Friends, Past and Present

Good Wednesday evening!

It appears that we truly are going to take a little vacation.  Jerry is excited.  Looks like we will have four days in a row when Jerry doesn't have to do anything but relax.  Hard to believe that in just two days we will meet our new friends, Jim and Deb, face to face!  That is so special to me because it is confirmation that God really does love me.  When I lose a friend -- which I have several times -- it makes me think I am a horrible person, and there must be something really wrong with me that I just can't see.

I lost one "forever friend" because she got mad at me for wanting to always eat lunch when noon rolled around.  We were taking Bernina classes together in Plano, TX which was about 2 hours from where we lived.  Her class went longer than mine did, and it was after 1:00.  Her class finished, and I started helping her pack up her machine.  Mine was already in its case.

I said something like, "Where do you want to eat?  I'm starving!"

She looked up at me and very nastily yelled, "You ALWAYS have to eat!!!"  She wasn't kidding or being funny.  It really shocked me.  She had driven, so we had to take our machines out to her car to load them in her trunk  It was ALL I could do to put my machine in her trunk and get into her car with her.  I really should NOT have, but I didn't want to have to make Jerry come get me.

We drove in TOTAL silence to McKinney, TX where we usually stopped at an Arby's for lunch.  She pulled off and went to that Arby's.  I told her I wasn't hungry.  She nastily said, "YOU ARE GOING TO EAT!!!"  I was terrified of her new "monster" personality.  I ordered a sandwich and we sat down at a table.  She ordered NOTHING.  I could not eat.  I kept apologizing to her for wanting to eat lunch every day.  I wrapped the sandwich back up and told her I would eat it later.  We left.  Two hours to drive back home, and we never spoke a word.  I NEVER saw her again, and she was my next door neighbor at the time (across from where Terry lives now).

I must point out that she was on her TENTH husband at the time, and a few months later, they were divorced.  She was known for her tantrums.  Still, it was horrible for me.  She was a quilter.  She taught me to paper-piece. I taught her how to sew a dress.  She had red hair.  (I love redheads.)  She had Berninas.  It all seemed so perfect.  AND, she went to our church!  I really loved her.

I made a new "best friend" after her, but I lost her too.  It had to do with what she allowed 11-year old girls to watch on TV when I was at her house for dinner one night.  Since my granddaughter had spent a lot of time at her house, I was outspoken about it.  That was the end of that relationship.  If she had been at MY house, I would have simply changed the channel or turned the TV off until she left.  However, you aren't likely to ever come to my house and find a TV on.  I seldom watch it.  If it was on, it would be a cooking show or a music channel.

Let me just say this about the programming the girls were watching.  I counted the "F" word 21 times in about 10 minutes as I was sitting with the two girls watching the TV.   During that time some man dressed as an angel flew down from the ceiling (held by wires) and into the audience.  He landed his crotch right onto another man's face.  It was really disgusting!

At that point, I got up.  I said I was not going to watch it or listen to it, and I left.

The Bible says that if something you are doing offends someone, then don't do it in their presence.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I now have another new friend named Deborah.  She said I can call her "Deb" because Terry's friend who is coming to sew at my house is "Debbie".  Terry, Debbie and I are having a 3-day sew-in in October.

Deb and her husband Jim live between Springfield, MO and Branson, so they are right on our way to Branson.  We will meet them at their house Friday evening.  Then we will go to some restaurant where they THROW rolls at you.  Deb is SO NICE.  She actually told us we could bring our dogs to her house.

WOW!  That is very generous.

We won't, of course.  They would both be abandoned on the highway before we ever made it!  Josie thinks she should help Jerry drive.  Since she can't do that, she thinks she should eat the seat belts instead!

Terry is getting her "Trike" today, I think.  Let me see if I can find one on the web, and I'll show you what it is.



That is NOT the one she is getting.  Hers has much fancier seats on it.  She is going to give me a ride when we are in Branson.  The back seat is nicer than the front seat, so that should be fun.  She said she will take an extra helmet.  Her hubby has two bikes already, but he is getting her this one to see if it is more comfortable for her to ride alone instead of behind him.  I don't get it myself, but "to each his own".  Give me windows and air conditioning and no wind and a CD player and NO HELMET!

I made a "Peggy" skirt today.  I may try it on for you tomorrow.  I emailed her this morning with a question about proportions, and she emailed me back right away.  She is so nice!   I'm too tired to change clothes at the moment.  Just had my supper shake, and I'm sitting in my blue recliner sipping hot tea.  Jackie and Josie are PRETENDING to be asleep in front of me on the carpet because they think they might get some more prime rib.  I gave them some of my leftovers at noon today from last night's dinner out with Margaret.

I better get up and do something.  Fold some clothes maybe?  Listen to my new audio book by Joel Osteen?  Try to crochet something?

How about ALL of the above!

Hugs, Joy