My community is currently under a "boil water" restriction, which was only supposed to last for a day or two, but today's already day five, and apparently this might last up to two weeks they say. We even made Fox News! A water main break over the weekend the culprit, we're now narrowed down from a few surrounding communities to just mine - and it's really not that big of a deal, because I've got enough bottled water for a few days, and take my empty bottles to work and fill them to return home. I make my oatmeal with bottled water in the morning, use paper plates, bowls, silverware, and cups, and if I feel like it, I can just go eat somewhere outside of my zip code. And you know what they say - This too shall pass! Tonight, however, my friend Sharon invited me to dinner at her home ... View Post
Counting Traffic Lights
A few weeks ago, I drove through my old childhood neighborhood, and went around the block reminiscing and remembering old friends and good times. I have so many good memories! I drove past Hosanna Tabor Church where my friends and I would practice hitting tennis balls against the brick side of the building, and then past Michelle's house where we would lay on the cement driveway for hours each day in the summer, smothered in baby oil trying to "catch a tan!" I drove down Elmira Road and laughed at how short a distance it actually was between our garage and Atkinson's garage, facing each other on opposite sides of the street. As kids, those garage doors served as hockey goal nets for my brother Larry and all of the neighborhood boys. The front lawn of our house on Hemingway was the ... View Post
Turning that July Page
Turning the page in your calendar to a nice clean month with empty boxes... Am I the only person who enjoys this? I can't be. July's been another month of all of my plans canceled. I missed a retirement party, a farewell party, the Lavender Festival, Brynn's family BBQ, dinner with Danielle, and a week's worth of work, just for starters. It was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants month! I had a Gross Pointe Starbucks coffee date with Jennifer, along with a short blogging tutorial because my blog was updated beyond my technical abilities. What a sweet gal! There was a last minute Friday night dinner at the Chamberlains, a full day with Holly & the kiddos, finished a couple of books and started a new one that I'm savoring slowly, walked a lot of laps around my quiet ... View Post
Talk To Strangers
"Hi, I'm Rita, and I'm going to be your nurse today!" That's how I greeted my last patient of the day, who sat for 10 minutes watching me run around before I finally made it over to introduce myself. "Oh, I've been watching you! I can tell you love your job!" she said. But in my head all I could think was, "We're in the middle of our JACHO inspection! How did you mistake my fear and nervousness for a love of my job?" But the truth is, I do love my job. But yesterday? Yesterday I spent most of the day praying I would not be the chosen one for inspectors to follow around. (Every healthcare worker across the country "gets it!") This incredibly sweet lady went on to tell me that she too, loved her career. She ran a latchkey program in the inner city. She stays in touch with many ... View Post
The End of Summer
Forty-two (42). That's how many days are left of summer, and if you're from Michigan, or probably anywhere in the Midwest, the thought of how fast time flies comes to mind quickly. We plant flowers and head to the Great Lakes as quickly and as often as we can, because the warm sunny months don't last very long before that white stuff starts falling from the sky. I can't say the word because I'm not ready for it yet. I was looking forward to so many things this summer - beginning with the trip I share with my two girlfriends each June. But, health issues... I also had a trip planned to visit some friends about five hours away, but... had an accident, tore my rotator cuff, and spent the evening in the ER. Plans canceled. It had been three years since I'd made it to the Lavender ... View Post
Seasons of Friendships
I'm attempting to do two things here.... blog for the first time using the block editor (so forgive me if it comes out all goofy), and add a nugget of wisdom to an old blog I've thought a million times recently of re-doing. Turns out - It doesn't need to be re-done. I actually just needed to re-read it ;) And it's funny, because the nugget of wisdom I wanted to add to it, came from the very friend I mentioned below. I know some smart people, and when they tell me something good, I like to write it down! - and share it, too! Claudette once told me "people only know what you tell them!" And I have shared that with so many over the years. Be careful. Even those you think are the ones closest to you, can brutishly take all of your junk you have vulnerably shared with them, and use it ... View Post
The Birthday Mouse
Recently some friends and I sat around my little round kitchen table, in what still feels like my new little dining area, and shared some pizza and laughs. On the wooden shelf that hangs on the wall behind us is a little metal mouse, and my Dad's hat - always, always a couple of conversation pieces. My Dad never liked to draw attention to himself. He didn't like being made a big deal of, and in any conversation, he was more likely to let someone go on and on about themselves, than to ever talk about himself. And it wasn't as if he didn't have interesting things about himself to share, because he certainly did! He'd tell a joke (often times over and over), before he'd ever brag about himself. I'm not sure if he realized it or not, but he didn't have to talk about himself - his life ... View Post
What Exactly Is A Pood?
Pood Noun Definition of Pood A friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 A friend who refreshes your soul. Proverbs 27:9 Friends who encourage and build one another up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Friends who help each other out, should one of them fall. Ecclesiastes 4:10 Friends who share heartfelt advice. Proverbs 27:9 Someone who makes a pinky promise and 15 years later, has renewed said pinky promise several times. Someone who welcomes your family members into their home when they're moving across country, and makes them feel right. at. home. (Basically, they take care of your kid when you can't.) Someone you can just call and go, "Pood..." and they reply... "I know." A Pood is someone who doesn't laugh at you, when you ... View Post