tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62537815888374101772024-03-05T20:12:08.235-05:00Peggy's Ponderings~Remembrances from a life filled with joy, love, and laughter... and enough pain to ensure humility~Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.comBlogger511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-739535450861157032021-02-06T14:43:00.008-05:002021-02-06T15:08:28.549-05:00A Fun Double-Dare<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> Have you noticed that we’re having sunshine one day in a row. But
I’ll take it. My pleasant personality comes out on a sunny day while the “other”
one shows up when we have several dreary. </span></span></p>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Yesterday was exactly nine months since my son passed. I was
thinking about him all day and before I knew it, I had written a story about
him. I couldn’t read the final copy with tears in my eyes. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />But, as I've often noted, God always seems to provide a good experience to ease the pain of a bad memory. And so... </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394;">I became as excited as a child when the snow started coming down and covering everything.</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />I’ve
always liked snow. After all my kids were gone and I didn’t have an excuse for
playing in the snow, I used to stand at the window watching it come down and
wonder if I’d be deemed a crazy old woman by my neighbors if they saw me making
snow angels by myself. 😃<br /><br />Then one night, I was talking to a friend on
the phone - telling her what I just told you and she double-dared me to ignore
the neighbors and go out the next morning and make snow angels. <br /><br />Well, I
could never resist a dare, a double-dare at that, so I got up the next morning
and put on my warm clothes: sweat pants, two jackets, socks, boots and gloves -
kinda looked like a linebacker.<br /><br />When I told Mr. H. I needed him to go
with me to take a picture so I could prove to Sherry that I did it, he looked at
me like he wondered who I was and what I’d done with his wife. But, with a
little prodding, he went. However, after one picture, he said, C’mon, let’s go
in now. <br /><br />Disappointed that I didn’t get to stay out longer, I followed
him into the house like a stray dog. <br /><br />But I had been a child rolling
around in the snow for an exhilarating few minutes — <br /><br />And I had my
picture!</span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH8u9NtR192yZoF4VQSN69_sPv1iJisuo_RRP4O2wOKXUdUoTguOzmMRrKGpubR2tAGnBfeuqzQU0JVTcN3H2LcG2KLpFGUqRIKqCJPvWzgA3IfL8_oRbzBiwOIDTe3bpbvZwLwke8QrX/s615/Snow+Angel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="615" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkH8u9NtR192yZoF4VQSN69_sPv1iJisuo_RRP4O2wOKXUdUoTguOzmMRrKGpubR2tAGnBfeuqzQU0JVTcN3H2LcG2KLpFGUqRIKqCJPvWzgA3IfL8_oRbzBiwOIDTe3bpbvZwLwke8QrX/s320/Snow+Angel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="goog_1206986152"><br /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://muckrack.com/peggy-toney-horton-1">muckrack.com/peggy-toney-horton-1</a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><br /></div>Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-49165969579484765872021-02-06T13:59:00.009-05:002021-02-11T00:25:03.822-05:00Time Changes Things<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoAffiCAhpztkqArDUWH_YeveBJ3U4hyphenhyphenRqbBKK71acgV3M82GXsQLE66a-i00Ip_1RXGXL47516eSw_Bh97BtietyEST3LQd3ytfzXWYFYXtz9n7Ax60XMO029a7GgCK-E6kNdKkUXi1c/s320/Liza+-+Fireplace.jpg" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNoAffiCAhpztkqArDUWH_YeveBJ3U4hyphenhyphenRqbBKK71acgV3M82GXsQLE66a-i00Ip_1RXGXL47516eSw_Bh97BtietyEST3LQd3ytfzXWYFYXtz9n7Ax60XMO029a7GgCK-E6kNdKkUXi1c/s0/Liza+-+Fireplace.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">My 21 year old kitty, Liza Jane, named after my paternal
grandmother, has been sick. After my last Yorkie died, I swore I’d never get
another pet, because it hurts too much to lose them, but if we live long
enough, we learn never to say, “never.”</p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Nevertheless, time changes things. And us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">One day, my daughter came home from her job at
the veterinary hospital all upset about the unpleasant fate of a beautiful cat
that had been in her charge for days. An animal lover, she already had 3 boxers
and a cat and felt that she couldn’t </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">take on anymore.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">However, she had something else in mind.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">“Mother,” she said. “You’ve just GOT to rescue
this beautiful cat we have at the hospital! A woman left her with us for a week
and then called and told my boss to do whatever she wanted with her because she
didn’t want her back!”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">“I can’t take a cat, honey,” I told her. “You
know your dad doesn’t like cats!”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">“But you have to save her life,” daughter said.
“My boss is sending her to be euthanized tomorrow. She’s a beautiful cat, about
5 years old. Please, just go see her in the morning.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">“Okay, but I’m not promising
anything.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">Well, I'm sure you know the rest of the story.
She’s been with us for 16 years. Funny thing, she came right in and decided Mr.
