feather boa garland!
Check out my groovy Christmas tree! I got the bright idea to use white feather boas in lieu of garland this year! I LUV it!
daddy’s high school class ring: found!
My first cousin, Paula, contacted me yesterday. First thing she said in her email was, “Call me. Everything’s okay. Nobody died. Just call me.” (I guess that pretty much tells you how often Paula and I talk!) So, I contacted Paula and she asked me what year my Daddy graduated high school.
“I dunno,” I said, grabbing a calculator. “1960?”
“Could it have been 1959?” Paula asked.
“Sure,” I said. “I really have no idea. All I know is when he started school he ran away from school so many times that finally his teacher walked him home herself and told Granny Sims, ‘Why don’t we just try this again next year?’. The next year he arrived, already reading, and by the end of that year he had rejoined his rightful classmates.”
So did my cousin have the ring? No. This is where the story gets almost unbelievable. A former Calhoun County Superintendent of Education, Beth Hardin, moved somewhere into DeSoto county. As I understand it, she recently moved again, to Southaven. Some of her new neighbors, Joe and Jean Taylor, came over to welcome them to the community and to introduce themselves. When neighbors, Joe and Jean discovered that Beth was from Calhoun County, they told about a class ring that they had in their possession. As I understand it, Joe and Jean’s son’s wife is the grandchild of a Horn Lake dry cleaning business proprietor. And, amongst some things from her grandparents business, perhaps, there was a box of unclaimed jewelry and such. And, in said box was a high school class ring from Bruce High School, class of 1959. Inside the ring, the initials J R S are inscribed. Joe and Jean asked Beth, since she had been in education for Calhoun county, where Bruce High School is located, if she would know how to find the person who’s class ring this might be.
So, Beth called someone she knew at Bruce High School, I believe it was. And, inquired about what man in the graduating class of ’59 had the initials JRS. Turns out there were two with those initials. Meanwhile, someone in the office at the high school recognized daddy’s name, and knew that he was my cousin Paula’s uncle. (Paula also works in education in Calhoun County.) So, that person called my cousin, Paula. Paula knew former superintendent, Beth, gave her a call…and then Paula contacted me.
So, once I was up to speed on this “mystery”, I called Beth myself. Told her I didn’t have any idea if Daddy ever had a high school class ring. But, that I did know that Daddy had taught at Horn Lake High School. So, it was possible that his ring could have been left in a coat pocket and ended up at the dry cleaners in Horn Lake, Mississippi. Beth asked me after we’d talked a minute or two if my last name was Snelling or maybe she said Snellings? I said, “No ma’am, my maiden name is Sims.” She explained that Snelling was the other last name that was possible. So, I said I’d call Mama and find out if she knew anything about a high school ring of Daddy’s. Mama and Daddy started dating in 1963. And I knew I had never seen a high school ring of his.
Called Mama. She had never seen a high school ring of Daddy’s. But she had been introduced to John Snelling once because Daddy and he had seen each other in traffic one day. This was not uncommon because Daddy found people he knew everywhere he went. Mama said John used to run a UPS route. When he and Daddy recognized each other, they each pulled over and talked, as high school friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Daddy introduced Mama to his classmate. So, she remembered the name of the classmate. But could not confirm that Daddy had a ring. At that point she said, “You know who will KNOW for sure? Billy McCord.” (Daddy’s best friend from school…)
Sooooooooo I called Billy! (Or Uncle Billy as I called him when I was little.) And he verified that Daddy definitely did have a class ring. Said they got their rings the same day. I told him that there was another classmate with the initials JRS named John Snelling, and that Mama said he also used to live in DeSoto county. Billy said that was true, but that John had moved back to Bruce since then. He said, “I’ll tell ya what…I’ll call John and find out. And then I’ll call ya back!” A few hours later Billy called to tell me that he had spoken with Mr. Snelling, and that he had NOT lost his high school class ring. It was NOT John Snelling’s ring. That left only one other possible JRS from Bruce High School class of 1959: James Robert Sims.
So, I called Beth back. She was tickled for us to have solved this mystery. And she called her neighbor to tell that they’d found the daughter of the rightful owner (me), but that he had passed away in 2008. She then gave me the phone number for her neighbors. I called and spoke to Joe’s wife, Jean. And later I went by and met them, and they presented me with Daddy’s ring…a ring we didn’t know existed until yesterday. Joe said he had so hoped that the owner would still be around to get the ring back.
*gulp*…Yes, I wish that too.
And wouldn’ t you just know it? Both Beth Hardin and her neighbors Joe and Jean Taylor live IN MY SUBDIVISION, about two minutes from me.
