I’M JUST CURIOUS: Little things matter (continued…)

by Debbie Walker

Good afternoon! Grab a cup of your choice and relax. In this column I am sharing a few “memories” I received from our readers. It’s a follow up to “It’s the Little things That Matter” column from the August 6 issue. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Hopefully, these will bring more memories of your own.

One of my readers sent me a copy of a eulogy her daughter wrote and presented at the grandfather’s funeral. I wish I could share the entire writing because it was beautiful and yet more proof that the memories of the ‘little’ things are so important. In the eulogy I saw no mention of how much money he spent on his grandkids, just activities they enjoyed. It is particularly important to recognize that she is proud of his character over his life and her grandparents having been married for 61 years. Thank you for sharing, Peg.

Another woman remembered some simple words that made a difference in her life as a mom. “If you run now you will run for the rest of your life.” Those quite simple words came the first time the Mom had let her toddler play outside with her cousin, and her little one fell and puckered up to cry. The new grandmother stood with the new mother and watched the incident, guess what. That new grandmother knew what she was talking about. So far, this wisdom has traveled down to what certainly will be this new fourth generation. Thank you, Alice.

My mother told me once, “If you don’t make a big deal out of it, they won’t.” And, oh my goodness, how true it was to me over the years of motherhood and nanahood. What you don’t realize at first is how this will help to keep all involved calmer over the years. Thank goodness, you realize eventually this wisdom will help to keep the drama down. No matter how scared you are if you force yourself to react calmly you can make it easier for those involved.

Yet another lady told me a story about her adult nephew. He asked her to go out with him one night, just the two of them and she did. She learned how important the little things are. He reminded her of her bringing pool toys with her when they were on a family camping weekend. She took these toys for the nephews and little niece and she had toys for each. He realized somewhere along the line that while they were having fun they were also learning skills and endurance. There was nothing fancy about the toys, it was the time spent that he remembered. He said they always knew they could go to her for fun. They both remember that wonderful evening.

Hope you enjoy these comments and when you are ready to send me yours, I will be right here.

Before I finish, I have to tell you a story. Have you been getting calls from people wanting to sell you extended warrantees for your car or possibly threats from “IRS” and you owing money and will be arrested that afternoon? Well, Nana Dee got a different one. She got the call from a Medicare/Medicaid representative telling her about her son Ray calling them and requesting a back brace this afternoon. She asked when he had called and was told it was last week. She said she didn’t realize he had been having back pain, she didn’t think he needed a back brace. Ready to start his speech she stopped and informed him that Ray had died five years ago. That ole boy was tripping all over his tongue!

I am just curious what you will send me next!! Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thank you so much for reading and have a great week.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: 12 things to always remember

by Debbie Walker

I believe I found this material on Facebook, a social website, and I really wanted to share it. I don’t know who the original author is but I liked the thought behind this. And, of course, I had to add a few of my own thoughts. Any thoughts or comments you have I would be glad to hear from you.

1. The past cannot be changed. If we were able to change the past, we would lose some of the lessons we needed. What we don’t think of is in our quest to redo the past we would also lose some of the things you weren’t considering.

2. Opinions don’t define your reality. I will listen to anyone’s opinion, if I agree then it is part of my reality already. If I don’t agree I just ignore it. We all make mistakes. From those mistakes we learn. These are what makes our realities.

3. Everyone’s journey is different. No one is in the exact same spot in their journey. Everyone’s journey is different, that’s what makes us who we are, makes us all special. We might be the same age, in the same income bracket and may even have similar goals in life. Fortunately, the way we accomplish it is what makes our journey different.

4. Things always get better with time. Most injuries get better with time, most illnesses get better with time, grief and losses get better with time. Usually even our children get better with time!

5. Judgments are a confession of character. You will only know the character of a person through three things. (a) When you live with that person. (b) When you do business/partnership/employer/employees/ or friends with that person. (c)Any reason to spend a lot of time together. Character says a lot about a person, and that character is being judged, often, before you meet someone.

6. Over thinking will lead to sadness. Overthinking is focused on the past, specially the bad things that have happened or unfortunate situations that a person wishes had gone differently. Sadly, it is not just something you can’t shake off. The sadness or depression usually requires a little help, not just wishing.

