TOO STUPID TO GET IN OUT OF THE RAIN!

We started our run this AM at 6 which was the first mistake of the day. We should have started at 5 and maybe gotten through before the bulk of the rain came. It was not just raining-IT WAS POURING! We had agreed to run, unless it was lightning and when we began it was not lightning. When we got to the very farthermost point from the start, we saw the first lightning. We ended up stopping 4 times and getting under a porch to try and out wait the lightning. This made for a long run. When I tell you we were soaked, I don't think I have EVER been quite this wet. My shoes weighed a ton from all of the water in them and my sleeves were 6 inches longer than usual because of the pull from all of the water. The cold air started blowing about half way through the run and my hands were so numb I could not get my fuel belt off when I got home. That long hot shower felt great! I think we now have successfully trained in every type of weather that could be in Houston. The hottest of the hot, the below freezing, the sun, the fog, and now the monsoon rain. It really is not smart to run when it is lightning, but when you get out that far, you have to get back. We kept thinking it was over, but then another bright halo of light would flash and a low rumble of thunder. In the great words of Babs, "Well I can't say that it was enjoyable, but it was memorable." Just as many days of life blend into each other, so do runs begin to blend and look alike. Runs like today make for good stories when we are sitting around talking and laughing and reminiscing about "good times."

We had the James family Christmas get-together tonight at brother, Robbie's & Laurie's home. The star of the evening was Adrian and Caleb's daughter, Audrey. Shades of Camille many years ago. She absolutely entertained us all evening. She is quite a cutey and has a personality not unlike her Aunt Ann & cousin, Camille. DRAMA QUEEN! Her little sister, Abby, is really cute, and crawling everywhere. She is in the stage when she only wants her Momma. I laughed and told her Mother that when my kids went through this stage I had a pet name for them, which I will not post. We only had all of Noel's family there since mine and Robbie's kids are spread out all over the nation.

Robbie had invited old family friends from Farmerville, The Holders. I was telling Mrs. Holder about writing about Momma and she told me a couple of short stories about Momma & Daddy.

She told me she remembered coming to our house for dinner when Noel was a baby. She said that Aunt Mattie Maude and Uncle Bryant came by after dinner and took Noel home with them to spend the night. This obviously is before the family split. She did not have many details for me though of the evening.

She also told me a story of having a wreck not far from our home on James Avenue. She said that Daddy & Robbie were the first to come to her aide. It seems that Daddy took care of everything and was very reassuring to her. She remembered Robbie being young at the time.

Another little piece of the puzzle!

I am sitting by the fire and Christmas tree enjoying being warm and at home. It doesn't get any better than this!

DON'T GET IT WRONG!

We have a couple of REALLY good cooks in our small group. When we were having our Christmas party at the Boersma's Wednesday night, Mrs. Artie brought among other things this really delicious pecan pie. Unlike the rest of us, wannabe cooks, she makes her crust from scratch. When Jack was extolling her cooking prowess, she said, the recipe for pastry is in "Cotton Country" (the Southern Bible of Cooking), just use that and you can't go wrong. OH MRS ARTIE!- I can go down the Road to Wrong without even buying a road map. When it comes to cooking, the route of choice when experimenting around is the Wrong Road. If I had a dollar for every flop I ever ginned out of my kitchen, I would be in my cabana in a tropical isle sipping a cool drink collecting those monthly annuity checks. I love to cook, but things like making pastry from scratch, well that is just a little beyond me. At the same party, Mrs. Artie also brought some candy that is delicious. I asked her for the recipe and she looked at me and said, " Lora do you even have a candy thermometer?" I really got a good laugh with the tone that she used, as if "OK, this is beyond you, Old Girl." Well, in fact, I do have a candy thermometer and actually use it occasionally. It did turn out that most the the women in the group did not have one though. When I started talking about the old timey method, pre-thermometers of dropping the candy into cold water and seeing what stage-hard-medium-soft, the candy had cooked to just drew blank stares from almost everyone.

I have lots of long lists left to get ready for Christmas: gifts to buy, groceries to shop for, presents to wrap and cooking to do. This morning I get up bright and early to tackle some of these tasks. Bobby looks at me and says, "The leaves really need to be gotten off the house, out of the gutters, off the decks and drives, and out of the yard before it starts raining. I guess I will try to quit work early and come home and do that." Now he never really asks me to do it, but there is this huge implication that I am just sitting around and why haven't I already done that. So I shop for a while, and then come home and get busy in the yard. I finish up all that I think is absolutely required, and come inside. I start blogging and look up and Mitch, our nice young yard helper is driving up. BC has obviously called in the Calvary. I sent him up on the roof to finish what I did not get to, since I will not climb on the roof when I am here alone. Mr. C will be pleasantly surprised when he sees how much the two of us have accomplished.

