Me of Little Faith

Happy to report the swelling in my knee has gone down a little, and there's not as much pain. (Maybe my doctor knew what he was talking about?)  I'm still taking it easy - goofing off - watching TV, reading, and knitting.

I have almost finished with the first skein of yarn.  The scarf is over five feet long.  I could stop now, but all those years of watching "Dr. Who" (the Tom Baker version) have me wanting to make this a very, very, long scarf.  Or maybe I just want to see what colors will pop up next.

Do you receive lots of junk email?  Here's the best WORST one from this week, for some reason I just don't trust he, she or it.

From: BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
Sent: Sun, May 20, 2012 2:34:54 PM
Subject: BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
ROCKVIEW, ARKANSAS. 49812
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Dear Winner,

This is to inform you that you have been selected for a prize of a brand new 2011 Mobel BMW 7 Series Car and a Check of $500,000.00usd from international programs held on the 1st section 2012 in the UNITED STATE OF AMERICA.

The selection process was carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection system (ESS) from a database of over 250,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world which you were selected.

The BMW Lottery is approved by the British Gaming Board and also Licensed by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact our fiduciary claims department for more information as regards procedures to claim your prize.

Name:Mrs. Amaka Eunice
Email: (Sorry I'm leaving this off)

Contact him by providing him with your secret pin code Number BMW:2551256003/23. You are also advised to provide him with the under listed information as soon as possible:

1. Name in full. 2. Address.
3. Nationality. 4. Age.
5. Occupation. 6. Phone/Fax.
7. Present Country. 8. Email address.
9. pin code Number BMW:2551256003/23

Mrs. Rachael Adams.
THE DIRECTOR PROMOTIONS
BMW LOTTERY DEPARTMENT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

For starters, BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works - why is it important that the British approve this?  I see things like this and start picking out the little (and big) mistakes.  Then I start to wonder if I'm more worried about the facts than the truth.   Another thing that my little prize email brings to mind is the old expression 'If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.'  (I Won!  Really?  Out of all the people in the world, I just won a contest I didn't even enter... How lucky is that?!!!)  Then there's the word "fiduciary" - for some reason I giggle when I hear that word, I have since the first time I heard it - hey! we've all got our quirks.

Here in the good ol' US of A it is a presidential election year, our Texas primary is next Tuesday. I am thankful I have always been able to vote (a right granted to women in this country by the 19th Amendment in 1920). I don't have faith in politicians (I really don't think we are supposed to have faith in them), after a couple of weeks of TV, reading, and just plain thinking I'm not sure what I have faith in. Between the crazy emails and all the politicians telling me how good they are and how bad every one else is, it's almost impossible to tell the good guys & gals from the bad.   I now watch TV - from decorating shows to 'the news' and find myself suspiciously saying "Follow the money" every time someone says use this or don't use that.  It is enough to make me have doubts about religions, coffee, and The Weather Channel.

Who to vote for - another tough decision.  Come Tuesday, I'll make that decision.  If you have the opportunity to vote, please do.



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Lucky Me

I love to plan and I love it when a plan comes together.  Some might call it luck, but I believe "Luck" happens when hard work and preparation come together at just the right time.

Something I didn't plan was this sunflower. 

A sunflower blooming the first week of May is new for me - I'm lucky (there's that word again) if I can get them to bloom by August.  I first have to tell you I did not plant it.  A careless squirrel or bird got this beauty started for me. 

Mid April.
Yes, it seems the birdfeeder is always be slanted, I think it's because of the squirrels
or maybe I just need to get out there and straighten up the pole.

When I noticed it coming up, right next to the bird feeder, my first impulse was to pull it up.  But I just left it to see what would happen.  As I explained in my post "Moving On" (June 2011) the squirrels and I have a running battle over the bird feeder here outside the kitchen window.  This particular bird feeder ("Texas Star" - got it at Lowes) is metal.  I have had it almost a year and I love it - so do the birds and squirrels.

Last Friday I noticed that 'someone' had used the sunflower to break a fall or as a climbing aid.  Either way the flower was broken.

Too bad. I saw this and thought
"Next time I mow, I'll get rid of the poor thing."

Now here it is Tuesday morning and "TA DA!"  How lucky am I?  I have a sunflower blooming just outside my kitchen making even this cloudy day seem sunshiny.

Talk about blooming where you are planted - no matter what.

I have to put away my computer and get busy.  The carpets are scheduled to be cleaned this week, the guest room looks like a quilt bomb went off in it (I really, really need to finish my sewing room), and my neighbor stopped me while I was outside taking pictures for this post to ask me if I'd seen the article in this morning's paper about all the snakes around town...  He asked this just as I reached down to pick a few blackberries.

He looked at the blackberries in my hand and then back at the garden (imagine eyebrow raised to suggest weeding might be in order) and told me how lucky I was I didn't get snake bit.

I better get busy. 

Don't worry about me.  I will get the rooms cleaned and be ready for the carpet cleaners, I'll get back outside and finish weeding the garden (I'm sure all the snakes will have left our side of town by then), and - I've saved the best for last:  All my financial needs will be taken care of.  That's right, I got this email yesterday so I'm sure as soon as this sweet, old thing kicks the bucket, I'll be in the money. 

Maybe I was just born under a Lucky Star.



_______from the email of joyandcomfort@sbcglobal.net

__________________________*******

Re: A Call From Above,

What I am about to do is based on blind trust, hoping and praying that you will expand my wishes as desired. Just recently I have notified my bank that I am willing my fund over to you for a good, effective and prudent work.

I have lost hope because Doctors said that my chances of survival are very poor because several diagnoses confirmed that I have Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer since the past two years.

My happiness is that I have also adjusted my WILL and notified my lawyer about the adjustments; all you have to do is to contact my bank through my lawyer and present yourself as my appoint charity partner if I don’t make it out from the major surgery that I will be undergoing next week.

I don’t have a child of my own and that was why I decided to will/ this huge sum of amount to you for the good work and also to help the less privileged children and widows.

Mrs. Alimatu Zainab Khalid
__________________________________********


One more thing from cJoy:  Being lucky is one thing.  Being gullible and 'just believing' may not be the way we were meant to live this life.  I'm a bit creeped out by the fact that my good fortune depends of the death of this grammatically challenged woman.  Having blind faith may not be the best way to plan for the future.  And as we all know "HUGE AMOUNT" depends entirely upon your point of view. 



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