7. Happiness is found within. According to my dictionary, True Happiness is enjoying your own company and living in peace and harmony with your body, mind, and soul. It’s for being truly happy you neither need other people nor materialistic things. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. I think we look for other people to make us happy rather than doing it for yourself. Such as: My husband doesn’t have a clue what I would love for Christmas. My suggestion is to purchase a couple of your most wanted items, buy them and put them in his hands to wrap. I doubt he will be unhappy and you will get what you wanted without disappointment.

8. Positive thoughts create positive things. Explains itself.

9. Smiles are contagious. I believe in smiling, especially when I have eye contact with anyone, strangers, and all.

10. Kindness is free.

11. You only fail if you quit. Or…If you don’t try at all.

12. What goes around, comes around. A person’s actions or behavior will eventually have consequences for their behavior.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Being in the right place

by Debbie Walker

I read an amazing theory on Facebook: a computer social program. I have no idea who is the author, but I am impressed with the words of wisdom. If you already saw this, I hope you will enjoy the premise of the theory again.

A man was giving his daughter the gift of an old “seen better days” car. His instruction was for her to take it to a car dealer to see what they would offer to purchase the car. She came back and told her dad they offered $1,000.

Next, he told her to take it to a pawn shop to see what their offer is. Well, that price was only $100.

Lastly, he told her to take the car to a car club meeting to see if there was any interest. Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it since it was an iconic car and sought after by many.

I am quoting the story now: “The father said to his daughter, ‘The right place values you the right way. If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one sees your value.’”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were all raised to be aware of our personal value? Are you aware of your value in your daily life? Do you know your value to your childhood family, friends, and teachers? Do you know your value to the family you are raising? Do your spouse and family know their value to you?

I’ll bet you never thought much about it even after reading the story but take a few minutes to think about this, what would your value be? What value do you give others?

None of this has anything to do with dollars and cents. Since I am retired the career/job doesn’t fit my life’s value. I am looking back at my employment years and I believe I placed too much value in that part of my life. It had a great deal to do with what I saw as my value of myself.

Raising my daughter, I am not sure either of us truly understood “value”. I think she looked at me as “something to survive”. We argued quite a bit. I think we both looked at each other more with the word “tolerance”!

Unfortunately, in my married life my husband suffered from depression most all his life. I doubt either of us valued the other. After too many years I did realize I was in the wrong place.

These days I am very aware of my wonderful friendships and family and how much we value each other. If you doubt your value, are there grandkids around? The first time this little chubby toddler came running towards me with arms flying wildly hollering “Nana” hug! Value, oh yeah!

I’m just curious if any of this has you changing your perception of value. It did me.

Contact me with any comments or questions at DebbieWalker@townline.org.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Aahh Choo!

by Debbie Walker

The next thing you usually hear is ‘God Bless You’. Why? Where did that get started and why? This was my curiosity today. As often happens I open my laptop computer and start with the Google files and, ta-da, there it is, the answer on the website of Wikipedia. (I find answers to a lot of my questions there.)

It is okay if you decide to add this to your pile of “Useless Information”. I won’t be offended if you smile a little at the time.

As I said, I got this information from Wikipedia, read and chuckle:

What is the origin of saying Bless You?

In Rome, the bubonic plague was ravaging Europe. Sneezing was one of the plague’s main symptoms and is believed that Pope Gregory I suggested that a tiny prayer in form of saying, “God Bless You” after a sneeze would protect the person from death.

What are alternatives to saying Bless You?

Say “Gesundheit,” which is German for “{to your} health”. Say “Salute!” which is Italian for “{to your} health.” Offer a tissue if you have one handy.

There are a few different explanations about the origin of “God Bless You”. In the earliest days, it was deeply rooted in superstition. A sneeze was sometimes thought to be the body’s way of trying to rid itself of evil spirits. In that case it was a way to try to provide a protection, or a good luck charm, against the evil spirits leaving or inhabiting the body.

Is it true that your heart stops when you sneeze?

When you sneeze, the intrathoracic pressure in your body momentarily increases. This will decrease the blood flow back to the heart. The heart compensates for this by changing its regular heartbeat momentarily to adjust. However, the electrical activity of the heart does not stop during the sneeze.

Has anyone died sneezing?

Some injuries from holding in a sneeze can be profoundly serious, such as ruptured brain aneurysms, ruptured throat and collapsed lung.

