Hello on Sunday and Old Boyfriend

Church was so good this morning, as always.  Matthew Hagee preached about PRODUCING FRUIT.  He talked about READING the Word so we, as Christians, will be able to SPEAK the Word like Jesus did after the 40-day fast when Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread.  www.getv.org if anyone would like to hear it.

After church, I started cutting out another Silhouette #550 blouse.  After this one, I am going to use my Sure-fit Designs kit to draw my own pattern.  The only reason I haven't already done that, is I don't know how to figure out how to get the SLIGHT drape at the top.  I'm sure Glenda could tell me, but I hate to bother her.  She is busier than a one-armed paper hanger as it is!  I suppose the simple answer is to compare it to Peggy's pattern.

I sewed the darts in the back of the blouse, and then I went downstairs (my sewing room is upstairs in the former attic) to hang something in my closet.  While I was in the closet, I noticed my black tennis shoes were on the floor.  I thought I should put them up on the shelf where they go.  When I stepped up on the stool to put the tennis shoes on the high shelf, I discovered ANOTHER pair of black tennis shoes on the high shelf.  That meant the second pair came from the other house, so down they came.

Now, you know how these things work.

I was up there on the stool to put the shoes up on the shelf when I noticed the shampoo bottles on the other side of the closet, and I remembered that the pumper stem in the bottle of shampoo in the shower had been removed, and I had to turn the bottle upside down and beat the heck out of it to get any shampoo.  I moved the stool over to where the shampoo bottles were and stepped up onto it.  Our shampoo bottles are very large because I buy the biggest ones available with pumpers in them.  I grabbed the large purple bottle and LOW AND BEHOLD, hiding right behind it was the small wooden jewelry box an old boyfriend had given me when I was about 23 years old.  Actually, he wasn't a boy -- he was a man -- but you don't say "manfriend", do you???

My very first job was right after High School.  I was just 18 years old.  My Mother drove me to General Electric and told me to go in and apply.  I did.  I was absolutely terrified of the strange place and the strange people, but I was more terrified of my Mother if I didn't do what she told me.  I guess I impressed them because they hired me.  I had really good typing and shorthand skills because my Mother insisted that I learn to be a Secretary so I could always get a job.  She was absolutely right about that!

My job was being a Secretary to about 9 men who sat at 3-desk rows in a large room.  On the side of the large room was the office of the boss.  My desk was right outside his office and still in the big room with the 9 men.  I did ALL of the typing for the 9 men and their boss.  I had the latest, greatest Selectric typewriter that I absolutely could fly on at about 140 WPM.

The guys used to stand by my desk and watch me type.  I had to type with carbon paper for copies in those days.  I hated that, but then there came the wonderful invention of Liquid Paper.  Remember that?

ANYWAY, in another office somewhere in the gigantic building was a man named Dale Bennett.  I had to go into the room where he and a bunch of other people worked a lot during the day.  No fax machines then.  If something had to go to another office, it went by "leg express" -- my legs!  I had no trouble staying thin in those days.  The Secretary in the office where Dale worked was named "Carol".  She and I had become friends after she invited me to her house for some reason.  She was GORGEOUS.  Thick blonde hair cut just below her shoulders.  She did modeling for extra money.  That is how pretty she was.  I did not hold a candle to her in the pretty department.  She was taller and more filled out in all the right places.

So here's the deal.  Carol liked Dale, but Dale liked me.  I didn't care a thing about Dale other than that he was a very nice newly-divorced man with two children, and I always stopped to ask how he was doing.  Carol and I were both divorced too.  At first, I didn't KNOW Carol liked him.  He kept asking me out every time I went into his area.  Finally, I agreed to go out with him.  We dated for several months, and he showed signs of really liking me, but I wasn't interested.  I SHOULD have been, but I wasn't.  I was probably more interested in some creep from the factory in the back of the building.  One, whose name was Ron, was a real piece of work.  I'll have to tell you about him sometime.  WHY did I like him and not Dale?
Dale and I dated for several months.  He drove me out to my parent's home one time and we swam in the lake and had dinner, and it was all very nice.  Still, I just wasn't falling, and he was.  I finally told him I was trying to get back with my first husband -- or something -- and I quit dating him.