H. was her “person.” No matter how much he discouraged it, she wanted to lie on
the arm of his recliner watching TV with him.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">It didn’t take long, though, for her to figure
out that her food was coming from my hand and that I was the one giving her all
the affection. She still likes him, but she is definitely MY BABY!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: arial;"><span color="windowtext" face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span color="windowtext" face="Calibri, sans-serif">Anyway, she’s ailing and we dread the day
when she’s no longer with us. She came to us at a time when all our
kids were leaving and sort of made the empty nest seem a little less empty. God
is good! He knows just what we need and when we need it, doesn’t He?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span color="windowtext" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton" style="background-color: white;">amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: arial; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; touch-action: manipulation;"><a href="http://muckrack.com/peggy-toney-horton-1" style="background-color: white;">muckrack.com/peggy-toney-horton-1</a></span></p><p></p>Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-46778788484963760152019-02-17T20:19:00.001-05:002019-02-17T21:06:54.142-05:00A Death in the Family Erases Happy Occasion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMICeIDjru5kTHUQJYfSvaGn5s6uaQflsCataR-r0i-FGDEoO_bYuhTChKSR8dOP6Bcm7GDtleCbPi5Oha2MWzaGoHwB3WXv_MHkPk_U-vuuevBu5zfdlNbGSj36EBwu7MlHi3MIFYGUC/s1600/Heartbreak.png" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMICeIDjru5kTHUQJYfSvaGn5s6uaQflsCataR-r0i-FGDEoO_bYuhTChKSR8dOP6Bcm7GDtleCbPi5Oha2MWzaGoHwB3WXv_MHkPk_U-vuuevBu5zfdlNbGSj36EBwu7MlHi3MIFYGUC/s400/Heartbreak.png" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday! It should have been a happy occasion, but sometimes, happiness and sadness collide, leaving one with a confused mind, a weary soul and a broken heart. How can you be happy about one occurrence when another is breaking your heart? By last night, all celebratory feelings were wiped away by a death in our family. Even though we’ve known for a while that this one was coming, the reality is no less heartbreaking! Everyone reading this knows the feeling.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Happiness and sadness seem to meet face-to-face a lot in our family! My mother was laid to rest on my eldest son’s birthday, tainting his birthday, just a little, forever.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> My son had a serious, life-threatening operation on a favorite aunt’s birthday. I’ll never forget her reaction. Late that night, after my son was in ICU, safe and sound, we came home to get a little rest. I had bought Aunt Betty a birthday cake and had it waiting in the fridge, thinking we’d have a piece of cake together and observe her birthday quietly. However, she said, “Let’s postpone it. Somehow, it doesn’t seem right to celebrate right now.” I agreed, hugged her and we went to bed so we could rise early and head back to the hospital.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> We’ll never be able to celebrate any of these birthdays without remembering the dreadful thing that happened on the same day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> However, once the pain of loss begins to soften, perhaps we can remember that death, too, should be a sort of celebration. Our loved one is no longer in pain: he or she is released into a beautiful world with a perfect body. Why should we not be happy about that?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Of course, it’s difficult now. The pain is fresh, we still see the face we loved and hear the familiar voice, but this is where God proves that He doesn’t give us more than we can bear. We begin to remember things this person did or said to make us laugh; our friends remind us of the good things they did; all sorts of memories we thought we’d forgotten come flooding back and we find that we are able to laugh though we may have thought we’d never laugh again, and remembering them with laughter makes us feel a little better.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Is it possible that the laughter we accumulate in our souls makes the tears easier to bear?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Think about it. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When we lose someone we love, we often search for memories of that person that make us laugh. This gives us permission not to grieve so totally, but to find a little gladness in an agonizing event. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We don’t have to reason it out. We just do it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How amazingly resilient God has made us!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~IN MEMORY OF GARY DILLARD~</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmNag8ZENizsolMPbBFxxfwgKdBPLttM11F_HJrF0a11BTIKpfte40c6FPRF7hI2fKE75c5P1w32hBmzBpk7al_ZR19YPvw-mILbyUMqVISoLtF24aRkVquNBeUopQ7e0MLoq8muMlGao/s1600/Gary+and+Izzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmNag8ZENizsolMPbBFxxfwgKdBPLttM11F_HJrF0a11BTIKpfte40c6FPRF7hI2fKE75c5P1w32hBmzBpk7al_ZR19YPvw-mILbyUMqVISoLtF24aRkVquNBeUopQ7e0MLoq8muMlGao/s320/Gary+and+Izzy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-18941454967797130822019-01-09T05:03:00.000-05:002019-01-09T05:11:26.156-05:00Alien Ornament - 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_GorZI4Hnz3AJEK90h4ANvCclPSYlHmoNGxWREOsssGJtu7uXzed0ajnyhm_3JHLvti0hwaAMjcbQUeNzPUSr35uD4qy70Nn__PktlkX7J0-Xsp8-9bIQRKHxa-iNCh5rjKT5YDlgLI9/s1600/grandmother-sitting-chair-grandchildren-came-260nw-387806632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="242" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_GorZI4Hnz3AJEK90h4ANvCclPSYlHmoNGxWREOsssGJtu7uXzed0ajnyhm_3JHLvti0hwaAMjcbQUeNzPUSr35uD4qy70Nn__PktlkX7J0-Xsp8-9bIQRKHxa-iNCh5rjKT5YDlgLI9/s400/grandmother-sitting-chair-grandchildren-came-260nw-387806632.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="366" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I am old and wise, I shall gather my grandchildren around me and tell them about the alien ornaments their grandfather and I used to discover on our Christmas tree each year when we dismantled it. We were never certain who was responsible for the magical appearance of the strange ornaments but we had our suspicions, tho' no one has ever owned up to it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think the grandchildren might enjoy seeing pictures of all of the ornaments that began to appear on our tree when some of them were too young to understand. Each ornament is very different. Whoever chose them had a colorful imagination and a desire to make others happy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And they did!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We've enjoyed each and every one of these aliens and still get excited each time we find a new one -- even after all these years!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is year number 12. Here is a picture of the beautiful ornament we discovered this year.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3x_HD16VvNslSQb5FLduT8e_R0zD1JKcLcCmfUGp2sc2em4h4f3IrCodLWWTUsKarN0RXYr0Jx5u49g-6fseMshI0GKc1ZfgFGn9QuQ17ZTkbympQYbrugZysD_vqbalEaOJk4xEB5My/s1600/Doe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3x_HD16VvNslSQb5FLduT8e_R0zD1JKcLcCmfUGp2sc2em4h4f3IrCodLWWTUsKarN0RXYr0Jx5u49g-6fseMshI0GKc1ZfgFGn9QuQ17ZTkbympQYbrugZysD_vqbalEaOJk4xEB5My/s320/Doe.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It appears to be a shiny pink doe wearing a genuine crocheted scarf. She's quite eye-catching! She was resting on a concealed branch of the tree when I found her. Looked as if she'd always been there - perhaps hiding from predators.