Do you kill brain cells when you sneeze?

No. It is said the increase in pressure from a sneeze is so brief and slight that it would be enough to cause brain cell death.

Can you sneeze with your eyes open?

If you sneeze with your eyes open, your eyes will fly out from the force. It would be impossible for your eyes to pop out because of the number of natural attachments that keep the eye inside the socket.

Interesting facts: (?) (the following is from Everyday Mysteries)

Sneezes are an automatic reflex that can’t be stopped once sneezing starts.

Sneezes can travel at a speed of 100 miles per hour and the wet spray can radiate five feet.

People don’t sneeze when they are asleep because the nerves involved in nerve reflex are also resting.

Between 18 percent and 35 percent of the population sneezes when exposed to sudden bright light.

I’m just curious if you ever question something you have said or done for years? I would love to know. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org with questions or comments. I’ll be waiting. Have a great week.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: It’s the little things that matter

by Debbie Walker

Tonight I was thinking about all the little things in my life and how much they mean to me. Just little things. Some of the most enjoyable moments as a child were spent sitting on the floor by Grammie’s rocking chair with her running her crippled fingers softly through my hair and her talking about the “old days”. That is such a wonderful memory for me.

My daughter Deana brought her daughter, Tristin, to Maine a few years ago. One of the things she wanted to do was take Tristin to Belfast Bay. Deana wanted to show Tristin the little tidal pools left on the shoreline when the tide goes out and the little creatures sometimes left in the pools. I did that with Deana when she was maybe five or six years old and it turns out that it was an important memory she wanted to experience with her daughter. Just little things.

Tristin and Blake, my grandkids, were easy to have around. There were no expensive video games but we found all kinds of things to do. One day when they were visiting my neighbor, who had grown his own watermelons, gave me a call. He wanted to tell the kids he had a watermelon for them if they could get it from his house to mine. They must have been five and eight at the time. So they walked two houses up the street to Jim’s. Once up there, here was this huge watermelon. Tristin being the bigger one of the two thought she should lug it home. She couldn’t even pick it off the floor! Blake decided (five years old) that he could do it. Well he got it picked up and Jim caught him and the watermelon before they went over backwards. They finally figured out they could roll it home and they did. The two of them came down the street rolling that thing, laughing hysterically all the way. They got it to my house and up over the front steps and proceeded to roll it around inside. Well needless to say when we finally cut it open the thing was pretty much mush inside. I believe every year when we have bought our first watermelon they still love telling that story (26 and29 years old now). Such a simple pleasure.

I know kids whine and beg and plead for the newest, the latest and greatest whatevers but make sure you build in some simple, no frills, and no expense fun in their lives somewhere. I’ll guarantee you those will be the things they will remember.

I had a laugh when Blake brought over a new girlfriend for their Christmas with me and she saw first hand that it wasn’t exactly conventional. I probably have not told you yet about how I wrap their gifts in aluminum foil and it is usually stuff for their “future” lives. (When they moved out they already had all their kitchen needs even stuff for their own junk drawer!)

That evening they told the girlfriend about Nana’s jewelry boxes. The girlfriend loved ‘bling’ and thankfully she even liked my cheap stuff. Anyway they took her in my bath and introduced her to Nana’s toy box. Those kids used to stay busy for quite a while sorting and organizing my jewelry for me. It’s still a fond memory for them (me too!) and Tristin has been known to borrow a piece or two!

My daughter had “Movie Night” at their house. They would buy or rent a movie or movies, sleeping bags came out, popcorn was popped and they all got comfortable. They have been known to give up an outing with friends for movie night at home.

Seems that the toys, the games, the clothes, etc., are forgotten over the years but they always remember ‘the little things’.

I’m just curious what your memories of “the little things” are.

Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org with any questions or comments. Have a great week and thank you for reading.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: The mess of moving

The chaos of moving. (photo by Debbie Walker)

by Debbie Walker

Have you seen those shows on TV about the “Little Houses” and the people are “scaling down” to fit into them? Keep that picture in your mind. It’s not real, it can’t be real! And some of them with children! No way!

Oh all right. Maybe it’s possible if, and that’s a BIG IF, no one in the tiny house has any hobbies or interests and only owns two sets of clothing for each person.