THEN entered Carol.  She scooped him up like an injured puppy.  She was CRAZY about him!  While they were dating, he still would call me and we would talk.  Oh, yeah!  I remember now.  Isn't it funny how things come back to you.

I WAS trying to get back with Phillip.  He had started calling and coming around with all the I LOVE YOU and I'M SORRY and I DON'T USE DRUGS ANYMORE crap.  Even though we were divorced for years, I allowed him to move back into our little rent house.  I SHOULD have known better, but I was just so naive in those years.  I came home one evening after work to find Phillip convulsing in our bed.  His skin was bright red and he was sick as a dog.  He was shaking and gasping for breath.  I -- being a major "fix it now" type -- asked him what on earth happened.  This is what he told me:

"I went to Sonic and got a hamburger and then I got really sick."

I go into major "Joy-Mode" and grab the phone.  I tell him I'm going to call the Health Department and the Police and Sonic Headquarters and I'm going to get an attorney and sue Sonic.  Then I tell him we should get to a hospital.  Now, Phillip KNEW that I would actually do all of those things just like I said.  He decided he better confess before all Hell broke lose.

"It wasn't a hamburger, Joy.  I got some bad "stuff"."

The "stuff" was why we were divorced in the first place.  As far as I knew, all he ever did was use marijuana, but he was way past that.  I was real, real ignorant about what he really did when I wasn't home.

After he told me WHY he was really so sick, I went into hysterics.  I started throwing things at him and telling him he was a horrible liar and I hoped he died, and I wanted him out of the house if he had to crawl to leave it.

For some reason, I didn't have a car.  Someone from work must have brought me home.  My car was broken down more than it was fixed in those days.  I called for rescue.  GUESS WHO I CALLED?

Yep, my friend, Carol.

Carol came over and picked me up and took me to her house.  Guess who was there at her house?

Yep, Dale.

It was dinner time, and Dale was cooking steaks on the grill.  I told them I better leave since they were eating.  Dale came and grabbed me at the door and begged me to stay for dinner.

Carol said, "Dale!  We only have TWO steaks!  There isn't enough!"

Dale said, "I will give her MY steak!"

Carol was glaring daggers at me and asked me if she could talk to me in the bedroom.  I went back to the bedroom with her.  She said, "You have to leave, Joy."

I didn't have a car, so I had no way to leave.

Dale to the rescue:  "I will take you home, Joy!"

Carol flew to get her car keys out of her purse.  She came back and put them in my hand and told me I had to leave.  I left in HER car.  I don't remember what happened after that other than she and Dale eventually did get married and I haven't seen either one of them since.

Back to the jewelry box I found this morning.  It was from Dale.  I picked it up from the high shelf and brought it down to examine.  I always loved it.  It is a shame I couldn't love him.  I'm sure God knew the amazingly wonderful Jerry B. was in my future.

I wiped all the dust off of it, and I opened it up.

WOW!!!  I had totally forgotten all of the pieces inside.  Some of them are really nice.

A lot of rings.  I don't wear rings now because I think my hands are the oldest-looking part of my body, and I don't like to draw attention to them.  Plus, most of the rings don't fit me anymore.

The large purple stone is a real amethyst set in 14K gold.  The pearl and diamond are also in 14K gold.  The little pinky ring is real too.  The ring under the amethyst is a real ruby and diamonds Jerry gave me for Christmas one year.  HOW COULD I FORGET these???

One of these bracelets is CZ's in gold, and the other is cheap and chipping.

There is a 14K gold chain with several pendants I wore on that chain.  One end of the clasp broke off and it has to be welded -- I guess -- because I sure can't fix it.  I always loved the typewriter charm.  I can definitely use my jewelry making skills and use the pendants again.

This pinky ring is gold, and it still fits perfectly.

I am wearing it now.

I've got to go.

It is suddenly time for lunch.








I miss my puppy, and I miss my husband.

Someday soon, we will all be together, and we shall have a loooooong group hug!

I hope Carol and Dale are still happily married.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Hugs, Joy