Headlines ...

 Steam rises from my mug and I gently blow on the coffee before taking a small sip.  Looking at an overview of today's schedule, I wish I could bury my head back under the covers.

 I'm in a strange position at work of wanting to give the new advocates a solid foundation of correct information, but not really being in any official capacity for that.  So I quietly take some of them under my bat wings and offer them assistance when I see they are being misled by others. 

 We have frequent surveys at work to reveal whether or not we are feeling burnt out from the job.  While working from home can sound like the perfect job, it can become monotonous.  I'm currently working with chat systems and can go an entire week without physically speaking to another human if I don't make a point to reach out to friends before I start my shift.

 ~*~*~

 "Can you believe it?  She actually had the gall to demand that he gives her a salmon-pink diamond as a promise ring!"

 "A promise ring?  What on earth for?  To keep his name out of the headlines when she goes public with having a fling with a very married politician?  I wonder which hand she would flaunt it on."

 "I heard that he actually bought her a pair of ten-carat emerald earrings, but his wife found them in the safe and thought they were a pair of hers that she hadn't worn in a while.  She wore them out to the fundraiser dinner the other night that his mistress was also attending and he nearly popped a vein when he saw them on her.  He had already told his mistress that they were going to be her birthday present that weekend, and you should have seen the look on her face when SHE saw them also!"

 "Oh, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall that weekend.  Maybe we'll still get to read about it in the headlines!"

*~*~*

Participating in Words for Wednesday here on Drifting Through Life's blog

Sunday ...

The weather was amazing and beautiful today!

I have grape and regular hyacinths coming up in the front garden.

There will be about 25 tulips blooming in another week!

The rhododendron (or maybe a mini azalea?) is also blooming.

On the drive last weekend we passed through a forest full of rhododendron that will be just beautiful in another few weeks.  Another road trip!

The crab apple tree in the yard is also going to bloom soon!

I drove Deborah up to the farm she is selling this month for just a walk into the woods to grieve and let go.  It is 100+ acres and will become a Christmas tree farm.  Charlie went with us and forgot that he isn't a two-year-old puppy anymore.  He ran and chased a wild rabbit, having the time of his life.  I thought I was going to have to carry him back to the car after a while.  Needless to say, he is sound asleep right now.

My aunt sent me this picture of my dad and me at my 1st wedding in 1986.

The dress was hers and was also the dress my mom wore when she married my dad.

Good memories.

family ...

N: "He's mine you know.  Not yours.  No matter what you say or do, he will never, ever, ever be yours."

C: "Yes, Nadena.  I know that he is your child.  I'm not trying to replace you as his mother.  I'm just trying to be his friend and give him a strong foundation for the future that shows the two of us can work together for his benefit, along with his father."

N: "YOU are not to be involved whatsoever in creating any kind of foundation for Devan.  That responsibility is strictly for me and Jason.  I don't want you involved in any way with his life."

C: "That is going to be a little difficult to do, Nadena, since I am now married to Jason, and Devan does spend part of the year with us.  Am I supposed to just pretend he isn't here when he visits and completely ignore him?  Devan has come to me asking things that are inappropriate, and he's basing that on what you have told him when he calls you every five minutes."

N: "You be careful with your tone of voice when you speak to me, *itch.  My son has a cell phone so that he can call whenever he needs ME.  Not you.  If he is coming to you for ANYTHING you need to tell him to call ME or his father.  He should not be asking you anything at all.  Ever.  Do you understand me?"

Image Source: Bing

It was a good thing during the two years Jason and Devan were in my life that we were never on video calls.  Otherwise, Nadena would have seen me flying around the house flipping birds at everything she said.

I knew by that time in my life, I would never be having a bio-child of my own, but I still longed for a "family."  I believed, wrongly in this relationship, that co-parenting Devan would be the best thing for him and would be easy-peasy.  But Nadena continued to dig into my heart and soul with each hate-filled lie that she spewed in my direction through her manipulative control over her son and ex-husband.

The joy that I first felt in helping Devan decorate what would be his bedroom when he stayed with us turned into sadness. Instead of taking those lemons and making lemonade, I used the slices in rum and cola drinks as I hid away from him on my serenity deck every time he came to visit.  I tried not to become attached to Devan, but it was difficult when I saw in him the hurt and frustration that mirrored my own childhood of divorced parents.

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed breakfast with a family of my choosing.  Celebrating the 60th birthday of my friend with carrot cake and coffee.  Time spent laughing and making plans for future weekend road trips.

I'm participating in Words for Wednesday here.

unplanned adventures ...

 Saturdays should be flexible.  They can often lead to unexpected adventures and amazing days.

 Earlier in the week Nancy and I had tossed around the idea of going to a small bakery, in a small town, in the next state.  But the weather looked like it would be cold and gray and so we decided not to go.

 Until the day turned warmer and sunny .... we loaded up Charlie, and another friend, Deborah, and hit the road.

The James Monroe
Image: Sugar Mountain Bakery

 Sugar Mountain Bakery in Rich Creek, VA [<link to click] is well worth the hour-ish drive through beautiful farm country in [link to click>] Monroe County, WV, and on part of their barn quilt trail.  We enjoyed delicious panini sandwiches made on freshly baked donut bread for lunch (Nancy and I had the James Monroe ~ slow-roasted chicken breast with pesto, cream cheese, provolone, and bacon.  Deborah had their Hokie with pepper turkey, pepper jack cheese, their own sweet pepper jelly, bacon, and banana peppers.) followed by AMAAAAZZZZZING

Image: Sugar Mountain Bakery

 donuts for dessert.  

 I'm just gonna say that their maple bacon donut is melt-in-your-mouth incredible.  Nancy had the Nutter-Butter (cookie), and Deborah's was an apple-filled one.  We also shared some pecan bites that Nancy bought.  Sort of like a bite of pecan pie that was drool-worthy.  Just sayin'. (okay, maybe I was the only one of us who was drooling, other than Charlie who did not get to enjoy any).  Charlie did get a bite of my sandwich, and his own doggy treats, tho, so he wasn't completely un-spoiled.

 On the drive home, we stopped to look at beautiful stone buildings in the [link to click>] Salt Sulphur Springs Historic District near Union, WV.

There were also some beautiful homes nearby that were probably built around the same time. 

I love the upstairs front porch!

 After that, we stopped to see the Indian Creek Covered Bridge [<link to click] that we had passed on the drive down. Charlie was pretty happy to explore that!