Where's George?

Ever get one one of these Where's George? dollar bills? Well I was holding one hostage for about two weeks because I wasn't quite sure where I should release "George". I thought about bringing him to New York, but then another idea hit me. Since my dad and I usually make a trip to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania in the fall, why not cross the Delaware River with "George", just like the real President Washington did many years ago.

I had wanted to use the bill to pay the toll at the bridge. It's funny how in New Jersey they let you in for free, but you have to pay to leave! Anyway, "George" managed to hide himself from me, so I ended up using another bill, since I was holding up the line at the toll booth.

So it was time for plan "B". Some lucky waitress at this diner in the Poconos is now the proud caretaker of "George". He was part of her tip.



Then Dad and I went to this nearby flea market to look at antiques and other "treasures". Notice that man walking the dog? He's wearing a "NY Mets World Series Champions" jacket. Now that's what I call an antique!



We then went to a few antique marketplaces where I found a few interesting things. You may see them some day soon on "Show and Tell Friday"!

It was just a bit too early to see the area in its autumn finery. Soon this mountain will be a pretty patchwork of fall colors.



I would really love to move to this area someday. It's much more laid back than where I presently live. And quieter. And cleaner. And less expensive. Sounds like a no-brainer to me!

Show and Tell Friday

Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home is hosting a "Show and Tell Friday". If you would like to join the fun, please visit Kelli's blog and leave a link to your post.

My Show and Tell for this Friday are these pieces of vintage costume jewelry:




The two necklaces were given to my father years ago by an elderly neighbor of his for repairing her furnace. He really didn't want to take them, but she insisted. He then gave them to me. I really don't know much about them, but I think they may be from the 1920's.

The enameled pin in the middle of the necklace with the blue stones is something that I picked up at an antique flea market in London many years ago. I confess that I really don't know much about that piece either, but I liked it because of all the colors. And it looks like my flash landed dead center in it! One day I'm going to learn to take better pictures!

Thank you for looking at my Show and and thank you Kelli for hosting.

P.S.-Have a great vacation!

Baseball Withdrawl

Well, looks like the season is over for my NY Yankees. Now I'm trying to remember just what I did in my spare time before baseball season. Wait a minute-I believe I'm doing it right now-blogging!

Feels kind of funny not seeing my boys of summer after watching them several times a week for the past six months or so. And I was hoping to add some upgrades to my Yankee wardrobe. Like a new World Series T-shirt and cap. On the other hand, I bet there are some major markdowns on all things Yankee at my local sporting goods stores. Have to check that out.

We are getting some thunder storms here-kind of unusual for October. So I'm going to say goodnight and hope everyone has a great week.

More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is hosting More Of Him Monday. Why not visit her blog and check out her's and others' uplifting posts.

Overheard at Target this morning:

Wife to husband (as he rushes past her with shopping cart): "Where are you going?"

Husband: "I'm going straight to hell because I'm a non-believer. That has to be the biggest racket in the world-believing in God."

What the?????? I turned to catch a glimpse of the husband, a 70 something, owlish looking kind of fellow. Probably was not too thrilled to be spending this beautiful October morning shopping with the wife at Target; not really a "guy" kind of store. I should know for I had asked Carlos if he wanted to join me, but he declined my invitation and headed off to Home Depot instead.

But this man's words got me thinking-what would the world be like without this "racket"? What if nobody believed in God? No religion, churches, marriages, possibly no family unit. Would there be laws? Would there even be a USA? Didn't the colonists originally come here for religious freedom? Imagine no holidays; no Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving (who would we thank?).

Would there be love?

Would there be any good at all in this world?

How empty my life would be without Him!

I feel sorry for this man, for he is truly missing out on a lot. If I wasn't such a timid person, I would have said something like this to him: "Sir, you may not believe in God, but He believes in you and loves you anyway. I hope that someday you will invite Him into your life."

So instead I said a little prayer for him.

Nope this man doesn't know it, but someone was praying for him in the aisles of Target this morning. Maybe that's why God put me in the path of his shopping cart.
So he got an added "bonus" along with that 40 lb. bag of dog food I saw him heave into his cart.

