BETWEEN SUNDAY & MONDAY

LAST OF MOD CLAM SLIPPERS

Tonight, I finished up the last of the sea clams’ slippers

(https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/mod-tanmen-china-clam-slippers.html).

I chose to design my slippers after these fishy beauties because I think the color combo’s are spectacular – as you can see in the video ;-)

Rare Giant(Huge) Sea Clams underwater video:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKy0cOyR4bA)

All week I have worked myself like a slave to add to what I already designed/crafted, to complete a total of 12 slippers, sizes 6W to 10W

(https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/09/slow-day.html) … hopefully quirky people like me will come to the bazaar and buy my goods :-D

 

It may not look like a close match, but it really is … and it will show on the foot ;-)

 

Each giant sea clam is unique – like my designs. I have been battling a cold, but I think I did pretty okay considering the stuffy head-runny nose- sneezing and coughing interferred with clear thinking. LOL

I personally, don’t think we can compete with the color combos in Yeshua’s creations … but, it is fun to try to mimic as best we can ;-)

COMING OF AGE

Bob and I had SO MUCH to work out when we first got married.

We knew we loved each other, but we didn't really KNOW each other: we met in March, started dating in April, and married in August. We knew each other's bodies ... but we didn't know each other's minds.

Bob had come of age during the hippie age; and he and Gloria played at being hippies (or what they thought hippies were: Gloria and Alex are still clueless - sleeping with anything that moves and smoking weed does NOT make one a hippie) - I was RAISED A HIPPIE. There is a big difference between pretending to be something, and actually BEING that something.

I knew Bob was a logger - I knew his logging outfit cut trees down.

I also knew that I was a staunch Greenpeace advocate.

I understood the Greenpeace agenda from a 17 year old mindset - Bob understood it from an adult mindset.

While I was arguing Greenpeace in school hallways and Main Street byways ... Bob was LIVING THE REALITIES OF Greenpeace IN HIS WORK ENVIRONMENT.

He didn't want to argue it at home.

I did.

I was 17.  Seventeen year olds argue - I argued for the trees, the whales, the population explosion (I didn't know yet that I was going to be responsible for adding 1 more person to the population explosion).

One night, Bob put his Supper fork down, and said, "Val, you don't understand. This is not a game - these people are dangerous. And you are supporting an organization that threatens my job and our livihood. Open your eyes. Now, I don't want to talk anymore about it tonight - I'm hungry and I'm tired."

We ate in silence - but we never went to bed angry: EVER. That was an ironclad rule. Even if we disagreed on something, we agreed to respect our differences.

2 weeks later my eyes were opened.

1 man was seriously injured on the job when his power saw bit into a tree and hit a railroad spike that had been driven into the tree ... and later that week, a protestor was killed when he laid down in front of a train in town carrying logs to the ship loading docks.

REALITY HIT HOME.

I started looking into Greenpeace a little closer.

I didn't like what I found in my research.

I actually got sick to my stomach when I realized that an organization that claimed "love & peace" ACTUALLY PROMOTED HATE AND VIOLENCE! Greenpeace is willing to go to murderous and suicidal lengths to push thier insane agenda: it sounds good, but underneath the "save, save, save" mantra resounds a "kill, kill, kill" scream.

Being married to Bob was growing me up in ways I never imagined.

I apologized to Bob - threw my Greenpeace buttons in the trash - tore my Greenpeace patches off my clothing ... and started shedding my hippie skin for a life based in reality.

Nirvana is a fantasy.

Our life was reality.

I was coming of age …

And Greenpeace's insanity no longer had a place in it.

BLUE JEANS DILEMA

I am doing laundry.

And switching Spring/Summer sheets out for Fall/Winter sheets sets.

I really could use the room in Bob's dresser drawer.

I know I need to let his jeans go.

BU.T.I.J.U.S.T.C.A.N.'.T.Y.ET.

And I really need to stop crying when I see his jeans.

Maybe next Spring ...

WINGED VISITORS TODAY

This afternoon I did more Fall prep in my garden area. I like spending time in my garden area. Bob helped create this space with me – for me; from the planter boxes he designed and crafted superficially for me … to the placement of each box.

When I am in my garden area, I feel serenity.

