A Super-Duper Spectacular Special Saturday

“Did you very have one of those days where absolutely everything was going right? Well, me either. But, today was pretty close.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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No alarm to wake me today. I fed the dog and let her out back, then did some meditation. Then, off for a morning walk with the dog around the pond. My neighbor is out of town for a few days, so she asked if I’d keep an eye on the cats, feed them, etc. Sure, why not? I am the neighborhood pet whisperer. Animals love be me.

Here’s the cool part… when I was feeding the cats the other day, I noticed Miss Kathy’s garbage disposal was broken. Dead as a doornail. As per instructions, I’ve always put the old cat food down the disposal. Oops! That wasn’t working.

Last year, or earlier this year, I don’t remember, maybe you do, my disposal stopped working. I googled to see how much it would cost to have one replaced and it was crazy expensive. So, I did some research and watched some YouTube videos and after one trip to Lowe’s for the right tool, I fixed my disposal. I decided that I’d give it a try on Miss Kathy’s.

I fed the cats, came home and got my tool that I had cleverly taped to the disposal under my sink and went over to give it the old college try. The hardest part was getting my old cranky knees and crinkly body down on the floor and under the cabinet, after removing all the bottles, cleaners, and stuff.

I remembered what I did with mine, and put the tool in the right spot and turned a few times, pressed the reset button, then crawled and strained to get up to test the switch. Nope! Dang!

I had my phone, so I did what most folks would do… I sat on the floor and watched a few YouTube videos on the subject. Back under the cabinet, more twisting, turning, unplugged, plug back, and say a few prayers to St. Joseph, (Patron Saint of carpenters and fathers- I didn’t have time to research who is the Saint for plumbers-St. Vincent Ferrer-just looked it up.) I dragged my old body up again and tested the switch. Voila!!!! Fixed it! I took a video and sent it to Miss Kathy, just saying, “I fixed your broken garbage disposal! I am AMAZING!” She replied… “I know you Are!”

Well, I was SO proud of myself, I could barely fit my big swollen with pride head out the front door, and my back was sore from patting myself on the back. A perfect start to my day.

Later, back at the ranch…my house… I was going through closets and boxes looking for more things to take over to church for the St. Vincent DePaul donation drive. I already had a ton of stuff, but I wanted to take three or four king size comforter sets that were upstairs in closets. When I grabbed the last one in the guest room, under the black trash bag that held the comforter, I found the long elusive crate with Joe’s 30 year old Dick Tracey lunch box and action figures that I had been desperately searching for to send him. It was under the bag. If I hadn’t been generously donating items, I wouldn’t have found it. Yay… thank you St. Anthony.

I was on a roll. I packed up the car and headed over to church with my donations. I met Helene over there, as she was donating, too. We stopped for a Coke and a chat.

I stopped at the store and got a great sale, eggs were 49cents a dozen, a case of water 3 for $5, and I had a coupon for free bananas-3 pounds, yes free! (Is there a saint for that?)

Now, even more good luck. I decided that if the line wasn’t too long outside Fire Station 5 on my way home, I would do my early voting today. Yep, perfect timing. No wait at all. In and out in less than 10 minutes.

Then, home to walk the dog… again… and catch the perfect sunset.

Now, wouldn’t you say that was a pretty darn good day? (And it’s not over yet. I know… I should have bought a lottery ticket.)

Happy Saturday, my friends!

Wednesday:) Well, What’s Been Happenin’ On The Square?

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

― W.B. Yeats

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Magic and beauty and amazing adventures are happening all around us, right before our own eyes, in our own home town. All we have to do is open our eyes. Voila! There it is.

Yesterday was a very awesome day. I got up early for a long walk and to walk the dog. Then, Helene and I made plans to scoot over to Holy Family School to take our donations of snacks and goodies for the little ones. Miss Sondra and the staff are always so appreciative of our little donations and our visits.