Amazing.
I don’t EVEN wanna hear that. Speak to the hand.
Love covers a multitude of sins.
“Have you heard about what so-and-so did? Well, you are never gonna believe THIS!”
Why do people take it upon themselves to tale-bear? Have they themselves never done anything wrong? It amazes me that in this world brimming full of flawed people (correct me if I’m wrong…but is there any other kind of person?) –there are so many people who like to spend their time running down the names and reputations of their neighbors!
Folks! Do some reading on the law of attraction. You are bringing that same treatment down upon yourself. Think you are above reproach? Better stay humble. Pride comes before the fall! Small town, small-mindedness! Ugh!!! Why people? Why? Love your neighbor! Do unto others as you know you HOPE they’ll do unto you!
I used to do a lot better about stopping gossip in its tracks. It can be hard to tell someone to STOP before they unload their juicy gossip for you to hear. But that’s EXACTLY what we all need to do. Don’t tell anything bad on anyone, and refuse to LISTEN to anything bad on anyone.
Some people have convinced themselves that they are only trying to “protect” their friends by warning them about what evils of which somebody else is capable. But that’s bunk, too! We are ALL completely CAPABLE of the same deeds. If you think you are ABOVE some sin, you have got a bigger issue to overcome: PRIDE.
And yeah, people may look at you funny when you tell them, “Please don’t take offense…but I don’t want you to tell me any juicy news on anybody.” Yeah, they may think you’re a goodie-goodie. But ya know what? This world needs more goodie-goodies.
So, NO. I don’t even wanna hear that! (And you shouldn’t either!)
MERCY! You’ve GOT to read this book!!!
MERCY y’all! You have just GOT to read this book!
My baby sister is a phenomenal writer. This book, entitled MERCY, is her second book. It is ahhhhMAYYYYzing. You really need to read it. I’ve attached the link to purchasing it (in e-book format) on amazon.com. Download yourself a copy today!
About this book:
MERCY, set in the small Mississippi town of that name, weaves a tale of past and present and reveals what can happen to three generations of family when money and secrets collide.
Davis Sanford, contemptuously dismissed by his family almost a decade ago, is a recovering alcoholic and the grandchild of local timber baron and pillar of the community, Frank Sanford. An early-morning phone call from his old haunt of Mercy draws Davis home once more for the impending death of the family patriarch. Jennifer Martin returns to the scene as Davis’s girlfriend, and the two embark on a weekend journey through his past.
As the prodigal son copes with his grandfather’s mortality, he must also face his disapproving father and a wealth of personal history he has tried for years to leave behind. Together with Jennifer he uncovers one family secret after another, at last discovering the sin that has shaped, conflicted, and ultimately driven them all to the tragic existences they lead.
a must-read book: FLATLANDS by Susan Sims Moody
My younger sister, Susan, is quite the author, y’all! In celebration of the fact that her THIRD book is about to come out, I thought I’d take a moment and reccommend that you read the first two in the series! Today I’d like to share with you an excerpt from the first book in her series, entitled, FLATLANDS.
Enjoy the excerpt, and then, by all means, purchase your own copy in e-book format by visiting this link!
Flatlands (The Jennifer Martin Mystery Series) – Kindle Edition – Kindle eBook (Oct. 18, 2010) by Susan Sims Moody
And here’s the excerpt I promised you! From FLATLANDS by Susan Sims Moody:
After hours of working on her new home, Jennifer needed a break. It was cooling off, about seventy degrees outside. At a quarter past eight, the sun was dropping fast. She pulled on a gray sweatshirt, exchanged her flip-flops for a pair of tennis shoes, and walked out the back door to explore the back forty.
Behind the old house sprawled a large grassy field. The heat had baked the knee-high weeds to an amber glow. Ancient pine trees lined the field, marking the boundary of the county landfill. Only when the wind blew the wrong direction would anyone suspect it. The house had been built on a man-made plateau that sloped down to the field below. She didn’t think much about it.
Crickets chirped in the cooling evening hours, and Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion. She descended the sloping hill to the heart of the yellow-gold field. Something loomed up suddenly in the dark.
Had it been there all along? Was something in the field with her? Jennifer paused and looked. The object did not move. She waited a little longer and noticed a mildewed odor wafting toward her. Whatever it was, it had been there a long time.
She continued closer to investigate. As she closed in, it seemed larger and larger. She came closer and touched the side of a still-warm shell that lay on its side, four feet tall. Blue paint flaked off the surface in sheets as big as her hand as she continued to investigate.
