All posts by A country girl at home

I'm a 49 yr old mother of 4 who wants to share so much with the world but doesn't know where to begin.
Travel

Yes, but no

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Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

September 11, 2015…

Technically it was September 10 when this started.

I asked my roommate if he would go get me some medicine from the store for me, as I was sick.

We were down to one car as his car was in the shop with a computer system failure.

He got angry at being asked to go out, took my car out with squealing wheels and was gone, turned his phone off and came back 2 hours later with the meds.

He threw the medicine at me, screamed at and berated me.

I have an autistic son who I’ve learned over the years to put my hand on the top of his head when he’s needing a redirect. I mistakenly tried this with the roommate, he pulled away and his hair got inadvertently pulled. He called 911 and told them I pulled his hair.

I sat on the porch and waited for police, I didn’t argue, I nearly passed out twice. (My temper wasn’t up during any of this, but his was) got taken to the hospital before I got taken to jail (really got treated like scum at the hospital) because of the anxiety attacks that were full force this whole time. I also got a strep test, it was positive.

My one call was to let the roommate know I had strep and to ask him to take my kids to clinic to get them tested.

I spent night in jail in an orange jumpsuit with no underclothes allowed under, with a wool blanket (I needed 2) and on a steel block for a ‘bed’.

I spent the whole night singing hymns to myself and praying, the next morning the judge had been released by 9 am.

Charges were eventually dismissed but not before getting several flyers in the mail telling my roommate they knew it was hard to live in a domestically violent home, and not without the prosecutor telling me I seemed like an ‘angry person’ in our face to face meeting.

The roommate was angry at me from the moment I asked him for the meds and never let his anger subside til I was locked up…even threw my shoes out the door when the police asked for them.

So yeah, I kinda have…but not really, broken the law.

Travel

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If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?

Or undefined…

Every time I have ever felt I had something pinned down in life, life detours me.

I’ve learned to roll with it, but I’ve also learned to stay forever tensed, poised for the detour.

I’m a routine kind of person usually. I like life predictable or at least familiar.

Today is a good example of this. The route I usually take to Prattville, where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping, and socializing, has become further away for a while, the main road, 14, is closed as of today for what sounds like indefinitely.

I also have a dental appointment just on the other side of the detours this morning at 930…which means I’m forced to face the new roads first thing.

Animals fed and coffee in, time to unload laundry and dishes before I embark on this new adventure.

Have the best kind of day.

Always,

Amanda

Life

It’s 345 am

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I’ve slept very little all night, poor sleep at that. Not sure why it happens, just occasionally it does. I’m up to the bathroom a lot, can’t get comfortable in the bed. Overthink…overanalyze the day…I’m restless.

White noise, green noise…pink noise, none help.

I read a part of a chapter from the book I’m reading…still restless

Play mindless games….still awake

Pull my bible app out…read Colossians…1st Thessalonians…2nd Thessalonians…still restless…1sr and 2nd Timothy, I’m certain I’m done…but Titus is short, let’s read that….so is Philemon

Curl up with my blanket and pillows, try to doze…Hebrews

I’ve slept what feels like 20 minute increments all night, no idea why; but I need to sleep.

Hopefully I’m not cranky today… 🤷‍♀️

Christianity, dance, faith, Greek Orthodox, happiness, hello: goodbye, Life, music

Food for thought #7

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My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.† For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?† But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;† but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-9, OSB)

This came up in my daily readings this week.

Ironically, I started going back to church after my husband died, because I felt I needed the fellowship in my life. I also pursued dance class at the same time, taught by a parishioner of my same church.

I don’t fit in either place it seems, though I was excited and eager to be both places, I don’t quite seem ‘good enough’ in either place. Dance class made me feel inept and the instructor cancelled further leasons after just one, citing lack of interest. He restarted them 3 months later but I didn’t bother because of how the initial experience felt to me.

After church, when people gather for fellowship, I end up mostly sitting alone at a table, most already have their people they talk regularly to…I’m simply not one of them and after several weeks, I still wasn’t any closer to being…and I did try.

I don’t tend to have a negative outlook on life or a victim personality…but I’m feeling a little down with regards to these things.

Best,

A

Christianity, country life, faith, happiness, hello: goodbye, Life, malpractice, wonder, wrongful death

I’ve taken a few days off from writing.

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No real reason, just wasn’t exactly feeling inspired I suppose. I am still reading daily and my routine and life haven’t changed much at all.

