Blogazine Guest Sissy!

Boy do these months past fast. Hard to believe it is going to be April fools day tomorrow. What kind of tricks do you have up your sleeve to play on someone tomorrow.

Growing up with four brothers you can only imagine the tricks they use to play on me. My youngest brother Gary still gets me on this day but for a change I am going to be ready for him. I might even get him this year.

I went out to Warrenton for a short time today and found the cutest linen outfit for a friends wedding. Will downlaod it soon and show it to you.

We are really lucky tonight I have Sissy from Musings By The Creekside as my Blogazine Guest. Just Click On her site name and it will take you to her site.
 Sissy is a sweetheart for doing this post.  Something tells me you will enjoy reading this story and getting to know her as I have for a while now.

Sissy always comes by and leaves me the sweetest comments. She is a great blogging buddy, gifted writer and has a great site.

I have to tell you I love having you all on here because like tonight I learned a lot about Sissy that I did not know already. Sit back enjoy and then pop over to Musing by the Creekside site. You will be glad you did.



Hi. I am Carolyn or Sissy, whichever you would like to call me. Maggie, here at "Just Between You and Me", requested I appear.

So here I am at 65.  I've been called Sissy by my three brothers always, Sis as they matured. Recently I lost my oldest brother. I didn't realize how hard that could be.

Soon I will be 71 years old. When I was a child, I considered someone this age as ancient. Yesterday I considered that nonsense! Today I'm reconsidering!  Living alone, having it all to do, tends to make one tough and/or competent-maybe. I'm not competent anymore. I've lost all sense of competency! Probably the reason for this is because I spend too much time at the computer and having set everything else aside to get to later. To make matters worse, I'm what some call a Hoarder. Heaven forbid, hmm? I think I should be called a Keeper. With all my 'materials' interests and hobbies,

 I could start a school for some of the local youngsters! Most young these days have only interest in their tech toys.

Experience and a busy mind have contributed to my state of affairs. A thirst "to do" has helped. Every corner of my home, storage sheds, outbuildings is filled or filling up.  Out back I have my
'Stuff and Such" Store, filled to the brim with my collectibles

 I began acquiring and keeping at age 7. My little white prayerbook I received at Holy Communion was my first dear treasure. Life has continued. "Why buy and then dispose of", I say. Just wasteful.  I'm always at some creating/crafting project. My children and such others differ with this 'keeping' creed of mine. Ha, have they got a Job in their future!

Born and raised in northeast Tennessee, now living in the farthest corner of this part of the state, surrounded by hills and mountains, I have good air to breathe as one of the assets here. The quietness is an even more valuable asset. Of course, my hearing loss my be a contributing factor. Loud noise destroyed it many years ago - factories, city traffic, rock music, etc. Plenty of trees to keep the air cleaned assist us folks around here. The Applachian Trail is close by. There are many deer, a few bears occasionally pass through and a slew of smaller animals reside in this area. We even have coyotes here now. A hybrid wolf lives across the creek from me.

I live ten miles from a town, although I fear it creeping in closer. It could be better, as I live by a highway and do get some pollution from the traffic passing. Not too much traffic these days, though, because of our economic situation across the country today, gas cost mainly. There was a time I drove the ten or more miles out of here several times a week; even known to do it twice in a day. My little Suburu, so cheap to run; I miss it. That was when I was younger and agile, fifteen years ago. These days I don't go much and liking staying home and doing my thing. I rest a lot.

I raise lots of flowers and shrubs. Hybrid Daylilies, Iris, Japanese Maples and Butterfly Bushes are a few types I also try to sale. I love gardening but unable to swing those digging tools, now the front yard is decorated/filled with garden boxes these past three years. It appears I need more for this early spring as they are being filled with perennial plants. Asparagus, shallots, strawberries and rhubarb and chives have found a new home. Today I have purple iris in bloom in the backyard. Spring is very early this year for me. You too?