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">If you've never read my blogs, and are interested in what I'm talking about, you may go </span><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2010/12/aliens-on-my-tree.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">here</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> and find out how it all got started.</span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year's ornament is <a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2018/01/alien-ornament-2017.html">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span><br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-16169986466708804782018-09-01T23:22:00.000-04:002019-03-18T23:27:13.117-04:00Ah, September~<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uMHFE4zMRhkY9pMRWzbehxS2xjFfbeCvmkvM5Fw6Oo0rV6Ux5X2txBr6b5t26TLXTKKAT7VIArMqnZojg72IZk6CYIF0JQmDwcdjFGMo9j8IDBjPVl15RTOf79M2e6GxDjfM0r4qhhpY/s1600/40439173_2295727313775920_2979957745731502080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uMHFE4zMRhkY9pMRWzbehxS2xjFfbeCvmkvM5Fw6Oo0rV6Ux5X2txBr6b5t26TLXTKKAT7VIArMqnZojg72IZk6CYIF0JQmDwcdjFGMo9j8IDBjPVl15RTOf79M2e6GxDjfM0r4qhhpY/s640/40439173_2295727313775920_2979957745731502080_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah, September~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A person who was a great influence on my life often said, “The days are long but the years are short.” As a child, I let those words roll off me like beads of rain without giving any thought to what they meant; all I wanted was for the important days like Christmas and my birthday and the last day of school to hurry up and come - but all the good stuff seemed to take forever!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">However, getting older changed my perception of time and now I know how true that statement is. The years disappear like water down a drain and I find myself wondering where they went. I can hardly believe it’s time to say goodbye to the eighth month of this year and move on to the ninth, one of my favorites. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Many people complain. “Oh, my!” they say, “That means winter is right around the corner,” but I’m not one of those. I love September and the beauty that follows. Here in West Virginia, it is more beautiful than anything else I can imagine. Almost Heaven!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Get ready for some gradual changes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">First, the light changes. Suddenly, you notice there is a soft golden glow instead of the harsh, hot, eye-straining yellow of midsummer. Then there is the silence – the lovely silence, delightful cerulean skies, cooler nights — and an air of expectancy! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">If you combine these golden days with refreshing silence and the still colorful, though declining, flower gardens, you have September days that seem—almost sacred.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">It is a restful time. I like to visit a small man-made lake in my town where I sit on a bench beside the water and watch ducks glide gracefully across the reflection of a clear blue sky adorned with puffy white clouds. As I savor this moment in time, my mind is free of worry and stress and I feel very close to God.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Ah, September, you are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul, though I must admit I love you only because you are the prelude to my beloved October.” ~ pth ©2010</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton </span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span><br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-90892488380211762622018-08-14T04:42:00.000-04:002018-09-29T22:46:02.931-04:00Summer Afternoon <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjmTZJxcXxjJT1NOqZc2tiLTIbJ55m1eu5blWYDdVKWSKIQhJM8VmSIfycGl1DhdTQ_5utHxyQVnUJ5JK1V82FeGngtf47pkuPQuu0PYhd5tGnemvPyxA72hehOw18DdXalmllyinX1O6/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjmTZJxcXxjJT1NOqZc2tiLTIbJ55m1eu5blWYDdVKWSKIQhJM8VmSIfycGl1DhdTQ_5utHxyQVnUJ5JK1V82FeGngtf47pkuPQuu0PYhd5tGnemvPyxA72hehOw18DdXalmllyinX1O6/s320/untitled.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We are two young girls, barefoot on a sizzling<br /> street; August heat - Dante's Inferno! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Faster and faster we go; upward <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #073763; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">pointed</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> toes; lips O-ed as we scurry to find a <br /> cooler spot. At last, thick clumps of grass offer<br />relief. We accept. Our giggles bounce back from <br /> surrounding hills; breathing returns to normal. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We lie on cool grass watching big, puffy clouds </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001001; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton </a></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-39001790549621257022018-08-09T00:36:00.002-04:002018-08-09T00:37:43.809-04:00#TBT - A Really Old One of Mr. H. and Me!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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#tbt</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwaXrHO5ZyGPkV37mvlrpkCcsuLQMkca7zOQYTYzqTfH50-OXLOgqrWskDDBjidE2IMRAJ4dV3yWYid3Wemefh1C7n44DuK-Zh3c8fVf4Wb2FLbbYOJFzfIcxLe360uvNXZUBb9nyxjA2/s1600/Kemper+and+Peg+0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="510" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwaXrHO5ZyGPkV37mvlrpkCcsuLQMkca7zOQYTYzqTfH50-OXLOgqrWskDDBjidE2IMRAJ4dV3yWYid3Wemefh1C7n44DuK-Zh3c8fVf4Wb2FLbbYOJFzfIcxLe360uvNXZUBb9nyxjA2/s400/Kemper+and+Peg+0.jpg" width="330" /></a></div>
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We were leaving for a weekend trip to Cincinnati. My parents were babysitting.</div>
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Fun times!<br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-12829212045647255132018-07-18T00:39:00.002-04:002018-09-29T22:29:31.265-04:00What A Narrow Life!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FXzdJWUI7Nm6NL3VGAoLWj7Jb9oEu1ykANaIH8FbA32qkTCG9lZS17VLlZ5xyZeodBBySeDS9eyghJeWRinsTVwhaZ6LCBwPjveIEKSwDhYwBnb-WUdVXvtEs57L5SWPtETI4sFuJp9S/s1600/Doll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FXzdJWUI7Nm6NL3VGAoLWj7Jb9oEu1ykANaIH8FbA32qkTCG9lZS17VLlZ5xyZeodBBySeDS9eyghJeWRinsTVwhaZ6LCBwPjveIEKSwDhYwBnb-WUdVXvtEs57L5SWPtETI4sFuJp9S/s400/Doll.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></span></a><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Jenny Lee Smith is dead! </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Jenny and I go all the way back to first grade! She was such a cute little girl. The first thing one remembers about her is her hair. It was a shiny chestnut brown and hung all around in long, individual shoulder-length curls. She reminded me of one of those big-eyed, porcelain-faced dolls I’ve always feared. I don’t mean to imply that Jenny looked scary; it was just that looking at her sometimes made me remember my Pediophobia.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The second thing one remembers when Jenny’s name is mentioned is the way her mother doted on her. She brought her to school each morning – all the way to her classroom – to her desk! Nobody else’s mother did that. I watched curiously as Mrs. Smith preened her daughter, touching her hair lightly, inspecting every curl and adjusting the bow attached to the top of her head. Finally, she’d kiss Jenny on the cheek, smile and take her leave, waving as she exited the door.