A Blue Pitcher and Bowl

I'm getting my wish for "COLD."

It's freezing at 17 degrees.

The wind-chill factor says it's almost ZERO, 

so says Mr. H.

I'm loving it!

He said, "Of course, you do.

You get to stay in bed."

I'd much rather have a job!

Staying in bed is not much fun today.

I have vertigo and my world 

is spinning even as I type.

I do have a few shots of 

one of my favorite pieces 

of my mother's.

I hope I haven't shared it before.

Mama collected pitchers and bowls.

This one is a small piece, 

maybe 3 or 4 inches tall.

The "bowl" is more of a saucer.

A closer view, 

isn't it pretty?

Marked too:)

Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling 

on this coooold January day!

Stay Warm and Cozy, 

Bonnie:)

Longing for a Winter Wonderland

I long for a Winter Wonderland.

We may get snow every 3 or 4 years
and barely enough to cover the ground.
Can't say how long it's been since
we've built a snowman.

A few flakes falling,
 and the grocery stores
are filled to overflowing.

You see in GA, 

when it snows
everything shuts down.

In 1972,
we had a miracle.

A few flakes of snow,
and we were sent home from school.

I was too excited to sleep.
This 12 year old girl was more than excited!

I awoke to a foot of snow
and it was still falling.
By mid-day it was to my knees.
I prayed the sun would not come out.
I wanted SNOW!
Never have I seen anything as bright.

We never got snow like that again.

The photo below was taken at the homeplace
the winter before my parent's died.
I sure hope there's snow in heaven.
Mama was a kid at heart,
and she loved to play!

I get a taste of snow 

when I visit my children in Nashville.

This was what it looked like from Chattanooga to Atlanta

two years ago.

I may just head for Tennessee 

when there's the first hint of snow!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow,

Bonnie:)

May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

Who would ever want to be 14 again?

My kids say, "NEVER!"

The year of bulging waist-lines and acne,

mean girls and guys who sing to the tune of, 

"My _________'s bigger than your _________."

The fill-in-the-blank of comparison and competition.

I heard a teacher call it,

8th-grade-itis.

Having taken 2 semesters of nursing, 

"itis" is "inflammation of."

To some parents and teacher,
this time of hormones
would definitely be considered an infection.

I say all that to say this,

I loved my 8th grade year.

Oh, I was the obnoxious kid

with the big mouth, the bulging waistline,

and bad acne who was caught for 

chewing gum in class, getting in the face of a classmate,

talking back to a teacher, leading the class in chorus
when the teacher turned his head,

skipping PE and getting an F in conduct.

I had been to the office so many times

for a paddling

that the principal thought he was my daddy.

The proverbial, 

"this hurts me more than it hurts you,"

became redundant.

It was the year of the "crush."

I loved my chorus teacher.
Music is my heart
and he became the "heart of my affection."
Ahhhhhh.....
(LOL!)

We listened to LP's and 8 Tracks
to the tune of

Otis Redding's,
"Sitting on the Dock of the Bay."

 Mr. Knight also taught us the classics,

like,
"Oh, we ain't got a barrel of money,
Maybe we're ragged and funny,
but we travel along,
singing a song,
Side by side."

"Don't know what's coming tomorrow,
maybe it's trouble and sorrow
but we'll travel the road
sharing our load,
Side by side."

(A good reminder as we face the new year!)

It was in his class that I learned to sing,
by notes ear,
harmony.

"May the Good Lord bless and keep you,
whether near or far away.
May you find that long awaited
golden day.

May your troubles all be small ones
And your fortune ten times ten.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you,
'til we meet again.

May you walk with sunlight shining,
and a blue bird in every tree.
May there be a living lining 
back of every cloud you see.

Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows
Never mind what might have been.
May the Good Lord bless and keep you
'til we meet again."

A perfect song for a farewell to the old,
and a perfect song as we face the new.

Our 8th grade graduation
closed with our singing,
our alma mater.

"In the heart of dear ole' Tennille
Glorious to see
Stands our gallant alma mater, 
Dear old TSE."

To you my friends,
May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You
in 2014,

Bonnie:)

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

St. Francis of Assisi wrote a prayer

that we would do well to pray

and seek to live.

Though he inherited great wealth,

like many saints he chose

to surrender worldly possessions

and live a simple life poverty.

His life was one of loving God

and serving people.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hated, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon, 

Where there is doubt,faith,

Where there is despair, hope,

There there is darkness, light,

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

seek to be consoled, as to console,

To be understood, as to understand,

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving 

that we receive,

It is in pardoning, 

that we are pardoned.

And it is dying

that we are born to eternal life.

This is My Prayer

as I look toward 2014,

Bonnie:)