Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

January 20, 2008

Today’s Announcement

Prayer Request

David Averette Duke Hospital is in Durham, NC ICU unit. He had a blood clot in his stomach last night. They have given him blood and his BP was 60/35 when the squad came to get him. Lou Hall, My daughter’s mother-in-law.  She nearly hemorrhaged to death last week. She underwent three back-to-back emergency surgeries to correct the problem.  She is home now, in Troy Ohio, recuperating. Lou is my age…almost 69. My son Richard who is still in a Federal Prison My children, grandchildren and relatives Thank you,

Janice

The Latest on Matt’s Mom is that she has kidney stones. She is on    Matt’s mom is still hanging in there.  She goes for her kidney stone surgery on Friday.  Please continue to pray from her recovery.

Don’t forget to order your copy of Angels Watching Over Me, the story of an ordinary woman facing less than ordinary challenges.  Angels Watching Over Me is a story of family love, sacrifices, poverty and an undying faith that makes heroes out of all of us. Here is the link in case you have forgotten it: http://www.lulu.com/content/964306

Important notice: Storytime Tapestry is a free e-zine, however donations are always needed to help with the operating expenses of running the newsletter and to keep Storytime Tapestry the quality newsletter you are so accustomed to.   You can make your donations to paypal at: winterose@videotron.ca, or if you would prefer to use the mail system contact the publisher at the same email address: winterose@videotron.ca

Today’s Stories

  ~**~**~

Subject: Then and Now
Then and Now
Bill Walker
missourisage@yahoo.com

I was thinking this snowy morning about how things have changed in my life time. I am getting close to 80 years of age. I remember how good it was many years ago, and how much better things are today, but on the other hand, you know we had it much better on many accounts lots of years back. I remember the days of the model A. The little car
Henry Ford made. Oh, those were getting some age when I was a brat, but there was still some around. And the new Fords were still a simple car. Didn't take a trip to the shop to do work on one to make it limp home. One could open the hood that is on the side of the engine and “look see” why this tin can isn't running?

A man could do a lot of fixing and repair daily to keep the thing running at home, or even out on the road somewhere. A piece of bailing wire might be just what was needed to limp the thing home. Today if your 30,000 dollar and higher priced Ford lets you down, call a wrecker, there is no one smart enough to figure just what went wrong this time with the blasted thing.

You got to have a machine to tell you the left rear tire is in need of a patch or worse yet, a replacement. Or the fuel pump which now hides in the gas tank has gone on strike. Even a cracker jack of a good mechanic can stand and look at the thing, with out the blasted machine, he really has no clue. Might do a lot of guessing, maybe be lucky and hit it on about the third or forth guess.

Well cars is just one thing, lets move on to something else. I was talking to a fellow other day. Seems he has TV troubles, asked me if any one repairs one any more, that is does anyone come to the house, and replace some tube or something, and it is as good as new? I said not that I know of, I hear the cost of repair daily is over. OOPS  that's a FORD. You know Fix And Repair Daily. I told him I hear tell if you got troubles, and the thing is around 2 or 3 years old, it is time to get a new one, they quit making parts for that old out
dated thing a month after you bought it.

Kind of like this fancy computer. It was old and out dated the day after I bought it. They just don't make that model any more.  I opened a can of Tamales awhile ago, I like something like that on a cold snowy day. I was thinking about the years long ago back when we lived in Wichita, Kansas. Often a man pushing a cart would walk along, selling real tamales. I mean ones wrapped in corn shucks, and how good those were. I don't remember the cost, but mother would buy some, and a couple sure was real good eating. These today in the can, sure isn't the same taste, or flavor as those old timers.

We have lost the old fellow of long ago and now have the stuff in a can. It is like so many things of long ago, we have it so much better today, but do we? Sure, I guess we wouldn't really care to go back to yesterday year, but I know there were things that is said to be better now, but at what price? There was a lot that was real good about yesterday year, that is long gone, and many things is sure a lot worse with all the modern up to date crap. I also remember when a man would tell you something, and you could bank on it. Today that too is gone. You better have it in writing, and put the paper in the bank vault for safe
keeping.

I also remember when mother said you're going to get it, you could bank on that. The "it' was a bit more then a talking to. It was called meeting with the board out behind the wood shed. And I don't care, Dr.Spock, I lived through it and  I don't believed it warped my little mind too much. I learned there was law and order. As a rule a good swat on the rump sure made a believer out of a brat. I remember you never saw a child throwing a temper fit in a store. Mama would do the swat right out in public. And yes Dr.Spock, no one said a word. Mama Bear could tell them one thing. This is my boy, I brought him into this world, and I can take him out of this world. Yes Mama Bear took care of her own, didn't hear of them in trouble with the law people either. And when they  grew up, they knew what respect is and what it means.

