Day 50 – April 4
Listening to: Every Breath I take
Thought for the day: “I shall make electricity so cheap that only the rich can afford to burn candles.” ~Thomas Alva Edison quote

This was my view last night. Why do older people always say, “You lose your lights?” instead of “you lose electricity?” I was without power for 12 hours yesterday. I've never been without power for that long. There are two things that stood out in my mind. First, the quiet that descended upon my house with no juice flowing to the outlets was palpable. I could hear myself thinking and I was loud. It's a wonder I didn't go insane listening to myself without any voltaic interference. The second thing I noticed doesn't really fall under the "notice" category and should be characterized as more of an appreciation. Toilets don't require electricity to flush. I've never given the electric-less toilet much thought. I wonder how many other simplistic modern marvels I pay no heed to because they are drowned out by white noise.

Day 51 - April 3 (adjusted countdown - will repair damage later)
Listening to: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
Thought for the Day: The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods -~Robert Frost

There are some things in nature that make me stop, pause, and say, “Wow that really is designed well.” The maple leaf seed would be one of those things. Today was really windy and these things were on the fly with intense determination to populate the world with maple tree shade. Like many people, I called the seeds “helicopters” when I was young and spent hours picking them up and watching them float to the ground. I’m pretty sure I probably tried to concoct an imaginary culinary dish out of them as well. Maple Mac & Seed maybe? No flower or plant was safe from Chef Krissy.

Day 62 - March 31
Listening to: Everlasting Love
Thought for the day: Do you realize my children won't know what a video store is? ~Christian Brummett

It's Thursday…..the day before Friiiiday………….. Back when Christian and Wesley were tykey tots, Thursdays were known and Happy Meal Night. We would go to a fast food restaurant (usually McDonald's), tear up their playground, eat some junk, and take the miniature toy with us. Afterward, we would go to either Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and rent movies to watch over the weekend. It was a big deal. The kids were always excited and I was soaked with relief for not having to cook or entertain for a night. Interestingly enough, Christian said to me last night, "do you realize my children won't know what a video store is?" hmmmmmm.......

We obviously don't do Happy Meal night anymore, but I thought about it tonight while Christian and I were in Subway. I originally was going to use a photo of Christian when she was 3 with a Happy Meal box on her head, but I value my life. As I was waiting to pay I looked out the window and saw these birds munching on what looks like a smashed McDonald’s bag. Who knew birds had Happy Meal Night too!!!

Day 63 - March 30
Listening to: Can’t Help Myself
Thought for the day: Creativity often consists of merely turning up what is already there. Did you know that right and left shoes were thought up only a little more than a century ago?

As I've mentioned before, I am the caretaker of a vast collection of photographs and memorabilia dating back to 1918 where I work. This week I received three photos in the mail, one of which I am sharing with you. The women in this picture belonged to a division of the Old Hickory DuPont Rayon women's industrial league basketball team circa late 1920s.

One thing that several of my coworkers and I noticed about this photo was the shoes. There are no distinguishing characteristic to define what brand they are. One coworker suggested the shoes were Chuck Taylor's. I did a bit of digging and found that the first pair of white Chuck Taylor's wasn't revealed to the world until the 1936 Olympics, so no Chuck Taylor's here. A few of the pairs do look similar to shoes produced in the 20s called Ball-Band Sport Shoes. My guess is shoe choice was slim in those days. Oh how things have changed!

Day 64 - March 29
Listening to: What if God Was One of Us
Thought for the day: If you must smoke, take your butt outside.

I am getting ready to share something that I'm not keen on talking about publicly. I feel like I have failed at protecting my daughter from something that could kill her. I think you’ll understand why I’m willing to talk about it today. So here goes................ Christian smokes. I've tried everything to get her to quit. Now that she is 18, I feel like all have left is prayer............. or inserting little explosives into her cigs any chance I get.

On the way to school this morning we stopped at a gas station. She got out of the car to smoke. A man in a truck next to us randomly rolled down his window and said to her very gently, "You do know those things will kill you right? I know it's tough to quit. It took me two years to do it, but I did and you can to." He smiled and then rolled his window up. That was that.

When she got back in the car, I said "if you ever wondered if God was in your life, you just saw him speak to you via a stranger." I'm sure she rolled her eyes. I didn't see it, but I felt it. My words were still hanging in the air when the song "What if God Was One of Us" came on the radio. I haven’t heard the song in months. I pointed out the god-incidence of it all to her. She laughed and said, "MOM........do you know how many people tell me each week that I need to quit?" I just smiled. I'm glad there are a lot of people on the Get Christian to Stop Smoking Team.........including capital H-i-m.

Photo: a natural ash tray found in my yard. Yuck.

Day 65 March 28
Listening to: I think I’m in love
Thought for the day: Love waits for one thing, the right moment………….and a glass of water.

Twas the morn of Monday and all through the halls, not a creature was stirring except for two giggling girls.....

A genuine show-n-tell unfolded in the hallway this morning where I work. I'd like to say my dear friend and coworker brought this gem back from her trip to Gatlinburg this weekend as a souvenir for me, but she didn't.


Here are the instructions:

Place your GROW a Boyfriend into a glass of water and watch as it grows to 6 times its original size.

Boyfriend will begin to grow after 2 hours and will reach full size in 72 hours

Boyfriend will slowly shrink when removed from water. Then you can grow him again and again.

Warning: Choking Hazard

Day 66 - March 27
Listening to: Leader of the Band
Thought for the day: Human life is a story told by God. ~Hans Christian Anderson

(photo: 1972 - Jaw Dawson and Kenton J. Hull)

Today I attended a memorial to help friends and family say goodbye to Kenny Hull, a father, friend, and music educator whose reputation was larger than life. The memorial was a celebration of life rather than an occasion for mourning which says a lot about the man he was. Though he had many accomplishments, the one that affected me the most was that he was responsible for laying the foundation of the McGavock High School band. It has been 34 years since he was the band director at the school, yet the expectations and traditions he established are still evident today. His legacy had a tremendous impact on my life as well as the lives of my children. I almost missed the opportunity to get to know Kenny as a friend, but fortunately that changed about five years ago. I can honestly say that he was one of the kindest people I have ever met.

Hans Christian Anderson once said that a human life is a story told by God. God’s story in Kenny Hull is one that left the world in a better place. I am grateful for his story.