Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. ************ ~William Hazlitt

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant. 

Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), Satires

Day 1
Hi, ya'll.  I know it's been a bit since I last posted.  The brain frying Oklahoma weather seems to have already taken a toll on me and summer just began a week ago.  The animals are just trying to survive, too.  They are all mad cause I woke them up for a photo op.

Sophie was sleeping on a basket in the window.

Maggie woke up really grumpy!

Molly said "Will you just leave me alone and let me sleep?"

I have a rule of thumb for visiting doctors:  if I have less than three things wrong with me (or the problem has bothered me less than two years), I don't go.  Period.  End of statement.  Well, the count is well above three so I have a doctor's appointment today at 2:45 p.m.(all the morning appointments were taken so I have to venture out in the heat this afternoon, yuck). Think I'll treat myself to a milkshake after the trauma of a doctor's visit (any excuse will do when it comes to ice cream).  I know ya'll are tired of hearing me whine about being sick but it is what it is!

I just wanted to take a simple bathroom break.  How often does a catastrophe start with one simple task? One bathroom is flooded, the other has "stuff" backed up in the bathtub and my living room is flooded.  I'm sick ya'll!  I shouldn't have to deal with cleaning up recycled pooh!  Just shoot me now!  I want to curl up in the bed and be a sick person not the repair and maintenance crew today!  If we rented our residence, I could call the landlord but when you are a frugal homeowner you are the maintenance man and the cleaning crew and the do it yourself repair person.  Just shoot me now! However, adversity brings out the most creative in me.  Plus I can read instructions on how to repair most things.  Thank God for good language skills. 

One full bottle of Liquid Plumber later and  with one foot on the bathtub stopper, the other foot in front of the toilet bowl and stretched out like taffy (thanks to yoga I can do this) to reach the toilet bowl (this is not a technique I read about but I had to be creative since there is just one of me), I have plunged my brains out to no avail.  This issue is way above my skill level.  Guess I'll have to take a bath in the wadding pool in the front yard.  Just shoot me now!  Anything requiring water or drainage has come to a complete hault til I can meditate (changed to Pepsi and with Bronchitis, a cigarette is out of the question).

Day 2

It now takes me two days to do what I used to do in one hour.  I went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have sinusitis, bronchitis and two other itis's (no, I'm not going to tell you what the other two are.  it's personal).  Let's just say I don't feel so great.  The total cost was around $150.00.  Just shoot me now!

Now, back to my plumbing problems (not my personal plumbing problems but the whole house plumbing problems).    Need to call in a professional (me thinks I have tree roots in the lines and no clean out line). My plumber of many years had retired and the next one I called wouldn't even respond to the two desperate messages I left on his answering machine (probably thought I was a crazy lady).  In my next life, I'm coming back as a plumber.  Expensive, unavailable and sets their own hours.  Brother Danny (my, when I go to church, minister) gave me the name of a great plumber today.  When I called, they said they would be out first thing in the morning.  Thank You, Lord!  Finally, instead of unreturned phone messages, I talked to a real person (he understood my pain and was very nice on the phone).  Hold off on the shooting me to let me see how expensive this will be.

In the meantime, my friend Charlie the Barber left me cucumbers and squash at the little store.  The cucumbers are just crying out for home canning as pickles.  Country folk don't get sick days and one must seize the moment when it comes to fresh picked veggies. Simple Living is planning for the future.

I see pickles in my future!

O.K.  I hate to admit it but I have become fascinated by the complexity of the most talked about criminal trial in recent American history.  It is my humble opinion that we will never know the exact details of how Caylee Marie Anthony died because this mystery is surrounded by far too many lies, changing stories, and enough forensic testimony to sink a battleship. I am a reasonable person and I have drawn my own conclusions.  There is one fact that remains after all is said and done:  a beautiful, loving child is now in the presence of our Heavenly Father who knows all things.  This link is a live feed from the courtroom.  Perhaps you can figure it out.  The prosecution is presenting their rebuttal tomorrow. Orlando Sentinel

O.K. Blah, blah, blah.  I'm shutting up now.  I know you're tired of listening to me.  See you another day.

Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.

 ~Francis Bacon