Fasten Your Seat Belt

Thankfully 9-11 passed normally and quietly at the world's busiest airport. I noticed passengers seemed quiet and pensive on the short shuttle ride to departures from the parking deck. Can't blame them, it would have to cross your mind before buckling into the seat belt of an airliner on any post September 11.

Security was tight, especially considering I enter work through the international terminal. I made the comment to my daughter after retrieving our purses from the x ray machine that if security was just as diligent every single day, it may have prevented 9-11 from happening.

True that.

Later on that night after getting home from work I started thinking about the word diligence.

Webster's defines it  "Earnest , persistent application to an undertaking; assiduity".

I had to look up assiduity (don't believe I've ever even heard of the word) but meant "Persistent diligence;unflagging effort. Constant personal attention and often obsequious solicitude"
(with obsequious meaning full of or exhibiting servile compliance... and solicitude meaning care or concern).

That's a whole lot of meaning to get out of one pretty short word... and I thought about that a minute or two.

So pretty much it means doing your best and I mean as related to doing your best in everything and doing it every day. What a great world it would be if we all lived our lives diligently every single day.

I may not be diligent a hundred percent of the time, but am trying to get there and not doing too bad of a job if I may say so myself. The past five years certainly helped in that respect which backhandedly make the past five years good ones too. Now that's what you call finding a silver lining my friends. Sometimes you're simply just not looking diligently enough to find it.

I can say with pretty (almost) strong conviction that am a hundred percent diligent at my job. When a  professional server. is an awesome asset to have and most always determines your financial success and even sometimes your job security.

I've been in a diligent cycle for over five years now in my life. I've kept on when thought I couldn't go one more step. I'm in a vicious cycle. I work in the yards, work in the house and kitchen, go to work, pay bills, buy what we need , come home and start over all over  again.

It's a wonderful feeling, it really is.

Diligence. It's all you really need to succeed.

Til next time,   COTTON

Oops My Bad

Dang when I saw this selfie thought "Wow I look old" and was right. In my defense have on absolutely no make up and is the side of my face which bears the scars left when I cracked my head open on our kitchen table a couple of years ago. Come to think of it I don't look that bad after all.

I left the house this morning around nine thirty to go get my above haircut. When I got to the front of our subdivision discovered why all three dogs had been barking all morning in our back yard. Utility workers were finally burying the cable that has been running from one box to another trailing down our street for at least a year.  (must be union or government workers)

It finally all started to make sense.

For the past two months they've had little blue, yellow and red flags sticking in the ground at the front entrance. It's been a pain in my butt because the last three times I've cut the front of the sub div had to start by removing all twenty or so flags first. The even bigger pain was when I got through. After cutting it was hard to see the colored spray paint they had used to mark where all the different flags were supposed to go. Most of the paint gets cut out of the grass and I just kinda guess where to put them back.

Jeez, by the look of all that deep digging they were doing certainly hoped I was a really good guesser.

Oops, my bad.

They had a bunch of fancy trucks, hard hats, orange vests and cool looking power tools. They looked like professionals so I decided to just wait and see if they were. I turned out of the subdivision and went and got muh herr did. A woman has to have priorities.

When I got back thirty minutes later (I'm a low maintenance hair do) a guy was trimming limbs hanging over the power lines right near where I got attacked by yellow jackets a month ago cutting the front. I slowed down, lowered my window and hollered (what we do in the south) to him to be careful, there was a yellow jacket nest behind the wall.

He hollered back "Yeah we found that out about thirty minutes ago the hard way!"

Guess I was about thirty minutes late with that tidbit of useful information!

My bad...again.

On the (my) upside, when I got home we still had running water, power and no gas line seemed to have been hit or ignited.

Guess they were professionals!

This is my last summer cutting the front so imagine I can make it one more month without killing anyone in the sub div since cable got buried safely without much help from me.

Oops my bad, yet again.

