and video equipment…. and about other things he is very amiable…..like food. He will eat most things however I cook. He will eat spaghetti, vegetable medley, pizza or quiche or anything else for breakfast. He’ll eat sandwiches or salads for supper. I have learned in 48 years the few things he will not eat…..like pumpkin, brussels spouts, and collards. He only requires that I cook CRISP……Cook Regularly, Inside, Simply, Plentifully…. Ha ha! The only one that will really annoy him if I get lax is the “regularly” one! I can get take-out, or grill if I want to or feed him leftovers. I can try new recipes as long as he can identify what he’s eating. And as long as he doesn’t go to bed hungry, he’s good. But don’t make him cook for himself or leave him hunting in the fridge for something to eat. He’ll be grumpy and the kitchen will be a mess!
3/7/15
Bill asked me to get his coffee for him. I guess I can do that…..given his present position…..pugged to his chair. Winston’s snoot is not flattened like Tiger’s. His legs are longer and he’s a much better jumper than Tiger. We’re thinking he’s about 1/4 something else….maybe terrier, like Jack Russell or something! He has the pug body and coloring, though, and wrinkles in his forehead. Close enough.
3/12/15 Ruby’s Stewbie
I arrived home to find that Bill had cooked a large stewpot of “Ruby’s Stewbie”, a high protein dog concoction- chicken, turkey, lentils, garbanzos, broccoli, spinach, and more. The dogs gobbled it up. We have enough for a few weeks, I think! He’s already talking about how he’ll adjust the recipe next time. Do we have pampered pets, or what? That’s my sweet hubby!
3/29/17
Bill observed a scene in a TV series in which one character after being jailed unjustly and released said, “Sanity was touch and go there for a while.” He laughed and said, “I can relate. Here I am 6’5″, 250 lbs. and I have felt totally buffaloed and controlled at times by a BEAGLE DOG!” Ha Ha! Sometimes Daisy is so sweet and other times she is just off the chain! There are moments I wonder if we can hold out until she gets old enough to not be so rambunctious.
3/30/2018
We have 5 animals. 2 cats, 3 dogs. And this is the set up for our morning and evening feeding regimen……each has a different food. Some have add- Ins. Each has a different location for eating. And there is a set order. One also requires insulin and a glucose check. It is no small endeavor. I do not do this. Bill does. But this morning he is not feeling well so he talked me through it. (Note to self: Put pet names and instructions on each food container.) No wonder he mutters to himself sometimes….
April1, 2016
Bill and I sit in the evening, laugh at the animals’ antics, watch shows that he enjoys, and I watch TED talks, read, or clear out my inbox, and catch up on articles on my watch list. It’s a delightful routine that we enjoy. I’m glad that we are growing older together, not apart!
4/3/2011
A pink rose presented spontaneously from the yard by Bill while cooking supper for us last night…..sweet
5/18/2020
This morning before I opened my eyes as I lay still and quiet, not wanting to disturb Bill, as I talked to God, the bedroom door quietly opened and Bill said softly, “I accidentally made hot chocolate. Do you want it?” LOL!
Oh the joy of K-cups!
5/26/2016
Bill told me when I got home this afternoon that he’d made “chicken jerky” today. “Really, ” I said, “how’d you do that.” He said, “Well, it wasn’t intentional. I put a couple of frozen chicken tenders on the George Foreman grill with seasoning and went to the office, forgot about them and when I got back they were VERY well cooked.” He said even so, it was really like jerky and he and the dogs ate it. He said chewing it kept all of them busy for a while. LOL! Then tonight he pulled out some fresh beets to steam. He cut them and popped them in the steamer basket and went to sit down. Again, they cooked a little longer than expected…..still tasty, just not as firm as he likes them. Oh, the adventures of Bill’s “accidental cooking!”
5/27/20
Bill’s out of the blue question: “Would Venus fly traps eat yellow flies?”
Me: We could only hope……. I don’t know that they have many natural predators. Bats? Spiders? Martins? Lizards? Anyone know?
5/27/2016
So, Bill and I are sitting on the screened porch having coffee, with a movie on TV, plinking on our computers, and talking when he looks at me and says, “Your teeth are really white. Are they new?” I started chuckling. Actually about two years ago I broke one of the front ones biting down on dried banana chips, which had been capped about 25 years ago….and another tooth next to it had developed a crack, so my dentist redid the front 4 teeth to match them all. Even though the dentist said he matched the color to all of the other teeth, I think they are a tad shade lighter. Bill’s just now noticing ? I guess it’s the morning light outside. Oh, the things that we notice about one another when spending relaxing time together…….
5/27/2015
Upon awaking: I dreamed Bill and I were on vacation…somewhere in Texas….and the car we were in got broken into and everything we had with us was stolen (except a set of golf clubs- the burglars had no use for them either, I guess!) including everything in my wallet. I think my brain mixed up a lot of stuff…friends on vacation in Texas, me being at the bank yesterday about a student credit card for my granddaughter, a conversation yesterday with my daughter in law about locking a trailer, using my credit card online last night, and seeing news about Texas floods. Funny how the brain processes stuff and mixes it all together in bazaar ways! LOL!
