Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream….

Henri needs help. Over the past several months, he has been dreaming on an almost nightly basis. Some of his dreams are of the time he spent in the Vietnam War in the 1960’s. Other dreams include isolated happenings of the day put together in an unrelated fashion. Henri’s dream yesterday probably resulted from his noted reputation as a chef. In this dream, Henri was preparing his famous pulled pork barbecue for a gathering at our house. At the end of the dream, he realized this event was for 37,000 people! We all know the Biblical story of the loaves and fishes. With five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 people. I’m not sure Henri could possibly feed 37,000 people a pulled pork dinner at our house even with a miracle! Obviously, Henri was quite relieved when he awakened and realized this was only a dream.

I have often encouraged Henri to become a restauranteur because of his culinary skills. Hopefully, he will take the suggestion. Step aside 17th Street, Famous Dave’s, Smokey Bones, and Memphis Rendezvous. Soon, we can look forward to the grand opening of a new barbecue bistro, Holy Henri’s Divine Swine Diner!

He-he-he-he!

I left Bogey Bernie in my dust yesterday. Bogey and I have a friendly competition regarding lawn care, and this year I got first honors. :)

The weather this weekend is so beautiful, sunny with temperatures approaching 60º, that I couldn’t resist the temptation to work outside. On Saturday morning, my first task was blowing the leaves out of the flower beds. The grass, although green and shaggy in some places, didn’t really need mowing, and I used the lawn mower mainly to mulch the leaves. Other neighbors also were doing yard work, one cutting down a dead tree and another mulching flower beds. I didn’t see Bogey while I was working in the yard, but I’m sure he was peeking from behind his windows. Unless Bogey gets going, he will definitely not win the Patton Drive Beautification Award this year. Foiled again, Bogey. :( You have to get started pretty early to beat Ginger!

Update: At 9:00 a.m., Bogey started mowing his lawn. I knew he couldn't stand being upstaged, but he's still in second place. No pain, no gain!

Nom de Plume

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says to Romeo:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

In the course of a conversation several years ago, I mentioned I had always liked the name Ginger. That is when I became Ginger, and I eventually decided to use that name for my blog. Now, I need a surname. I have been researching the genealogy records of the Catholic churches in the Belleville Diocese, particularly those in the communities of Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, Ruma, and Red Bud where my family originated. My maternal grandmother’s ancestors settled in the French towns of Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher. In reviewing these church records (written in French), I found the perfect surname for Ginger and Henri → Devereaux. There are a lot of French names in my family, but this is not a name of any of my relatives. It is simply a name I like. The name Devereaux connotes Southern royalty. Henceforth, Henri and I shall be known as Monsieur Henri and Madame Ginger Devereaux. Royalty is timeless!

Dog Eat Dawg!

Henri and I had supper at McAlister’s Deli last night. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., McAlister’s donated 10% of sales to Hospice of Southern Illinois. Neither of us ever needs an excuse to dine out, and this also was a benefit for a good cause. We were eating during the first part of the Drake Bulldogs/SIU Salukis basketball game in St. Louis, but I was quite excited when we returned home to hear the Dawgs were leading by ten points at the end of the first quarter. I thought I finally might win the $2.00 bet I had with Henri. This was not meant to be. The Dawgs ended the game in their typical fashion – a loss, 63-61. The Drake Bulldogs probably had a Dawg burger cook out after the game. I’m sorry the season is over, but I won’t be losing any more money to Henri.

The weather is beautiful today, 50º and sunny. I’m in the mood for spring cleaning, and I don’t get in this state of mind often. The room receiving my attention is the bedroom. Moving some furniture, laundering the bedding, washing baseboards, dusting, and vacuuming are therapeutic. I’m tired of dust, and when I get finished it will be gone. I know it will come back, but I can enjoy a clean room for a little while.

While cleaning the dust from the ceiling fan, I got an idea for an invention. Why doesn’t someone patent an apparatus to install in ceilings to remove dust? I envision this as a device the size of a fire sprinkler with a strong vacuum intake to attract all dust particles in the room. These could be installed in the ceilings of all rooms and hallways and work on the same principle as a central vacuum system. All dust would be discharged through a vent in the roof and land in Bogey Bernie's house. Maid Mary would be dusting all the time, and I would never have to dust again. In the meantime, Ginger’s on a cleaning mission. I wonder how long this will last???

The End Is Near

One of my favorite comics is Frank and Ernest. Yesterday, they had an appropriate message. Get with the program or suffer the consequences. The 9th place Southern Illinois University Saluki Basketball Dawgs are playing against the 8th place Drake University Bulldogs in the first game of the Missouri Valley Conference Arch Madness in St. Louis tonight. SIU’s overall record this season is 15-14 while Drake’s overall record is 13-18, neither of which is very impressive. The winner of this game will play the University of Northern Iowa Panthers (25-4) tomorrow, but I doubt SIU will be UNI’s opponent. Henri and I have our usual $2.00 bet on tonight’s game. I always take the Dawgs, and Henri always takes the opposing team. I have done more than my fair share to enhance Henri’s financial status this basketball season; however, this will probably be the last $2.00 I lose this year. I’m trying to be optimistic, but I think both the snowman and the Dawgs are in for a serious meltdown! There’s always next year.

A Day Off

Monday - work and the Hospice interview, Tuesday - work, Wednesday - a day to relax!

Donna and I are meeting for lunch at Kindling, a restaurant in Carterville which opened about a year ago. I have not yet been there, but it appears to be an interesting place. It is located in the log cabin that formerly was Pioneer’s Cabin. Kindling includes a vast collection of microbrew and wine selections, a floral and gift shop, and a dine-in restaurant area. The owners also specialize in beer tastings, catering, wedding planning, and floral arranging. It is a temptation, but we will probably limit ourselves to the lunch selections and leave the beer and wine for another day. The best part of this luncheon engagement is the time we will meet – 12:30 p.m. Donna and I have been friends for almost 45 years and share the same values. After years of getting up early to go to work, we feel entitled to a more relaxed life. We each like to stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning. Retirement is sweet – lazy days, no guilt!

S-U-C-C-E-S-S

Ginger is back. I completed the requirements and am now an official Hospice of Southern Illinois (HSI) Volunteer (see certificate). Over the weekend, I read the hospice manual and answered the true/false and essay questions in preparation for the interview yesterday. The interview consisted of a meeting with Debbie, the Coordinator of Volunteers, watching a video, signing a lot of forms, and getting a TB test. An active HSI volunteer is required to do a minimum of eight (8) hours service annually, but I am certainly willing to do more than that. Debbie and I discussed my preferences for service. I am interested in respite care (visiting with a patient), but other assignments also appeal to me. I love to write and would enjoy writing a patient’s life story (life review) for family members. I did Medicare programs for years while working in public relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSI) and would like to do Hospice programs as part of the HSI speakers’ bureau. Another service in which I want to participate is helping to staff vendor booths at health fairs. This also was part of my job with BCBSI, and it provides a great opportunity to meet people and network with other vendors. I probably won’t get an assignment for a while. Debbie has to do interviews with the others in last week’s training group, and she has a two-day training session scheduled in mid-March followed by interviews with those participants. My preliminary preparation is finished. When I get my name badge and task, I’ll be excited and ready to begin a new adventure in my life. The longest journey begins with a single step.