Quote for the Day

The reason a dog has so many friends is because he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

Gone until next spring. . .

Remember those big beautiful blooms on the shrubs in my backyard that I posted pictures of, first when they were white and then this fall when they turned pink? They are now an ugly brown and sitting in a pile by the road waiting for the Town truck to come by Monday and pick them up. Those shrubs really grew by leaps and bounds this spring and summer and I loved looking at those blooms. But the frost killed them in the last week and they have to be cut and tossed. My friend, Nancy, says the term is "deadheading." Now the plants look naked and small.

My new job

I am very grateful for everyone who has called or e-mailed and asked how my new job is going. After 5 days on the job, this one's a keeper!!!

Thanks to everyone for caring!

Ahh. . . Saturday morning!

I allowed myself the luxury of making a second pot of coffee this morning. There is something about sitting in the quiet comfort of my home. . . well, "quiet comfort" doesn't include a 50 pound Lab that decides to take residence in my lap as I drink my coffee. . . but anyway, drinking coffee chases away the stress and anxiety of everyday life. My first day of my new job went well yesterday. I'll just be glad when I get past being the new kid on the block. . . learn everyone's name and what their job is, learn to do my job without instruction, not to mention get my work area looking like ME! Hey, if it took several days to remove all my personal items from my old job, it's going to take awhile to get set up with my framed pictures of my children and grandchildren, my jade plant, and all the other "stuff" that makes me feel comfortable! I am excited that I have a big window to enjoy while sitting at my desk. There are acres and acres of trees that I can watch change colors as fall progresses.

In talking with my new boss yesterday, we discovered that we have a long time mutual friend in Robert Lauterbach - they used to work together at RG&E years ago and still stay in contact. Robert and Nancy and I go back a long way.

A new chapter

Today was the last day of the job I have held at the University of Rochester Medical Center for almost 4 years. Tomorrow I begin a new chapter in the Life and Times of Sherry Bennett with a promotion and a nice pay increase!

The last week has been a blur. I have tried to tie up loose ends in my current job, yesterday I began training my replacement, I was taken to lunch twice - it's nice to be appreciated!

I am leaving behind a lot of good co-workers, many of whom came by to give me a hug at the end of the day.

Now I look forward to getting to know the new people I will be working with. It's an energetic, friendly group. Onward!!!

The picture isn't as great as they are in real life!!!

Awhile back I posted a picture of these when the blooms were white. As fall approaches, they gradually turn to pink. These shrubs are in the hydrangea family and are so full of great big beautiful blooms that some of the branches are weighed down by them. When the frost kills the blooms, they have to be cut off. . . cutting all of them off is gonna take awhile!

Granny and Popa

Yesterday, my little cousin sent me this picture. Actually, she's forty-something with both her sons in college, so why do I still think of her as my little cousin? Old habits have a way of hanging on, I suppose. Anyway, she had just visited Granny and Popa's grave and took this picture with her cell phone.

I was at work when the picture flashed across my screen. In an instant, I was swept from the rat race of the modern day world back to a slower, simpler time.

Granny and Popa were my father's parents. Both were colorful characters and you are unfortunate if you did not know them. Popa was a prosperous cotton farmer in rural Alabama until one day the family, which included my dad, his two brothers and one sister, returned home from church in their horse and buggy, to find their home burned to the ground. To add to the loss, Granny and Popa did not believe in banks, having lived through the Great Depression. All of their money was inside the home.

There was no government welfare in those days. Even if there had been, my grandparents would not have accepted it. My family tree is firmly rooted in proud, hard working Scotch-Irish people who believed in the notion that if you find yourself in a hole, you dig yourself out. The neighbors came together and donated what clothing they could spare. My father told of having to wear a girls' blouse to school. As a child, I took pleasure in teasing him about that. My own two sons carried on that tradition quite nicely!

Granny made quilts from discarded clothing and whatever scraps of fabric she could come by. One of these quilts, a postage stamp pattern, is one of my prized possessions. As a young child, I watched her hand sew one inch square pieces of fabric into a beautiful quilt large enough to cover a double size bed. I don't remember how long it took her to finish that quilt. But I do remember Popa watching her make it and complaining that she was wasting her time on it. He could not invision the finished product or the fact that one day I would hold that quilt in such high regard.

In his advancing years, Popa often spoke of the Great Depression and the hard times people had during that era. I look back now and think what a real-life connection to history my cousins and I had, even if we didn't realize it at the time.

An urgent e-mail that popped up on my computer screen jolted me back to the modern day world and I was off to take care of yet another issue. But somewhere deep inside my being I held on to the thought of how lucky I am to have been influenced in my growing up years by Granny and Popa.

A wet and dreary evening

It is nights like tonight that I am thankful for my freezer in the basement. I have had a very busy week. My brain and my body are tired. And I'm hungry. Often on nights like this I will make a plate of fresh veggies and fruit and have it along with my glass of wine. But tonight I don't have any fresh fruit or vegetables in the house. I looked in my freezer to see if there was anything that appealed to me. . . my homemade swiss chard and artichoke soup? No, I just had a bowl of that not too long ago. . . ah! I found a ziploc bag of my homemade chili! Perfect! So as I write this, my chili is heating up on the stove.

I took my big red dolly to work today to begin bringing home some of my personal items around my work area. Next Friday I begin my new job. . . yeah, I know. It's crazy to start a new job on a Friday! But our payroll department would not allow my transfer until the end of the pay period. As I was walking along the sidewalk with four big boxes strapped to the dolly, a woman looked at me and said, "I hope you aren't taking all that home to work over the weekend!" That made me laugh! "No", I answered, "just moving to a new job next week and it's gonna take awhile to bring all my things home." Even though I'm staying within the University where I have worked for six years, my new job is in another location. So it is not a matter of putting my belongings on a cart and carrying them down the hall.

Mmmm. . . I can smell the chili. . . now I"m really hungry!

Quote for the Day

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

I'm back home!

Had a wonderful four days with my son and daughter-in-law and grandsons in Virginia. Just got home a little while ago. Ugh, that's a long drive and add to it a continuous stream of road construction. . . I'm tired!

I met my new granddog, Bingo! Bingo joined the family two months ago. She was a rescue dog. Now I am not a fan of taking in a rescue dog, having witnessed many disasters with "shelter dogs" in my lifetime. But Bingo is an exception. She is well behaved and very loveable. She found a good home and I am happy for her and for my grandsons who pour lots of attention on her. I took a picture of the three boys with Bingo but once I got it on my computer screen, I decided I didn't like it. So I won't post it here. But trust me, Bingo is a cute little dog.

Saturday was a busy day. We had Jake's soccer game. . . he scored a goal and got a head ball! It was also Kevin's 9th birthday! How is possible my oldest grandchild is not a baby anymore???

The time flew by much too quickly.