I felt grateful for being a good (lucky) "flag put'r back'r" but felt bad for not warning the dudes about the yellow jackets when I first left.

I think (maybe) I was too worried about being responsible for the entire sub div being blowing sky high by a misplaced buried utility cable flag.

Hey, it's all good.

We all survived.

Til next time...

COTTON

Proud to be a Clampett

It's one of my top three favorite TV shows of all time. My other two are early Andy Griffith Show episodes and early Leave it to Beaver.

I'm a crazy person and love to watch me some crazy folks. That's probably why I enjoy working at the world's busiest airport so much. No short supply there!

With God as my Witness, we are so much like the Clampetts  have no doubt we're on the verge of Black Gold...Texas Tea.

We don't need or want the $24 million , we just wanna breathe and the air gets clearer every day.

I haven't chased a Utilities man to his leaving truck in our driveway with a bad check on cut off day (in my night shirt and underwear) in over almost two years.

That my friends is progress!

You know  when it was all happening (our financial meltdown) I was stressed beyond belief but still (mostly) managed to find the comedy. I NEED to laugh.

YOU need to laugh.

We need to laugh.

Crying rarely helps. (and makes your eyes all puff up)

We're gonna make it, I'm almost kinda certain now.

It's a good feeling... but for those of you reading this, still seemingly drowning remember one thing:

"This too shall pass".


...and it will.

Til next time...COTTON

Toothpicks Matter

Well it's after Labor Day so summer stuff is cheap now. Time to shop for that beach vacation I'll be going on in just a few years. Found this cute suit for $11 which might actually look good on my stick figure even though the boobs don't come with it. Guess what? It doesn't come in small. Third time I've found a great deal on something but doesn't come in my size. Who do I call or contact? This has to stop. "Toothpicks Matter"

That  was my latest status update on Facebook (or as Massey says Oldstersbook) tonight.

I got off the computer and cleaned house for an hour or so after posting. I stopped to switch the laundry. The laundry room is right outside Massey's bedroom door so randomly asked if she thought my post would get bashed for seeming flippant about things.

She didn't even stop or look up from her homework, just said with raised eyebrows "Probably...it's Facebook."

Here's what I actually meant (albeit metaphorically) and stand by it.

This sums up not only the way I was raised but who I am today:

So toothpicks matter? 

Yes they do, and mean not only the wooden but plastic ones too. I mean the plastic ones that look like little swords. I also mean the round ones and the flat ones. Don't forget the ones that have little umbrellas on  them or frilly cellophane tassels. I include the colored ones as well as the neutral ones. I also mean the sometimes deformed plastic swords (always a few in the box) and broken wooden ones rolling around the bottom of the box, which will probably get tossed out as trash and never used for their intended purpose.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like or what you do. It doesn't matter what you have or what you don't have and certainly doesn't matter if you're flawed or imperfect. It doesn't matter if you're  broken or even useless.

Toothpicks matter.

We (meaning) each and every single living being are just toothpicks in a box called life and we ALL matter.

Til next time, COTTON

PS sorry about the weird font, happened when I copied my FB status and Massey is already in bed. Guess I am an Oldster!

Learning to Count... Yet Again

I've worked in the restaurant industry since the late seventies and worked in some pretty great places. I've also worked in a couple that weren't all that great but helped ends meet so will always be grateful for even them.

About a year and a half ago I hit the server lottery...and just in the nick of time.

Yes it can be (and is) a logistical nightmare getting to and from but from a Lifer's perspective, finally hit the jack pot.

Yes it has its moments (and usual one or two weak links) every restaurant does, but all in all
is a pretty wonderful job. The great thing is... the more of yourself put into it, the more you get out of it.

I go in every single shift and show up on time ready to work. I do the best job I can and more importantly strive to constantly be a better server. I literally learn something new every week if not every day.

I work with a crazy eclectic bunch and sometimes wait on the even more eclectic. Some days are hard and not as financially productive as I would hope but other (most) days I walk out well (if not amazingly) compensated for my efforts.