It was rectangular with a large hose-like object around it. Moving around, she discovered another piece, lying separately from the first. Shoes. She saw black shoes attached to ten-foot tall legs, cut off at the pelvis. Around again, and Jennifer saw another rectangle: a grocery sack with a huge forearm and hand clutching it tightly.
She knew what was next. The huge head lay face down in the mud, water stagnating inside what would have held a brain, had it been real. The Giant Grocer had been abandoned when the grocery chain failed. Lying in three pieces, he was a memorial to all that once was grand almost twenty years ago. The thought of groceries made her hungrier still.
Jennifer rubbed her tired hands across the mammoth man, feeling his colors flaking away as she touched the forgotten figure. His peach features were cooling faster than his dark brown hair. The field was completely dark now. She looked back toward her house as headlights flashed in the driveway.
Startled to have a visitor, all other thoughts vanished, and the crickets seemed to hush in anticipation. She patted the grocer one last time and jogged up the hill to see who had come to call. The hill seemed steeper going up than it did going down, and Jennifer had to pause to catch her breath where the back yard became markedly more sloped. The Mississippi delta, and you’ve got to pick the only place in two hundred miles that has a hill in the back yard, she thought.
truly amazing
Well, I DID costume myself as “Flo the Progressive Insurance lady” today. And, I must be convincing. I have actually had two people to inquire SERIOUSLY if I was truly going to be selling insurance now. One even went so far as to tell me that they had Geico now, and that they’d be interested in discussing rates with me.
Noooooo, I am NOT kidding. And neither was that person. I looked at them and said politely, with a smile on my face, “Ohhhh, noooo—this is just my halloween costume.” And they responded with a countenance of full chagrin.
I mean…y’all? I am just in shock. I’m at a loss for words. (And I’m not sure that’s ever happened before.)
this and that
Ahhhh. The weather is finally cooling off some. I am thankful. I despise the heat. My tolerance for cold weather is MUCH greater. I don’t know that it’s great enough to tolerate the winter my little sister and her family have signed on for up there in the great white north, though. That below freezing mess can stay well on up there above the Mason Dixon line as far as I’m concerned. Last year the heater broke in my minivan on a couple of days when it was around eleven degrees outside. Now, THAT wasn’t exactly a chuckle-fest. But, so long as I have the luxuries of a heater in my home and vehicle, then this girl is completely happy with winter temps. Throw some snow in there and I’m ecstatic! I told my sister she’d better prepare her chilluns for the cold hard facts—Wisconsin students don’t have snow days. Those mornings will be tear-jerkers, I’m thinking. Earlier this week Susan said their weather forecast held the promise of snow for TODAY.
Very happy to say I’m still be painting all the time. Here lately my painted pendants and my earrings have really taken off. So excited about it! And the Christmas gift buying season is approaching. Remember me as you plan your gift list. My jewelry is perfect for teacher gifts! Well, they’re great for any of the ladies on your list, really. And the price is right! (See artsiesmartsie.wordpress.com) One stop shopping…no lines, no waiting. I’ll even gift wrap. (Now that’s hard to beat, y’all!) I do have pendants painted up, and earrings, too…ready to go. So local folk— let me know when you’d like to swing by after work and peruse the ArTSieSmarTSie inventory. Out of towners…order now so we can ship it to ya in time to put under the tree! I’ve been trying to beef up my stock some for those who want to come by and shop from my dining room table again this year. Y’all I just feel sooooo blessed to have found this niche. Sometimes I worry—I hope everyone understands there’s just one of me! My breakfast table is covered in order bags with names of customers penned in calligraphy. It’s become my order fulfillment station. As I finish an order completely and ship it, I mark it off my to-do list! But, there IS no assembly line. I’m a one-woman show! = )
Tomorrow’s the last work day before Halloween. Trying to decide if I’m gonna go through with going to work dressed as Flo the Progressive Insurance girl. I’ve got the whole get-up. I’m just not sure I give a flip anymore! I guess I should since I’ve been gathering the clothes from sales racks for months. But, now I feel sorta unmotivated to follow through. I really should go to a Progressive Insurance office and get a photo made out by the PROGRESSIVE sign at least.
Today we’re attending a farewell luncheon for the man who told my now supervisor to hire me 4+ years ago. I remember very well getting that telephone call. I had interviewed at 11 o’clock on July 17, 2006. I got home from the interview, and before I’d even had time to get out of my interview clothes, the phone rang. It was the office manager, Patsy. And she told me very plainly that Tom had put my resume on her desk after our interview with the instructions, “Hire her.” I really hate to see him leave our company. I’ll truly miss working with him. Shelby County Public Works division is definitely blessed to have Tom Needham coming on board. May he be blessed in this new endeavor.
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