Embarassing Moments

Hi, again. I'm stuck on embarassing moments this week. I think because Easter is upon us I'm recalling the MOST embarassing moment of my life....thus far, that is. (I'm sure I'll have many more.) This is the moment I call my "humbling Easter moment."

A few years ago we were having an Easter sunrise service at our church. The time came and all was in readiness on the soccer field. I was scheduled to be a "reader" that a.m. and I asked our Deacon Hans if there was anything else he wanted me to do. He said, "Pick out a couple of hymns and lead them."

No problem, I thought as I have a decent singing voice and I've sung in choir. So, Hans and I headed off to the field where Father Steve and the congregation was waiting. Mass proceeded without incident. I read my readings... Hans read the gospel...Father Steve gave an appropriate homily and then during the preparation of the alter for the sacrement...Hans gave me the high sign and I started into the hymn.....Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today. Now this hymn is well known and everyone sang along along...weakly, but along. No one had songsheets as that detail was forgotten in the anticipation of the day. Soon it appeared that no one remembered the words. I was the only one with a songbook. Soon I was singing alone. Soon I had lost the melody. I was redfaced and almost humming. Then, as Al said later, I said the dumbest thing ever. I said "Let's try the second verse." Opps. We did and they did and I did, and Hans standing beside me put his arm around me tried to give me moral support.

Alas, it was no use. I was totally embarassed. My friends and fellow congregants tried to comfort me later, but I knew the truth. Deacon Hans and Father Steve knew the truth. God knew the truth. I had totally messed up.

Walking away that a.m. I knew that God had humbled me. So much for cockiness. You can't be sure of yourself, if you are unprepared.

Of course, the next day, I was over my shame, (a little). In retrospect I thought it was funny so I told everyone at work what I had done...labeling the incident as my humbling Easter experience. Al says I'm the only person he knows who does something dumb and then tells the word. Here I am putting it into cyberspace. Am I nuts or what? That is a rhetorical question...don't answer it.

Got to go...stupid things to do....Next time I'll maybe tell you about the time the policeman stopped me for ......well, as I said...another story for another time...maybe.

I almost forgot

Hi, I almost forgot I had a blog. I've been busy this week...trying to get the yard in shape for spring/summer. Five bags of left-over leaves and twigs and cuttings collected and ready for the trashman tomorrow. We've been having iffy weather...somedays it's almost summer with 70degree days and others it's back to winter with winds and rain. I am soooooooo ready for Tennessee summer.

I read via Carla's blog that her brother Jon visited. How nice was that? As we get older and relatives get fewer, we have to keep in touch with the ones we have. Al and RoseMary talk at least 2 times a week. Jennifer and I talk about once a week. Today was one of our days. She is sounding much like her old self. She said she was going outside to "leaf". This is a chore for those of us with diciduous trees. Leaves come and leaves fall and must be picked up at some point. We commisserated with each other about that chore.

We've been in touch with our yardman. He says he's already cut some lawns but I refuse to pay to cut the grass before April. So, this week, we call him and set up a schedule for the summer.
One nice thing about the yard. Last fall I bought a lot of pansies from church and they bloomed nicely until winter hit. I thought they had all died, but they are coming back and they look lovely. What a nice surprise. I talked with a friend who knows more than I do about plants and he said they should bloom until the heat kills them. He said to enjoy them and toss them when they go. I asked if I could transplant them. He said I could, but they would still die when it got too hot.

Speaking of temps...My best temps are 65-75 and although I can tolerate higher and lower ones, those are the most comfortable for me.

The Quinns are gearing up for Maura's first communion. It's scheduled for the Sat. after Easter. Jennifer and John are heading off to MD Anderson at the beginning of April. Then, the Nashville Steinmetzes are coming to Florida to see Y'all. I'm getting anxious. Boys, get those bats going and make some good plays while we are there to see you.

Love to all. Ta, ta.

Comment on comment

Hey, people. Thanks for the comment, Carla. J-L, someone other than your mom reads your blog. I, unfortunately, can't figure out how to comment to others blogs. But, I will figure it out as (as I always say) I'm no dummy.