You can have some slow shifts. Problems may arise and sometimes tempers may flare but we're a family. Yes we're a family with a couple of odd balls or nuts but every family has them whether you want to admit it or not.

The bottom line is YOU control your destiny in the serving world.

You can call out, not show up and make no money... or come in with your game face on "passionately move people, provide the opportunity for them to experience joy" and when done properly  is a pretty awesome feeling and can be an incredibly large pay off.

I'm lucky I'm old school and a firm believer in this:

All negative things that sometimes may or sometimes do happen can... with any job or in any line of work. It's up to you to try your best and spin it to your advantage. Let the negatives roll like water off a duck's back and simply do your best, every day...every shift.

I'm even more fortunate this job is in the world's busiest airport. It's not like it's in a strip mall or deteriorating part of town.

It's most probably only going to grow busier and bigger.

Counting my blessings again and thinking I may need a bigger basket to keep them in!

Til next time...COTTON

Turning the Page

I've been cutting the front of our subdivision for well over three years. I hated when turning into it and the front looked overgrown, so for a while cut it without anyone asking me to. The first house sat vacant for almost a year and cut it as well.

Then the HOA contacted me and offered me twenty bucks to continue...and I did. By that time we were flat broke so felt grateful to have the extra money. Then months later realized they used to pay my son to cut it for twenty bucks over ten years ago.

We negotiated and was upped to sixty a month.

I can't get my mower down in the culverts on each side because of all the exposed rock (broke three blades trying) and have to weed eat them both. It takes over three hours to, number one pick up all the trash peeps throw out their car windows  then, number two cut the hills on both sides. Then  have to weed eat both gullies (as I call them) and go back and blow all the grass back off the street and onto the curb.

I initially accepted the agreement because we were well over two years behind on our HOA dues and told them to apply the sixty bucks to our back dues.

Guess what? My dues are paid up now and doing okay at the Clampett compound.

We're not rich, far from it but have enough money now to pay our bills...and crazy enough on time.

I absolutely love working in my yard and cutting grass, even weed eating but ain't gonna do it anymore for the HOA. In my opinion they got a whole lotta work out of me for cheap and am tired of doing it.

In their defense appreciate them letting me cut to get our HOA back dues caught up, but caught up they are! Good luck with them finding someone who will do the job I did for over three years for sixty bucks.

I think when got attacked by yellow jackets on the last cut made me realize...

 I love yard work but needs to be in yards I love. Massey took  this pic of me a few years back going to cut around my parents grave site located at the oldest Christian church in the state of Georgia.

I'm moving on. We're moving on. 

It's all gonna be okay. Five years ago I didn't think it would, but it is.

When life gets tough, you need to get tougher.

Looking back and reflecting over the past five or six years of our lives have come to only one conclusion... which seems to be the right one to live by.

We chose to live.

Til next time...COTTON

So Close...

I got almost four hours of sleep last night before getting up for work this morning. It rained like crazy the entire ride to the airport. I detest driving in rain but at least made it in time to be the first server there. I took my multi vitamin, a Zyrtec and Aleve followed by an espresso and was good to go go go!

Massey rode with me but didn't have to be in until ten; I go in at eight thirty. She let me get out at the front door of the terminal and drove back to the parking deck, parked and rode the shuttle back. She's such a good little helper to her tired ole momma.

We open at ten, had maybe three or four tables by eleven so sent one of the servers home early. I never leave early. If I'm getting up before seven, ironing a shirt, putting on make up and driving twenty five miles...I'm there for the duration even if it's painful.

Around three it finally picked up a bit. I made over $230 in less than two hours and clocked out by five.

That'll make you feel better, and it did. The ride home was rain free, stopped by and did the grocery thing; came home and put on a big pot of chili then put some ribs I had thawed in the crock pot for tomorrow. Just like that, had dinner cooked for four days! We can eat chili for a day or two or switch to ribs then make chili dogs. I like multitasking, makes life much easier.

