On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
Edisto Get Away Part 3
1 NovOn the Porch
Onisha Ellis
Day Two
The rain we expected yesterday arrived during the night and we awoke to heavy rains. We turned on the local news to see when the storms would move out and were surprised to hear the weather person state that the rain was the result of outer bands in Hurricane Michael! Our daughter studied the radar and declared the weather person was wrong as there were a lot of unsettled air in the Atlantic and our rain was an off shoot of that. She is kind of a stormy weather geek.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and she was right, the rain cleared out around 11 am. We decided to explore the island and find the private beach cabana owned by the resort. Oh well, we are at the beach so of course, I should expect to get wet feet! Fortunately the inside was completely dry.
I love beach pictures with sea oats. I’m not sure why, maybe memories of childhood vacations at North Carolina beaches with my family, but they touch a soft place in my heart. It was still windy but not enough to make the sand fly and sting.
We older folks sat in the provided loungers while Rebekah roamed the beach with her camera. The sun came out and I began to wonder if leaving the sunscreen at home was a mistake. I generally don’t sit out in the sun for long, but it was so relaxing, I didn’t want to head for shade. Rebekah was wearing a flowing vest and the wind was whipping it around her. I got the silly idea to do a Facebook live video, pretending to be doing a live weather report and poke fun at the “enhanced” broadcasts that occur during hurricanes. I was the announcer, Rebekah in her flowing vest was the reporter barely able to stand against the wind and Pam was the person walking behind the reporter with no problem. It was fun, but some people thought it was real and I am sorry if we caused them unwarranted concern.
The walkway that led to the beach was lined on each side by large rental properties. One had the tiniest pool ever and the sign cracked me up.
WARNING NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY
SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK
We spent the rest of the day exploring the island and visiting some shops and a nice book store. There aren’t a lot of restaurants on the island but the name of one intrigued me. The SeaCow Eatery. It had good reviews and we decided to give it a try. The restaurant isn’t large but it had a nice menu and the food was delicious. The deserts were homemade and tempting but we all passed.
On the way home we picked up some bottled water at the Bi-Lo. It seemed the least we could do with Hurricane Michael on the way and the weather people predicted tropical storm force winds to move in over night. It’s kind of hard to know how to storm prep in a resort. We had debated cutting the trip short, but Michael was between our location in South Carolina and Florida where Pam and Rebekah live. My husband and I would have had to go west to the mountains, crossing the path of the storm. We “hunkered down” as did most f the vacationers at the resort.
Shameless mama plug. The sequel to my daughter Rebekah’s novel, Jessie is available in eBook on Amazon for pre-order. The release date is November 6, 2018. Jessie is a coming of age story of a young boy growing up obsessed with becoming an astronaut and is set in our hometown of Titusville, Florida. Several of Jessie’s antics were taken from her father’s youth. The sequel, Destiny’s Call picks up on Jessie’s life as he struggles to make his impossible dreams come true.
If interested you can find all of her novels on Amazon https://amzn.to/2SB1Tnn . They are also available for Nook, Kobo and Ibooks.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.
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Happy Days
31 OctA Slice of Life
Bill Lites
After I got out of the U.S. Navy, DiVoran and I moved to California for me to go to Northrop University. Times were tough for a young married couple trying to get an education. DiVoran worked at a beauty salon for three years obtaining her PHT Degree (Putting Husband Through). God was good to us, and when I had enough education to get a full-timeengineering job I finished my classes in night-school. It was about this time that we were blessed with our first child. A beautiful girl who we named after DiVoran’s best friend, Charlene. Little did we know then what a wonderful woman she would grow up to be.
Of course the name “Charlene” was way too big for such a tiny little thing, so we came up with the nick-name of “Renie” and it stuck. I remember being a daddy in many ways. I helped with the dishes, changed diapers, and carried her around with great joy. Most of all there was no one who could bring up that essential burp like I could. Our little bundle of joy took after her beautiful mother, and before we knew it she was the glamor girl of the family.
In the midst of work, school and taking care of our daughter, our son, Billy, was born a couple of years later. As they grew up together, Renie became mama’s little helper with her baby brother.
When I finished my degree, North American Aviation transferred me and my family to their Florida Field Operations, which was at the Kenedy Space Center. This job was part of the Apollo/Saturn V Manned Space Program to send a man to the moon. We moved into our first new house, in a new housing development, and the children were quick to make new friends. As usual Renie took good care of her little brother as they learned their way around their new suroundings.
The problem was our Renie was the only girl in our neighborhood, and she had to let the six boys she usually ran around with know that she could hold her own. She was quickly accepted into the neighborhood “pack” and it was good training for getting along with the men she would eventually work with, at her various jobs she would have over the years.