Having lived alone for twenty-five years on an acre + plot of this green earth has kept me busy. Always a need of clearing, cutting, trimming, digging has brought me to now and to the point of overgrown tangle. Felled limbs from my willow trees is a serious problem to consider. I cannot use a chainsaw anymore - besides, it was stolen. There are many wild blackberries growing here; birds, fish and a few snakes, some poisonous, so I stay aware. Moles are plentiful too.
I have three wonderful children, two girls and a boy. Can't call them 'children' now as I also have three grandsons, one deceased and (wow) a great grandson. I am very pleased they have grown with my guidance to become responsible adults, standing on their own feet, so to speak. The oldest daughter has worked at the local library for twenty-nine years and will soon retire. She lives nearby and I'm able to see her often. A comfort. I'm often furnished with good home-delivered library service. Can't beat that, hmm? She takes care of the mowing for me now. The other two children don't live close, so their presence is a rare treat.

There is a nice creek by my place.

Water certainly is an asset to have around close. There is a nice mountain spring a few miles up the highway where I get my supply of pure unadulerated water; the pulloff barely shows in this picture

   The air is even cleaner here, being several hundred feet higher in altitude. Going to get the spring water affords a short vacation for me. An hour or so here brings much relief from the heat of summer. This highway takes one across the mountain into Damascus, Virginia. Take a right at the top and you will arrive in North Carolina. So I am within easy distance of these two states.

Natural running water is very handy for animals if you raise them. I don't but wish to. I had a goat once. She looked like this one.

  Her name was Prissy Pygmy. She was very strong - mind and body. Goats give so much pleasure watching them gambol about. Regrettably I was not strong enough to care for her.
Before this, I borrowed one, to eat the grass and weeds. He was a big goat, more like the one in this picture below.

I kept him tethered to a big cinderblock, yet he could briskly move afar dragging it behind him, if he took the notion. Once he did take the notion to go visit a neighbor's flock of geese and ducks. Strong enough to pull it and me, skidding at a 45 degree angle behind as I had retrieved him some distance up in the nearby hollow, I soon returned him to his owner. He only knocked the weeds down with his log chain and nibbled at the honeysuckle, blackberry brambles, the willow and maples.
Learn and live, as the saying goes. Goats don't eat grass and such. They browse as deer do - and eat everything you don't want them to touch.

Today I have four dogs only; there is Choco,an elderly tan male Dachshund; Zoey, a 'used up' female silver Poodle (I rescued her from the breeder); Charly, a hardheaded independent part Yorkshire terrier with muscles of an athelete; and Lucy, a very small mostly Yorkshire. She weighs about five pounds and leaps about when having escaped her fence, much as a butterfly flitting about. They keep me hopping. In years past I kept birds, cockateils, a couple of budgies, a lovebird who flew free as I fought a chimney fire and Bubba, a bluecrowned conure.

Bubba died. I was saddened greatly, having had him for seventeen years. He was my very close buddy, twenty two years old. I saved many of his feathers. Jewels.

I enjoy reading several blogs, especially Maggie's. She entertains us all with her antics; don't you agree? Now me? I mostly rant on my blog, http://musingsbythecreekside.com/. but you may find something interesting to read that I have written about. Stop by and visit if you take the notion. Here you may see some of the activities I have and still indulge in. There just isn't enough hours in the day to do all I desire to do.
I've enjoyed meeting you all and introducing myself to you; so stop by sometime and have a cup of tea or your preferred refreshment and follow along as I pass through this life. I practice survival; an individual who enjoys living with myself, most of the time. At times I rant at myself and often talk to myself too. Nothing weird about that when living alone. A recluse, some consider me to be. The internet eases the fact. Learning is a joy in one's life, isn't it? I don't ever intend to quit!


Thanks honey for doing this post for me. I don't know about me entertaining you all to much especially lately.  I feel like I have only been boring this past month. Who wants to hear about an ole woman mowing.


I hope you are having a special weekend.  So glad you stopped by and as always I appreciate you so much.

Love to all
Maggie

Mini Me!

How are you?  I know that many of you are going through some really difficult times right now and I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.  Remember I am only a phone call or email away.

Warrenton Antique Show..

I have been mowing on the North Forty so much since I last posted that seems to be all I do lately. So tired that I crawl to the bathtub.

The other day I was visiting Anni from Hootin Anni's Site and while leaving her a comment I noticed that in her side bar she had the cutest button for being a Blogazine Guest on my site. The button looked  like a Women's Magazine and if you click it on it brings you to her post that she did for me. How cool is that and how Anni did you do that button? I was thrilled when I saw it and what's funny is I get lots of hits on this particular post.

