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Amy
Day 20: Put your music player on shuffle & write the first three songs that play & what your initial thought is First one was “Kiss” by Prince, which I love. Reminds me of Pretty Woman, just like it does everybody else. She’s in the bathtub, with bubbles up to her ears, which are covered by headphones. She resembles a mermaid with all that wild red hair, & is singing her off-key heart out. #2 was “Me & God” by Josh Turner. I listened a moment, but it’s not my favorite, so I went on & got “Some Sweet Day” by Ray Ball, so I suppose I cheated, but hey, this is my story, amiright? #3 was “Loved By You” by Jewel, whom I consider a genius. I love just about everything she’s ever sung or written. She published a book of poetry several years ago & I have it. She recently came out with another one, which I have not yet acquired. She’s great. If y’all have never really listened to anything by her, give her a try. It’s been a fine music morning so far. I had it on 94.9’s Throwback on my way in & heard several good ones (Push It, Jessie’s Girl, Moulan Rouge, & When I Come Around). Yesterday is a different story. Perhaps y’all were wondering what the picture of the goat trail had to do with music. Well, I didn’t listen…
I Five Fears That You Have #1) Snakes. They are not to be joked around about. There is nothing funny about snakes. I have a million & one snake stories, the most famous one being the one that was hung in my porch that I thought was fake. I don’t have time to go into it, but that was a train wreck if there ever was one. #2) Cancer. If you’ve ever been around someone dying from it, it will be your fear as well. I’m not scared of dying, but I am scared of wasting away slowly & painfully. #3) Losing Shug. I don’t know why, but every time he doesn’t answer his phone I just know he’s hurt himself at work & nobody’s had time to call me. I used to not worry as much about him driving because a) he drives slower than turtles stampeding through peanut butter & b) he had the biggest truck in the fleet, but now they’ve downsized to half tons so I’m sure he’s dead in a ditch somewhere. #4) That our country (specifically, our President) is gonna get us all killed, or that we are going to be governed by a bunch of liberal radicals. Oh, wait. #5) That our house is going to burn down. Another one that’s basically unfounded. I’ve never personally known…
My social life is limited. I choose it to be so. It consists of Co-op, where I am the uncontested Social Butterfly Queen, Shug, short bursts of conversation with my bestie who lives in the middle of Nowhere, Tennessee, & the occasional text message. I might have lunch with Ashley once a quarter. And then there’s book club, which has been minimal, just me & Rhonda. Which is fine, ’cause like I told her this afternoon, we’re the best ones. Last month we had a quirky twenty year old materialize, & this month, although I invited SIX OF YOU, it was just us. And then a lady Miss Rhonda invited showed up, & then this other lady waltzed in towards the end. She contributed a lot to the conversation, surprisingly. I learned a WHOLE NEW REDNECK WORD. “Pillbilly”. She used to be a pharmacy assistant, & turns out, that’s common lingo in pharmaceutical circles. You just never know. So. Now, page two…
Day 18: Your Favorite Color & Why Pink is my signature color. It’s happy, it’s girly, it’s pretty. I’ve always loved pink. I prefer hot pink or coral, not pastel pink. I always get compliments when I wear it. I love the Palmer house in Charleston. And The Olde Pink House in Savannah. I wouldn’t have a problem living in a grand old pink mansion. “My cuhl-ahs are blush & bashful.” “Your CUHL-ahs are pink & pink.” “I have chosen two VERY distinct shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.”…
Fire in the sky this morning. Thankfully, it was just from the sun (or Son) & not from missile strikes. Did I ever tell you about the first time I went to Nebraska? It was for an animal health trip, way back when in like, February of 2002, I think. Anyway, we were on our way back to the airport, riding along in the van before daylight, across all these cornfields & wheat fields. The sky began to lighten & I blinked like a rat coming out of hibernation. It looked like it was going to be something truly spectacular, with these streaks of pink threading through the darkness. I’d had a pretty late night the evening before, but I struggled awake, thinking “I don’t want to miss this.” So I battled fatigue & kept my eyes open & watched as more light blue filtered its way into the sky. I thought the outlines of the irrigation systems would be a stunning contrast against the brightening horizon. And then, suddenly, everything was drenched in white light & it was over. No magnificent blazing sky. Not much of nothing, really. It looked like the middle of the day. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. But at least East Tennessee knows how to do it right…