The construction for the Community Kitchen and Garden behind the school is coming along. It will be so nice for the community to have fresh home grown vegetables and meals available to them. Cool!

After our visit, we wandered over to the Square for lunch at The Pantry. Oh my goodness. I always get the chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy and fried okra. SO much food. We always have leftovers.

Of course, I needed a phot op in front of the mural painted by our friend, Andrea Holmes, on the side of Fair and Square Imports across the street.

Then, off we went to visit Kim Guthrie at her studio on Virginia. She’s always busy at work by her window. Perfect for a photo op and a visit. Her awesome whimsical style has captured the hearts of all of McKinney and beyond.

Another artistic stop at The Last Gallery on Louisiana. We were greeted by another artist friend, Leslee Ortega. Leslee has a brilliant eye for color and composition, and has also mastered the art of painting with coffee. (Yep…coffee. It’s a blast. I love it too.) The gallery has become a fantastic artist co-op that features the finest artists in North Texas. (Most of them are friends of mine, so I’m a little biased.)

It was a great busy day, and what better way to end my day than a nice walk at dusk to capture one of God’s greatest works of art. The evening sunset. (I really need to paint some of these scenes. But, I have SO many. Where do I start?)

Have a great day, my friends.

Wowza Wednesday:) Sunset Sequence

“A large drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone, and the sky was brilliant over the spot where it had gone, and a torn cloud, like a bloody rag, hung over the spot of its going. And dusk crept over the sky from the eastern horizon, and darkness crept over the land from the east.”

― John Steinbeck

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I was thrilled to catch yet another amazing sunset on my evening walk. With each loop around the shimmering pond, a different yet brilliant painting unfolded in the evening sky. (Doesn’t that sound poetic? An awesome sunset will do that to me every time.)

The sequence of my sunset… straight from my iPhone.

o

And that is why I chase the sunset.

Sunday Sermon, Sunsets and Other Stuff

“Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence.”

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Another beautiful Sunday. The Archdiocese of Dallas Mass was very informative this morning. Bishop Burns gave a brief description of the symbolism, traditions, and meanings of the rituals of the Mass throughout the service.

Today’s Gospel was another parable where we are asked to think and relate the story to our own lives.

Gospel, Matthew 21:28-32

28 ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, go and work in the vineyard today.”

29 He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went.

30 The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go.

31 Which of the two did the father’s will?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘In truth I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.

My take on it… sometimes we are resistant to what is asked of us, what is right, or what is difficult. Even when we say NO at first, there’s always time to do the right thing. Others will lie and pretend that they will do the right thing, and never do it. We all know who will find their way to the kingdom of God.

Now, one of my rituals is to watch Mass on TV. I usually have a cup of tea and a cracker to be blessed, but today, I decided to have just a sip of wine and a cookie wafer to be blessed. I know, it’s goofy, but I feel that the priest or bishop has blessed my “bread and wine” virtually.

The rest of my day was wonderful, calm, peaceful and lovely. I was able to FaceTime with the granddaughters and watch them run and play and give grandma kisses.

Then, an evening walk and beautiful sunset to end the day.

Happy Sunday, my friends!

Saturday:) Settlement Class Action Lawsuit

“I can’t decide if I should retire in Hawaii with the settlement from my class action lawsuit settlement, or get a Happy Meal.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

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Being a part of a class action lawsuit can be quite lucrative… said no one ever…. unless you are the attorneys.

A long time ago, I received a letter saying that I was part of a class action lawsuit. I was not required to do anything or sign any papers, but I just needed to be notified.

Yesterday, I received my check in the mail with my settlement. As I stated above, I couldn’t decide if I should retire in Hawaii or get a Happy Meal. Then, I realized that the check probably wouldn’t cover the cost of the Happy Meal after tax. I decided to just deposit the huge check of $4.67 cents and just live off the interest. 🤦‍♀️

I would venture to say that the attorneys on both sides made millions of dollars on this venture. I’m so glad we all could help them out. Not!