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I shuddered, imagining how embarrassed I’d be if my mother did that! But Jenny seemed okay with it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We went to school together throughout elementary and middle school but separated to attend different high schools when we were about 14. Although we no longer saw each other every day, we still lived in the same town and never completely lost touch – until I got married and moved away. Even then, she and another friend paid me occasional visits for a while but that, too, began to wane as time and dissimilar lifestyles separated us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jenny lived in the same house her whole life. Literally. She was brought home from the hospital to a modest home smack-dab in the heart of a small town that parallels the Kanawha River. She grew up there and when her parents died, she and her husband continued to live there, and according to the obituary, she died there. I suppose Jenny was happy but I can’t help musing: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What a narrow life!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And so... recently, when I found myself needing an answer to some questions from long ago, I thought of Jenny Lee first. If anyone would have the answers, it would be her; she knew everything about the town and its residents. Dialing the number I had for her brought nothing. Checking social media didn’t turn up anything either, so that’s when I resorted to Google. How simple! Once I’d entered her name in Search, the first thing that came up was her obituary. I almost fell out of my chair. So I did what I’ve always done when I was shocked or hurt or upset – dialed the number of my lifelong friend, Caryn.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“I’m depressed,” I said, as soon as she answered.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Why?” came her reply. “Everyone we know is dying,” said I.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Caryn is so level-headed! “You’re looking at the glass half-empty,” she said. “Just be thankful you’re still walking around.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“I am, but Jenny Lee Smith is dead!” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“I saw her obit on Google. She died in 2014. How can that be? We just talked not too long ago.” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Uh,” Caryn reminded me: “the copy of Jenny’s obit is four years old!” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Yes, but it doesn’t seem possible it’s been more than four years since we talked. I can’t believe she’s gone.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Attempting to lighten the mood, Caryn blurted, “Well, at least she finally got out of Taylorsville!” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Chuckling, we said our goodbyes and hung up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My last thought before going to sleep that night was, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I wonder if Jenny Lee’s mother was waiting to fix her hair when she got to Heaven...</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br /></i></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-78127702328855388582018-05-12T23:24:00.001-04:002018-05-13T02:33:36.076-04:00Coincidence or ESP?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aoMZYKx8wRfD2hxEjN4sho-7753ng0sV79iY7QKaTZwoxBbOtF757l3xqvv7dLciLsisqeE8y8pyeeVrNMUSUgQxdzaYUYY_voilp70m52s8DDl87u6olg-Vernszor4-bPAZGyZdABO/s1600/Paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="612" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aoMZYKx8wRfD2hxEjN4sho-7753ng0sV79iY7QKaTZwoxBbOtF757l3xqvv7dLciLsisqeE8y8pyeeVrNMUSUgQxdzaYUYY_voilp70m52s8DDl87u6olg-Vernszor4-bPAZGyZdABO/s400/Paris.jpg" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Sometimes my ESP astonishes me! (Of course, I know it's coincidence but it still surprises me each time it happens). I was in the kitchen this afternoon drying a few dishes, my mind wandering, as always...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">... Paris, France on a beautiful March day – on my own for the afternoon, as the people I was with had chosen to do something that didn't interest me. So, off I went strolling down the Champs-Élysées, browsing the shops, people-watching, and soaking up local color. After a while, I decided to stop for tea at a sidewalk café. Sitting there alone, sipping my tea in the bright sunshine and cool breeze, I felt awestruck! </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The Tuileries Garden was not far away, also the Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, The Opera House and many other historical places that I’d read about, but only dreamed of seeing. </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">My heart was full to the brim!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Draining my cup of the last drop of golden liquid, I rummaged in my change purse for a few coins to leave on the table and left, feeling weary enough to head back to the hotel and catch an afternoon nap before getting ready for dinner with the others.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Later, when my friends returned, one of them asked, “What did you do today?” Eager to tout how well I’d done on my own, I said, “Well, I strolled leisurely on the Champs-Élysées, taking in the scenery and observing the people, and then I stopped at a sidewalk café for tea -- and oh! I even left a tip for the waitress.” (I should confess that I’d had a difficult time learning to deal with the French currency and my friends loved teasing me about it).</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“That’s great, Peg!” my friend said. “How much did you leave her?” Opening my change purse, I pulled out a couple of coins that looked like the ones I’d left, opened my hand and said, “These!” Trying not to laugh, my friend said, “Good job. You left her two cents!”</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Suddenly back in my kitchen, still chuckling about an incident I hadn’t thought about for many years, I heard the TV in the adjoining room blaring:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Breaking News!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Stabbing attack in Paris, France leaves multiple injured.”</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Peculiar that I’d just been visiting that very area in my daydreams...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "segoe ui"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span><span style="font-family: "segoe ui" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 19pt; margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-175353438804296092018-04-26T23:10:00.003-04:002018-04-27T03:13:56.588-04:00Time is An Illusion ~Albert Einstein<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5hUjyUf2whg3pS6WImInnpiYzU1ugrn2qDODKTD6GNqltZybPMx_4TP6Ypi79T0UNt0cEkOxXvyl2tmRydzsJnXJgdkGkyEgOH0KQH6YQpYgvbnfJr9DXz-mXe0eQ2KbXlP-5HD9gvII/s1600/calendar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5hUjyUf2whg3pS6WImInnpiYzU1ugrn2qDODKTD6GNqltZybPMx_4TP6Ypi79T0UNt0cEkOxXvyl2tmRydzsJnXJgdkGkyEgOH0KQH6YQpYgvbnfJr9DXz-mXe0eQ2KbXlP-5HD9gvII/s640/calendar.jpg" width="640" /></a> <span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Only four more days of April left. One-third of the year has disappeared like a stone in deep water. April, my birth month, seems to come around faster every year. And when it’s over, I’m a year older. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Time passes so fast, it makes me dizzy.