God and I, what a "racket" we have going!

Yankees Update...

New York Yankees-8
Cleveland Indians-4

Looks like the playoffs AND hot dog sales will continue here for at least one more night:



LET'S GO YANKEES!!!

Safe Autumn Lights

I remember when I was in elementary about a hundred years ago that October was fire safety month. And these battery operated tea lights are a safe alternative to the real thing, especially in a home where there are children and pets (and grown-ups who tend to nod out very easily :o). Found a pack of 6 at Walgreens for $5 which really isn't so bad since I've seen single lights priced at a $1.50 or higher. They even flicker and look a lot like the real thing. They fooled Carlos. And they seem to last for quite a while. Have not had one "burn" out yet.

Here they are in one of my wall sconces. I've always been a bit leery of using the real thing here:



And they look really cool inside a paper lantern. I would NEVER use a regular tealight here:



I bought these lanterns at Le Gourmet Chef yesterday. A pack of three of these vintage-y looking lanterns was less than $3.00. I like vintage holiday decorations, but the real McCoy is often very pricey.
If I ever get around to carving a pumpkin, I'm going to put one of these tealights inside. A safe alternative to the real thing. And I'm sure the local squirrels will thank me when they go munching on my pumpkin!

And now my cat "Jeter" would like to comment:

"Just what is going on with those NY Yankees??? The Bronx Bombers have really bombed in the playoffs so far. I'm so embarrassed right now that I was named after their shortstop. I'm thinking of changing my name to "Rockie". Just look at my face in this photo-does it look like I'm kidding?"



"If you lose tonight, I'm going to bury my Daddy's Yankee cap in the litter box."


Well said, my dear kitty-cat! Let's go Yankees!!!

More of Him Monday

Diana at "Sunshine On My Shoulders" is hosting a wonderful new feature: More of Him Monday Be sure to visit Diana's blog to read her's and others' inspiring posts.

It seems that every Sunday afternoon I get depressed because the weekend is almost over and I must return to work in the morning. It's not that I dislike my job; its the "garbage" that I must deal with every day. You know-the gossiping, the back-stabbing, the complaining, the unfairness, etc. That kind of garbage. There has been a lot of it lately. And it has been affecting me both mentally and physically.
So yesterday afternoon I prayed to Jesus: "Lord, I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with this "garbage" at work so I'm giving this one to you. I need your wisdom on how to deal with this "garbage".

Shortly afterwards, I got on the computer to check out some blogs and I heard that "click" which meant that I'd just received an email. It was from my sister and I would like to share a part of it with you:

Beware of Garbage Trucks
by David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people's nonsense change
your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss,
or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the
Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your
heels. However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly
she can get back her focus on what's important.

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson.
I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab.
Here's what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded,
and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.
And I mean, he was friendly.
So, I said, "Why did you just do that?
This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I
now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

Many people are like garbage trucks.
They run around full of garbage, full of frustration,
full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it.
And if you let them, they'll dump it on you.
When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally.

You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.
You'll be happy you did.

So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me?
And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people:

at work, at home, on the streets?
It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

I began to see garbage trucks.
Like in the movie " The Sixth Sense," the little boy said, "I see Dead People."

Well, now "I see Garbage Trucks."
I see the load they're carrying.
I see them coming to drop it off.
And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing;
I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

So I thought how strange it was to receive this email after that little chat I had with God less than an hour earlier. Surely this couldn't have come from Him through cyberspace.
I walked into the bathroom to clean the cat's litter box and noticed that Carlos had hung a small cross from the knob of the medicine cabinet. The late afternoon sun was shining through a small opening in the blinds directly on that cross and it was glowing!-I guess I had my answer.
No-it's not exactly scripture. Seems God chose to speak to me in my native New Jersey tongue (we do say "garbage" kind of funny), in a way in which I could clearly understand His message.
And His message stayed with me all day at work today. I truly had a wonderful day, despite all the craziness around me. I even sent that email to some of my co-workers.
Yes, this garbage dump is officially closed!