As I was outside in the cold and it was sprinkling on me, I thought of my Grandmother James. She would say, "Miss, get out of that cold, you are going to catch your death." Where in the world did that saying come from? I can just hear her saying it though. After running in the rain and getting soaked the other day, I thought about her and how she would have been very unhappy and convinced I would get sick. Aren't we all thankful that all of those "old wife tales" have been disproved.

I also remembered how my Daddy used to call me "Missy Weewhoa". I assume when I was learning to talk I could not say Loralu and called myself Weewhoa-HOW FUNNY! It is an old Southern tradition to call young girls in the family Missy and I remember my Grandmother James, my Daddy, and my Aunts calling me Missy. You never hear anyone use that now, but it really is a cute custom. My younger brother, Noel, was call "Man" and my Daddy, who was the youngest in his family, was called "Baby" by his family-literally until the day he died. We have come a long way and the cute family nicknames have fallen to the wayside. I am not sure if that is an indication of the times we live in or the disintegration of the extended family. Whatever the reason, it strikes me as sad.

We are off to BC's office Christmas party tonight and a meal of "surf&turf". Fuel for that long run tomorrow, which is only 14 miles-A WALK IN THE PARK!

THE RUTTED & DIFFICULT PATH

For those of you that are not runners, you will find this difficult to believe, but running can become a lesson about life. When you run all months of the year and in all weather conditions and on many different kinds of trails, you begin to realize that this is not unlike the path our lives take.

There are days that your run is pure joy-sunshine or stars light your path, the weather is perfect, the company is ideal, and you physically feel like this could go on forever. There are days though that the run is pure torture and nothing but toil and trouble. The weather is horrible-it is way too hot, or it is freezing cold, the rain is falling or the fog is so thick you can't see where you are putting your feet, or there is lightning and thunder and impending doom on the horizon. You feel like you are running alone, even though someone is in the road just in front of you or just behind you-you still feel so alone. Your body is not coorperating and you feel every single ache and pain as you struggle to just make it down the road. The path is strewn with obstacles and holes are in the road, yet you must continue on as the only way to the end is down this path.

I find myself in the season of life with many of my loved ones facing rock and rut strewn paths. They are having to jump puddles with no end in sight and the going is tough-VERY TOUGH! The path should lead to the glorious finish line, but that line is not visible and the only thought they have is of just quiting and giving up. Quiting though is not an option, when you are running down the path of life. Life can become a terrible obstacle course with no end in sight and no clear knowledge of the path you are going to have to traverse.

I hope you know, friends, that I am RIGHT beside you! I am whispering in your ear and encouraging you every step that you take. I will pull along beside you and I will be your encourager. I will help you find the right path and if you fall, I will be there to pick you up and brush you off. You are not going down this rutted and difficult path alone, I will make every step with you. If you do not feel me beside you, it is because I am running just behind you. I will shield your back and watch out for the obstacles that are coming your way. No matter what path the race leads you down, I am willing to go with you and when your strength has been sapped from you, I will lend you my strength.

This life is like the run that I love to take-I never know when I go out the door what will be in front of me, but I know that I will run until I get to the "Glorious Finish Line."I thank God for my dear friends. I thank God for the strength to be there for my dear friends. I pray for each of you everyday and I pray for the wisdom to know how to help you continue to "run the race." We will all cross the finish line one day and what a glorious celebration we will have knowing that we have run the race well. Yes, life is truly like one of my runs and I am so glad that I have you all to run that race with!

CALL ME CRAZY & MARTHA OR CRAZY MARTHA!

Just before time to jump out of the bed this morning at 4:55, I hear the rain begin. We had all agreed that unless it was lightening, we needed to run our 10 mile mid week run today. I get up, ready, & out the door. On the way to our appointed start, Babs calls and says, "Are you on your way?". You could hear the disappointment in her voice when I answered affirmative. Susan, the smart one, didn't even bother to get up nor call that she wouldn't be there. She probably thought no one would be so stupid and run in the downpour. Larry, Babs & I were that stupid! Before we had run a quarter of a mile, Babs realizes that she is in severe pain. She has a blister under one of her toenails. As we have discussed before-THIS IS REALLY PAINFUL! It hurts so much that you cannot stand to have the sheet touch your foot in the bed. She stops and Larry and I continue on. Larry actually keeps me in sight until we get past W. California, which is a little sketchy. We run through intermittent pour downs and sprinkles with much effort going into trying to avoid big puddles. Crazy as it might sound, if your feet get really soaked, this can lead to blisters-so we try to put that off as long as possible. About the time we are going to start the HATED Harvest Run at about 5 1/2 miles, Larry heads back to the cars. He has already gotten a blister on his big toe. I head into the Harvest Run and the last 4 1/2 miles by myself-in the rain-and questioning my sanity. LONG STORY SHORT-it's over! My fast twitch muscles seem to have gone on sabbatical. I thought I was running faster today, but once again the time is slow. At this point in time, it is probably too late to fix it, so I will just hope I can finish before they close the finish gate at 6 hours. It was hot, wet, and I was covered with road spray from passing vehicles-but I am down to ONE more 10 mile midweek before I begin the taper. THE END IS IN SIGHT!