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> Why didn’t it pass this quickly when I was a child? A day in school was l – o – n – g! A week was endless, and a year - infinite! From one Christmas to the next seemed to take forever, but now, we may as well leave the decorations out because we no sooner put them away until it’s time to take them out again.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> Just think. We’re almost into the second third of our “new year!" We’ve paid our income taxes – or received a refund – and we’re on our way to the next holiday.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> I think it’s interesting the way we measure time by the holidays. Now that the Easter candy and stuffed bunnies are off the shelves at the stores, there will soon be, if not already... oodles of flower arrangements for Memorial Day, the next holiday, at the end of May.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> And, for my family, in particular, June brings a flood of special occasions: we have five birthdays and Father’s Day! It seems the whole month is one of celebration... and gone before we know it. Immediately after, we have a big splash for the Fourth of July and mid-summer is in full swing! The hustle and bustle of summer activities makes me tired! It seems to me that everyone works so hard forcing themselves to “have fun.” It wears me out just watching. Forced fun doesn’t do a thing for me!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> It has to come naturally.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> I guess that’s why I long for the fall and winter months. It’s a restful time. What could be nicer than curling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy fall evening or a snowy winter afternoon? </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> With the first third of the year already gone, I’d be wishing for the next third to pass as quickly – except for one thing: </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /> It would only put me closer to my next birthday!</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton"></a><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton </a></span><br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-54428583861401797912018-04-21T18:56:00.000-04:002018-04-21T19:14:53.007-04:00Birthday Boxes - Plural<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD2qUMtRsLx_2SA24aD1tffk4CyGTx1k00QOKD4gnqpUUxsnuRaIJnlSqKZztXNYIFc4gYTcOUqOw1aTp2OZ5w3HD6iM1ClaudYch8H4nPMrEGBPLJbhlrJoc4U6uTkbY_mCCXtW4NmHm/s1600/Box+Two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="640" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD2qUMtRsLx_2SA24aD1tffk4CyGTx1k00QOKD4gnqpUUxsnuRaIJnlSqKZztXNYIFc4gYTcOUqOw1aTp2OZ5w3HD6iM1ClaudYch8H4nPMrEGBPLJbhlrJoc4U6uTkbY_mCCXtW4NmHm/s400/Box+Two.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"> Box 1</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkt00wjL3EGmNpOZQ9IavE4uzJT6ey5IePDDnPqM7mjK5-YFosg4vsFzVg9jK376GID_5cl2Xvb_sdyp-LpvfcYC_82bRoPGFaJD0lxvVo2fcJG4ErnhQ9J_cp5zKUB3Z2XNKGuWhhSZA/s1600/Box+One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="640" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkt00wjL3EGmNpOZQ9IavE4uzJT6ey5IePDDnPqM7mjK5-YFosg4vsFzVg9jK376GID_5cl2Xvb_sdyp-LpvfcYC_82bRoPGFaJD0lxvVo2fcJG4ErnhQ9J_cp5zKUB3Z2XNKGuWhhSZA/s320/Box+One.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Box 2<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Don’t you dare touch that box!” said my daughter yesterday at the end of a texting session. And, to make matters worse, she added, “You’ll get another one in the mail tomorrow.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“May I open it?” I asked innocently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“No!” she said. “Your birthday’s not until Monday! Don’t open anything till then.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Geez!” I told Mr. H.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“That’s a lot of temptation! One box on Friday and another on Saturday and I can’t open either of them for two days! That’s sheer torture!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>He chuckled.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about and would like to know, you can check these links for the full story: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2013/04/feelin-excitement.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">http://www.pegylu.net/2013/04/feelin-excitement.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2014/04/the-box-came-yesterday-you-know-one-i.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">http://www.pegylu.net/2014/04/the-box-came-yesterday-you-know-one-i.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2016/04/the-box.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana";">http://www.pegylu.net/2016/04/the-box.html</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure if I can wait until Monday or not, but I'm gonna try. On closer inspection, Box 1 looks like someone has already broken the tape on the end and tried to take a peek.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana";">I swear it wasn't me!!</span></b></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-40966496049059362782018-04-13T00:34:00.002-04:002018-04-15T00:50:13.377-04:00Such is Life~<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.06px;"></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.06px;"> A</span>s I waited my turn in the doctor’s office yesterday, a woman started a conversation with me, “It’s kinda cool today, isn’t it?” she said. “Yeah, a little,” I said, “but that sun sure is nice!”<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> </span>She nodded and there were a few moments of silence before she started again.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“I had to come out here to get a prescription. They don’t phone them in like they used to. I guess it’s ‘cause so many people get addicted to drugs.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“Guess so,” I answered.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“Not me!” she said. “I’ve lived 82 years without getting addicted to that stuff. I’m not gonna start now.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I smiled. She continued. “I had a knee replacement and the doctor wanted me to take pain pills but I said, “No way! I’m not taking that stuff and getting addicted. So I got up and went home! My grandmother said I was the strongest person she’d ever seen.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“What did you take for the pain?” I said—“Aspirin? Tylenol?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“Nothing!” she said. “I just fought through it.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“Wow!” I said, starting to doubt her word a little.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">But she wasn’t finished. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“You can’t tell anything about this weather, can you?” she continued. “I told Mom this morning there’s no use putting out any tomato plants until we’re sure it’s not gonna frost anymore.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">“Right!” I agreed. Finally! The young doctor’s assistant opened the door and said, “Mrs. Smith” and she went in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sitting there alone, I started processing what she’d said. Talking about her grandmother was easy enough, I guess. She was telling a story from the past, but if she just told “Mom” <i>this morning</i> that they shouldn’t put out any tomato plants, that sounds about as current as it gets! </span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-85825302535462108962018-03-23T01:04:00.003-04:002018-03-23T01:04:54.383-04:00Quote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">During less colorful times of the year: rainy seasons, sunless skies, extreme cold, ice and snow – whatever Mother Nature throws at us – all I have to do is close my eyes and visualize one lovely October day and all is forgiven! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>~Peggy Toney Horton</span> </div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-60540873327916190652018-02-28T14:27:00.001-05:002019-10-22T02:52:33.798-04:00An Unforgettable Experience II <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pXaPNSxShiIkBBwsDCz6CPMTZ7pInYOzSmwPtsF3N-Omzu_GM46zI-WBcH-pZzuLb5aCr9p8tTB-sjeXuFeEUiJfev8nLp6oxZmVEsfXg4azgo5Wafvjg9HuJ9FelWDsQRQDtd0zUsWr/s1600/Hawaii1+%255B800x600%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="750" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pXaPNSxShiIkBBwsDCz6CPMTZ7pInYOzSmwPtsF3N-Omzu_GM46zI-WBcH-pZzuLb5aCr9p8tTB-sjeXuFeEUiJfev8nLp6oxZmVEsfXg4azgo5Wafvjg9HuJ9FelWDsQRQDtd0zUsWr/s640/Hawaii1+%255B800x600%255D.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Many years ago, my husband and I had the good fortune to visit our 50<sup>th</sup> state. Just the two of us. I hated flying and hated leaving our children even more, but Mr. H. convinced me it was the opportunity of a lifetime so I bolstered my courage, packed my bags, found a reputable babysitter (mother-in-law), kissed my young children good-bye and headed out for what was to be a memorable experience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And what a wonderful trip it was! From the moment we stepped off the plane to the lively sound of ukulele music and were greeted by a beautiful young girl who placed leis around our necks, it was sheer pleasure for the next week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I remember many things about the experience, but one of the most significant memories is that, when we got to our hotel room, we had a very important message waiting. Our first grandchild had been born while we were en route.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why did you go on a long trip when you were expecting your first grandchild? You ask. Well, as anyone knows, a long trip like that is usually planned many months in advance. I certainly had second thoughts about going, but it was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity and our son and daughter-in-law encouraged us to go assuring us that we’d almost certainly be back home before the baby was born. But it was not to be. Little Matthew made his appearance as soon as we were out of town. However, once assured that mother and baby were fine, we gave them our love, wished them well and settled in to enjoy ourselves by the deep blue waters of Hawaii.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And enjoy ourselves we did! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We stayed at The Sheraton Waikiki in a beautiful room decorated with cheerful colors and designs, some of which I copied later in my own home decorating. And of course, our balcony overlooked the blue Pacific! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each night, after a long day of sight-seeing, beach walking and a wonderful meal, stress melted away completely and we drifted off quickly to the sound of foamy waves breaking on the seashore. We slept like babies and awoke to the joyful voices of early risers already on the beach. We felt rested and ready for another busy day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But first: Breakfast. Like everything else in Hawaii, breakfast was leisurely. With pineapple so plentiful, there was an abundance of it on the buffet table, along with every other fruit you could think of. This was wonderful for a fruit lover like me. After sating ourselves with the sweet, juicy produce, we’d have bacon, eggs, waffles, or whatever else we had a taste for on any given morning. Finishing with plenty of coffee, we were finally ready for another day of sight-seeing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We saw everything one would expect to see on such a trip: Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head, and Dole Plantation, to name only a few. Dole Plantation was a haven for Pineapple lovers. The grounds were vast and well manicured, featuring the world’s largest maze. There was also Pineapple ice cream, taffy, jam and clothing and other commodities for the whole family.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And I must not forget the big feast... the Luau! Such a spread I’d never seen before, or since. There was the customary roast pig, which had been cooked all day in an underground imu which is opened as part of the evening's entertainment. Other traditional foods included poke (raw seasoned seafood), lomilomi salmon (salmon with tomatoes and onions), chicken luau (chicken with spinach, onions and garlic), chicken long rice, sweet potato, haupia (coconut pudding), kulolo (taro pudding) and, poi (made from the pounded root of the taro plant). After dinner, we were mesmerized by dancers and singers performing both traditional and modern Hawaiian songs and hulas. It was an unforgettable evening!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We ate dinner most evenings at restaurants located on the beach. I thought it strange that these restaurants had no walls, which emulated having dinner on the beach. There was only one thing wrong with that: it allowed birds to fly in and out at will. No one else seemed to mind, but I, terrified of birds all my life, was most uncomfortable with this arrangement! However, I managed to overcome it somewhat, and today, when I relive the memory of that trip, birds flying around overhead while I ate is not the first thing that comes to mind. But it’s close.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it was time to say goodbye to this lovely paradise, there was a little sadness, but I was ready to go – not because I was tired of being there, but because I couldn’t wait to meet our new grandson!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">You may want to check out another post about Hawaii...</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;"> </span><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2011/08/letter-from-hawaii.html"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; margin: 0px;">.</span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span><br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-14794783420346716382018-02-01T23:24:00.002-05:002018-02-24T22:04:12.960-05:00Butterflies - In Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvbxvGmAcFbrojlDjZRqFw6seBzgHKDxOXcHr9SoCJT7bu7MaSrqbEfg480F5f4xzHwL8hV3iNS7nYBYlGschYclw-go-jzdZ0a5m9t8y3S2uEJ5Lt2LPzmNh9lIK0FEgyf0TWJOyUXFN/s1600/Butterflies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="369" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvbxvGmAcFbrojlDjZRqFw6seBzgHKDxOXcHr9SoCJT7bu7MaSrqbEfg480F5f4xzHwL8hV3iNS7nYBYlGschYclw-go-jzdZ0a5m9t8y3S2uEJ5Lt2LPzmNh9lIK0FEgyf0TWJOyUXFN/s400/Butterflies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-45245173252165169092018-01-06T23:54:00.002-05:002018-01-07T17:26:16.584-05:00Alien Ornament - 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkDlwDyCAVkzOXZgYzsph08Omlq2Q0VX2wrn5-4LIoyMwNoG68DwKPffPQiwb9IH4fdKb8ICg5zyEB6TlqxUZvPW7mNX1Qpdogl6l8Zet_yDyuw7YvQKQRIGVNl3wlDC68MpzAFClt-Z9/s1600/Alien+Ornament+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="506" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkDlwDyCAVkzOXZgYzsph08Omlq2Q0VX2wrn5-4LIoyMwNoG68DwKPffPQiwb9IH4fdKb8ICg5zyEB6TlqxUZvPW7mNX1Qpdogl6l8Zet_yDyuw7YvQKQRIGVNl3wlDC68MpzAFClt-Z9/s400/Alien+Ornament+2017.jpg" width="316" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">“What the heck is that?” I asked
when Mr. H. showed me an ornament he’d just pulled from the back of our
Christmas tree.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Laughing, he said, “What do you