So who is going to be my next Guest? I have had several write and say they were thinking about it. What about You? I started this Blogazine Guest post so we could all get to know each other. Truth is I love it myself because I really learn things about you I never knew. Now don't wait to be invited just send your story and pic to me and you will soon be famous. lol....Like Anni and so many others. Oh by the way Anni I went to my Blogazine Guest Page and I remember putting you on there but for some odd reason you were not there. As of two days ago you were so sorry I did not notice you missing on there. Is anyone else not on there that I need to fix. Just let me know. Also if you have already been a guest you are certainly welcome to post another story.

The Warrenton/Round Top Show has started. As you know it is one of the biggest shows around for antiques and junk. Fourteen miles of tents and vendors. Sharon and I went out for only a few hours on Sunday.

There were only a fourth of the tents set up. I am guessing by this Thursday it will probably be going at full speed. I told Sharon if either one of us bought anything the other one needs to slap them. Neither one of us needs any more stuff in our houses. Sharon has so much stuff she has two beautiful houses full. hahaha. Actually I need to get her permission to do a post about her new old house she moved into Round Top and completely remodeled. It is a house right out of a magazine. Unbelievable how pretty she is fixing it up.

 Anyway she broke a record before we even got out of the parking lot good , she bought from the very first vendor we came to. This adorable picture caught her eye so it has a new home now.

I teased her about setting a record for buying something so fast. It was the right price so at least she did not have far to carry it to the car. lol

She found a beautiful stained glass piece that she has to go back for and a cute blouse. I was pretty good. We each bought the prettiest hanging baskets of strawberries. Their blooming already and I can't wait to see if they produce.

Remember the Oliver family that I grew up with and sometimes I do a post of our girly weekends.. Well Ruby called me the other day asking me about how Clint and how he was doing. Then she started making me blush because she brought up my blog and how much she enjoyed reading it. She said she tells her brother Oscar and sister Bonnie that they should read my stories.  Ruby said that she needs to learn how to comment on my site.

Before we hung up we decided to our girly outing at Warrenton so that is planned for the 4th of April.

Isn't it fun to have friends like this call and tell you they read your site. I too hear from my college friend Maxine a lot and she reads my blog too. I try to behave on here knowing that they read it.  I told Ruby if it weren't for my family reading this I could really get crazy on here with my life stories. She laughed and said well then you should just start a new blog and be sure and let her know the name of it. hahaha

On one of my sleepless nights it dawned on me that my cat Tinkerbell is a mini me. I realized how much we have in common.

 Let's see we both can act plum crazy at times, food is never far from our thoughts, which has lead to us both being overweight. It seems that we have our nights and days mixed up. She can give some really strange looks. Almost like she is asking have you lost your freak in mind and believe me  I too have the same look.  When we do sleep We both snore. I have noticed here lately we even wobble when we walk. It seems a lot of times we both eat our meals standing up. She runs when someone knocks on the door. If I could I would do the same thing.  When you rub her neck she purrs really loud...I would probably do that too but no one to rub my neck for me. Isn't there a saying you start to look and act like your pets after living with them for a while or is that your spouse..

Well enough of my nonsense. You have more to do today than listen to my thoughts about Mini Me.
Hope you are having a wonderful week. Wish you were here for the big Antique show.

Love to all
Maggie

Be A Survivor!

Several of you have written asking me to share more of my experiences of when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  Regrettably most of us at one time or another has been given the frightening news from a doctor either about ourselves or our loved ones that will change our lives forever.

The moment you hear those words it’s like you’re in a dazed state. You hear the doctor talking but yet your mind doesn’t let you grasp what he is saying. Shocked, bewildered and overwhelmed your thinking this isn’t happening it must be a mistake.

I know this was how I felt when I heard the words you have Breast Cancer. It came as such a surprise to me because I was not ill. All kinds of thoughts run through your head your thinking if I have cancer wouldn’t I know it? Wouldn’t I be feeling sick? 