Most of you know I moved back to Florida, last year. I got rid of a lot of my things in that move, only took what would fit in a minivan and my car.

I was moving into one room of my minimalist daughter’s home. It is the home of a minimalist (doesn’t like clutter) plus my room (hoarder). Half of my things were in my bedroom and the other half in a storage trailer they have.

Yes, I am moving again. It has been my goal to live in a trailer/camper when I retired. A few weeks ago I got my 26-foot fifth wheel camper. If you are not familiar with a fifth wheel, in this one the bedroom is basically over the bed of a pickup when it is being towed. So 8 feet of the 26-foot length is over the bed of the truck. The bedroom gives me about two feet on each side of the bed. I am referring to it as my loft bedroom because there are four steps going up. And you can’t stand up in there unless you are maybe five feet tall or under, otherwise like for me, you are bending over! It’s okay, I don’t spend much time up there anyway. The rest of it, kitchen, living room and bathroom, are quite comfortable. That is, will be comfortable once I get my things organized and weed out some that I probably don’t truly need. (That will be at the least, the third time I have cleaned out what I really don’t need.)

In this move, because I lived with my daughter, I am not rushed to get out. I have been able to move a few boxes at a time, thank goodness, because there would be no place to stack the boxes. If you can see clearly in the picture, under that pile of “stuff” is actually my sofa! I will try to put all that away tonight and go get some more to work on for tomorrow night.

Needless to say, packing a camper for a vacation is a far cry from packing to live in one. My biggest problem is clothes and books. I am going to have to get creative to put those things in order. I also have to figure what to do with things like my computer, printer, my sewing machine and my craft supplies. Are you getting a picture in mind? Nana Dee says we may have to do some creative construction and build up a second story. Now that would be a sight!

I am just curious what your craziest move was? I am waiting to hear. Contact me at DebbieWalker@thetownline.org. Have a great week!

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Code of Conduct for Southern Belles

by Debbie Walker

I have really enjoyed living in the south. Granted it is a bit too warm right now with our days topping off at about 97 degrees with the “feels like” 108 degrees. I don’t understand those figures. If it feels like 108, why isn’t it just 108?

I have had about enough of this ‘real world’ mess going on. You can get enough of that in just a few minutes on TV, so recently, when a friend passed on a new book to me, I decided to share some of it with you this week. The title is A Southern Belle Primer. It’s a book to have fun with, for me anyway. I hope you find it humorous as well.

A Southern Belle’s Ten Golden Rules:

1. Never serve pink lemonade at your Junior League committee meetings. It has Communist overtones. (Since I am not a Southern Belle I don’t understand this one either.)

2. Always wear white when you walk down the aisle (even if it’s for the third time)

3. Never wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. The only exception, of course, is if you’re a bride. Bridesmaids, however, must never wear white shoes. Bridesmaids’ shoes should match the punch. (?)

4. It doesn’t matter if you marry a man who doesn’t know the difference between a shrimp fork and a pickle fork, you can always teach him. Just make sure he can afford to buy you both.

5. Never date your sorority sister’s ex-husband until at least three years after the divorce. You might need her to write your daughter a Kappa Kappa Gamma recommendation one day. Just remember it’s a lot easier to find a new man than it is to get your daughter into Kappa. (yeah, that is certainly one of my biggest concerns in life, how about you).

6. Never marry a man whose mother and grandmother owned silver plate instead of real silver. He’s not used to quality and he’ll try to cheat you on the divorce settlement. (Stay single, this is all too complicated!)

7. It’s never too soon to write a thank you note. Some belles take the notes and a pen with them to a party. In the middle of the evening they go into the ladies’ room and write a thank you describing how much they enjoyed the dinner (naming specific items). They then put the note in the mailbox as they leave. The hostess receives it first thing in the morning. Sure, this is compulsive, but you’re going to have to be compulsive if you want to become president of Junior League. (I looked up this Junior League thing on the internet and I will bet you becoming president of the United States is an easier process than becoming a League President!) (Yes, there really is such a thing as Junior League, a community service organization)

8. Never show off your bosom before evening and never wear an ankle bracelet before anything. Girls who wear ankle bracelets usually wind up twirling batons. There has never been a baton twirler who became Miss America and there’s certainly never been a baton twirler in Junior League. (so, I bet a tattoo is out of the question?)