think? Looks like another alien ornament to me!”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">“But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what is it</i>?” said I.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Taking it from his hands, I examined
it carefully but still couldn’t give it a name. With its large eyes, it looked
somewhat like an owl, but there was also pine, two miniature pine cones and
four red berries.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Grabbing my phone, I took a picture and
sent it to my son. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alien ornament, </i>I
wrote. He wrote back, “I love it! Funny, but somehow endearing. It may be the
best one yet!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;">As we continued dismantling the
tree, Mr. H. and I laughed and laughed at the newest member of our Alien
Ornament family. It was really cute! Even though this year marks more than
a decade of finding a strange ornament on our tree when we take it down, we are
always surprised and totally delighted to find it! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="margin: 0px;">And now, after we admire it a while, this one will be wrapped
lovingly in tissue paper and packed away with the others in the box I labeled “Alien
Ornaments – 2007 – 2016”</span> last year – but changed this year to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Special Ornaments</i>.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;">I cherish these frivolous little gifts from an unknown source and hope
that one day, when Mr. H. and I are no longer able to hang them on our
Christmas tree, the person or persons responsible for them will give them a special
place on their tree. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;">And may </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;">they get as much pleasure from doing so as we have!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana";">Last year's ornament</span><span style="color: #000020; font-family: "verdana";"> <a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2017/01/alien-ornament-number-10.html">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #000014;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #000020; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton </a></span></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-58369761089694470362018-01-03T21:29:00.000-05:002018-01-06T16:44:52.939-05:00January Hoarfrost <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvry6QwJBKt6k60cqVIuWJXea8RHPZ6aOpPavIsL3pHEu6Fk_fbi2lQ_PyHkjMgywMF6COCMS_yIEtMrj7_-uXEZfLtPUe13gJvBRxJ-6qKpUhrD1hB6o95qrvDo0Q0MaGHG2spBbBCwm/s1600/hoarfrost-booknvolume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="700" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvry6QwJBKt6k60cqVIuWJXea8RHPZ6aOpPavIsL3pHEu6Fk_fbi2lQ_PyHkjMgywMF6COCMS_yIEtMrj7_-uXEZfLtPUe13gJvBRxJ-6qKpUhrD1hB6o95qrvDo0Q0MaGHG2spBbBCwm/s320/hoarfrost-booknvolume.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How can one awaken to the magnificence of January hoarfrost and witness rays of golden sunshine shimmering through icy trees and not be dazzled by the appeal of a wintry morn?</span><span style="background-color: #0b5394;"></span></div>
Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-70481458243548977212017-11-28T01:02:00.000-05:002018-02-01T23:32:06.493-05:00Wishing ~<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvA7Ycv2S9kjzj3AyMber8yJgGnkGekaFizYR3Ez1tljxCkwEvTv8GCMGdROcMSTjKFBPDqL3CmIauueoFaFgaH1DAUr3_1ilXIucTGFd2PHLYP22b8O4QxgFpJ5J2e-W9kQRX0RTba4u/s1600/--Mother+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvA7Ycv2S9kjzj3AyMber8yJgGnkGekaFizYR3Ez1tljxCkwEvTv8GCMGdROcMSTjKFBPDqL3CmIauueoFaFgaH1DAUr3_1ilXIucTGFd2PHLYP22b8O4QxgFpJ5J2e-W9kQRX0RTba4u/s320/--Mother+5.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My
mother lived to be 85 years of age without giving up anything she enjoyed. As I
think of her tonight, I can’t help but wonder how many years she might have lived had she made even the slightest attempt to take care of herself?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.2in;">
<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0b5394; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 19.2px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I
wish she had. </span></span></span><span style="color: #000014; font-family: "verdana";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "calibri";"></span></div>
<div align="left" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span></div>
<div align="left" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-23892475453932251812017-10-03T20:30:00.000-04:002017-10-03T21:10:26.188-04:00October Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_UW-9yKx1sCQlQt-c_PMvBX426XTOlIIWgQ_YxMrR_DvY4nLZPCb6aFz2wv7rKOXH1P6-wLGWPGz1Mv1ryA0luDgA7xo0MYbwc8KDOHimPyt4I8zinZtjYI6htUa_9MDzeJCFSlA70mt/s1600/Exciting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_UW-9yKx1sCQlQt-c_PMvBX426XTOlIIWgQ_YxMrR_DvY4nLZPCb6aFz2wv7rKOXH1P6-wLGWPGz1Mv1ryA0luDgA7xo0MYbwc8KDOHimPyt4I8zinZtjYI6htUa_9MDzeJCFSlA70mt/s640/Exciting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-8296950250986712252017-10-03T03:55:00.000-04:002017-10-09T16:33:02.015-04:00Ah, Lovely October!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8p5fw1z2JMkjtkjZtU39lFGZUPu_bmhKj-Sp5KFn56eT3PikwhJe9Jv0fJpGjnGfR6P3qc2eX7gKiBdexQfNapKMqAWG8V297fiGEpCiMJq4ERMRHcQ_PPb3sy4AsR0yeRQ9OXLRuUPd/s1600/Fall+parkbench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8p5fw1z2JMkjtkjZtU39lFGZUPu_bmhKj-Sp5KFn56eT3PikwhJe9Jv0fJpGjnGfR6P3qc2eX7gKiBdexQfNapKMqAWG8V297fiGEpCiMJq4ERMRHcQ_PPb3sy4AsR0yeRQ9OXLRuUPd/s640/Fall+parkbench.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ah, Lovely October! As you usher in the season that awakens my soul, your awesome beauty compels my spirit to soar like a leaf whirling in an autumn breeze and my heart to sing like a Heavenly choir.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #000014; font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">© 2016 </span></span>~Peggy Toney Horton</span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-74316905555126260862017-09-17T18:44:00.001-04:002017-09-17T19:21:16.709-04:00What has Happened to the Neighborhood?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDiBzEjkle3ICwpTR058IaOAGBYCWfI_0A5EUL9sTiBSaevPlDPQnbRRY18RVFQy1nXGiXR3S7IXTbKsmjma4yfx1m9tp0rY1Ioi8QJbajRzwtboDX7yyaXjSRrgVTZodjtFZeYmJlJP/s1600/neighbors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDiBzEjkle3ICwpTR058IaOAGBYCWfI_0A5EUL9sTiBSaevPlDPQnbRRY18RVFQy1nXGiXR3S7IXTbKsmjma4yfx1m9tp0rY1Ioi8QJbajRzwtboDX7yyaXjSRrgVTZodjtFZeYmJlJP/s1600/neighbors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="291" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sDiBzEjkle3ICwpTR058IaOAGBYCWfI_0A5EUL9sTiBSaevPlDPQnbRRY18RVFQy1nXGiXR3S7IXTbKsmjma4yfx1m9tp0rY1Ioi8QJbajRzwtboDX7yyaXjSRrgVTZodjtFZeYmJlJP/s400/neighbors.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">It’s a beautiful 82˚day where I live. Although I had
things to do, I couldn’t resist taking a short walk in my neighborhood. It’s
amazing what one can learn on one of these walks. I encountered five people and
two dogs along the way and I don’t mind telling you, the dogs were much
friendlier than the people.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">I’ve lived in this neighborhood for many years, but an
onlooker might have supposed that I was a newcomer. People seem almost afraid
to speak to people they don’t know these days. I remember a time when I couldn’t
go for a walk without getting involved in conversation with everyone I met. In those
days, everyone walked mostly for the camaraderie. What
started out to be a short walk always took a couple of hours.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">But today was different. As a man cutting his grass
looked my way, I smiled and said, “Hello,” but all I got back was a quick nod.