Most often a lot of cancers or illnesses are found accidentally through testing for entirely something all together unrelated to what you are diagnosed with. As for me I kept having acid reflux and while doing test for this my doctor went ahead and ordered other test. By doing so he saved my life.

Along with other test he ordered a mammogram which showed I had a small knot in my left breast. This lead to a needle biopsy which confirmed I had cancer.

I remember being surrounded by several nurses and doctors in a large room with my husband by my side when they gave me the results of the biopsy.  It was a Friday late afternoon and we were told to go home and return Monday to see a surgeon and an oncologist.

You will always remember moments like this one. I remember my husband saying something like I hate this for you. To me then I was hurt thinking thats all he has to say but now I know after having experienced other moments of bad news given to me about my mother, siblings and children I too failed at what to say to them. Try to remember the ones that love you the most are hurting too and they may not know how to express to you what their feeling. It's not that they don't love you with all their hearts they just don't know what to say except I Love You.

Keep them updated on how your feeling. It's hard on them too so don't shut them out.

That next day after being told of my cancer I went to our public library and I checked out every book I could find about Breast Cancer.  I felt guilty checking all of them out thinking someone else might need them but I told myself I would return them on Monday. I just knew that I had to read everything I could about what I was diagnosed with before seeing a surgeon on Monday.

I wanted to be prepared with a list of questions for them. If I can give any advice to any of you it would be to do your homework. Research, talk to others and when you meet with different doctors have a list of questions you want answered. No question is a dumb question.

One thing I found in my research was that a lot of men and women upon finding out they had breast cancer they immediately opted to have their breast removed. I had lived through this with my Dad. Unbelievable as this may sound he and I both were diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the same age of 45.  I remember the doctors at MD Anderson not giving my daddy any options but radical mastectomy. I knew after twenty something years later there had to be more and better options for dealing with Breast Cancer than a mastectomy.  So I did the research.

I challenged the surgeons and made them be totally honest with me about my chances of survival with or without a mastectomy. The reason for me challenging the doctors was in my research I had found that a lot of people who have Breast Cancer their chances were the same if they chose not to have a mastectomy. Please know that if the doctors had told me No your chances are not the same then yes of course I would have had a mastectomy but I chose not to go through this radical surgery when they were honest with me and told me Yes your right. Your chances are the same. I was lucky they had found it in time. This gave me another option of having a Lumpectomy.

Hearing this is when I made the crucial decision to go for the lumpectomy. I was then told that I would have surgery of the removal of the knot and some tissues surrounging it plus removal of all my lymph nodes under that arm. After this healed I would be given eight or more weeks of radiation. I received good news about no cancer in my lymph nodes and so then the doctors discussed should I have Chemo too. It was decided later that instead of Chemo I was given the drug Tamoxifen for the next five years. 

I have to say that you have to do what is best for you when given the news of cancer or some other illness. Please don’t think I am trying to tell you to not listen to your doctors. I would never tell you that I am just saying do your homework. Ask questions and lots of them so you can make the best decision along with your doctor. The more informed you are of what you have the better chance you have of fighting it.

I also have learned from research that when dealing with Breast Cancer you should have at least Radiation or Chemo. Most often you will be given both but do question the doctor who tells you because you had surgery you don't need either one. It's your life so if you don't feel good at what their telling you then don't hesitate to get another doctors advice.

Ask if your surgeon and your cancer doctor are on the same page with your care. One may choose one option and the other chooses another so make sure this is not the case.

Another piece of advice I want to give you is attitude is everything in beating cancer or anything. YOU have to tell yourself and mean it that you’re going to beat this disease. I remember lying in bed at night picturing the radiation attacking all the bad cells in my body. It was like picturing the game Pac Man. Sounds silly but it was my way of thinking I was doing something to protect myself. Hey you do what you gotta do to get well.

I also had read that laughter was your best medicine. I know your thinking who wants to laugh when you feel like crying. It really does work. Laughter can be the best medicine out there and its fun to take. I rented funny movies. My husband and I went to funny movies. When the kids came home from college to visit we really had happy moments. I don’t mean you have to walk around laughing the whole time of course that is asking too much but be around positive people. Think only positive thoughts. Every day I wrote on my calendar or journal God Help Me to Remember There Is Nothing That You and I Can’t Handle Together.

