Christiansen's Comments Hinds County Gazette August 25 2011

Whit and I

September 15, Whit and I will be together a whole year.

 It was a beautiful day, that first day Whit came….I was in the swing on the front porch when Angie dropped him off. I held him just long enough for Angie to get out of the drive way good…Whit was tiny, just three months old. I was afraid I would drop him, So I propped him up on two pillows in the swing and we just looked at each other… he grinned and I grinned back…I was so nervous, I hadn‘t taken care of a baby in years and years…What would I do if he started crying for his mommy?…He seemed to be happy on the pillows ….So, the only time I picked him up was to burp him….I didn’t even change his diaper…we just grinned at each other and swung until his mommy returned. It was a good day.

That first day , Whit and I became buddies….When Whit began crawling I was proud as punch….when he stood up by himself, I was proud as punch, when he gave up his bottle, I was proud as punch, when he started to walk, I was proud as punch….…I would brag about all of his accomplishments to anybody who would listen.

A couple of months ago, it was soon after he began walking, Whit came to spend the day …I looked at his little knees they were all skinned up…I hugged him and I cried…. not because his knees were skinned, he is after all, a boy who lives on a farm with goats, dogs….he is going to have skinned knees, cuts and bruises. I cried because I realized he was no longer a baby…My Whit was a little boy.

Whit with the goats

photo taken byWhit's mommy

 Angie Zadrozny

Well, the day rocked on, after lunch I was giving Whit a bath…he has to have a bath after he eats, he is learning to feed himself now

Photo taken by Lesley Cannada

…and often some of his lunch ends up in his hair….on his feet…everywhere.

So anyway Whit was in the sink giggling and splashing…he seem to be a baby again….

after I got his fresh clothes on….Something came over me…I wanted him to be a baby…I put him on the floor and he followed me to the kitchen…Whit had not had a bottle in a long time. I made a bottle, picked Whit up and carried him to the rocking chair, as he was taking the bottle, I cuddled and rocked him… I sang Bringing in the Sheaves , just like when he was a tiny baby…he cooed and grinned just like when he was a tiny….then when the bottle was about ¾ gone…Whit slapped the bottle away and climbed down…when he got to the floor he looked up and grinned….I knew it was the last time I would be treating Whit like the tiny baby he once was …

I knew he would not stand for it again.  And I was proud as punch….



Whit with his very favorite rock....little boys like rocks.....



Call if you need me…

Christiansen's Comments from Hinds county Gazette June 02 2011

Okay first things first….

Very Urgent

We are having Bible School at the Edwards Presbyterian Church , July 20, 21, and 22...every child is welcome….so mark your calendars. But the reason I bring this up now is Lesley Cannada is organizing Bible school for us and she is in a desperate search of a camel …a real camel….You got one? I promise it will be well loved and we will not be trying to pull it through the eye of a needle.

Edwards Prebyterian Church

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It is not what you know, it is who you know…

I did not know Keith Jenkins except that he is the writer of the Bolton News. But I do know Doug Beard. Doug Beard invited Doug and Kay Turner and myself to come to the Farr Road Bridge that goes over I-20 to watch the Annual “Run for the Wall” , well the riders came through much earlier then in previous years, so we missed it , but we didn’t miss the neighbor hood cook out Keith hosted in his front yard….Hot dogs and hamburgers, homemade desserts, good conversation…. those Bolton folks are so hospitable and friendly!

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Speaking of Doug Turner…he retired recently and he has been working replacing the rotted wood on my house…as I said. Doug is retired, so he works me in when there is not something more fun to do….like cook outs and the like….Which suits me, I am retired too and no hurry. Doug is about finished with the front porch…Remember way back yonder I told you my back steps had been built as a temporary solution? So I asked Doug to put me on his list for new back steps….



Doug and Scout



Doug and were discussing the back steps… when I had an epiphany! …“I don’t want steps! I want a ramp! “ ……at first Doug was not sure a ramp was such a good idea, because right now he didn’t think I needed one. But when I explained I could just load my groceries, bottled water, etc in a cart and pull them up the ramp and how helpful a ramp would be getting those 50 pound bags of dog food to the back porch, I sold him…But I thought if both Doug and I think the ramp is a good idea…I just knew Kay would hate it…Kay is sort of my ecstatic advisor.

 I called Kay, and she did hate the ramp idea… vehemently hated the ramp idea….Kay didn’t care if the ramp would ease my burden, it was tacky …Then, way on after while she remembered Charlie, my old dog, and how his old bones are beginning to bother him…and she said, ”It would make it much easier for Charlie get in and out.” and with that thought, Kay was on board. With Kay Turner, Kay Turner it is all about the animals and their comfort and their convenience.

By the way, Kay and Doug son, Jeff will be in New York New York doing a show in June…so if you are in New York !

http://metropolitanroom.com/show.cfm?id=84640

Hey I got to go,

call if you need me or find a camel.

Post Script

We are in mourning here at 201.....My old dog Charlie died this week.



Charlie at my pre Chemo party
March 2006



Country Girls can Survive....

HCG January 21 2010




I have a tile for this column, But no beginning



If I begin at the beginning, that will make for a prolonged ramble …that you may or may not have time to read, depending on the weather….Or may have more to do with your personal tolerance level for endless chatter. And besides I don’t know if this tale has a beginning….or an end for that matter. That is my strongest weakness, when it comes to writing, I don’t know where to start or when to end….so that makes the middle rather disorderly too.



Maybe...I shall begin by telling you that the Edwards Fellowship Club held their Christmas meeting here at 201...Sometimes the Christmas meeting is here, sometimes at Peggy Ann McKey’s. It had been raining for days, the ground around my house and even on my old drive was muddy… squashy. …this clay in my yard was ready for some one to come along and trap in it’s slippery clutches.



