JIM'S MI-5

1. Name something a friend or loved one did for you in the last month that made you feel good.

Mrs. Cheeseball always comes through for me. She once again made a cheeseball for my Close to My Heart gathering. She won't let me pay her. She considers it "her contribution". Even though this has become a routine thing for her, it's not just routine for me. I truly appreciate her efforts, and I love how she likes to be "part" of my business, even though it doesn't help her out at all.

2. Name something you did for a friend or loved one in the last month and how did it make them feel?

Oh, man. I can't think of anything. That's bad. Oh, please let me think of SOMETHING I did that was nice! The only thing I can think of is that now that both boys are in school, I can go get groceries all by myself. When I am in town, I stop at the Samoset and go to lunch with Dwane--just the two of us. I'm quite sure he likes that, and I know that I certainly enjoy it too--we can go someplace besides MickeyD's or BK. This question is a wake-up call. I need to intentionally start doing nice things!

3. Tell us about the first childhood family vacation that you remember. If you don’t have a memory of that then tell us the first family event memory you have. Don’t forget to include details about that experience that stick out in your mind.

We didn't really do "family vacations" until I was older. The first one I remember was going to New Hampshire to Storyland. I think I might have been in high scool at that point. We used to do quite a few "day trips". My favorite was going to see Uncle Wilbur and Aunt Evelyn at the Dairy Queen in Bangor. Oh, but wait a minute. We used to go camping quite a bit. I think that we went camping with Uncle Ashley at Mt. Blue State Park when I was only around 2 years old. I don't remember much, if any, if that. But we did go camping pretty regularly. I guess I was thinking of vacation as "hotel" instead of "camping".

4. Kids get hurt. Tell us a time you recall as a kid when you injured yourself.

My brothers were both accident-prone. Maybe because they were boys. (Although, knock on wood, neither of my boys have been injured to the point of needing a doctor...yet.) Anyway, I was injured only once growing up. I was in 5th grade. I was going from my grandmother's house to our house (we lived next door), and I decided to pretend to gallop like a horse. In my path, was a large red plastic block. It wasn't that big--maybe 1 foot x 2 feet, and only about 6 inches high. I decided to jump it, like a horse. I didn't clear it. It was small enough that it shouldn't have been any problem. I guess I started my jump too early or something. I came down on my ankle and it swelled up like a grapefruit. My dad carried me to the back of the station wagon and took my to the ER. (My Mom had to play the organ at a wedding, so she couldn't go. She still says she feels awful about that, but Dad did just fine.) I broke my epithysis. It's cartilege in the ankle that becomes bone as you grow older. I remember throwing up in the ER, and never disclosing the "pretending I was a horse" part of my story until I was an adult. I had a cast on for 6 weeks or so, and everyone at school was absolutely amazed that I participated in the disco dancing/square dancing part of gym with my cast on. I was almost a hero.

5. Tell us something you want to do before the snow flies. If you live in an area that might not get snow then before Christmas will do.

I have got to clean out my closet. It's a mess, and I need to find some "smaller" clothes that I hope may be buried in there somewhere. I know this doesn't really have to do with snow, but I've got to get it done. (I even invested in some Joy Mangano Huggable Hangers for the occasion!)