"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas today. And sending apologies for not being prompt in being here for you: First it was illnesses and then my computer is on the blink.

I will promise to do better for I owe it to you.

Again, Merry Christmas!

Sherry Hill

*Photo from a free online source

SNOW IS ON ITS WAY HERE

We are expecting snow here tomorrow and the thought of it unnerves me. Used not to at all for in fact I loved it and always looked forward to a "snow day" as I was a teacher. Since I'm not teaching anymore, I have developed a love-hate relationship with snow. Love it when I have food and the necessities in my house. Hate it when I'm caught off guard and am out of things I desperately need. And you are probably asking why: The reason is that I live on top of a huge mountain. 

If it snows a lot and it's cold, there is more snow up here than down on the flat part--like a lot more. The main hill can resemble a ski path and often people really did ski off the main hill. It gets covered with ice and I'm pretty sure that the men that run the snow plows don't care for going down it at all.  I've seen them literally back up at the hill and go up the street. I would too if I were in that snow plow.

And so I will pace back and forth tonight to see if the weather forecasters are right. When "they" say a few flakes, it is more like several inches of snow. Just great if I were brave like I used to be but I am not brave any more nor do I have a desire to go sideways down the hill. Been there and did  that and actually lived through it.

You can guess what I'll doing tonight: Pacing. Do I have to go to work? No. It's the feeling of being trapped inside that gets to me. "Let it snow?" No. Rest my case.

Sherry Hill

"IT WAS RAINING CATS AND DOGS YESTERDAY"

When I was little, I really thought that real cats and dogs would fall down from the sky if people said "It's raining cats and dogs." Didn't take me long to understand that it was a saying because I never saw any fall from the sky. Yesterday it rained so hard that the few remaining leaves that were hanging on the trees for dear life fell off. My yard and the street are both entirely covered in yucky brown wet leaves. And those leaves can be dangerous for if you walk in them or drive in them, they're as slick as glass.

It looks like every leaf in the world decided to land in my yard. It's a sea of brown yuck.

Today you might assume would be a good day to rake leaves for it isn't going to rain. But there is a catch: It's freezing right now and the day temperatures are not high. And so I will stare at the mess of wet leaves and hopefully not slide in them. Yesterday I'd say it was really raining leaves for that is what flew all over the place with the huge raindrops.

It was not a good day but then it could have been far worse and at least I stayed inside safe and dry. If you live in an area such as I do with seasons, you know full well what I'm talking about. No cats or dogs rained from the sky--just the last remaining brown leaves.  The saying is funny in a way for little kids actually believe it will happen. I used to.

Sherry Hill

FREE KINDLE E BOOK FOR 3 DAYS

Starting today through the next two days, one of my Amazon Kindle E books will be free for three days.
If you were a child of the 50's, I hope this short book will bring back some happy memories.
You don't have to have a Kindle. Amazon.com has a free Kindle app that you can download to your computer.
Hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane.
Sherry Hill

http://www.amazon.com/REMEMBER-HOLIDAYS-SEASONS-COVERED-ebook/dp/B00FFAZRG2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382608426&sr=1-1&keywords=remember+50%27s+holidays+and+seasons%3F+I+do.+Got+you+covered.

OH HOW I LOVE FALL!

Fall is my favorite time of the year but then a lot of you already knew that fact. To me it’s a sensory overload but in this case it’s a good one. I love the smell of fall, the feel of it, the colors and the remnants that abound as well as the azure blue skies.

Here in West Virginia we are blessed with a glorious fall every year. The mountains sing with vivid colors—they are so vivid that it is breathtaking. Every single color and hue is there and it looks like God has taken His paint brush and splattered colors everywhere. There is no other way to explain it other than that. It’s miraculous time after time.

If you live in an area where you don’t have fall, I feel sorry for you are missing the most colorful season of the year. If you google “Fall in West Virginia” you will see the astounding colors I’m talking about. But I can’t describe the smell of fall, nor the feel of it other than it makes me delirious when I am outside taking in its glory. I wish I could describe it to those of you that have never experienced this season.

But if you have fall, you know what I’m talking about: It is a glorious season that is so full of sensory overload but it’s too brief! “Gather ye colored leaves while ye may” for winter looms ahead. Meanwhile, go out and enjoy each day of this short time of the year. Immerse yourself in its glory. I certainly do.

Sherry Hill

Copyright © 2013

Sherry Hill

All Rights Reserved

THE STORY OF NELLIE AND HER TRIP TO CA

Nellie was a friend of my grandmothers and lived about two blocks away from her. The first time I ever saw Nellie I was shocked because she could hardly walk.  I was all of  six years old and just assumed that Nellie had a husband. Remember asking my grandmother if she did and was told this story:

"Nellie had a husband" my grandmother said. "He was a nice man until he did something really bad." "Really bad?" I asked her. "Really bad." Being six years old I only knew some bad things and wasn't prepared for what would come next. " What did he do?" I pleaded with her. "Well it went like this. Nellie's husband told her that he wanted to drive to California and did she want to go with him. Of course she wanted to go. But the bad part was that Nellie's husband had also asked Nellie's best female friend to go along with them." "That sounds okay to me" I told her. "It wasn't an okay thing. When Nellie had packed their clothes and got in the car, her husband made her sit in the back seat. And Nellie's friend sat up front with her husband" replied my grandmother.  I had no idea why that was a bad thing at all. There was nothing in my six-year old mind to comprehend it at all.

"Did they make it to California?" I asked. "Did they! Why when they got there, Nellie's husband took off with Nellie's best friend and left her stranded there alone." "Alone?" I asked. "Alone." "How did she get home?" I quizzed her. "She had to take an airplane back here all by herself."

I shoved this story about Nellie in the back of my mind. It didn't make any sense to me at all at that time.

My grandmother always talked to me like I was twenty which was a good thing and yet kind of rough to understand what she was telling me at times.

By the time I was eleven, I understood what had happened to poor Nellie. She had been abandoned by her husband and cast aside for another woman. Since Nellie lived alone,  I again asked my grandmother what happened to him. "Nellie never saw him again in her entire life. He just up and vanished with that woman."

I knew full well the moral of this story: Never let your husband ask your best female friend to go along on a long car trip and NEVER be forced to sit in the back seat of the car or you'll wind up like Nellie did. Alone.

Whenever I saw Nellie, I felt nothing but pity for her. By the time I was fourteen, she passed away taking her grief along with her. Guess a lot of you would say "Why did she let her husband  force her to sit in the back seat in the first place?" That is my reaction as well to this entire short story. If it had been me, heck if I would have in the first place! 

Sherry Hill

Copyright © 2013

Sherry Hill

All Rights Reserved

STILL WRITING E BOOKS

I apologize to all of you for not being here to post. The writing book fever has overwhelmed me. But it's such a joy to see your book online that once you do it, you want to do more.

Attaching a link to my latest downloadable Amazon Kindle E book.

Thanks so much!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFAZRG2

Sherry Hill