One more mid shift tomorrow (go in at one thirty, get off before nine) and will have all of Tuesday to my own little self.

I had someone message me after reading one of my blogs asking for financial advice on getting back on track.

Here's my secret.

"Never give up"

When we were at our lowest would bounce a check to keep the power on, was cheaper than a reconnect fee. I got rid of cable channels and cut the front of our subdivision to pay for back HOA dues.  We were (and still are) lucky and had an outpouring of love and support from friends, family, Blog readers and even strangers.

If you aren't lucky like we were, never hesitate to contact the Salvation Army or any local church. My sister's Sunday School class helped us out when our septic tank backed up a few years back.

We owe them a sh*tload of thanks...literally.

Pray a lot.

Stay positive, even when you don't feel like it. Staying positive doesn't cost a dime and is worth every penny. (trust me)

Keep a journal. The written word is old school these days but a wonderful way to remember and reflect.

Always remember what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Lean on your friends and rely on your faith. The Big Guy's pretty smart.

Be a good person and never stop believing.

Yep, this was taped in Texas, where my husband is currently living all alone away from family, friends and our three kids and pups. Also thank The Lord men don't wear jeans that tight anymore.

If you never step out and take a chance, how can you know how far you could go?

I'm not a fan of comfort zones, they never got me anywhere. Call me a rebel, I consider it a compliment.

Til next time...COTTON

Ruh Roh

I've gotten spoiled with my new job. For literally years, I worked six often times seven days a week for months at a time.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And I did.

Now I (sometimes) make what I used to make weekly working seven shifts in just two. "Welcome to the big time!"

I don't know if it's my age or  obviously over exhausted stress capacity but working at the airport six days a week is a bit much for me. I've only had to (thankfully) do it a few times but this past week has drained me like a sink.

I was okay last night after getting home from shift three in a row. Making well over two hundred fifty bucks made it easy to do and also meant I only had three more to go.

I got this!

Today I went in today and felt pretty good until around eight tonight. All the sudden I felt cold chills (fifty five year old women never feel cold chills) and achy, recognizing all the signs. I couldn't keep my nose from running, felt like was dripping so badly my customers would offer me their napkin and to put it simply, just felt shitty.

I felt better after I got home. Home always makes me feel better.

I think (hope) it's just exhaustion.

I'm tumbling into bed with a warm pup spooning me and willing myself to feel better in the morning. I have to be up before seven for a day shift but will be home hours before the sun goes down.

Only two more shifts to go. I got this too!

Like the way I used all three ways of spelling the word to, two, too correctly?

I'm smart like that!

I'm just so grateful that all I have to do is make through two more shifts and will have two days off!

I more than vividly remember when I had no days off with none in sight.

It's getting better all the time, and I will too.

Til next time, COTTON

Life Realization at Fifty Five

 

It appears I'm a slow learner. Last week I got really frustrated about a couple of (three or four) things.

After pouting and griping for days to our three dogs and anyone else around the house who would listen I finally came to the realization there are some things in life you simply can't do anything about but can always find something positive if you search deep within yourself and always try to do your best...always!

We had a solid (over) five year financially downhill struggle but after a few wrongs turns and  couple of bad decisions finally found the way with help from The Big Guy and tons of supporters.

I'm not crazy about my husband living a thousand miles away but in all honesty has been somewhat a welcome break for us both. It got pretty ugly for a while and was mostly (all) my fault.

At least I'm honest.

It's not easy living with a woman who always has the sharp, rapidfire comeback for anything you can or may say, and can forget trying to rebuttal. ( just gives me more material to work with)

With now less than a year to go,  Fang and I will be living together again. It'll most probably take him that long to miss me if he's as smart as I think (know) he is.

