Poughkeepsie Wedding

This past weekend was the wedding of our niece. So off we went on Saturday morning with plenty of time to change into our fancy clothes and then on to the wedding at 5:30. That was the plan, I should say. As soon as we pulled out of our driveway, the car went beep-beep-beep and I could see the "needs coolant" symbol showing on the instrument panel, just barely. The lights are so dim there. It would cost a bunch to fix it, so we have just left it that way. We have to guess at what the symbol is. However, with the lighting just right in the early morning hours, we could see it was the coolant symbol. My husband had just added coolant last week. The temperature gauge was in the middle and not going toward the H. We just figured it was beeping for no reason. Oftentimes, when my husband is driving, the car in which he is driving will beep. He normally gets exasperated and says,"WHAT?!?!" So off we went for mile after mile. Every so often, the beep-beep-beep would go off just to say hello. Somewhere in the tri-state area of NY/NJ/PA, the temperature dial starts edging over to that dreaded H. We pulled off at a gas station, added more coolant, filled up the tank, added a quart of oil, let the car rest a bit and off again. This should have made the machine happy. You know, like giving a kid what it wants so the trip will be more enjoyable. Shortly after this, we found ourselves getting off at the next exit, because, yes, the needle was moving to the right again. This time when we opened the hood, the coolant was totally gone. There was a leak, no doubt. I got out our 'gecko' insurance card to ask for a tow truck and to get a rental car to finish the trip. My husband was on his cell trying to locate a rental company to no avail. The Gecko came through for us on all counts. Within 30 minutes, the towtruck had the car on the flatbed and us in the cab. The towtruck driver was nice enough to drive us to the car rental place, before taking our car back home to our own mechanic. Yes, the Gecko will tow your car wherever you want it taken, if you have the towing on your policy. Yea, so glad we have that!!
Now we are heading to the wedding in the rental car, but it's 4:00, we are 50 miles from the hotel and 25 more minutes to get to the wedding by 5:30. 4:00+50 miles+time to change+25 minutes doesn't equal 5:30. We made it to the hotel about the time the wedding was starting. So,we changed really quickly and started off down this way, turn that way onto streets that weren't clearly marked. My husband said the wedding was going to be in a barn, but apparently that is what our niece had originally wanted. He didn't know that those plans had been nixed. As we found the Country Club where the wedding and reception were held, we just said, "Well I guess this is a NY style barn!"
We did enjoy the reception. The food was sooooo good! Our nephews make me laugh with their funny jokes. One of our nephews could have gone into stand-up comedy and made a fortune just by standing up. He is that funny!! We heard that my brother-in-law did a fine job of giving his daughter away and didn't even trip going down the outdoor aisle. They said the actual ceremony was about 10 minutes. Are we glad we went? Yes. Are we glad to be home? YES!
Click-click, there is no place like home!!

Mom's Purse

I just got home from a picnic with my mom and many other families. The home has a yearly picnic with the director and staff flipping burgers and grilling hotdogs. The courtyard area was set up with canopies to keep the residents out of the sun. Normally my mom would only be outside for a few minutes, but not today. She enjoyed her plate of picnicky foods and ice cream for dessert. She loved watching the little children sporting their sunglasses as they enjoyed the day out with their great-grandparents. She didn't even ask to go inside!!!! My mom doesn't go anywhere without her trusty purse. This purse is like her security blanket. I really want to buy her another one, but it has to be one that looks very much like this one. I know she can't remember a lot, but I have a feeling that she would know if I switched it. This purse has many things inside. Her hairbrush, her keyring with my dad's picture, mine and two of her grandchilren as babies.She carries an emoryboard for her nails. Sometimes, her carryaround phone is in there. She sticks her mail in there. On some days, I have found part of her lunch in there. I think it goes back to the time of the depression when people didn't throw away anything. She has had melted candy and a smooshed banana. Unfortunately, the lining is cloth, so periodically, I empty everything and wash it out as best as I can. Today I noticed the outside is in sad shape too. If you happen to be out and see a purse that would pass as this one, but in a newer condition, just let me know. Until then, I will keep looking for it's twin.

Mason Jennings

Last night I went to a Mason Jennings Concert with my daughter and one of her friends. You may not have heard of him, but I kind of like the way he sings and plays the guitar,so this was something I had really been looking forward to doing. As we sat in the balcony and listened to this storyteller-songwriter-singer,I found myself intently listening to the words. Yes, I do have a hearing loss that my husband likes to remind me of, however I wasn't having any trouble hearing or understanding what was being sung, I just appreciated his ability to convey deep thoughts through a string of words. His voice is unique and the cadence is different. Many people have compared him to Bob Dylan and I think that is accurate.
My favorite song, Lemon Grove Avenue, wasn't played last night, however the one I have included in this blog was. He does a great one called The Field about a soldier who does not come back from war.
There was a song he played about hoping the wings would clear the treetops and then a lot of something else that didn't make much sense to me. I am really not sure how many people understood the meaning of that number.
Not all of his songs have a Christian flavor, but most of them are thought-provoking.
He sings one called Your New Man about getting an old girlfriend back. It has a super style to it and fun lyrics with a cute twist as he concludes the song.
I like this concert going business, especially when it involves going with one of my daughters:)
I'm thinking Brandon Heath will be my next concert event. What do you think, daughters?

Concert

Mason Jennings