9. Never chew gum in public and never smoke on the street.

10. Buy low, sell high.

The name of the book is A Southern Belle Primer, Or Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be A Kappa Kappa Gamma by Maryln Schwartz, just in case you want to study up on this stuff. Good Luck

I’m just curious if you remember the movie The Stepford Wives. Maybe those ladies would fit the criteria. What do you think? Contact me with questions or comments at DebbieWalker@townline.org.

Have a great week.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Does anyone else notice?

by Debbie Walker

Does anyone else notice that we are on one heck of a ride? No, it can’t be an amusement ride because the governor of Maine has shut down any of those for the foreseeable future. Right now, it can’t be blamed on icy roads either. However, I feel as though I am in a runaway cart careening down a huge steep hill. No one seems to be in charge of the ride.

If someone is in charge, they certainly haven’t done anything to stop it, even slow it down. It has picked up speed since they(?) took prayers out of the schools. I don’t remember the whole story behind this, but it does seem like someone demanded and they got their way, sounds like spoiled children to me. Where is the common sense? Even as a child in school back then we didn’t understand the fuss. If you had reason to not join the prayer, then you just didn’t participate.

It’s just getting disgusting, there are so many people who seem to be whining about this not being right or that being racist. It’s all amazing to me. It sounds like little kids and someone is being the bully. “If I whine enough I know I will get what I want.” Now that is not a skill that requires much training. Remember infants, they learn when they are days old, I cry and they pick me up (change me, feed me, rock me, etc). You would think by the time we become an adult we could find another way of communicating. I guess not.

There are all different kinds of judgment in this world. Racism is just one of them. What tribe, clan, group, or nationality that doesn’t have some kind of story to tell. Taking down statues, changing names of logos, changing names of businesses is not going to change the history itself.

Native Americans lost more than can be described, to the new folks who moved into their country. I wasn’t born yet and I don’t feel responsible for that abuse (robbery), do you?

Other nationalities were used as slaves over the years, but I guess I must have missed their riots, I don’t remember. Native Americans fought their battles years ago.

I know I have a habit of simplifying things. To me there is something I am not sure has been tried. Try saying no for a change and stick to it. “No, you can not tear down that statue that has stood there for X-number of years. Move on, now, go find something else to occupy your mind. Have you made your bed today?” Simplified as you would with a willful child.

I am not politically minded. I am afraid I don’t trust any of the “rulers” of our world to be honest. Words are twisted, taken out of context. Some statements are just lies. Surveys designed to show the results you want. The list goes on and on.

How does this get fixed? Where is the strength this country is known by? There is no working together unless you are doing it my way, that is not working together folks. You were originally trusted to come together and make solid decisions. Did you forget? I guess maybe we need to come up with a strong reminder.

I’m just curious about a lot of things, even curious about the craziness of our country right now. For questions or comments please contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org and remember these are my thoughts and have nothing to do with the opinions of The Town Line newspaper.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: A test of the mind #2

by Debbie Walker

As the title says this column is connected to last week’s test, it has the little quiz and the rhyme: St. Ives Travelers. Shortly you will read the answer but first the following was printed in the Weekly Magazine in Sept. 1779:

Why the deuce do you give yourselves so much vexation,
And puzzle your brains with long calculation,
Of the number of cats, with their kittens and sacks,
As you seem to suppose? – Don’t you see the cunning,
Old Querist went only? – the rest were all coming,
But grant the wives went, too, – as sure’s they were married,
Eight only could go – for the rest were all carried.

The answer:

The answer as well as the rest of the rhyme I found on Wikipedia. The answers are left to your interpretation, however the way I read it was:

The last line of “How many were going to St. Ives?” On the first line of the rhyming “As I was going ” and the next says, “I met ….”. To me that means only one was going to St. Ives. According to Wikipedia if you calculated all the numbers it would total 2,802. “You can find all of this on the internet on the Wikipedia website.”

Uses for Murphy’s Oil Soap

Insect repellent: combine lemon juice, vegetable oil, Murphy’s Oil Soap and water – put in spray bottle. Spray any area – around windows and doors.

Leather Cleaner: Put small amounts on dry cloth and wipe away dust and marks from leather.

Banister Cleaner: They can get very sticky, Clean that with Murphy’s oil soap.