When I got home, I started cooking for our small group Christmas party tonight. I found two oldie but goodie recipes that I was inspired to fix. Momma was never a cook, but once or twice she made these cheese rolls that you rolled in paprika that I loved. I found a recipe close to that and have it ready to go. I also cooked a cookie that I used to make many years ago with a peppermint inner icing in honor of the Christmas season. When I put the final chocolate icing on, I hope to decorate the top with a little Christmas decoration. I love to cook, which is pretty strange since I never had a role model to follow in that department. Momma was never much of a cook and didn't really enjoy gardening, decorating, or other pursuits of mine. I am not sure where the love of all of these came from, but I am grateful for the time to pursue them.

Bobby is in Atlanta at a business meeting since yesterday. I was a "whirling dervish" yesterday trying to get too much done in a short period of time. Today after coming home from a good soaking-I am finding things to do in the dry-inside. Christmas is coming and once again I am vowing to not let it sneak up on me next year. That probably will not happen-AGAIN-but my intentions are good. You do know what they say about "Good Intentions" don't you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GABE!

Today is sweet Gabe's 31st birthday. All three of my children have sweet spirits, but Gabe probably has the softest heart of the three. He was our bicentennial baby and in honor of this special occasion, I will tell you the story of his birth.

Bobby and I both were thrilled when we learned that another child would be coming to our little family. We busied ourselves with preparation of a nursery and attending Lamaze classes. The yellow check gingham wallpaper was put up, since back in the good old days, you didn't know the sex of your child before the birth. That was part of the wonder when giving birth. I seem to remember if Gabe had been a girl, her name was to be Elise. We were all set and ready for the anticipated arrival date of the day before Thanksgiving.

We made no plans for Thanksgiving since I just knew Gabe would be here by then. He decided to take his sweet time. That should have been a forewarning of things to come! I am sure the doctor was off on his date, but no sign of a baby came until almost 3 weeks later. I was so discouraged and having no signs of any baby so we went out to eat. The local Mexican restaurant at the time was El Polino which was in the old Village Shopping Center. I ate up-big time! We walked outside the restaurant and WHOA the first sign of a baby coming appeared. We had prepared for natural childbirth, but since I had stuffed myself with food, that would be the only option.

We went home and waited for regular pains so we could go to the hospital. We watched television and I paced for the next few hours. When it was finally time to call our doctor, he was in Shreveport having his office Christmas party. BAD TIMING ON HIS PART! We finally went to the hospital around 1 in the morning. After an hour of pushing to try and get that big James head out, the nurse finally laid across my chest and stomach to help push him out. It was a long hour and I was not happy with anything that Bobby had to say at the time. Finally a BIG baby boy emerged into the world. We were elated. This was after 5 in the morning, so we had not had any sleep. They brought Gabe to us because he was screaming his head off and no one could comfort him. He was not a happy camper and was very difficult to calm down. The 11th of December, 1976 was a cold winter day, but the glow of our pride was all of the warmth we needed that day.

Gabe has a gentle spirit and warm heart. He is an interesting combination of mine and Bobby's personalities. He can charm the pants off of you, but sometimes I feel like he is like me in that the social interaction can be taxing for him. He is wonderful with his nephews and a staunch defender of not only the nephews, but any other family member or friend. He is a joy to be with and quick to jump to my aide. We won't call him Saint Gabe since he has been known to have his share of trouble. Gabe is just like all of us and has his short comings, but his wonderful spirit far outweigh any negatives.

We pray for Gabe and our other children everyday, but today especially I give thanks for the gift of Gabe and all of the joy he has brought to us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABIE!

HONORED ELDERS

We were privileged to be invited to a "Farewell Party" for our friend Geoff's father, Mr. Ragegea. Geoff and Anne are in our small group and bring an international flavor to the group. Geoff is from Uganda and teaches English at GSU and Anne is from Rowanda and works in the Financial Aide office at GSU. Anne's family were affected by the genocide in Rowanda losing many members including her brother. She and Geoff have helped the extended family raise the nieces and nephews of her "Late Brother". We found our self in a diverse group from many nations in Africa at the party. The youngest niece is now living with Geoff and Anne and attending GSU. All of the nieces and nephews have done really well and education is a top priority for them. All have graduated from college except for the two youngest and the eldest of those will graduate this week. What an accomplishment and what a testimony to family.

