New and Old

Well thunder roared and the rains teemed and darkness prevailed within the walls of my house all day yesterday, but, within the walls there are lamps to light and a jig saw puzzle waited patiently for attention. This one is a lighthouse along with a Colonial house that looks like a scene from Jamestown, Va., with bushes of every color, sand and rocks and water, another one of those that should be glued and framed. If I did that some one would miss out on a lot of fun and frustration . Finding those illusive little devils hidden in the carpet or hitch a ride on your sweater and land on the bedroom floor is always such a surprise as you discover the piece you searched for every where but where it should be. I wonder if I am responsible for giving you a small nudge in the jig saw craze of yesteryear. I notice the cost of the puzzles have gone sky high, why friend Paula actually paid out nineteen dollars and change for a puzzle that was extremely hard to do and when it was finished I had the satisfaction of sending it right to her doorstep. After all it is only fair that she suffer the same as me. She knows I love puzzles and she always participated when she came to visit her Aunt Gerry and we would enjoy all of the laughter and really hard work of putting a difficult puzzle together. We had one of those Americana ones and Gerry made a whole area of bits and pieces of people and called it her bone yard. So, in doing puzzles I am treated to some very loving memories of friends who were just as crazy about completing a jig saw puzzle as I do. It does cut into my winter reading but it is a good change and it does bring about some camaraderie with whoever walks in the front door. My neighbor, La Verne, came without her glasses and promptly went out the door to go and get them. She was not about to let me find all the pieces.

Here is the new classy 789, custom built, no two alike take off with 1957, 1958 and 1959 Chevy features . . . what a beauty . . . can't you see yourself tootling down the highway in that. The company is called 'No Two Alike" and gave it the name '789' in honor of the years Chevrolet was King of the Hill. I had a Chevy Malibu, bet the spelling is wrong on that, but it was light tan in shading and a dream to drive. I think they still make that model and I am not surprised as it was a 'dream' car. It has been thirty years since I have been behind the wheel . . . nope, take that back, it was probably fifteen years ago when Pat let me drive on one of the mountain curvy roads and held her breath for at least ten miles. I did fine, just didn't go fast enough for her and she had to admit, a bit later, that I really did good as it was the curviest area of the entire trip. Do you think she was testing me? or was she just being brave letting me get behind the wheel after along absence. I was always an overly cautious driver. . . but I thought a good one. I just couldn't afford to buy and pay for a car and its upkeep so I used 'mare's shanks' and enjoyed walking and really seeing the sights around. Do you ever notice when you are out walking that if you look at a person coming towards you and smile they respond immediately. I love the surprise look on the faces of the young ones who really do not expect you to greet them. One young fellow wasn't sure I was greeting him the other day when I was getting my mail. It took him a second and then he grinned and smiled.

So today, Sunday, you are probably resting up at home and wont have much of a chance to go on a greeting walk, but if you do experiment a little , you may be surprised at the kind of results you get when you smile. You know what is said . . . a smile is God's gift to the weary"; and so easy to share. Fill your day with a little silliness and show off those pearly whites that is what they are for. Go, 'grin and bear it' and enjoy. Hugs to all.