Bus BX 7 MH 100

Both BX 7 and the 100 stop in front of our apartment building. Both are great means of transportation. And right now, both seem to have minds of their own. Or would that be wheels of their own.

Perhaps it is my own impatience or not but it seems this month that there are lots, no make that many "not-in-service" buses in route these days. All of these not-in-service buses are of course in any bus route I decide to take.

I am thrilled to see more buses driving around, perhaps with trainees??? But for some reason, I don't think that is the real reason. Fearfully, I noticed my favorite bus 100 had a double axle (basically the seating of a double axle equals almost two buses). However, the trouble with that great improvement is that the MTA reduced the number of bus 100s on the line. NOOOOO, that meant the waiting time is awful and the bus, no matter the seating is ridiculous. Once this experiment is over, I feel sure bus 100 will go back to its trusty steady standards.

What other reasons could there be for many not-in-service buses in the month of June. Um, upper Manhattan Bus convention? Coffee Break for every third bus driver trainee? Experimental break equipment test for NYC street driving? The reasons could be endless.

BX 7 is my favorite should anyone ask. BX is for the Bronx. Yeap, you can zip up to the Bronx, hit Target, Starbucks, go on up to Staples and Sack and Save plus a fabulous gourmet food store and to top it off, the best thrift store in the universe...oh, hike back a bit and ride home!

But its time to turn the corner and head to the park. Oh I wish you could all walk the 4-5 blocks to the green park and sit in the shaded benches. There you could join us and watch the softball games, all ages, all skill levels and several different languages. But the international language of baseball dominates.

By The Way, See Updates

Sorry I've not written here in a very long time.

All of my blogging has been focused on updates regarding Raymon's (hubby) medical saga. There is more to come so I image that I will not be here for some time to come.

Help yourself to Updates, Raymon,

raymon8844.blogspot.com

Raymon's, my comments and prayer requests will be there as well as others comments.

Currently, we are resting before surgery # two.

While many of you are involved in life-threating situation, know that this is not, only a long term process needing all of your support.

To date, our NYC family, Abilene and Georgetown families, Internet family, DFW metro families plus our nationwide family have all come together to blend hearts into one supportive hand. Thanks is more than we can express.

(Should this be news to you, we ask that only emails, Facebook messages, blog comments at Update, Raymon and texts be the methods of communication. I will not be getting back to everyone all the time but will try!)  

Raymon's Saga

I've been out-of-touch lately as I've been blogging on another blog, raymon4488.blogspot.com
(see in the links on the right hand column)

If you have opportunity to go there, please read the archives and you will see that hubby and I have been on a medical adventure. In fact, we will be there for a while longer.

God is in control.

Love to all of you,

Lindy

A Faster Train

I admit it, I've never been to a rodeo. And yes, I am from Texas. I have ridden a horse, fed a cow, helped bring a calf into the world (from afar) and applied clown makeup.

I have attended horse shows, riding exhibits and feed lots; assisted 4H, cub scouts, boy scouts, girl scouts, brownie scouts, community and church groups all with their rodeos. But somehow I've missed the rodeo experience.

I have been to cowboy and cowgirl museums. I have viewed and enjoyed lots and lots of western art, sculpture, painting and pottery. And still rodeo is not on my resume.

But today at 3:00 PM on the C Train, NYC--the rodeo found me along side the biggest horsepower in the universe.

Today, I watch the A train express be overtaken by the C train local.

Since I was on the A train expecting to transfer to the C train, this was most fascinating! Never ever - ever had the C train beaten the A train to a station, particularly with a stop between. The C train had to make a stop, the A train did not. The C train still beat the A train!

It was rush hour but in the Subway it is always rush hour.

This observation / experience had to be one of those NYC moments I was warned about. "Keep your eyes open so that you don't miss anything."

Um, one normally slower subway train passing a normally faster one...now this is exciting stuff folks!

In this case, you really did have to be there. 

Seven Minutes

The last six months in our country have been full of horrific life changing events. This blog was written before the murders in Sandy Hook and after Hurricane Sandy.

***************************************************

Some things in life really don’t matter all that much.

Obtaining the window seat on an airline, shotgun in a car unless you are prone to car sickness or even voting in the perfect candidate (don’t kill me please, I am too pretty to die yet.)

What does matter is seven minutes left on the Laundromat dryer.

Every so often, my least favorite job in the universe, changes. It used to be filling the car with gas. Since we no longer have a car, problem solved. Next it was loading the dishwasher. Since we no longer have a dishwasher, problem solved. Are you seeing a trend here?