Surround yourself with people you love and the things you love. Pretty flowers, music, friends, family and chocolate. My children and friends phoned me all the time. They came to see me. I knew I was loved.
I have to add here that we of course are all different. You may not want to talk about it or you may just want to be alone. Whatever is best for you is what you should do. Only you know and you may have to let others know that is what your feeling. Not all of us are like me who lets it all out.

One of my favorite things to do when going through treatments was on some weekends we would grab a quilt take a picnic basket and sit out on the grounds of Festival Hill during their evening concerts. We were surrounded by gorgeous plants and flowers that thrived on these beautiful grounds. Music played by gifted artist flowed out the concert hall windows and doors to us while we were enjoying mother nature.

Festival Hill is such a beautiful place that sometimes even today I slip off by myself and just meditate while surrounded by God's overflow of beauty in nature. I remember telling my husband someday I will come back to this place and give back to it. So now I volunteer for some of the concerts or I stuff envelopes for their many thousand letters and cards they send out periodically.

Also I kept a journal. Every day even if it only for ten minutes you need to write your feelings down. Get the all the negative thoughts out of you and on paper. At this time of your life I can not stress it more than anything you need to think nothing but good positive healing thoughts. Hard yes but you can do it.  

I am not saying going through an illness of any kind is easy. It's not! You will shed tears and lots of them. That's ok we are all human. We can't help but be scared and cry but don't let it take you over. You take over and you tell yourself your going to beat this and then you do it. No other option is out there.

My main reason for starting my blog was just to journal. I don’t remember which doctor told me to keep a journal but I do remember he told me that a journal was the healthiest thing a person can do for themselves. You know how I write everything on here. Somedays I am drowning in self pity, other days I am crawling through the second floor window with my big dooper hanging out with the cowboy driving by. Most days I am asking you for prayers for myself and family. I am putting my thoughts down and journaling.

Another thing that helped me was I worked through the whole eight weeks of radiation. The only time I took off was a few weeks for my surgery and the last few days of radiation treatments when my Warden sent me home.  Not everyone can do this and you have to know what your limits are for you. At that time in my life I needed to be surrounded by my crazy co-workers. My children were away at college and my husband even though I knew he loved me it just wasn’t enough. I felt like I had to stay busy. Not be at home every day where I might lay around and feel sorry for myself. You have to once again choose what is right for you.

Most of all talk to God and ask him to help you through this difficult time and to keep you strong. He loves you and is there for you night and day. Prayers work! As you well know I believe in the power of prayers. 

I hope this has helped you and I am a survivor now for almost nineteen years. You will be too. 

Just be gentle with yourself. Let others help you. Remember God Loves You and I do too. I am just a phone call or email away.

Like Warden Roy said, “Stand up tall and Hold your Head Up.”

Love to all

Maggie

Bright Colors!

This is me now. If I could sell all my old antiques and start over I would want something similar to this.

I love colors. Vibrant Bright  Colors. Since seeing this on Houz I can't stop thinking about how I love this home. Then I realized this was very similar to the artist Mary Ellen Shipnes's home.

She had the most beautiful ranch near here that had all these bright colors and more. What lovely memories I have of  M.E. and her home. I will have to down load them one day and show you how gorgeous  she decorated her home with genuine love. Like her paintings full of life and amazing cloister of bright colors.

Like this picture here that hung in the dining room. The gorgeous extra large table sat at least 12 people.  

Just thinking of you and wanted to say hello really quick because we have a bad storm headed this way and I need to unplug everything electrical. Out here on this hill it is best to play it safe. Their saying 4 to 6 inches of rain with possible tornadoes. I hope the weather man is wrong.

So your lucky no time for stories tonight!

I did hear from my son today and his news from the doctor was the best he could get at the present for his problems with his kidneys.  Right now they will put him on meds and retest him in four months. So once again your prayers have helped me and my family again. How can I ever thank you!

Hope all of you are well and having a awesome week.

I loved reading all your comments from my last post. Your the best.

Will be back soon.

Love to all

Maggie

Spring Time!

Well can you believe it was in the 80's here today. I feel like I am sunburned on my face.

Wanted to show you that Spring is showing her beautiful self around the North Forty.