Oh I forgot, It didn't take a village to raise a child either. That job was done, by mother and dad, the ones that brought the children into this world.
Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-35741-5

~**~**~

 We are hanging on. Update on Buddy

 Peggy Ann Doak

After waking up this morning, with most of the night being on watch with Buddy, and experiencing the depth of pain we all do, when witnessing a dear friend losing touch with life, I wrote on gather that I was losing him. I had also called a friend and left a message for a can of Campbell’s chicken soup, to see if I could force a bit of broth into him. The salts and other nourishments in chicken broth help to restore electrolytes needed to keep for the internal electrical system working. Without it, a weakness in the muscles, due to no nerve communications that tell the muscles what to do. I have had this problem, especially when I long distance biked, ran, lifted weights and shoveled manure. All of a sudden I would become very weak, begin to shake, and head for the nearest salty peanut snack I could find. In fact, I have always been a great fan of salt.

Ok, so this morning after leaving the message, I had to rest some more. I also opened my mind to what I might have on hand to help with electrolyte depletion. ‘lack of salts’. I remembered that I have that very thing for horses in the barn from when Josie suffered colic a few winters ago. I went out to the barn and also remembered the block of mineral salts I have for the horses. I always feed it out as crumbles, because iodine, the element that makes the block red, evaporates every time a horse licks it, thus they don’t get the iodine. So I chipped off a few crumbles, grabbed the bag of electrolytes that smell like brewers yeast that I used to drink for vitamin B s before they took the awful taste of it. By that time there were better ways to get the same nourishment. Besides I was a drunk then and well….

I came inside, with guess who following me? He had followed me out past the front door and followed me back inside. So I dissolved the salts and other electrolytes and vitamins in water, and managed to maybe get Buddy to swallow about twenty ccs. I followed that with another few cc’s of clear water and a tiny squirt of coffee for the caffeine. Am I desperate? You bet you bottom dollar I am.

And so, now Buddy is laying by the bed. I put Schooch and Baby out in the truck for a bit, to allow Buddy more undisturbed sleep. Have I seen improvements in him? Fractional at best, however he is just a tad stronger and just a tad more aware. We are living on hope here. Veterinarians in Maine are not open to promises of payment. The one Vet I have had for my horses, lives fifty miles away, it is Sunday, thus to reach him will have to wait until tomorrow. If I had long distance on my phone I would call him at home as we had a working relationship with the horses care. That is until the Government stepped in and made it mandatory for a Vet to be on site where the large animal is or they can lose their license for malpractice by his doctoring over the phone. Thus he stopped large animal practice. However, he is a possibility if I can get Buddy up there tomorrow.

Why am I writing this? Because it helps me to see every thing that I have done, to have someone to share it with in this back woodland, and if it works, I may help someone else. If it doesn’t, well that can also be information, however sad.

Bottom line. Buddy is in the woods, not out. He would be in ICU if he were human. I am the best he has. Me and Mother Nature and Grandfather.

Peggy Ann Doak

pdoak333@peoplepc.com

  ~**~**~

Poetry Corner

~**~**~

What Upsets God?

Conrad S. Cardinal

To find the answer, we must use our

spiritual sense.

Is it the silly things we do or is it our

attitude that makes him tense?

Does it matter if my hair is long or if

I have a tattoo on my arm?

Perhaps it's more important that I live

a moral life and never do another harm.

Do you think that my earring upsets

Him or the hair on my chin?

Or is it more important that I help a

brother fight his demons and his fight

against sin.

Each of us is in a race, hoping to make it

to finish line.

For some this means attaining wealth,

for others the goal is divine.

Most important are the choices we make

to help us win our race.

I believe they either bring a tear to Gods

eye or put a smile on

his face.

Conrad

cconseth@ aol.com

~**~**~

Did You Choose?

Conrad S. Cardinal

Did I choose my role in life or did it

choose me?

Perhaps the meaning of this question

is hard for you to see.

Be sure to choose a path to follow, then

do all you can to reach the goal you've set.

If you don't, circumstances may make the

choice, much to you regret.

Set a goal and gain the tools you'll need

to succeed.

To drop out of school and travel unarmed

is dangerous indeed.

To those young folks that read my verse,

please listen to my plea.

Learn all you can, do your best, be all

that you can be.

Conrad

cconseth@aol.com

~**~**~

Story Feedback

Carol, Thanks for sharing my story today my friend.  I hope it helps anyone who has lost a beloved pet. It is always such a joy being on storytime especially when I am next to my good friends like Doris.  Wishing you every joy, Joe

Here is our Storytime Tapestry Angels: Also, I would like to thank those of you who chose to be a silent angel and gave an anonymous donation to keep Storytime Tapestry up and running.

Clara Westerfer, Mark Crider, Rosanne Catalano, Paula Booher, Kay Seefeldt, Mariane Holbrook, Mary Ellen Grisham, Louise Nomani, Sharon Bryant, Angela Walker, Hart and Helen Dowd, Keith Ready, Ginger Morgenstern, Ellie Braun-Haley, Surinder Jandu, Bob Shaw, Carol Meeks, Charlotte Hilliard, Maria Keller, Marilyn Sink, Victor Buhagiar, Clarice Hinson, Conrad Cardinal,