The new job I have is seasonal and need (have) to prepare in advance. International travel is totally different from domestic. These crazy international fliers march to the beat of a different drum, sometimes steel and sometimes bongo or gong.

When it's hot, is RED hot.

When it's not, it's NOT.

I can go from making four hundred bucks in one shift to scratching out a Franklin and change in another.

Lucky for me I like scratching.

I work in the yards so much with my buddy, Mr. Weed Eater usually always have one or two patches of poison ivy which feel deliciously wonderful to scratch.

My Diddy used to always seem to enjoy scratching his athlete's foot through his white (supposed to help with AF) socks while drinking a  Co-Cola watching Bob Newhart on Saturday nights when I was a kid.

And when it's slow at work, worry myself sick about what will happen if it never picks up again.

Then I start to pick apart life...the wrong way.

Why do some people seem to cruise down Easy Street while I'm battling traffic back up it?

EPIPHANY!

Don't worry about what other people do or how they do it and get by. Worry about what YOU do and how you do it!

Worry about what you are doing right, not what others are doing wrong.

KARMA is a big ole  bee-otch (probably has a gross mustache, eye boogers in the corners of her eyes  and hairy mole too) laughing at ones who just don't get it. A lot of peeps will be stunned and shocked when learn she's real. I may not be around to witness, but it will happen.

I need to stay positive and not worry. I need to take advantage of all the opportunities I am afforded, given and not worry about people who don't. I need to pray for (not) judge them. They'll learn too. The even (harder) way.

I have enough on my own plate to deal with. It's still not Easy Street but am closer to it every day.

 Dang it was great to grow up in the sixties and seventies. I'm still lucky after all these years! A whole lotta peeps can't say that. That's kinda sad to me.

I feel like an entire generation is missing out on real life while Tweeting, Instagramming and Snapchatting.

At least all my bad choices, decisions and actions as a young adult aren't on the Internet to see and half the peeps who witnessed it can't remember what they went into a room for anyway, much less how to Google it.

Yep! I'm lucky.

Til next time...COTTON

You Can't Fix Stupid But You Can Try

 I promised would post tonight so I will.

So much has happened in my life over the past five years it would take all night to touch on every single thing so just want to let you all know what is coming in the hopefully very near future.

Number one:

Politics really tick me off and I have voted in every election since turning eighteen in 1978.

I wouldn't (and have never) publicly bash (or bashed) the president of our country. I may not have voted for him but supported and have been behind every (so far) man to win the office. The majority spoke and I respected the fact. It's what you're supposed to do. DUH!!

With all its many faults, the USA is still the greatest nation on earth.

No wonder people hate us...plus we'll supersize any meal for just ninety nine cents!

Only in America, the land of obese people and Walmart.

If only every single person spent as much time recruiting and encouraging new voters as they do bitching about ones currently elected into office, it could literally change the world and pretty certain would be a good thing.

Number two:

My kids. There is nothing I wouldn't do or haven't done to help them when they needed it. It's what a momma's supposed to do, and I'm a momma.

A mother fighting for her children is a mighty powerful, resourceful thing and one not to be taken lightly.

Trust me.

Life goes on (if you're lucky) ... I just didn't this realize over half a century ago , life has a lot more hills and valleys along the way than you expect or ask for.

A considerable  amount more than the brochure (birth certificate) seemed to imply in 1960.

We will get there, and will get there together with God as my witness.

Til next time...COTTON

Mentally Bursting

Too tired to post tonight but just wanted to say I have lots to write about. Good thing I'm off tomorrow!

Love is but a song we sing
fears' the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
or make the angels cry

Though the bird is on the wing
and you may not know why

*Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
and try to love one another right now

Some may come and some may go
He will surely pass
When the one that left us here
returns for us at last
We are but a moment's sunlight
fading in the grass

*Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
try to love one another right now

*Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
try to love one another right now

*Come on people now
smile on your brother
everybody get together
try to love one another right now

If you hear the song I sing
you will understand...listen
You hold…

Still My Bestie

Hours away from being twenty years ago I called 911 around four AM and sat on a towel at the end of our driveway as I almost bled to death. Twenty three minutes later the doctor ripped open my guts and gave me a tiny baby girl barely four pounds.