The beauty pageant thing appears to be a regular show. Not for me. Once was enough.

This has been a busy art week for me. Class on Tuesday. Great students. I got 2 more students. We can't take any more than 10, so this makes 9 for that class. Keeps me hopping. Wednesday, I paint with "experienced painters." Lots of fun. I finished a pastel of the boys and Maura, taken from a photo Carla took a couple of years ago. The kids under the waterfall from Grandpa on the deck. I must say....it may be a winner.

Speaking of winners. I won a third prize in the TN Art league's spring competition. We enter pictures and they are juried. I wasn't even thinking of entering, but a fellow artist told me to enter my "airplane" picture. Hooray for me. I was thrilled it got in...never thinking that it might take a prize. Also on Wednesday. Time to visit the eye doctor. No change in prescription.

Thursday...today, I finished up at Joan's class. I did 20 pastel portrait sketches of her kids. They are going to give them to their moms for mother's day. Not to toot my own horn, but I was rather pleased with them.

Tonight...we are going to Kathy Brown's memorial at Holy Rosary. It will be sad, but as I told Glenn (K's husband) I needed to put a period to this year of anguish over Kathy. Glenn asked me to do a reading. I was glad he didn't aske me to give a eulogy. That would have been beyond me I know.

Friday, tomorrow, reading for the "talking library." Then, who knows, what else. Fish fry in the evening at church. Saturday...shopping with Joan and Maura. We are looking at communion veils. I volunteered to make one for her upcoming first holy communion.

Sunday...travel with the Quinns to Kentucky to see some cave. This one is a maybe...

Oh, last Saturday...income tax day. Our tax man asked me if it was really worth it to get paid for teaching as I had to file a seperate return for that bit of money...to pay taxes and also to get social security taken out. Of course, I said..."yes, it is...cause I'm not doing it for nothing. It's hard work."

And you thought old retired people didn't have anything to do. I even squeezed in a couple of naps during the week. And I forgot to tell you about exercising at Curves four times.

After rereading this post, I'm exhausted. Oh, one more thing. I was chatting with a clerk at Aldi's earlier in the week. He was a pleasant young man. I asked him how he was doing and he replied...."I have nothing to complain about. My family is healthy and I have a job." He was a breath of fresh air.

Till next time.

another pet peave

I'm beginning to think I'm an old grouch because many things get on my nerves or make me MAD. The other night I was watching television and a show came on that really got me going. It was a children's beauty pageant. I was disgusted, not with the children, but with the parents. Those folks need to get a life of their own and not try to live vicariously through their babies. And I do mean babies. Some of the little ones were as young as 2 years old. One little one was fighting and hollering as her mother tried to push her into a fru-fru dress. Thank goodness she made such a fuss that her mother didn't make her go on stage, but the other babies were not so lucky.

I think those pageants are just money making schemes for somebody and also potentially harmful for children. One little girl only 7 years old was getting her legs shaved. Ick. Does that sound right. Then there is all the makeup and false eyelashes and hair extensions for kids who aren't even into their teens. One mom said her kid's dress cost $1,000. I thought $1,000 would buy a lot of groceries.

And then just before the child took the stage her mom was telling her to "show your personality." The sexy dances the little girls did were really disgusting. Talk about sexualizing children. This can't be a healthy thing.

The next morning when I was telling Al about the show and how upset I was about it he asked me why I didn't just shut it off. I'm telling the truth, it was like watching a train wreck. I couldn't look away.

Parents of children who won "little miss whatever" titles and also the children who lost those crowns all said that they would enter their kids again. I just shook my head and said those people should get arrested for child abuse.

That's it, folks. My rant for the week. You can call me an old fuddy duddy, but I'm glad I'm done raising children. It's a whole new world out there.

Grandchildren news...Florida boys are in practices getting ready for baseball. Little Maura who I'm sure doesn't have an athletic bone in her body tried out for soccer the other day. I told her mom that I was sure every kid who tried out got to play. We shall see how that goes. Sports have the value of teaching sportsmanship and building good peer relationships. But beauty pageants...I don't think so.

Nuff for this week.