During these early years in Florida, our family became avid campers (see “Our Trip Across America Part 1-12). We started with tents, and over the years, evolved into a beautiful air conditioned pop-up camper. Renie and Billy loved Florida camping with its fresh water springs and nature trails. By the time Billy got his first motorcycle Renie was finding many of her own interests and began to drift away from a lot of the outdoor activities the boys in the neighborhood were into.
Renie made us very proud while in high school, participating in the school’s swim team program, the marching band where she played the French Horn, and as one of the football team’s cheerleading “T-ettes.”
Renie has always been a hard worker in what ever she did. After graduation from high school, it was at her Sears job, that she met the love of her life, Ron. After a long courtship she and Ron made both families happy and proud when they married in 1987.
After years of hard work, and receiving their college degrees, Renie is now an Executive Assistant for The Veria Company, and Ron is a Logistics Comptroller for the Brevard County Sherif Department.
DiVoran and I are blessed that our children have found work here in the Central Florida area and we get to enjoy their company often. Renie and her younger brother, Billy, get to see each other occationly, as his company is a contractor to The Veria Company, and he has a chance to visit her office once in a while for his job. As a dad, I’ve always been proud of Renie and loved her with all my heart. Now that we’re older she helps DiVoran and me with our computers, our i-phones and lovingly ministers to us when we have health issues.
—–The End—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
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School Days Again 2
29 OctMy Take
DiVoran Lites
On my way home after singing practice one day, I stopped at the bank. While I waited in my car for the transaction to be completed, I was looking down the street toward a school I was familiar with. I once took that very street every Tuesday afternoon to pick up a little girl who was in my Sunday School class. I’d take her to my house and help with her homework then take her home. That was several years ago, but from what I hear, she’s been on the honor roll ever since we worked together. She was a member of my 90% black Sunday school class at the time I was helping her. Believe it or not, growing up in a tiny town in Colorado I had never seen a single black person before (except on Tarzan movies, which I loved).
In the bank drive-through, I got to thinking about the days with my little friends and how I missed them. I’d been praying that God would give me a job I could do, and now I wondered if I might help at the school in some way. The thought came to me: you’re out of the house, now, might as well drive over to the school and see what’s happening.Maybe the small still voice of the Lord was showing me the way. I finished my banking and headed out. In a couple of minutes,I came to traffic guides bustling around with cones and barriers and yellow buses caravanning in.School was letting out and traffic would be fierce for about fifteen minutes. I parked and dashed into the office where I waited for the moms and dads to be taken care of. Soon a motherly woman behind the counter turned to me. I told her I was interested in volunteering, and she asked for my phone number to give the volunteer coordinator. I was a bit disappointed because I didn’t know if I’d really get a call or not. But I discovered that just being in the school office with the children and their parents had made me feel at home and happy. Still, though, I wanted to be as sure as possible that God wanted me involved.
When I got home I checked my email and FaceBook and suddenly there before me was the last piece of the puzzle. A friend had posted a notice about a volunteer orientation at the school the following Friday. I immediately made plans to attend. I was on my way now, and I was glad.
DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn. She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”
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Fred Remembers~Part 10
28 OctSUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
In Biloxi, I remember having my first soft ice cream from an ice cream stand called Frosty Fred’s.
I remember that, while we were in Biloxi, I used to go fishing from a public pier, with a cane pole, using dead shrimp as bait, out in the Gulf [of Mexico] itself, and also in the bay behind the base. (Keesler AFB)
I used to catch a lot of croaker, some spade fish,
Atlantic Spadefish – credit Google Search and Wikipedia
and occasionally what we called sea trout, which is what my Dad called weak fish, which is what it was called up in New Jersey.
Sea Trout – credit Google Search and By No machine-readable author provided. Wolfgang Striewski assumed (based on copyright claims).
Anyway, I used to catch a bunch of fish, take it home and clean it, and eat it myself. I shared it with the rest of the family, too, of course.
I remember while we were in Biloxi, I went to one of the schools there. I was in the 5thgrade. As I recall, I think I was the only boy who’s voice had changed, so in music class I had to sing baritone by myself – and was very embarrassed about it. The other boys were singing something called Cambiata, which was a strange mixture for boys who’s voice is in the process of changing. I also played the harmonica. That was at Howard Elementary School.
Fred – 1950-1951 – Howard Elementary School
Fred – 1951 – with Keesler AFB Chaplain
1951 – of course by this time the Korean War had started, and Keesler had gone from a few thousand to, I think, over 30,000 troops almost overnight.
Dad said: During that year, my mother took the train down to visit us and was with us for a month. Everyone was very nice to Mama, and she thoroughly enjoyed her stay with us. I remember that shortly before she came down, the Korean War broke out, and our base went from 13,000 to 33,000 almost over night. As a result, our chapels were filled with new airmen. My mother had wanted me to get out of the service, and return to a civilian pastorate. I took her to the chapel one morning, and placed her on the first pew so that she could see for herself the ministry I was in. Soon she was enveloped by hundreds of young airmen. She found the chapel full of airmen, some were standing along the sides of the building, some were seated on the chancel in front of the chapel, and there were even some looking in the windows from outside the chapel. After that, there was no more talk about my getting out of the service.
