Me, too, Google

 The blooms were ours to enjoy Sunday 

 at the local extension gardens

 after on-line church

 and here's a chuckle for you--

 at least it made ME chuckle...

 I was researching a bit for one of my 10-line poems.

I wanted to incorporate a quote I'd heard

but had forgotten who said it!

So, I googled it.

Voice google.

 Me:  "Who said, 'What you don't understand,

don't misunderstand'"?

To which google voice answered,
(I kid you not)

"Sorry.  I'm trying to get better at this kind of thing."

***

"Me, too, Google.  Me, too!"

The Habit of Reading

Because of our (husband & my) daily readings in All Saints,

I have an extensive list of books I want to read.

I requested The Habit of Being from our library, and it has arrived.

While reading, I stop and chuckle frequently. I may NEVER get through it!

It is a collection of Flannery O'Connor's letters to friends, editors, agents, etc.

They are just a HOOT.  Here are some lines, for example:

"I hope you got the pickle recipe.  Regina had never made any such 
but got the recipe out of a very dirty old cookbook so it should be alright."

"I am glad you have come to favor chickens.  You won't favor them so much 
when you have to clean up their apartment but the eggs are certainly worth it."

"The one I sent looked as if I had just bitten my grandmother and that this was one of my few pleasures, but all the rest were worse."  (about a publicity picture she'd submitted)

"She is still violently interested in finding herself a husband and still asks personal questions without any preparation and at the most inconvenient times.  I do wish somebody would marry the child and shut her up.  I am touched by her but you know what a long way a little goes."

 

Do you SEE what I mean?
If you need to laugh and don't mind reading a bunch of letters,
I STRONGLY suggest this book.
(Those of you who are writers will REALLY appreciate it!)

 The time to read is now, not hereafter. We must make time or miss our joy.
(George Holbrook Jackson)

Laughter - Good Medicine

Sunday--so pleased was I to fit into a navy blue dress that had been languishing in my closet waiting for my weight loss--so pleased was I about the DRESS that I didn't realize I put my belt on backwards!

I wore it this way to Sunday school and church.  When we got home, I led the way into the house.  My husband said, "Rebecca, I think your belt is on backward."

Eeek!  It was.  For over two hours I had advertised to anyone close enough to read that my lovely navy belt was size LARGE - plus a little MORE information (none of it as humbling as the size).  Little did it matter at that point that the underside of the belt was black,  blending questionably with the navy dress!

A few minutes later we were in the car with my parents who were visiting us trying to find a restaurant open on Memorial Day Sunday.   My cell phone rang.  It was a friend from church.  "Rebecca.  I meant to tell you at church.....did you know that you were wearing your belt on the wrong side?  I thought you'd want to know."

I thanked her and assured her she was a TRUE friend, and that I needed her in my life!  She said she hoped I'd do the same for her, adding "except I never wear belts!"

Our carload had a good laugh about that phone call, as you can imagine.

 Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. Anonymous Author
 Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can. Elsa Maxwell
  Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart,
 don't know how to laugh either. Golda Meir
When a person can no longer laugh at himself, it is time for others to laugh at him. Thomas Szasz
 Laughter is a holy thing. It is as sacred as music and silence and solemnity, maybe more sacred. Laughter is like a prayer, like a bridge over which creatures tiptoe to meet each other. Laughter is like mercy; it heals. When you can laugh at yourself, you are free. Ted Loder

Happy Halloween

...outside our front door...

I've tortured my facebook friends daily.  Now, with no further ado, I submit my pumpkin/jack-o'-lanterns riddles and one-liners  to you, my blog friends!  I didn't find so many online.  When I ran out, I created my own.  I'll let you guess which is which (no Halloween pun intended)!

Q.  What happened when a truck spilled its entire haul of pumpkins across the freeway?  A.  The morning commute got off to a Smashing Start

(Inspired by the Wednesday spill near Orchard Lake Road on I-696 (MI) on 10/27/11. Thanks, Dee, for bringing the "spill to my attention.)

