Thank You to the Union Mission

I want to thank the Union Mission for the wonderful Christmas Food Basket that they gave me. There was way too much food for me to eat alone and I have already given some out to some of the seniors in my building that I know need the food.

They had us pick up the food at a church that I had never seen. I have to say it was an absolutely beautiful church. It looked like a massive mountain lodge. They had a wonderful service with old fashioned Christmas Carols and upbeat Christian music and a short sermon. The actual giveaway was well organized and they gave out a couple hundred baskets in probably less than 1/2 an hour.

I was almost at the end of the line and I noticed that there was a lot of food left over. I tried to contact someone about delivering some of the food to the low income seniors in my building that I know need the food but have no way to get it. I spoke with 3 different people but I could tell they didn't want to be bothered with it. I am sure they thought that I was somebody that was just trying to get more than my fair share, I can't blame them for thinking that but it was certainly not the case. I used to give out government commodities a few years ago and you wouldn't believe that stories that people come up with to try to get extra food.

I still think I will try to call the mission tomorrow and see if I can talk to someone about getting some food delivered to the building. It is probably too late but, what the heck, it's only a phone call and I can handle rejection.

My Christmas Miracle

In 2001 my dad was in the hospital dying on Christmas Day.

He was in so much pain that they had him in a medically induced coma and he was still lying in the bed stiff as a board. There was blood on his lips because he was clenching his teeth so hard. He was a diabetic and he needed to have his leg amputated because of sepsis but he was too weak for the surgery and they did not know if he would make it through the day.

Needless to say I was miserable, not only was my dad dying but it was Christmas Day and Christmas would be ruined for the rest of my life!

I promised God that I would do whatever I could to help him if he would let him live.

They decided to do dialysis on Christmas Day saying that it was the absolute last thing they could try for him. Fortunately the dialysis worked and he became strong enough a couple of days later to do the surgery. Also he never had to have dialysis again which is one of the complications of having it once - being on it for the rest of your life!

Daddy became strong enough to come home with me on February 4, 2002. They told me that he had around 10 days to live. I was blessed with taking care of him for another 2 3/4 years.

He had lost around 100 lbs. during the course of his illness. When I took him home and he still didn't want to eat, I would make him delicious,appetizing foods. When he would turn them down I would sit there in front of him and eat and smack my lips and just enjoy the hell out of the meal in front of him. Usually he would lean over and peep at the plate and say "I think I'll have a little of that." I managed to put 50 lbs. back on him but I also put 50 lbs. on myself! I definitely didn't need it, but it was worth every pound.

Taking care of daddy alone was hard. I had a little help from my uncles but for the most part I took care of everything for him. I do appreciate the help that they did give me though.

There were lots of ups and downs but he eventually became well enough that he was quite happy. I told him that if he could bear with me that I might make mistakes and do a lot of things wrong but I would always do my best and never intentionally hurt him.

That is exactly what happened.

This Doesn't Happen Everyday...

...not even to me!

Last night an old man on a walker knocked on my door. He wanted to know if I was the kind of woman who liked to get stoned and watch a Christmas Movie????

I tried my best not to laugh as I told him I was busy. I do know who he is because I have given him food before but I have never really spoken to him before. I guess it was his way of repaying me???

My Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

I have to admit though that one time I had a tree that nothing could fix. I was living on my hundred acres and I had the bright idea of going out and cutting my own tree from my property. I knew exactly which tree I wanted to cut down. It was in the middle of a field, in a tiny cluster of trees which were in my way when I mowed the field. I was ready to kill two birds with one stone as it were - cut the tree down and clear the field so I had a clear shot during mowing season. The perfect solution.

So I marched out of my house with a hand saw to cut down that tree. No power saw for me, by golly, I was going to do this the old-fashioned way! (not to mention the fact that I am a natural born klutz and I KNOW my limitations) There was a light snow on the ground so I slipped and slid all the way up the hill to the tree. I sawed at that tree for probably a half an hour before it fell with a gratifying thud. I felt like such a lumberjack.

I dragged it to the house and I put it up in the corner of my living room. I started to turn it to find the "good side". To my dismay I found there was no "good side". So I decorated it with my lovely decorations that I had saved from year to year and had always had a gorgeous tree. Not this time. My tree was not beautiful, it was not even pretty, It looked pitiful.

It looked so pitiful that I went back outside to that little grove of trees and cut down another tree. I took it into the house and I took off all the decorations and I put the two trees together and I wired myself one big, giant tree! It still didn't help. Even after I decorated my makeshift tree it was still the ugliest monstrosity that I have ever had the pleasure(?) of putting into my house at Christmastime.

Every year I enjoy my ritualistic burning of the Christmas tree when I take it down. The burning was particularly enjoyable that year. And that is the story of my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

Taking the Bull by the Horns...so to speak

One year my dad decided to sell Christmas Trees. So on one Saturday in November, the whole family loaded up and my dad rented a U-Haul and paid 2 guys to follow us to the Christmas Tree Farm. He let us run around and pick out which trees we wanted to cut down. He was buying a hundred of them. We romped and played all day while the men cut the trees.

It was at the end of the afternoon and my dad and I cut across a field to go to the car. We were almost to the fence (and it's a good thing we were) when a bull came charging out of the barn right at us. We sprinted to the fence and I remember I tore my pants on the barbed wire as I went over the it. We barely got out in time! A charging bull is something I never want to see coming at me in my lifetime again.

Daddy and I laughed about it for a long time after that. My mom, was of course, furious that he would endanger my life that way. She didn't seem to understand that we didn't know there was a bull in that barn.

My Mystery Santa

One year at Christmas time I was working part time at a gas station. One of the pumps was full service. Everytime I went out to the pump, people would tell me that if they had known a girl was coming they would have pumped the gas themselves. Then I would have to tell them that I was going to be out of a job with attitudes like that and I needed the job. Once they heard that, they would let me pump their gas.

One day I went out to pump the gas for someone in a very nice SUV. When I went to the driver's side window all I saw was a a well manicured hand holding a $100 bill. The dark tinted windows were barely cracked so that I could hear the lady tell me to give her $20 worth of gas. I pumped the gas and I went inside to get the change and when I turned around to go outside to give them their change, the SUV was gone!

I went outside to look both ways and I didn't see the vehicle. I walked over to look at the parking lot next door because many of the customers would go over there after they got gas. I saw a black SUV in the parking lot but I wasn't sure that it was them. I called the manager of the store next door (I worked there also) and I asked him to track down the owner of the black SUV in the parking lot and see if they accidentally left me their change! He found them but he said they told him that it wasn't them.

It was then I started to realize that they had left me the money on purpose. I was happy on the one hand but on the other hand, I was worried that they would realize that they had made a mistake and could still come back. I didn't spend any of the money for 3 days - just in case they did come back for it. Even then I bought groceries with the money, so that if they did come back I would just be able to repay them out of my pocket.

A couple of days before Christmas I decided that they weren't coming back. I bought myself a little something and I bought presents for my nieces and nephews that I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise!

Because of the mystery Santa in the SUV, I had a very Merry Christmas that year.

People of Lee Terrace: Mark died

Mark was a disgusting drunk and a junkie. But he was also a very nice man who would do anything for anybody. I knew he was close to dying so I made him a huge Thanksgiving meal (probably 3 dinners). He talked about that dinner everytime he saw me until the day he died.