Someone else is showing part of her face too. This is Momma Kitty that lives out side.

She would love to be a inside cat but Tinkerbell would die if I brought another pet inside.

I love these daisies. Their Marguerite's. Named after me I suppose.

Here I planted an assortment of flowers.

Remember the hydrangea's I was  telling you about that is dangerous to cats. Well I took your advice and planted them anyway.  My lavender is barely blooming. I don't think I have it where it gets enough sun.

Another pot of different flowers mostly geraniums. I love a lot of color even in the yard.

As you can see in the first picture the ole farm house needs a coat of paint along with the front porch.

I know the porch will get a coat but I don't know about the house.

Spring can sometimes bring other things besides flowers. This is one reason I am so far behind with blogging.

This is one of the four huge trees that were lost last month.

 It just fell over one day after a really hard rain. I guess the drought this summer was to much for it.

Another big tree just missed the back shed where I park the tractors.

My brother Gary and I have been working really hard to get these removed. We only have a little left of the fourth one that fell. So I guess we have done pretty good for two oldies. He though is a lot younger than me.
Remember last year when I ask for all your prayers for him while he was going through Throat Cancer.  Well he did good for almost a year and then just a week ago he found out it has come back but they seem to think they have found it in time. He will though have to have surgery again with radiation and in the hospital for ten days. I was just so surprised because he was doing so good. So now we are working until way after dark every night so he can get this all done before his surgery.

Update on my son. He will see the doctor Monday to find out what their going to do about his troubles with his kidneys. Sure appreciate all the prayers you have been lifting up to heaven for him.

I was going to do a post tonight about how I am loosing my mind but I thought you might want to see flowers instead. hahaha....Seriously I realized today that I have really been talking to myself a lot the last few weeks and then today while mowing the North Forty I noticed I was even answering myself. My friend Janie told me tonight that she heard answering yourself was not good. Boy did I die laughing when she said that to me.

Gary said today that their already setting up the tents out at the Warrenton/Round Top Show so I guess that means I am going to have to take off at least one day and go junk hunting. Gary lives out in Round Top and gets caught every year in the thousands of cars that go down the roads to the show.

Just this morning I noticed going by the North Forty lot's of U-Hauls so I knew that was where they were headed. Thousands of vendors from all over the US and it last for two weeks. One of my favorite things to do twice a year.

A ole friend of mine that use to work at the prison with me saw my story about Warden Roy and she called me last night. Pat was a Correctional Officer too and the inmates called her Ma Tuttle. I asked her to tell me some of her funny stories and she laughed really hard and said most of them I could not write about on here. She told me about the first night she worked a dorm and she caught a inmate choking his chicken. I have to tell you I fell out of the bed laughing when she said that. Pat never was one for holding back. I told her that happened to me more than once too but she said, "Well I bet you didn't send them down the hall naked to talk to the Shift Lt." She had me there. I never did do that. haha
 It was fun laughing with Pat last night. She called to check on Clint and we ended up talking for an hour.

Another surprise phone call this week too from our blogging friend Debby from Cozy Blanket. I loved talking with Debby. Her voice is as beautiful as she is. It was our first time to talk on the phone but it was like I knew her forever. What a wonderful world of blogging!

OK I must go to bed. It is late and you are bored by now. lol

Sweet Dreams
Maggie

Roy Where Are You!

Tinkerbell woke me at three this morning wanting to be fed and so here I am wide awake thinking of you. Hope you are well and that you remembered to change your clocks. It just dawned on me that it was not four in the morning but actually five.

First before I go any farther I want to thank you for your sweet caring comments, phone calls and emails. I am trying to be strong but when it comes to my kids then I find it much harder to deal with that if it is myself. We are still waiting on more test results for my son but I know with all your prayers that he is going to fine. So from the bottom of my heart Thank You!

A few post back I wrote you about my working with a lady in the Mail Room who later ended up in prison herself for murder. Well this morning I want to tell you about my getting hired on at the prison in Texas.

When you apply for any position at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice your paper work lands on several different desk before actually landing in the hands of the department you applied. I had no idea that if your selected for a job interview that you go before a TDC Board which usually consist of five or more people from that Unit.