We find our African friends very gentle and polite people. They are always soft spoken and not attention seeking. Just as we Americans come in all sizes and shapes, so do those from different countries in Africa. Anne is a very tall woman, probably at least 6 feet tall and has what I often identify as traditional African features and build. A high forehead and round face with a sweet smile that shows beautiful white teeth, she often wears the traditional dress and it is always very beautiful and so feminine. A soft heart and sweet spirit were evident the very first time I met her. We are blessed to have them in our group.

The celebration was to say farewell to Geoff's father who is returning home to Uganda. Mr. Ragagea is 90+ years old, but he and Geoff go to the track every morning and walk 2 miles. Mr. Ragagea only speaks broken English, but his demeanor is very gentle. Anne told us that he has 4 Bibles in 4 different languages. Every day while they were at work, he prepared a devotional for that evening which they had at 9 every night. She said they often sang a hymn or two, listened to the scriptures, and his thoughts and prayed together before retiring. He gave a short speech before the evening was over that Geoff translated. This is the text of what he said-

"I thank God for this day and this hour that you have come so that we can say farewell to one another. I thank God because I didn't think that I would be able to come. I didn't think that I would be able to fly again because of my failing strength. But it was not because of me; it was God's will. I thank you for the fellowship and friendship as people of goodwill and for being Christians, people of Christ Jesus. Now let us read Second Corinithians 13:ll----
'Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.'"

Such a Godly man and his family holds him in such high esteem. It was an honor for Bobby & I to be a part of this sweet celebration. We are praying for Mr. Ragagea's continued good health and hopefully his return to Ruston.

On a much lighter note, I ran 6 this AM with my legs screaming No-No-No. It is good to know that my head can override that and push me to keep going. It was not pretty, but it is over. Friend Sandra's daughter Suzanne had her baby today-a petite precious girl. The number of grands among the runners continues to increase since Babs also just had another grandson. This gives us something delightful to discuss as we put in the miles. Every diversion is truly a blessing!

"PERFECT TREES"

Bobby is able to ignore me and my habits that would drive most Saints crazy most of the time. The one time every year that I would send him over the edge was the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. Over the years we have patronized several different tree farms. The last one we went to, before the change to the "unreal tree" was owned by a retired couple out on old Hwy 80. The couple had all of the necessary equipment and did all of the manual labor themselves. The trees were very reasonably priced and they helped you put the tree into the back of your car. The last time I went to the farm I was by myself and that is not fun. The next year I had an artificial tree.

The trip always started out with good spirits. The kids always went along, until they reached the age of losing interest. Camille actually accompanied us until she graduated from high school. She seemed to love the outing.

The trip started with looking at EACH AND EVERY tree on the farm. The really hard trick was to remember where you saw the better trees and then retrace your steps to find them again after the initial discovery. BC just did not understand why you had to look at all of the trees. He did want a straight trunk and was good at observing if too many lower branches would have to be removed, but beyond that-He could just take the first one he came to. OH BUT I WANTED A PERFECT TREE! Look-search-walk around the tree- look-search-walk around the tree. IT DROVE HIM NUTS! I would finally have everyone stand by the trees that were the finalist and then make a decision. It was never simple and it took a LONG TIME.

Once the tree had been cut and drug back to the shed, it had to be shaken and then wrapped in the plastic netting. Getting it into the back of my Explorer was always fun and what is ironic is now we have a "yard truck" that we could use and I don't go to the farm anymore. Off we went back to Vienna and the REAL Fun.

Everyone was usually so exasperated with me that we would have to wait at least a day or two to put the tree up. There long suffering patience with my need for perfection had come to an end and the next step would have to wait.

We learned over the years to finally get an "EXTRA HEAVY DUTY TREE STAND". The little red stands that so many use just would not hold up the trees that I seemed to gravitate toward. The trees with the really wide trunks and that were so heavy that it required two of us to carry. Trying to get the tree to stand up in the big stand was even more of a trick. It was a task of manual labor! Once we got the tree into the stand, then it had to be brought into the house. Another Fun Job! It was quite a job and by the time we had it in the house and finally in the correct place-BC was out of there. He was not interested in anymore tree chores!

I do remember one year that the tree fell over not once but two times! It was always after we went to bed. The loud crash would pull you out of the deepest sleep! Finally BC tied a string to the top of the tree and drove a nail into the ceiling to anchor it to. This is just one example of things we have done to anchor the very heavy trees to prevent the ultimate calamity.

I decorate my tree with ornaments that we have collected over the years while the kids were children. No decorator or "Southern Living" trees for us-just old fashioned ornaments with memories attached. I have learned over the years the God does not make "Perfect Trees" just like He does not make "Perfect Humans." I thank Him for the imperfections that make both such a joy!