She blossomed quickly and wasn't hard to decide on her as my bestie. Heck, the word bestie wasn't even invented yet but somehow knew that's what she was.

She didn't speak until almost two but when she did, didn't stop. Still hasn't. That's when I knew she was mine.

She's been girly from the get go. Me, not so much.

So we're total opposites, but complete each other in our own dysfunctional way. Sometimes I have to be to be heavy but that's what makes me the momma.

She, on the other hand keeps me in the loop and tells me when I'm being or look ridunkulous. She helps me retain my semi cool status.

Clear crystal blue eyes which seem to SEE your soul. (a good thing) Heart so accepting, makes my own small  chest burst with pride. Her heart's as big as the universe and then some.

She was a thinker then and still a thinker now.

The look on her face in the picture above says it all at the tender age of six. "I think you guys need might need my help. I'm down with that."

It's pretty awesome to raise a hero.

Til next time...COTTON

It's Been a Great Week

Tim's week at home is coming to an end on Tuesday  morning when we take him back to the airport to leave for Texas again. We've made the most of it. He's spent a lot of time with our kids, pups and his closest friends. Tomorrow he's going to the Braves game with both sons and the best man from our wedding, also one of his closest cronies. It's crazy busy at my job right now and when a server have to strike while the iron's hot so just took one extra day off. We spent some much needed time together getting the yards and house shaped up and made a lot of progress.

On my birthday morning he came into our bedroom with a cup of coffee for me while I was watching CNN getting some much needed rest from one of the busiest nights I'd ever had at work. The night before had been complete total (not so much) controlled chaos but made well over four hundred dollars in less than eight hours. That doesn't happen every shift but when does is a blessing beyond belief just to know I have a job that can generate that kind of income.

There were two guys out front of our house unloading a landscaping truck and Tim asked if I had hired someone to do the yards?

I said no but to wait and see what they did before telling them they had the wrong address.

Instead he meandered outside with his own cup of coffee and found out a dear friend of mine had paid for them to pressure wash our house as a birthday present.

EXCELLENT!

What a way to start the day.

I not only have terrific family but terrific friends as well.

Case in point. This was the back of our house before the wash job.

This is the back of our house after!

It only got better.

The extra day I took off was for a cookout. My brother drove up from Orlando. My sis and her hub came over. Tim's long absent sis came over with her son. His Spanish teacher in high school (from Nicaragua) came over and about ten other close friends, including my friend who got me my awesome new job.

I made tons of food (my bro graciously  paid for) with help from Massey and Tim grilled burgers and dogs. Coolers full of beer, soft drinks and water quenched our thirsts as we laughed, ate and reminisced the day away.

My sister gave me a fabulous new under the counter mounted stereo for my kitchen where spend ninety percent of my time at home and her hub installed it as soon as I opened it.

Tim gave me a beautiful bracelet made from two pieces of silverware he bought from a guy in Texas.

 His Spanish teacher gave me a gorgeous orchid and  nice bottle of Zinfandel.

Massey's bestie Michael,  brought me a beautiful bouquet as well and my kitchen was filled with love from others.

Massey bought me two Adirondack chairs for my back patio and Tiki torches to keeps the biting critters away.

Zach got a hair cut. Best present a momma of a twenty three year old hippy could ever get! Even two of the Lost Boys came over to help celebrate.

Traded my AM shift on Sunday for a PM and went to work today feeling a little exhausted with a touch of alcohol overload but ecstatic.

This past year has enlightened me.

Number one, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Number two, all you need is love...and lucky for me have been blessed with both.

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy

There's nothing you can make that can't be made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn to be you in time
It's easy

All you need is love
Love is all you need."

Til next time...COTTON