The morning I first walked into that prison I had no idea what was waiting on me behind those guarded walls with razor wire strung completely around the unit.

After going through the security of the main gate I was told where to go and wait for someone to take me to the job interview. It was intimidating but not near the intimidation I felt when I walked inside the room where five men and one woman were sitting. In the middle of the room was a man behind this enormous desk with a empty chair in front of it where I was ask to sit.

He introduced his self as Warden so and so which I missed the Warden title all together and then he went around the room introducing me to a Major, Captain, Lt and so on. I immediately thought they had sent me to the wrong interview because I was going up for a clerical job not some big position.

Little did I know at the time that this was how all positions were processed and before you went up for these positions you had better do your homework because these guys don’t fool around. Their there to see how well you know the job your going up for and if you did your homework.

Well know one told me this when I applied for this position which was in Human Resources. What the other applicants knew that I did not was you visited the unit before this interview and pick up study material.

Needless to say I winged my way through their bombardment of questions and most answers I am sure were not what they were looking for but I did my best.

Then this man behind the desk who I had no clue was a Warden asked me the final question. He said, “How would you handle working for an old man who was hard to get along with, gripes all the time and yells a lot?” I answered, “Well if you don’t bother me I won't bother you!”

This man behind the desk brought down his hand on that desk so hard and screamed, “Hell I wasn’t talking about my self!”

Dumb Maggie said, “Well who were you talking about!”  He points to a Lt. that was sitting almost behind me rolling almost out of his chair in laughter. I then noticed all the ranks were laughing their fool heads off.

I did not get that job but a week later that Lt. called and offered me a mail room position where I ask does this mean I have to go up before all those men again. He assured me that No they were hiring me from that board. Haha

Turns out this Warden five years later got me through one of the toughest times in my life. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I have never told many people what I am writing here this morning but I honestly believe that if it had not been for this man I would not be sitting here today as a Cancer Survivor.

The day after I was told I had cancer I walked into the unit not knowing that my Major had already told the Wardens of what I was facing. Each day before I reported to my job I visited with the ladies in the front office for maybe ten minutes. I walked into that office and they all said hello and then one by one left the room leaving me with this Warden who was sitting at one of their desk.

He motioned me to sit at another desk and I did. For the next ten minutes or longer he never took his eyes off of mine and we sat there looking at each other with tears in our eyes. It was so strange. Neither one of us speaking which if you knew the history of him and I it was usually a lot of yelling back and forth but not this day. He just sat there I know now he did not know what to say to me.

Finally I stood up to walk out of the room because I had to get to work and he said, “Stand up straight and hold your head up. Don’t ever let me see you with your head down.”

Walking to the back to start my day I thought what just happened? In the months to follow I was told no one could ask him about me and how I was doing because he would not talk about it.

He was there for me through all my treatments and tried his best to get me to take time off. I knew I was stronger being around him so I came to work every day. The last week of treatments I guess I looked really bad because when I walked into that front office to visit with my friends like I did every day he came into the room and screamed like he always did but this time telling me to go back home. I refused and he escorted me to my car. He told me to go home go to bed for the rest of the day and not to show back up for a week. I was of course fighting him all the way to my car but once I got home and in bed I knew that he had saved me.

Actually I did not realize until years later this man was the reason I got up every day went to my treatments and then drove to work.

Now I need him again. Roy where are you, I need you!

Love to all

Maggie

PS> This is the only picture of Roy that I have that was taken at a Birthday party for my boss. He was sitting to the left of me and my friend Sharon to the right. The idiot leaning over my neck was the Captain. I must of said something dumb because before I knew it he was over behind me acting like I guess he was blowing up a Blonde doll. Who knows?

God Sent You!

Sorry I am behind with my writing and my visits. It’s not that I don’t love you but again I have a lot that is going on in my life right now. I will continue to blog because I realized today that God has sent you to me through this world of blogging.

Since you came into my life I have felt God’s presence more. He totally knew what this ole grandma yellow hair needed and it was you.

You leave me comments and send me emails reminding me of his love. You remind me that he is in control. I never dreamed that the day I started this little blog that I would not only find you but a deeper Faith.

Thank you for being here for me and my family. It seems I am always asking you for prayers.

All my love

Maggie