Most of us in the Club are not as young as we would like to be….and the thought of getting stuck in the mud…well it is enough to make you stay home. But Russell Cannada volunteered…maybe more like insisted he and Scott would come get anybody who was stuck in the mud ….out of the mud……I wasn’t suppose to let them try to get out on their own….I guess he figured we would be calling him anyhow if there was a problem…and the task would be by far less complicated if we called for help, while we were still just stuck and not mired in…. up to the axle.



By the way we had two new pairs of helping hands for this luncheon…I had ask Angie Zadrozny and Lesley Cannada to come help serve plates…they are young ladies from the church…I must confess, I had an ulterior motive for requesting their help…like I say, we are not getting any younger and when it comes my time to go live with Jesus, I want the young ladies of the church to be familiar with my house, where the knife, forks, wine glasses, coffee cups and all such as that are kept…the funeral dinner will be much easier on them if they know where stuff is.



Dish clothes and tea towels seemed to be the most elusive articles to find in a strange kitchen. When Barbara Pennebaker helps with a funeral she always has a pretty basket filled with useful articles…Kleenex, breath mints, serving spoons, I don’t remember what all…But I had a kit too…mine always had tea towels, dish cloths, hot pan holders and dish soap.



Well Angie had a conflict so she couldn’t come ….we were standing in the middle isle at the Presbyterian church when she broke the news to me. The person, in the closest proximity to me was, bless her heart, Sherry Cannada, I pounced, “Will you take Angie’s place?”…without hesitation she said she would.



The lunch went well, we spent a lovely, relaxing time visiting…with an anxiety free mind, …. if the mud grabbed us…. we had Russell to call. Folks were tickled to have Lesley here, she brighten our party for sure and great help! And every one was glad to see Sherry ….better known to the older set around Edwards as “Al’s wife“. Al’s wife is also grand help!



When the guests left, no one got stuck!



Or so I thought! Out my kitchen window I saw Peggy Ann’s car and Sherry’s vehicle still in the drive way, I assumed they were visiting….several minutes later they were still out there…yet another while past and they were still there…it tumbled to me, “it is drizzling rain…they aren‘t standing in the rain visiting!”… I went to the door to see if there was some kind of trouble….Peggy Ann, in the drizzling rain, was on the ground, half way under her car, in her party clothes and Sherry in her party clothes was toting a chain to her.



I ashamed of my self…but the first thing I did ,was run for my camera….Angela had it in Madison, so I crabbed my phone, it can take pictures and went back to the door…snapping pictures as I hollered “Want me call Russell?” *

Peggy and Sherry

An emphatic “No!’ was PA's  answer “We can handle this.”

And they did! PA fastened one end of the chain to her car…Sherry fastened the other end to her four wheel drive pickup truck…and that was it! Out it came!

Here is my title

Country Girls can Survive!

I am sorry to say, the pictures did not turn out well…..

Love to all

It was three years ago today that John died, if the Lord allows the deceased to look down and check on those they left behind, I believe John would be proud of the way , our golden retriever, Charlie and I are adjusting, we miss John but, we are settling in to a routine, we do a lot of puttering, we shuffle around in the shop a good bit…we go for a drive most every day…..we always have some kind of project going…We are happy….John would want us to be happy. …The days are getting noticeably longer, soon the daffodils and Japanese magnolias will be blooming…Charlie and I enjoy the longer days….longer days make for shorter nights.

Edwards Presbyterian Church Bible School resignation:
Dale, Angie and Robert Edward



The Lesson Rev. Dean Rydbeck and Dale Robinson


The children singing



Linda Dickson playing the piano..

Fun time!!!

Photos courtesy of Lesley Cannada

Well, ready or not... I am back….I took off July just because it is so blamed hot and miserable…and I knew you all didn’t want to listen to me whine. August is hot too…so I will still be whiney, but perhaps be a bit more cheerfully whiny? The days are still hot, but they are getting shorter. ...so perhaps more tolerable.... We will see.

I am on my front porch. My computer, Ruby is her name, has finally caught up with the old fashion tablet and pencil……Ruby is a lap top, and it can be toted any where a pencil and paper can go….but to use the internet she had to be connected physically to a phone line.

Until Now!!! I recently acquired a wireless router! ( I already had a router… in the shop, the purpose of that router is to shape wood. The two routers do not perform even remotely similar tasks, so why the same name? Maybe the techie guys didn‘t know the word “router” was already in use…do the techie guys not get out much?)

This new router thingamajig sits on my desk in the back of the house, and some how enables Ruby, un-tethered, by a tangle of wires, to function perfectly any where in the house. As I understand it, other folks and their computers can come play too and be connected. grandson Garrett is coming with his computer, we will see.

Garrett, you may remember was in a car wreck last October, he had to have more surgery, his mom and dad tended to him last week…they have declared him sufficiently improved enough that I should be able look after him this week. I don’t know about changing the bandage….I have a weak stomach…the incision is from his shoulder to his elbow. …I keep telling myself it can’t be any worse then a full diaper….we will see.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge…literally…(7or 8 inches)...since I was last here…but the most fun, was Bible School…we had Bible School in Edwards for the first time in years…It was a GRAND success…we had 29 children to attend.

I love Bible School…I no doubt have told you this before…as a wee little child, I learned all I really needed to know about Jesus at Bible school… “Jesus loves me, this I know because the Bible tells me so” , “The B I B L E” that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B I B L E” The Bible was taught to me, in simple language, with plenty assuring words, by compassionate Christian ladies that loved me…bandage my knees, give me hugs when I needed one, poured my Kool aid and gave me cookies…Bible school taught me, I can snuggle up with Jesus any time…

Call if you need me…
　
　
GloriaChristiansen@gmail.com