Even though having these boxes is what killed my husband.

My husband literally died because of these planter boxes
(https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/09/fall-cleanup-and-forgiveness.html).

And that is why I will continue to use them until they fall apart.

And Candy can be damned.

That said, I had winged visitors in my garden area today – and winged visitors in the carport that intended a paper-thin ‘squatting’ … which I quickly destroyed. While I gladly unroll the red carpet for hummingbirds and butterflies: I firmly pull he welcome mat out from under hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets:

Wasp nest in carport rafters; I knocked it down – and didn’t get stung. Thank Elohim!

It didn’t take a lot of strength to knock that wasp’s nest down from the carport rafter, but it did take courage – 1 sting from any of those winged terrorists and I will die. They gotta go.

That done, I pulled carrots and onions from their garden beds and soaked the box soil off of them while I finished putting the veggie beds to sleep for the next 6 months. I moved the turmeric under the carport too – I’m not sure if this will be enough protection for that plant, but I am going to give it a whirl; it’s really all the viable space I have here. And I wrapped foil pieces around the rain barrel spigots & hoses …

I rearranged the rain barrels and wire cages in the carport too. I have a guy coming to wash the windows next Thursday, and he needs to be able to get to the window.

While I was spreading and securing bird netting over the veggie boxes, a little hummingbird showed up and flitted around – at one point perching on a wire cage next to me. I was excited!

A hummingbird stopped by for a short visit while I was putting the veggie beds to rest for the Fall/Winter months :-D

3/4 I covered most of the beds with net before the rain started falling …

After the little hummer zipped away, I pulled the hanging coleus pots and moved them inside; placing them inside my plastic grow bin on the coffee table in front of the livingroom window, where they should get the required sunshine they need to stay healthy and survive until next Spring. I’ve never tried this before, but I have heard that it can be done – we’ll see:

Coleus' overwintering in the house

Turning around from the coleus’, my eye caught movement and I glanced out the window – a butterfly! A butterfly was enjoying my zinnias. And I was enjoying the butterfly ;-)

BUTTERFLY ON ZINNIAS! Sorry about the loud A/C in the background …

And then the promised rain came …. And scared my winged friends away …

I'M BUSY LOVING YOU

I love the Grass Roots – every one of their songs speak to my heart.

But one song in particular, “Live For Today” took on a whole new meaning in 1977.

In 1977, Bob broke his leg and had to have reconstructive surgery on it – when he went into surgery, the doctor was up front with me, and said, “If no one comes out to talk to you after 8 hours, we have had to amputate the leg.”

So, at 20 years od age, I was facing the very real possibility of telling my husband he was a cripple when he was wheeled into his hospital room following surgery.

Bob was at that time, only 27 years old.

8 hours came and went.

I heard from no one.

I refused to cry – I prayed.

I prayed for strength to be strong for my husband.

I prayed for strength FOR my husband.

I prayed nonstop through the night and into the early morning hours.

When the surgeon finally came through the door and into the waiting room, I jumped to my feet.

I was scared. Tears filled my eyes.

But I refused to cry.

I had to be strong.

The surgeon walked over t me, and said, “It took a long time because we called a special team together to work on your husband’s leg … we were able to save it.”

I CRIED!

Tears of relief. Tears of gratitude. Tears of thankfulness for Elohim’s faithfulness, despite the stupidity that put us here in this moment.

Weeks later – even with the blood thinner being administered to him every day while his leg healed - a blood clot broke loose and KILLED HIM RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME while I was visiting him at the hospital: an orderly walking past us saw what was happening and called Code. It was scary seeing my husband lift off his bed about a foot (or more) while they jump-started his heart that day.

This was Bob's 1st death (he had come close to death in a house fire as a toddler - and would die again for 25 minutes in 1981: his final death would take place December 14th, 2018).

And when he finally was able to safely come home, our mantra and new motto was: “Let others plan their futures … I’m busy loving you.”

Us, September 1977.

We never wasted a single day after that close call with the Grim Reaper.

We literally lived and loved “in the moment” because we understood that from that day forward, every day was a real blessing. And we weren’t going to waste them with worry 😉

REACH OUT OF THE DARKNESS