Shines laminate floors: ½ cup Murphy’s, two gallons warm water. For bucket and mop use.

Permanent Marker Remover: removes marks on dry erase board.

All Purpose Cleaner: essential oils, two cups of warm water, a bowl and two tablespoons Murphy oil, mix well and put in spray bottle or just wipe surfaces straight from the bowl.

Sink Cleaner: wash away grease in your sink. Dry with clean cloth. Pour small amount of Murphy’s on a dry rag and wipe entire sink.

Bathroom cleaner: Mix soap with water – clean walls, sinks, shower and floor.

Remove grime from Hardwood finishes: Mix equal parts of Murphy’s and paint thinner to remove a thin layer of surface. Apply with a sponge, then wipe away with a sponge. Wipe away residues with a dry rag.

Clean and polish bridles and saddles. Also used to clean black-powder weapons.

Just a little history: Murphy’s Oil Soap recipe was brought to this country by a German immigrant. Murphy’s Oil Soap was run by the Murphy’s for 80 years when they sold to Colgate.

I just came across these little tidbits of information and decided to add them to today’s collections of writing, hope you don’t mind. It may be a subject you have discussed. Hope you enjoy the following:

When you are grocery shopping this article in Women’s World’s June issue may be of help to you, too. Have you ever wondered about those “Best if used by xx/xx/xx” dates on your groceries? Mom told me for years of her buying dented can foods that she did not go by the “Best if used by——” date. She looked for cans that bulged. If they did, she wouldn’t buy. The bulge is a warning, a sign of a bacterial problem. Of course, opening the can, the smell, the texture will tell the story for you. In the article they talked about eating things four years after the date. Wish Mom was still here to talk this over with.

I’m just curious about questions you might have. Let me know. Contact me with questions or comments at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Have a great week!

I’M JUST CURIOUS: A little test for the mind

Hummingbird by Emily Poulin, of South China.

by Debbie Walker

Recently I wrote about an old rhyme called “Mother May I,” and some memories it stirred up for me. At the same time Nana Dee had mentioned a couple of older rhymes, one of those was “As I Was Going to St. Ives”:

As I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives,
Each wife had seven sacks,
Each sack had seven cats,
Each cat had seven kits,
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were there going to St. Ives?

So, figure that one out and I will give you the answer next week.

The history of this appears to have been printed as early as 1730, again in 1779, I believe this one was 1837.

The Hummingbird Story

(The name has been changed to protect the privacy of those involved!)

Recently, I was visiting Kathy’s cottage on Winnecook Lake, on the Burnham side. It was a wonderful, relaxing vacation. While sitting on the deck I saw a hummingbird darting around. I decided I would buy a hummingbird feeder to help the cute little bird with a supply of food.

The food packet made 16 ounces. I mixed it up, put some in the feeder and the rest in an empty Diet Pepsi bottle, taped the instructions to the bottle and put it in the refrigerator.

The next morning, I was leaving so Kathy and I only had a minute to say goodbye. I quickly told Kathy about the bottle in the ‘fridge.

Back in Florida the next afternoon I got a call from Kathy. She was talking about the antics of the birds. She told me they were zooming around, flying upside down and running into each other as though they didn’t see each other.

I told Kathy I had seen two hummingbirds crash into each other while I was there, and I have been told those little things are very territorial. After what I saw I do believe that one!

Kathy laughed and said, “I thought they were acting kind of drunk!” “Say, it was the wine bottle you put the mix in, right?” “No, Kathy, there was still a little wine left. The bottle wasn’t empty.”

“Oh, I thought that was the bird’s food that was in it. Ooops, this might be the reason for the erratic flying!”

I laughed. “Good story, Kath, I almost believed you.” I told Kathy I would have to share this story with The Town Line readers, but I wouldn’t use her name. Kathy was relieved to hear that, isn’t that right Kathy? Oooppps!

I am just curious who will be waiting to read the answer to how many were going to St Ives! So any questions or comments please contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org.

Mr. Bob, I would like to thank you for the kind words you sent to our editor. It was very appreciated!!

P.S. My little first grandchild is already a month old. I had a wonderful visit with her last Friday and I finally got to rock her. I love rocking babies! Little Addi is growing like a weed! Thank you for all your comments!