The next least favorite job in the universe is climbing the stairs in the Subway… problem redirected, not solved. Buses are now added to routes, elevators here and there and hiking boots rather than sneakers really do help. But stairs seem to multiple. This is one job that seems insurmountable and thus must be ignored as a least favorite and turned into rite of passage. In other words, since it is a means to an end, let it go.

Which finally gets me back to what really matters in life, seven minutes left on the dryer.

Did I tell you that doing laundry in a laundry mat requires fortitude, diligence and quarters? Plus diplomatic skills unknown at the United Nations.

I digress. Again.

Today was the much dreaded laundry day. So dreaded that we take turns as to who will forego their entire day and venture forth into the bowels of our building’s basement (not G rated). It is always anybody’s guess as to which of the four washers and four dryers will be working for the three building in my apartment complex.

We arrive prior to the opening bell to get first crack at all machines. We turn on the lights, causing all roaches to scurry to their roach places (actually things in that department are much better since the feral cats are now on guard.)

Machines loaded, detergent, soaps, bleach, etc.…water everywhere…call the contract service…and move wet clothes to dryer.

Two neighbors have come down to check out the time remaining on the washers just to see when they can get started. 

And before all is said and done, I ended up using all four dryers. After all, I was there 40 minutes earlier. Unwritten laundry mat law—first come gets whatever is available …however normally I leave a open washer anyway. But today I wanted to get it done.

Thus all four dryers got loaded immediately after all four washers when through their paces.

A few months ago prices were raised. Apparently to justify this, more minutes were added to the drying time. Someone forgot to tell my clothes. Burning clothes can be a problem. Also loading extra clothes in the dryer lumps them together so badly that nothing dries!

Never mind. I just keep my eye out, remove and fold early before the new time runs out.

Happily, an extra seven minutes is left for the next user.

Oh, I’m not the only one. Just about every one is sharing minutes now. No one needs the extra drying time. No one needed the price increase either but this was long before the fiscal cliff talks so we can’t blame the talks on this one.

Clothes folded (enough to get them back upstairs anyway), sheets back on the bed and hubby sweetly planning his trip to the dungeon next week!

What would you do if a stranger gave you seven minutes?

Rename the Blog

It happened again!

While riding the Subway a woman reflected Christ to me in such a way that I was both humbled and amazed at the bravery of her act.

Naturally Raymon, my husband if I haven't told you his name by now, was talking with several people at once while in route. One of the ladies of the group was simply exhausted and joined me on the bench. There were two empty seats beside me. Trust me, that is a rare occurrence.

We began chatting as if life long buddies. Of course it was our accents that opened the conversation. She had one too so that began a geography lesson for both of us. Next were our hopes and dreams of traveling which for both of us were pretty much done, barring the occasional jaunt to the moon and back.

Then the huge question of "why did you come?" For several stops I proceeded to tell her our story.* Amazed she listened with punctuated amens. I knew she was a believer, thrilled to learn of God's plan. Then I asked her with flippancy to pray for me.

With eyes deeply peering into mine she grabbed my hand, with the subway express train roaring by each stop she said, "Lets pray right now."

And we did.

These two middle aged ladies, hand in hand, heads bowed, bundled with packages to the max and one with talking in a level voice asking God to protect and bless me and us here in New York. On the A Train traveling who knows how many miles per hour with left over silt on the rails from Sandy moving toward the end-of-the line. What a blessing God sent. What a ministry.

He continues to fill me with surprises in the heart of this most godly land.

God truly must love NYC.




*see archived early posts and profile

Its Not Our Fault!

How do I say this...its not our fault! Now before you decide that that sounds terribly whinny which of course it doees, or that it must be our fault for me to say that it isn't...well I must protest. It is not our fault!

Rather, it was not our fault.

Well, may it was a tiny little bitty partly our fault--but not much. Really.

Okay, so some folks really messed up. Just a few. Actually, we don't know how many.

The result? A mess.

A real mess.

A multi-million dollar mess.

That can't be cleaned up.

Have you ever been helpless to fix a problem you have been accused of creating? And to make the situation worse, you must witness others make the problem worse, knowing you will again be accused?

Actually, it happens a lot. Road rage is a major culprit I hear. So glad I'm not driving these days! Spouses, ever walk in on your love who has had a bad day? Yikes! And what well behaved student gets punished along with the rest of the class because of one bad apple? The domino effect of a work crew dropping the ball on one item leading to another to another to another....

Life sometimes isn't fair. And lately, the fairness meter is stuck on the heavy hand of "un".

So next time you come across anyone, yes anyone, remember that their fairness meter may be stuck on "un" for no reason other than the fact that they got up that morning.

Pray that Jesus will hold up others' "un" meters.

He's good at it.