I HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS, (AT LEAST IT IS TO ME)! THE HOUSE IS 98% DONE! WELL, NOT QUITE THAT MUCH, AS WE STILL HAVE TO DO THE MASTER BATHROOM, BUT THE BIG STUFF IN THE MASTER BATH HAS BEEN DONE AND WE REALLY ONLY NEED TO ADD THE TOILET, SINK AND SHOWER. THE WALLS ALL OVER THE HOUSE ARE FINISHED-EVERYTHING IS READY TO MOVE THE FURNITURE INTO PLACE. MONDAY A CLEANING LADY WILL COME AND CLEAN AND SCRUB, DUST AND POLISH, AND THEN, WE PUT THE FIREPLACE INTO PLACE AND THE FURNITURE IN THE LIVING ROOM. AFTER THAT, IT WILL BE NEW LIGHT FIXTURES, BUT SINCE WE HAVE LIGHT FIXTURES ALREADY, I CAN WAIT FOR THE NEW ONES. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL. IT HAS BEEN SO VERY LONG SINCE THE HURRICANE, AND YET IT FEELS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY. I WAS SO COMPLACENT BEFORE THE HURRICANE, I TOOK MY LOVELY HOME FOR GRANTED, BUT NOW I REALIZE HOW QUICKLY I CAN LOSE IT ALL AGAIN, AND I PROMISE TO BE MORE APPRECIATIVE. I WANT TO SHARE MY HOME WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. I WANT MY HOME TO BE A PLACE WHERE THE SPIRIT CAN BE ENJOYED. MY COOKIE JAR WILL BE FULL AT ALL TIMES, AND MY BLESSINGS FREELY SHARED.
I AM GOING TO COOK. I AM SO TIRED OF EATING OUT. I DO APPRECIATE THE AFFLUENCE THAT HEAVENLY FATHER HAS AFFORDED US TO BE ABLE TO DO SO, BUT I WANT TO HAVE MY KITCHEN SCENTED WITH THE SPICES OF LIFE. THIS MORNING, THE SMELL OF BACON WAFTED THROUGH THE HOUSE. LIKE MICE AFTER A LONG, COLD NIGHT, MY FAMILY CAME, ONE BY ONE INTO THE KITCHEN TO SEE WHAT THAT LONG REMEMBERED SMELL WAS. THE SMELL OF CAKE IN THE OVEN, AS WELL AS CORNBREAD, FRIED PORK CHOPS AND OTHER COUNTRY COOKIN' DELICACYS WILL ONCE AGAIN PERMEATE THIS HOUSEHOLD. THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER SMELLS THAT BRING HAPPY MEMORIES, SWEET POTATO PIE, SUGAR COOKIES, POT ROAST, HOME-MADE BREAD, AND ON AND ON. I WILL NEVER AGAIN TAKE FOR GRANTED THE ABILITY TO COOK OR THE AVAILABLILITY OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR GOOD MEALS. I HOPE MY FAMILY FEELS THE SAME WAY, AS THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO EAT AT HOME FROM NOW ON.
THE FUNNIEST THING HAPPENED YESTERDAY- AS MARTIN WAS VIGOROUSLY ATTACKING THE WALLS TO FINISH THE HOUSE, HE HAD A MISHAP. HE LIKES TO SPATTER THE WALLS WITH TEXTURE, WHICH IS SHEET ROCK MUD WITH TINY LITTLE PARTICLES IN IT. YOU SPRAY IT ON, AND WHEN IT DRIES, YOU PAINT AND THE WALLS LOOK WONDERFUL. WELL, THE TEXTURE GUN IS A TOOL WITH A LARGE HOPPER TO POUR THE MUD INTO AND AN AIR GUN THAT SPRAYS THE MUD OUT THROUGH A NOZZLE. YOU SPRAY AND WAVE THE GUN AND THE TEXTURE GOES ON EVENLY. (HOPEFULLY). WELL, POOR MARTIN WAS TRYING TO GET DONE, AND HE OVERFILLED THE HOPPER. IT WAS FILLED TO THE TOP WITH LIQUID TEXTURE, AND WHEN MARTIN REACHED TO SPRAY NEAR THE CEILING, THE MUD IN THE HOPPER SLOPPED OVER THE TOP ALL OVER MARTIN'S HEAD, SHOULDERS, BACK AND TUMMY. I SUDDENLY FELT MUD SPRAY OVER MY ARMS AND INTO MY HAIR, BUT NOT MUCH. I WONDERED HOW HE COULD HAVE MISSED THE TARGET ENOUGH TO SPRAY ME. I DIDN'T REALIZE AT FIRST WHAT HAPPENED, I JUST HEARD THE PROFANITY, BUT IT WAS RATHER GARBLED. MY JOB WAS TO HOLD A BOARD TO PROTECT A DOOR FROM GETTING SPRAYED, SO I WASN'T LOOKING AT MARTIN. WHEN THE SPRAY GUN STOPPED, I TURNED TO SEE WHY, AND GOT A REAL SHOCK. THERE STOOD A 6FOOT 5INCH FIGURE THAT LOOKED LIKE THE STAY-PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN. ALL I COULD SEE WAS WHITE GOO AND A PAIR OF LEGS IN JEANS. POOR BABY WAS JUST COVERED! LIKE THE GOOD SPOUSE I AM, I WAITED UNTIL I TURNED AROUND TO EXPLODE WITH LAUGHTER. TRYING TO COMPOSE MYSELF, I TURNED BACK AROUND ONLY TO SEE A PAIR OF EYES BLINKING THROUGH WHITE MUD. HIS FURRY BEARD WAS COVERED AS WELL, BUT IT MADE A LOVELY PATTERN. THE MUD HAD POURED DOWN OVER MARTIN, THE DOG FOOD KEEPER BEHIND HIM AND ONTO THE FLOOR. I ASKED HIM IF HE NEEDED HELP, AND HE TOLD ME IF I COULD COLLECT MYSELF, HE COULD USE SOME HELP WITH THE HOSE OUTSIDE. WE WASHED OFF AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND RATHER THAN GETTING IN A NATURAL STATE OUTSIDE, I MADE HIM GO TO THE SHOWER WITH HIS CLOTHES TO FINISH WASHING OFF THE MUD. IT TOOK QUITE A WHILE, BUT WE GOT HIM CLEAN. I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH FUN IT WAS TO CLEAN UP AFTER A MUD FIGHT, AND ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT A MUD FIGHT, (AT LEAST NOT BETWEEN MARTIN AND ME, I CANNOT SPEAK FOR THE HOPPER) THE RESULT WAS THE SAME. THE SAD PART IS THAT I DID NOT GET THE CAMERA TO RECORD THE EVENT. AT LEAST I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER THE DAY HE CLOBBERED HIMSELF WITH WHITE SHEET ROCK MUD-I WILL REMEMBER BECAUSE THE DOOR I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT WAS THE DOOR TO THE LAUNDRY ROOM, AND I DO LAUNDRY EVERY DAY!
I AM GRATEFUL FOR A SENSE OF HUMOR. I AM GRATEFUL TOO, THAT MARTIN HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR. WITHOUT IT, WE WOULD BE IN A SORRY STATE, OR WOULD HAVE POSSIBLY KILLED EACH OTHER BY NOW. INSTEAD, WE LAUGH AT THE MEMORIES, SO THAT THEY ARE NOT DISASTERS, BUT SOMETHING TO SHARE. SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO ETERNITY WITH US. MORE TOMORROW, LOVE NANASEE