Merry Christmas

It was so nice to have Clif and Megan (and Belle, the beagle) in for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.  They left earlier to head to Jackson, Ms. to see Megan's family.  It was a nice, quiet weekend...no drama, no worries.  They'll come soon enough on Tuesday.  Megan and I stayed up Friday night until past 1 AM talking about everything.

Everyone but Megan and me had shopping or truck repairing in mind for Saturday.  I made turkey, ham and cheese platters for Bill and Karen's after church service party, and then I made a breakfast casserole for this morning.  They needed to hit the road early to get to Mississippi.

Cousins Karen and Bill had a nice subdued party this year.  Lots of people sick, plus it was raining so it was a small but lively crowd.  But that did not keep Bill from lighting the neighborhood up with booming fireworks.  There was absolutely no one left on the block sleeping after he and Eric Hall finished playing 10 year olds.  Clif and Jerry Nash helped out also.

This morning we got up and opened presents, ate breakfast and Clif and Megan headed off in the rain.  Saying a prayer for them to get there safe.

Enjoy our pictures.

Pre-Party Megan & Clif

Close-up (Fabulous)

Cute Couple

The Old Folks with the Tornado

The Tornado's Profile in case you didn't recognize him.

Megan and Cousin Karen

Cousin Isabel, Senior at LSU bound for a Journalism

Job in New York, hopefully

Cousin Isabel and Cousin Jean (Jean jetting off to Hawaii tomorrow with the "hot crowd" 

Mr. Ruffin (Is that really a smile on his face?  God must be coming soon.)

Megan, Clif and Isabel

Isabel, Karen and Cousin Dollye

Haley Hall, Mrs. Nash and Cousin Brenda

Eric Hall

Christmas Morning



2011 Year in Review

May 20th - the light of my life, my son Clifton, and the very first person on the maternal side of his family to do so, graduated from college at LSU Baton Rouge and snagged a super job with an industrial construction firm all on his own.

April & May - Jim and I had a spectacular spring camping at Lake Sam Rayburn even though there was a drought.  There is something to be said for enduring a friendship and love for 29 years.  We live to camp.



May - Our beloved Norman went missing.

January - December - I learned some harsh truths about friendship, about honesty, about lying under oath (not me) and greed.  You have to be honest when you're asked.

June 1st - The Scouter (nicknamed 'NO BITING'), our Jack Russell terrier that has lost his mind and bounces off of walls, and gives unlimited hours of entertainment to Jim and me, joined our family.  God made him for us, God made us for him (I only say that because I rescued him from an abusive breeder in Dodridge, Arkansas.)

April 1st - a great weight was lifted from my shoulders when the woman who gave birth to me, who judged me all my life and never loved me, who blew me off when my father died tragically, who told me she should have aborted me like my dad had wanted (3rd child and NOT a boy), who had no affection for my son, passed away of alzheimers. Don't think the date of her death was not lost on me. I have made many therapists rich people.


December - Thankful for Clif and Megan spending Christmas eve and Christmas morning with us, Karen's and Bill's Christmas Eve Party, my Times carrier (threw the paper in the garage when the driveway was flooded,) the Wounded Warrior Project, the Salvation Army, Thomas the grocery sack person at Brookshires, and the Prayer Gang.

A Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.

The Ruffinista

Glass Houses

I live in a glass house.  I wave at the folks that stare at me often.  Smile and wave.  In my wisened 57 years, I have come to embrace my glass house...the dog pee stains that I couldn't quite scrub out of the carpet, the Spiegel lithographs that I bought when Jim and I were first married that still hang in the great room and both scream, "we're soooo out of date" to anyone who is listening.  I walk around in holey underwear and have been known to wear the same outfit two days in a row on the weekend.

And my mouth.  Oh yes, it does get me into trouble at times but by far you can't come 57 years and think ugly thoughts about others constantly.  Face it, age has humbled me.  The same old woman I laughed at in my twenties, wrinkled, overweight, limping, inappropriately dressed is now me.  But I do try to think of both sides of a situation regardless of the circumstances...to have empathy for all.  And I am loyal to myself and my family and friends always.

The origin of this phrase?  I thought it was from the Bible:  Ha! you dope.  The proverb has been traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Troilus and Criseyde' (1385). George Herbert wrote in 1651: 'Whose house is of glass, must not throw stones at another.'

I've been in a situation for a long time now that has broken my heart because of everything involved.  I've been accused by many for different reasons of not being on the right side and other statements such as being the highest paid paralegal in Louisiana.  In a nutshell, I'm about to lose my job.  That paralyzed me for months.  I couldn't go forward.  I thought one person held my destiny and lauded it over me for the past year...not a good situation to be in.  Did I mention that I hate lawyers?! (Interrobang indeed.)  Kind of sad to find that in a paralegal.

We just finished putting my son through college and we're loaded with debt and slowly paying it out.  Now is not the time to be jobless.  But I finally faced my fears and started looking for a new job.  It won't be easy but I took that burden out of my closet and taped it up in my glass house for others to see and as a reminder to me not to be scared of others that hold sway over me.

So what next?  Well, Mr. G has these little rocks that he picks up in the lot next door to their house and piles them in a huge pot in the garage.  I'm going to put that pot in the back of my truck and take my sling shot and go visit a couple of glass houses.  I'm a pretty good shot if I do say so myself.  I said I was honest and loyal....but I'm also a little mischievious.