But they also needed some other training bases, and one of them happened to be Tyndall AFB over in Panama City, Florida, and Dad was transferred over there in 1951. So we piled in the car and, by this time I believe, Dad had traded in his Oldsmobile for a 1950 Buick, which was considerably bigger and roomier and had four doors, which for six of us was a much more comfortable car.
Photo credit WJHG.com
Credit Google search
We drove over to Panama City. For a while, we lived in a place called Victory Circle, if I remember right, which was right downtown, right near the harbor in Panama City. As I recall, it was either a four-unit or six-plex, and it was very old and crumbly. Eventually we bought a new house at 107 Cove Lane. I think it cost about $7,000 for a three-bedroom, one-car garage, and one bathroom house. There was no yard to speak of, only some grass in the front yard, and weeds in the back. One day I saw rain in the front of the house, while it was dry in the back.
While living on Cove Lane, I had a friend who had a paper route. While he was gone, he would let me do it for him. When it came time to collect for the delivery, I found that I had the most difficult time collecting from the Major of Panama City. Sometimes dogs would harass and chase me as I delivered the papers. I loaded a squirt gun with ammonia and would squirt them in the face. No more harassment.
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many yearsJudy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing.
Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.
She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins.
She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.
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The gift you give that costs you nothing
27 OctWalking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
Reblogged October 27, 2018
“Hey, what happened to my candy?” my seven-year-old son complained the day after Halloween.
I had done what any health-conscious mom would do. Once they were asleep, I emptied those buckets of candy, left only a handful, and tossed the rest in a bag to give away.
When they realized what I did, they complained. That was okay. And although I was a “mean Mom” for taking their candy, I went back to my daily routine—placing love notes in their lunch boxes.
Now years later, I wonder if that gesture made any difference. I decided to ask them.
Notes from a mother’s heart.
I looked in their direction one day. “Hey guys, do you remember the notes I used to tape to your pillows and put in your lunch boxes when you were growing up?” I asked.
“Got everyone of them; I saved them, Mom,” my oldest son said.
“I remember the notes that you’d put in our lunch boxes,” my middle son said. “One day, I almost ate one of them by accident.”
I smiled, glad they remembered. And also hoped they forgot those times I raised my voice, blurted instructions, made demands, and more than a few times, delivered harsh scoldings.
I also hope they lost the memories of times when I threw my hands up in the air, and, in utter frustration, commanded, “Okay, the three of you, in your room, and don’t come out until you know how to behave.”
As they grew older, longer notes that expanded on life’s insights, admonishments, praises and advice waited for them on their pillows.
But I confess. Often, I questioned my ability to discipline them. I doubted its effectiveness. Yet I don’t regret spending those moments writing words that expressed my love.
I got that idea from God’s Word which He wrote on the pillow of my heart. And His Scripture notes of love, unconditional and constant that kept me going through moments of insecurity.
Here are five rules that guided me:
Pray with conviction. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Ask for help. “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).
Recognize the goodness our words can carry. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24).
Remember the power of our words. “Our words can build up or tear down. As the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).
Heed the warning. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29)
You may not be a mom or dad; but you’re special to someone. That someone is waiting for a word of encouragement to build them up. To offer warmth in a cold world. To reassure in moments of doubt. To show your presence and erase loneliness.
Words of love can be the gift no one else has the time to give, but they give what others need the most.
Let’s Pray
Father, help my life to be a note of gratitude for others to read. And may they see your love written between the lines. In Jesus name.
Who is that someone in your life who would welcome a note of love from you?
Hey friends…
I hope my weekly notes to inspire you help brighten your day. I love, love your comments. Please send them using the comment button. and if you share this blog post, it would mean the world to me.
Love you all!
Janet
______________________________________
Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.
CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.
Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.
Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.
Source: https://janetperezeckles.com/blog/encouragement/the-gift-you-give-that-costs-you-nothing.html
Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR
Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.
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Edisto Get Away Part 2
25 OctOn the Porch
Onisha Ellis
AFTERNOON DAY 1
After we left the tea plantation we needed some lunch. We had decided to head to Charleston’s historic district so I checked out restaurants along the route. I found a sandwich place, The Southern General Restaurant on John’s Island, with “don’t miss this” reviews and it was a hit. It was small, maybe seating for 20. The menus were book like, with wooden boards for the covers. The menu was diverse and the food freshly cooked and delicious. The only sad part is that my husband and I are eating low carb and we would see each order stacked with home-made fries leave the kitchen!
