Why is it I had an idea for my blog subject rattling around in my head all day long and I couldn’t tell you what it is now for love or money? Aughh.

Well, I’ll just have to tell you about how I’ve had to part with my alarm clock of at least 15 years. I bought it at KMart, if that tells you anything. I loved the numbers, they were gigantic and blue, which is far superior to red. It was a clock radio, so I’ve been awakened by WIVK, WIMZ, & Electric 94.9 over the course of years. I’ve loved this alarm clock. It had two alarm settings, so it was helpful when I was married, too. No, I’ve never been one of these people who would take their phone to bed and use it as an alarm clock. That just didn’t appeal to me, especially in the years before we had the “do not disturb” option. Talk about making me mad, send some stupid meme at 1 a.m. I’ve always worked, and the two jobs before this one required rising no later than six. And I still had to drive like I was on my way to a fire.

But over the last few years (okay, probably six or seven) my beloved alarm clock has been giving me a little trouble. As in the tuner knobs were finicky. The volume would blare, then go to whisper soft. The radio frequency would be loud and clear when I set it, but you could just barely make out a little something the next morning when it should be squawking. So it was becoming a bit of a chancy situation on whether or not I’d be awoken on time. I’m told this is a common problem in clock radios of a certain age.

Enter Chester, who seems to have an innate understanding on when I need to be up at six, or six-thirty. Weekends he lets me snooze till seven. But I decided I should probably break down and buy one and not depend on my poor puppy for rousing me.

I should have taken a picture of it when it was plugged up so you could see the beautiful blue numbers. Alas, hindsight is 20/20 and it’s in the garbage now. You’ll just have to take my word for it. But this thing is a BRICK. It looks relatively small here, but it’s about as thick as it is wide. My new one would fit in my back pocket and doesn’t weigh as much as my cell phone. But RCA!! Wow! How long have they been out of business, ya reckon? So that’s TWO electronic devices I’ve had to learn this week! I need a major award.

I’m requesting prayers for some people who are very dear to me. I should have written about them first, but this is what you get when you’re dealing with me. I lure you in with a stupid story about a twenty year old alarm clock, then get to the heart of the matter. Lisa and Mike suffered a loss on their mini farm this week, a newborn miniature spotted donkey who was going to go by the name Biscuit. He was ADORABLE. He had a puffball on his head. The two best pictures of him are still heartbreaking so I won’t share them. But please say a prayer for Lisa, Mike, and Biscuit’s mother, Squirt, as they grieve this unexpected loss. It’s part of it, but you never get used to it and it’s always the cutest ones that seem to never make it. Auburn University Large Animal Veterinary School did their best but they couldn’t pull him through.

The other friend I need you to keep in your heart is my coworker David. He recently buried his paternal Grandmother, and today his maternal grandfather suffered a serious heart attack and had to have an emergency open heart surgery. He got through the surgery but as far as I know isn’t scheduled to wake up for a few more hours. He is extremely close with his Papaw, and has always lived just next door to him. It’s hard watching people you love age, and sometimes the suddenness in which it happens will flat knock you off your feet. So I know he could use prayers, as well as his whole family.

I know I’m s’post to be praying for somebody else but I couldn’t tell you now who it was if I had to. I’ll end with that bookend.

Love from Appalachia,

~Amy