A short time later, I saw two ladies walking toward me on the opposite side of
the street. Gearing up for a friendly exchange, I readied my smile, but the two
ladies barely managed a nervous “Hi,” as they walked on. Another woman sat in a
rocking chair on her porch – rocking away. I said, “Hello, how’re you today?” She
ignored me.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Just as I was checking to see if my shirt was unbuttoned
or if I had mustard on my face, a big brown dog and a small white one ran
toward me wagging all over and jumping on me as if I were a well-known friend.
Their owner appeared on her porch and yelled, “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“Sure is!” I yelled back, petting the dogs.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Heading toward home, I thought, “Well, one out of five ain’t
bad, I guess. What has happened to the neighborhood? Where are all the friendly
people? Are all neighborhoods like this – or only mine?”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Am I a scary looking person? If so, it didn’t just
recently happen. I remember a time when I was much younger – and had more
vinegar running through my veins; I was being ignored at a doctor’s office. I sat
there for more than an hour past my appointment time. People kept arriving,
getting called in to see the doctor and leaving while I sat twiddling my thumbs.
I got angrier and angrier and finally couldn’t stand it any longer. I went to
the window. The receptionist looked up and said, “May I help you?”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“Do I have two heads or something?” I inquired.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“What do you mean,” she asked.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">“You’ve ignored me for more than an hour. If the doctor
doesn’t have time for me, I’ll leave now and not waste any more of my day!”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">After rustling around with some papers on her desk, the
young girl, obviously embarrassed, said, “I’m so sorry! You’re next.”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 13px;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0px;">Those were the good old days when people knew how to communicate!</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span><br />
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-33831270128659268112017-09-15T22:20:00.000-04:002017-10-01T22:28:14.374-04:00November in my Soul<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc-gBSA1fA9cVyJoqlGTPXzp4mnZ2szsP9OJpQnL2WoXtdYJn19y2K1372tlOqfVBpdY_zVlZew4JpcRYSIs3iRFWswcWdvGHY_c2kL3PK_PSnp-16ZOoMPOjEDLGVgb7zzIRUgGeY-vQ/s1600/Damp+November+in+my+soul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="800" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSc-gBSA1fA9cVyJoqlGTPXzp4mnZ2szsP9OJpQnL2WoXtdYJn19y2K1372tlOqfVBpdY_zVlZew4JpcRYSIs3iRFWswcWdvGHY_c2kL3PK_PSnp-16ZOoMPOjEDLGVgb7zzIRUgGeY-vQ/s640/Damp+November+in+my+soul.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-67788979029493539922017-09-08T23:49:00.001-04:002017-09-08T23:55:03.586-04:00Cries of a Broken Spirit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxpCQ7LlDC8cIykJgXR5_OE-IADGRBqOp_ceL7v1JxOTrmLeqoSjWVZLkGJmjR9otkjFRXRm6tr7FyuSy0BbA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-83036523678732933202017-09-02T03:54:00.004-04:002017-09-02T03:54:54.944-04:00Ah, September!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQPdDN0V6FTAvw7-42Zwl-zTHooLe1OXDYS5eV81qXQ9dURUkIguisxaD3JmkkaDT81RrtaAM1O8sXlR31VeXuM1pWt8qPhhzy_gPiOVl_NLtdU2Fw4Kic2l4EAJrbfH4hjtB0i3xlTO-/s1600/Ah%252C+September.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="960" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQPdDN0V6FTAvw7-42Zwl-zTHooLe1OXDYS5eV81qXQ9dURUkIguisxaD3JmkkaDT81RrtaAM1O8sXlR31VeXuM1pWt8qPhhzy_gPiOVl_NLtdU2Fw4Kic2l4EAJrbfH4hjtB0i3xlTO-/s640/Ah%252C+September.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6253781588837410177.post-64745240196358364852017-08-30T19:10:00.005-04:002017-08-30T21:07:43.893-04:00The Red House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarLiQpyeAGQR8qdzpodraxIfRuXuxClRXZSt7zkbrHrJvmhBPvwxzLXjTOxZ6SthRhapqQFxx1FAtuO-hl-HuPPBwz_6YlFk7e6oFwStwd4Ny_VDVV8qbYmAtYEEMxFzwvLbeVtWnBZRa/s400/Red+House.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dreams intrigue me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My son, whose opinion I often seek, assures me that dreams mean nothing. He says, “When you’ve been thinking about certain things and then you sleep, these things come out in your subconscious and you see pictures – similar to watching a movie. They are in no way prophetic!” </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not sure I agree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">I’ve had many dreams that later materialized in some unusual way. For instance, as a child, I once had a vivid dream of myself riding a blue bicycle. There was no obvious reason for it. I already had a green bicycle and wasn’t yearning for a new one. Yet, a few days later, when my birthday came, my dad took me to a store and bought me a beautiful new bicycle. I was thrilled and rode the shiny, blue bike home.</span><span style="color: #0b5394; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.pegylu.net/2012/03/do-dreams-come-true.html"><span style="color: magenta;">Do Dreams Come True</span></a><span style="color: magenta;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A couple of nights ago, I dreamed my daughter yelled at me from a neighbor’s house, “C’mon, let’s go see the red house.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Although I’d just gotten out of bed, was still in pajamas and had not combed my hair, I hurried out to meet my daughter, just as I was, so we could go see this red house. When we arrived at the house, we found Mr. H sitting on a bench talking with a man who lives nearby. They didn’t seem surprised to see us, but got up and followed us into the house.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This red house had been staged beautifully! I was mesmerized! From one room to another I ran, taking in every detail of the furniture and the house itself. There were many people looking at the house and no one seemed to notice that I was in my PJs and looking so disheveled. (Odd)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">I finally told Mr. H that I </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">must</span></i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> have this house – furniture and all! With nary a blink, he said, “Okay.” I was thrilled! Until daughter spoke up, “You can’t buy it. I already bought it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My heart sank and I started to cry like a child.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“You silly goose!” said my daughter, “I knew you’d like this red house so I bought it FOR you.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I woke up laughing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Wouldn't it be nice if this dream turned out like the one about the blue bicycle?</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_593774412"><br /></a></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton">www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton</a></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span></div>
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Peggy~http://www.blogger.com/profile/00377340852768883282noreply@blogger.com5