5/27/14
After being told about a movie, Seasons of Gray, Bill and I looked it up and watched it on demand tonight. It is a modern day version of the story of Joseph. (Genesis chapters 30-50). It was a touching story and we were pleased to see that it follows the scripture storyline fairly well. I commend it to you, if you are looking for something that you can watch and talk about with your children.
6/27/2015
It was a cool and breezy afternoon after the rain today. Bill and I sat in the swing under the arbor and watched the dogs run around the yard. The cats seemed to enjoy the afternoon, too. The wind chime was singing in the breeze! These are the moments that make home a sanctuary.
8/16/2016 (8/16/2021 this was Bill to a “T”!)
I had hoped that I could take today off and make some progress on a pending project. Alas, I found myself awake at 3am. Eyes burning. headache. Fever. And aches. Didn’t get much of anything done today …….prayer please for me- and for some things( 2022) going on with family. God knows.
And to add to the day’s drear, a neighbor came knocking about 2 pm about an orange cat that had died in her yard. Was it mine and would I please come get it? Well, it wasn’t mine, but a little feral cat who made the rounds of the neighborhood from time to time. When he would show up here Bill would slip a bowl of food out to him and talk to him from a distance. Sad for the little fellow that we had nicknamed “Okie” ( for orange kitty). Bill and I went and got him, wrapped him and put him in a box and I took him to our vet who is always gracious about such things. On one of those rare days when it would have been comforting to simply rest, that was not one of the highlights of the day. Looking forward to a better day tomorrow.
9/1/2020
This was a year ago today:
“i love that we do communion every Sunday now. I was in prayer today during communion at church about a particular issue related to Friday’s sudden bizarre panic attack and just as gentle as a whisper God spoke to my heart and answered my prayer and tears flowed and laughter bubbled up and the unexpected answer made my heart sing! God does such extraordinary things through such unanticipated means. If I could anticipate them he would not be the ineffable and almighty, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God that he is! I am humbled to be his servant.”
And although God does such things regularly He was especially kind and did a similar thing this morning allowing me to hear Bill’s voice in a dream just before I awoke then giving me a sweet vision of Bill during our first set of movements in our yoga class this morning. I cried through the next ten minutes of the class. The two events were tied together…… Only God could work such a sweet experience for me.
.9/2/2019
Our last Labor Day holiday together….. that afternoon we learned that Bill’s dear cousin, Dr Robert Echols, of Cullman, AL, had died that afternoon of a massive sudden cardiac arrest. Bobby was 70, just over 1 year older than Bill. He was still practicing ER medicine snd was very physically active and had had no indicators of this event. Bill was shocked and crushed. I know that was a factor in Bill’s later lack of hopefulness as COVID took possession of our lives…..
“It was a lovely cool morning to do an hour of yard work with Bill before cooking breakfast and settling down for a little vintage Perry Mason TV! Ha ha! What a Labor Day morning! Not much different from so many others. Thanking God for them.”
9/2/2017
Sister and bro-in-law, Carol and Boyd Andrews are visiting today before they head out to PCB for a few days of beach time. Western omelets with sausage patties and grits for breakfast. Lunch of fresh home made chicken salad, sliced tomatoes, steamed yellow squash and Vidalia onions, celery sticks and pimento cheese…..Bill’s standard line is, “Sure glad you all came….Cathy always cooks for company.” Smart alec.
9/6/2017
Bill and “the peanut gallery”-Tiger, Winston.&Daisy snacking on peanuts.
10/1/2016
About once or twice a year I get to go to the shooting range (with Rev. Doug Pennington’s firearms safety class) and shoot. This afternoon was a beautiful day for it! I shot a couple of Ruger 22;s, a Ruger 327, and my own Smith and Wesson snub nose 38 revolver. I’m thinking I need one of the little 327 revolvers,, as it and the 22s were much easier to manage and my accuracy with them was much better. They were actually fun to shoot! The S&W 38, inherited from Bill’s Dad, is too exhausting for sport shooting. I brought my targets home to Bill just to show him if some one breaks in and threatens us, I’m ready! Ha Ha!
1/2/2015
We had a pull chain come out of the light fixture on a ceiling fan. Bill took it apart, figured out what to do, ordered a replacement part for less than $5.00, had it in two days, and installed it this afternoon. Call me “IMPRESSED!”
He’s always been pretty handy when he wanted to be, there were just a lot of times he didn’t want to be! LOL! Of course, now that we live on retirement income and have fewer distractions, it’s a lot easier to get motivated to “want to”!
My love language is “acts of service”. So anytime Bill does something like this….takes the time to serve my needs or the needs of our home, I feel loved. I guess that is why I am comfortable in service to others. I figure if service says “love” to me, perhaps it will to others. But I’ve learned that the “love” I’m offering is not really to those being served, although I do hope they get that message. It is more an expression of my love for Christ.
1/11/2019
You’ve been married a long time and are definitely in sync with one another when your husband’s dreams speak to YOUR thoughts and circumstances! God has done that so many times, it’s not even a surprise anymore! LOL! This morning when Bill casually shared with me what seemed like a funny dream, I realized God was using Bill’s description of his dream to communicate a deeper message to me. It made me smile inside and it offered insight and comfort about a situation. God always knows just what one needs and brings it at just the right time in a way that makes it very clear! I love my husband. And I love the Lord. And I love how the Lord uses my husband in my life!