It’s wet in my part of Alabama, not raining…at the moment but the wetness from the few days we got still hasn’t abated.

I’m sat in my yard, in my favourite chair, I’ve spent a bit of time with my bare feet on the wet mushy ground, the cold wetness hugging my feet as I ‘ground’ myself. I’m listening to Redbirds chirping and the sound of an extremely distant delivery truck backing up and a dog barking half a mile away. The breeze rustles the dead leaves in the trees above me and the ferns clinging to the branches of the tree to my left, and the hairs on my arm which are stood on end because of the briskness of the air. There is a plane somewhere in the distance, an old bomber by the sounds of it, ambling its way invisibly along the horizon. My chickens have finally decided the hawks overhead are a threat, perhaps…or perhaps someone has simply laid a late afternoon egg and has shared the joy with half my flock…who knows?

It’s February, the month I lost my sweetheart, piece at a time. A year ago today we had chemo at some point, I drove him 5 days a week until the unfortunate surgery that started the torturous week and a half until his death. Can’t tell you anything we talked about, can tell you usually he was drained on way home and slept, can also tell you we often had to stop to take over a public restroom. He wasn’t eating much, if at all by this point. I was sad because it felt like he’d already checked out somewhat. He was trying but I don’t think it was himself he was trying for. I miss him, but I’m sad he went through as much as he did, if it was only on my behalf.

I digress, I am at a loss on what more to write at this time.

Best,

A

Christianity, country life, faith

Food for thought #6

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I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.† (John 10:14-16, OSB)

I’ve never had sheep, I’ve only ever had goats and chickens. But I can tell you from experience that getting 2 flocks that are different in nature, be it the age or type of flock or whatever, is a challenge.

I can’t imagine what could have been going through the original flocks (Israel-Jews) head when the concept of a new flock not only being in existence but especially the idea that eventually the 2 flocks would be inevitably one, as they shared one shepherd.

I can tell you that the idea that the sheep know their shepherd isn’t foreign to anyone who owns any type of animals, you learn your animals and what makes them special and how they need to be talked to, what they need to be fed…etc.

I like that Christ spells out a familiarity with his followers in this manner, many may make fun of Christian’s as sheep but to me it’s a slightly different context than they would like you to think of when they shame us as such.

Sheep can be led to slaughter but that’s not what Christ is offering us, he’s offering us to protected by His grace as we go in and out to ‘find pasture’.

Just my ramble thoughts for the day,

Blessings,

A

food, Travel
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What’s your favorite thing to cook?

This is a hard one for me as I really love cooking. Probably though, my favorite thing to cook would be dolmades, or koubepia.

When I make them, i start with my biggest deep lidded fryer pan, and fill it halfway with chicken broth, Greek seasoning, and chicken breasts or breast strips, pop my lid on and leave that on medium heat while I work on the main part.

For this, I take ground meat (generally lamb but can also use ground beef, pork or chicken) and mix in dry uncooked rice and generous Greek seasonings, (sometimes feta, sometimes not) I mix this until I have a fairly even mix and grab my grape leaves and sit down to roll them, I add a dollop to the back of the grape leaves, gather from the sides to enclose it like a tiny burrito, and roll the leaf around to make a tiny wrap, I roll until all the meat and the leaves are accounted for. I set these aside and go back to my previous pan, remove the chicken, and set it in a bowl to the side, take the juice of 2 to 3 lemons and 3 to 4 egg yolks in a bowl and temper them by slowly adding the hot broth to them and stirring to incorporate them, once the eggs are tempered, I empty this mixture into the main pan, and proceed to add the stuffed grape leaves, and set the chicken back on top.

I put my lid back on and put 3-5 river rocks on top to keep lid weighted down, leave at medium heat and cook for about an hour.

It’s a favourite in my house

music

Piano man

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I’m not a person who tends to get celebrity crushes. Most celebrities have their own following and most I think think too highly of themselves.

Barring Billy Joel…there’s a man I’d like to meet. He seems relatable and like someone who’s had his own fair share of crap in his life. Like someone you could sit and swap stories with for hours…I listen to him when I’m in no mood at all, he’s mellow and relaxed and feels honest. I don’t even decide what to listen to, I simply tell my devices to listen to Billy, and let the music decide itself…there’s just not a song of his that I hate.

Not sure why I felt a need to write on him, except that I’m listening to him this morning as I do my chores.

Have a good day.