But, you must admit, it is kind of funny in a sick venal selfish capitalistic kind of way.

On a brighter note, it was another beautiful day with another gorgeous sunset.

Happy Saturday, my friend.

Friday:) From My Eyes

“Our brain accepts what the eyes see and our eye looks for whatever our brain wants.”

Author: Daniel Gilbert

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I always like to share photos of what my eyes are privileged to see while I’m on my walks and daily adventures.

My morning walk was wonderful, barely a cloud in the sky, cool temps, and beautiful scenery. I walked around the neighborhood, and chatted with several neighbors along my route.

Some of the neighborhood trees are starting to turn a colorful crimson.

On one of my later adventures, I drove over to Kroger for some groceries and I needed to stop for gas. I was excited because I finally had enough Kroger fuel points to get 20 cents off a gallon and my tank was almost empty. I haven’t been driving much, so I lost a lot of accumulated points that expired the past few months. 😔 $1.57 a gallon. Cool! That should last me a couple more months.

My evening walk was just a beautiful as the morning. A beautiful sunset.

Between morning and evening, I got in 5 miles of walking.

Well, it’s Friday… at last…time for my famous Black Russian. Cheers, my friend!

Sunday Sermon and Some Other Stuff

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” –Bruce Lee

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A beautiful Sunday morning. I had enough time to walk a couple of miles, feed the neighbor’s cats, and get a quick shower before 11 o’clock Mass on TV.

Today’s Gospel was the story of the master who forgave the very large debt of his servant when he pleaded for forgiveness. The servant, in turn, did not forgive the small debt of a fellow servant when asked.

Then the master sent for the man and said to him, “You wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me.

33 Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant just as I had pity on you?”

34 And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt.

35 And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

My take on it… time and time again we are told to forgive everyone, but I’m still confused. Some people say it is a must to forgive even when the offender does not ask for forgiveness nor shows contrition. In the Gospel story, the Master forgave his servant when he pleaded. His servant did not show contrition by forgiving in return. Forgive your brother and forgive from your heart. BUT… here’s my opinion… your brother should ask for forgiveness and be contrite, otherwise he’s going to keep borrowing, hurting, abusing, and taking advantage of you and everyone else, just like that wicked servant. That may not sound very Christian to some, but it makes sense to me. My heavenly Father will take care of the rest.

Now, here’s a cool sunset. Happy Sunday, my friends.

Friday Photos:) From My Walk, Following My Heart ❤️

“Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have somone click the shutter.”

~Amstel Adams

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I love my daily walks, and even though I pass the same streets, houses, trees, and waive to neighbors and strangers, every day is a new adventure. I like to think of it as following my heart. Hearts always cross my path, too.

Sunset is my favorite time of day, and “Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have somone click the shutter.”

Well, it’s Friday again…. Happy Black Russian Friday, my friends.

Quarantined Karaoke Thursday:( Somewhere Out There

“With time we learn that the things we’re better off without have the ability to lead us somewhere better than we were before.”

― Andrew Kendall

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Another Quarantined Karaoke Thursday. When will we be free to go back to public places to annoy friends and strangers with our off key singing? 😔🎤

This evening, I was treated to another awesome sunset. A fun and fabulous Thursday.

Lots of steps today. Yep, a good day.

Wednesday:) What Wonders I See On My Walks

“All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.”

~ Marie Curie

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I’m going to start with tonight’s breathtaking sunset. The big storm threatened with rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning. No rain, nothing, nada, zilcho. I was hoping for rain. (Sad face 😔) But, the clouds added to the amazing sunset.

On my walk this morning, I found some cute sidewalk chalk art and had to take a picture.

I walked about 3 miles all through the neighborhood. Some very pretty flowers brightened my route.

When I dropped off a little gift at a neighbor’s front porch, a striped lucky feather lay in wait for me. I am a lucky gal.

Every day is a wondrous adventure.