Wednesday, May 28, 2014

An Unexpected Visitor


Interesting?  I don't think so!

Scratch, scratch, scratch – Lee heard at his bedroom window about 3:30 a.m. He listened for a minute, then started to drift off again, but the scratch, scratch, scratching continued. 

“Those darn birds!” he said aloud. This wasn’t the first time they’d scratched at his window during the night. He had several trees close to the house but his feathered friends had taken a liking to the outside window ledge and apparently enjoyed scratching at the window.

When it happened a third time, he raised up on his elbow and looked toward the window. That’s when he saw that the noisemaker was not on the outside of the window, but was inside with him. At first, he wondered how a bird had gotten into the house, but then it took a little flight across the room and he realized it was not a bird, but a BAT!
“Oh, my gosh!” I said when he told me. “Did you have heart failure right then and there?”
“No.” Lee said. “Bats are quite interesting really. I watched it fly all around the house and it never once ran into anything or did any damage. They have remarkable radar.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Well, I knew I had to get it out of the house so I just opened the door and it took only a few seconds for it to fly right out of the opening. No harm done!”
Just then, his cat, Bitz, meandered into the room all sleepy-eyed, looking at him as if to say, “What’s happenin’?” She’d slept through the whole thing.
“A lot of help you are!” He said.
~~~
As you can see, my son takes everything in stride. Unlike his mom, he doesn’t get upset easily. Had I been in the same situation, I probably would have run out of the house and called someone to come and get the bat out before I went back. And that’s not the worst of it.
I’d probably never sleep again! At least not in darkness.

 

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Catching Up


 Haven’t been blogging for a while.
Too many things happening in my life:
We went to North Carolina in mid-May for a very special occasion... to watch proudly as our granddaughter graduated from The University of North Carolina, Charlotte. The university is quite impressive! It has 17 campuses that extend from the state’s mountains to the coast. Each year, they graduate more than 30,000 students from over 200 academic degree programs.
These days, we tend to think our children aren’t as interested in getting an education as former generations were, but this proves that, at least in one state, many are still going to college and earning degrees that prepare them to be good leaders, creators, and researchers – thus enabling them to give something back to the communities from whence they came.
This is encouraging, especially since many people have no faith in our youth today.
~~~
Mr. H. and I were sick for two weeks or more. Actually, it started before the trip, but we were committed and there was no getting out of going. The strength comes from somewhere when faced with things you must do.
At any rate, we saw our doctor when we returned and it turns out it was allergies – a really bad case! You see, Mr. H. raked moldy leaves and grass a few days before the trip and somehow managed to carry the allergens inside to share with me. Wasn’t that nice of him? 
The doctor loaded us up with prescription strength Allegra, antibiotics, and strict orders about drinking lots of water, etc.  But it was still another week before we started feeling close to normal again. It was a toss-up as to which of us coughed and sneezed and moaned and complained the most!
Nasty stuff!
We’re better now, but I did hear Mr. H. having a series of about ten sneezes in succession this morning before I got up. He thinks it’s the ink in the newspaper. I think it’s the air we breathe!
Just like we had no idea what was in our water back in January, we have no idea what we’re breathing either. We’re sitting ducks and perhaps lab rats for the area chemical companies.
Oh, well. I’ll save all that for another day. Right now, I have to visit a cemetery and pay my respects to some who dealt with these issues long before I was even aware of them.
Have a nice weekend!
 

Friday, May 2, 2014

The Fifth Month

A new month.
May holds nothing spectacular for me except that my mother was born on May 20th and my granddaughter, Izzy, was born on the 13th.  
But here are some facts about the fifth month of our calendar year that may interest you:
1.    In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This year, it is on May 11th.
2.   The birthstone for May is the emerald which represents success or love.
3.   The zodiac sign for May are Taurus (April 20 - May 20) and Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
4.   The birth flower for May is the Crataegus monogyna and the Lily of the Valley.
5.   On May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building was officially opened.
6.   Armed Forces Day - celebrated the third Saturday of May.
7.   Memorial Day - celebrated on the last Monday in May.
8.   May 5 - Cinco De Mayo.
9.   On the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby takes place.  
10. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the Union.
11. On May 14, 1804, Lewis and Clark, the great explorers began their trip up the Missouri River.
12. On May 14, 1948, the last British troops left Palestine which led to Israel becoming an independent country.
13. On May 15, 1918, the first regular airmail service began in the United States.
14. On May 20, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act.
15. On May 20, 1932, the first solo flight by a woman across the Atlantic Ocean was made by Amelia Earhart.
16. On May 23, 1788, South Carolina became the eighth state.
17. On May 24, 1607, the first permanent English settlement in America was established in Jamestown, VA.
18. On May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was opened in San Francisco.
19. On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th state.
20. On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th state.