Q. What did the jack-o'-lantern say to the other jack-o'-lantern when they were on their way to a Halloween party?   A. "Let's get glowing."

Q. Why wasn't there any food left after the jack-o'-lantern's party? A. Because everyone was a goblin!

Q. What do you call a person who gets a pumpkin pie in the face? A."Desserted"

Q. What do you get when you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by the diameter? Pumpkin Pi

Q. What do you call a fat pumpkin?  A. A plumpkin

Q. Who goes to the field when a pumpkin gets sick? A. Patch Adams

You might be a redneck if....The Halloween pumpkin on your front porch has more teeth than your spouse.

Q. When is a pumpkin not a pumpkin? A. When you drop it; then it's squash!

Q. How do you mend a broken jack-o-lantern? A. With a pumpkin patch!.

...a few of my autumn tablecloths...thrifted, of course!

Q. Who helped the pumpkin kid cross the street on his way to school?  A. the Crossing Gourd

  Q. Lynn likes grapes but not potatoes. She likes squash but not lettuce, and she likes peas but not onions. Following the same pattern, will she like pumpkins or apples?  A. Pumpkins (All the things she likes grow on vines.) 

Q. On what day of the week do jack-o-lanterns eat their candy? A. Chewsday

Q.  How did the pumpkin feel when it had no insides left?  A.  All right.

  Q. Why was the jack-o-lantern afraid to cross the street?  A. It had no guts. 

Q: What is the difference between a broomstick and a pumpkin? A: You can't make broomstick pie!

Q: What's the difference between a pumpkin and peanut butter? A: The pumpkin doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth!

Q. What kind of books do Jack-o'-lanterns read? A. Pulp fiction and other seedy novels (Thanks to Jess who planted the seeds for this one.)

That's ALL for now, Folks!

My Two Fathers

Thanking God for my father who has given me a glimpse of what my Heavenly Father is like...loving, dependable, kind, generous, wise, creative, and faithful.  

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God! That's who we really are. But that's also why the world doesn't recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he's up to. But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own.  (I John 3:1-3, The Message)

☺☺☺☺
 A father carries pictures where his money used to be.  -author unknown

Night Lights 2

 You may have visited my previous post where I chronicled our attempt to brighten the lengthening nights and darkness of the street in front of our house...Well, being a little obsessive about details, I wanted a matching orange cast on the outdoor lamp beside our garage door.

This was my husband's solution!

Just WHERE the frisbee came from, believe me, I don't know!

It DOES produce the desired effect...

and from the street, I don't think anyone will notice exactly how the Pastor

has improvised to make his wife happy!

This reminds me that

God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  (2 Corinthians 4:6).  I want to be aware of how the Light of Jesus within me might be altered by my words or actions.  I want to live appropriately, empowered by HIS "all-surpassing power" (4:7).

Appendix  I realize I SHOULD have said that I AM aware of whose logo it is.  

What I MEANT to convey was that I don't know how it came to be in our possession!  

Angels Watchin' Over THEM!

Our youth-pastor-son needed a new car, so yesterday morning I posted this message on facebook:  Anyone got a small, no frills, reliable, good mileage car (for sale)?

Within a few hours, I received this response from one of my facebook friends: Well as of 8:30 this morning we now have half of a car. It was midsize so now I guess it's  small.  Has no frills, or front end or windshield. How many frills do you really need?

I saw quite a bit of humor here, but didn't know how to respond.  So I wrote:  SERIOUSLY? Are you (or whoever was driving) OK? I'm so sorry. On the other hand, your sense of humor is absolutely amazing! This could be made into a cartoon, copyrighted, and should bring in enough $$ to buy a new car!

Here is the response.  (The picture came later): Yes seriously. T and her best friend were almost to school when she was blinded by the morning sun & hit a truck. She is in a neck brace but home and doing ok. J is sore but ok also. God was totally with them! and that was about the extent of my humor for today. The timing of your post just made me laugh...again a God thing!

By the way, our son found a car. Another God thing.