After lunch we headed into the historic district and looked for parking. It needed to be close to where we would be exploring as our party are not great walkers. We ended up at a church parking lot that explained if we were late returning to the lot they would boot our car! That kind of took the sparkle off my excitement.
We headed for the market area where vendors and crafters offer their wares. It was a warm day and I was happy to stroll through it in air-conditioned comfort. After we left the market, our daughter found this courtyard and we sat awhile to rest and cool off.
We still had some time remaining on our parking ticket so Rebekah led us down to Waterfront Park. The wind was brisk near the water and I loved it. I’m weird that way.
Photo credit Photo by Joel Mott on Unsplash
In the distance we could see Fort Sumter but it was too late in the day for us to tour it.
Waterfront Park is also home to a famous pineapple fountain:
The history of the pineapple explains the popularity of one of the most iconic, photographed spots in town. Visit the Pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park while sightseeing, or after a lovely dinner, as it’s a treat to see any time of day. If you visit the park during daylight hours you can snap a picture of the Charleston harbor behind the fountain, and as soon as the sun sets you can behold the pineapple lit up and glowing against a gorgeous starlight sky. The fountain is a landmark for many visiting the Charleston peninsula, and is a must-see experience.
According to Hidden Charleston dot com pineapples are the symbol of southern hospitality. I would enjoy seeing it at night with the lights glowing.
I could feel the time ticking down on our parking place so we didn’t linger long. I didn’t want us to have to rush our walk. We made it back to the car with time to spare. We had planned to return the next day but Hurricane Michael changed our plans.;
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.
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Memory Lane Road Trip Part 17
24 OctA Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 17 – Wednesday 5/3/2018
Because my flight didn’t leave until 4:00 this afternoon, and because I was hoping the crowds of tourists would not be so bad this early, I had planned to visit downtown New Orleans this morning. Well, I was half right. I was able to find a parking spot close to Jackson Square, but the crowds of tourists had already started to build by the time I got there. According to Wikipedia, Jackson Park was called “Plaza D Armas” from 1782 -1803, and was the site where Louisiana became a U.S. Territory as a result of the Louisiana Purchase.
I checked the Café Du Monde first, in hopes I could get a table, but it was filled to over flowing, with a waiting line. So I walked thru Jackson Square (1803), and got a photo of the statue of General Andrew Jackson on his trusty steed, “Duke.” The square is a good place to get a photo of the oldest church in New Orleans. The building of the St. Louis Cathedral was begun in 1718, the same year New Orleans was founded. Bet you didn’t know that little bit of trivia.
I walked around the outside of the square to check out the local artists and their paintings. Then I walked down to Bourbon Street, just to say I had been there and see what it looked like. By now the crowds were getting overwhelming, so I headed south, out of town, to visit the Southern Seaplane Base located in Belle Chasse, LA. This charter company flies hunters and fishermen to out- of- the-way locations and tourists on sight-seeing flights around the New Orleans area. There were three buss-loads of tourist arriving as I was leaving, and I ask one of the pilots how that worked and he said, “We have to take them up in shifts.”
It was getting close to lunch time, so I headed for the airport to turn my rental car in. On the way I spotted a “Chick-fil-a” restaurant and decided to have lunch with the “Chicks.” With a full tummy, Greta took me to the airport where I turned my car in and took my time walking from the rental car building to the air terminal (luckily it wasn’t raining today). There had been bad weather in Chicago earlier, and our flight to Orlando was delayed about 2½ hours. Our plane finally got there, and when we were ready to push back from the gate, a last minute couple arrived to discover there was only one seat left, and she wouldn’t leave without him. This caused the airline to have to recalculate the weight and balance/fuel loads. That caused us another half-hour delay before we could get going. Once we got in the air, the flight to Orlando was quicker than usual, very smooth, and we got an extra bag of their always fresh peanuts for our trouble.
DiVoran had her own set of problems when she came to pick me up at the Orlando airport. First of all, she had to drive thru a terrific thunderstorm on SR-528 after leaving Titusville, and traffic was slowed to a crawl. Then when she got to the airport, there was construction inside the airport loop, and traffic was really backed up. It took her 30 minutes to get from the entrance to the “Arrivals” pickup ramp to where I was waiting to be picked up. Then it took us another 15 minutes to get to the on-ramp for SR-528 East heading for home. I want to tell you, it sure was good to get home and relax from the stresses of this day. I loved taking this trip. I especially enjoyed getting to see my cousins, and all the different places and things I saw. However, all of that just makes me appreciate my beautiful restful home and my lovely wife even more.
I hope have enjoyed reading about this road trip as much as I have enjoyed remembering and writing about it. I hope you will join me when next I take to the open road somewhere in this beautiful country of ours, to visit new and different people, places, and things.
—–The End—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
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Old Things R New 