Day 17: A Quote You Try To Live By Well, there are several. I tried to find some scriptures that relate to how I strive for compassion and patience, but ran out of patience hunting them. So I went to my Pinterest quote board, aptly named “I Do Declare!”. Most of them don’t have an author noted, but here are a few that you can say I live by: Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons Start each day like it’s your birthday Speak the truth even if your voice shakes {LOVE} Go ahead, underestimate me. Some days you have to create your own sunshine Be BOLD or italic never regular. And the one that’s been taped to my computer at work for years: All of us could learn a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. ~Devon Stutzman That’s all I’ve got for you today…
I don’t understand the concept of entitlement. For example, commending someone for not stealing. Almost every day, someone comes to the counter to pay for some bolts. Some of them can get fairly expensive, as far as bolts go, & it never fails that someone says, “I could’ve stuck these in my pocket, you would have never known.” While that’s true, the Good Lord would know. And it’s wrong. I’m not going to thank you for not stealing. If you’ll steal a bolt, you’ll steal a car. I could set the Co-op on fire, too, but I choose not to do so. It’s wrong. What the heck?! 11-17-15 11:16 am…
Day 16: Bullet Your Entire Day • Woke up (late) • Burned tongue sipping coffee • Fixed up beans in the crock pot • Attire change after brisk walk to start Patsy, which left no time for makeup • Belted out “Mama He’s Crazy” on commute • Learned my brake light is out on the Amy side • Thought about crawling through phone & choking woman customer who was pricing tile • Peeled tangerine & ate it • Wished I was home reading • Wished I hadn’t forgotten my crackers • Got called Pinky • Emailed Loveday about Purina feed • Sold a ton of reindeer feed to Kyle • Stuffed new Montana Silver in case & hoped Kelvin & Nancy will come by soon to fix my merchandising catastrophe • Sold $3000 worth of seed & fertilizer • Texted Mom • Talked about horses • Called my Farrier Supply to check on bill correction • Texted Shug • Carried out squirrel corn for old man • Shared grapes with John. It’s our thing now. • Adjusted hat. Wished I hadn’t bought it. • Assisted a new equine owner on the phone about feeding hay. Again. For the sixteenth time. Also assured her that when he ran in his pasture, holding his head sideways, & kicking his heels up that he wasn’t having a seizure or feeling the need to break out of his enclosure. • Ate leftover red beans & rice for lunch • Adjusted hat • Got called Pinky • Trolled Facebook • Gave several suggestions to my friend Kay about what to do…
Day 6: Someone Who Fascinates Me & Why The human population. It fascinates me that we’re not all dead, with our failure to use turn signals, to yield to emergency vehicles & people in the passing lane, & inability to follow directions. Also, that I haven’t been shot yet due to my extreme sarcasm in all instances. Also, mermaids. Because mermaids…
Day 14: My Life in Seven Years One of my coworkers is a guy with whom I attended college. He regularly reminds people he’s known me almost 20 years & I haven’t changed a bit, why do they expect me to be different from one week to the next? You can’t do anything with me; I’m set in stone. My temper hasn’t lessened, my sense of humor still runs to goofy, my favorite cowboy is still George Strait, my taste in clothing hasn’t varied much, & I still work at the Coop & drive the same Chevy pickup. Anybody I’ve kept in touch with will tell you I’m the same; I don’t change. But seven years ago, I subsided on a primarily liquid diet. I wasn’t married, with no real prospects on the horizon. I was quite a bit thinner, but we won’t talk about that. These days I cook at least one meal a day & I’m settled & content. Seven years from now will probably find me much the same, still married to Shug, cooking & reading in my spare time. Maybe I’ll have a blog or a book deal by then, but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t respond well to criticism, so I doubt I’ll pursue anything like that. Maybe I’ll…
