Blogging Family,

Remember how I was moaning and groaning over the extremely high Con Edison bill and thought I was not going to be able to go away end of Feb/March 2017. Well I was wrong! I received this great email message a few days ago.

Hello, Deborah.

Thanks so much for your note and glad to hear of your interest and plans.

MetroNorth from Grand Central or 125th Street is the way to come — and it ends in New Haven at Union Station here. Beinecke Library is downtown in the heart of the Yale campus, an easy taxi/Uber from the station (and a nice enough walk if the weather is decent).

Our hours and other information are here: http://beinecke.library.yale.edu

The Yale University Art Gallery, among other venues on campus, are also worth checking out on a visit. Yale’s art museums, like Beinecke’s exhibitions, are free and open to the public. The Yale Calendar of Events — http://calendar.yale.edu/cal/opa — and Yale Arts Calendar — http://artscalendar.yale.edu/ — are great resources.

P.S. ~~ All that overtime I do helped me pay my half of the bill. My room-mate and I split the electric bill. Hard work does pay off and working on Holidays is a good thing! Mo’ Money! Mo’ Money! Mo’ Money!

So Yes I will be going to see the Yale Harlem Renaissance special exhibit for my birthday!! Hooray!! Maybe not right on Feb. 27th which will be my BornDay Celebration but I plan to take that week off on vacation anyway. My only consideration will be the weather as Snowstorms put an end to train travel. But with God’s Blessings and Divine Favor it will NOT Snow and the temps will rise to the 40s at least for my vacation week!

On the subject of Vacation Big Ups to both my Supervisors who are excellent young Ladies! They are a Blessing to work with. We work well together. They have a sense of humor and are Flexible! I know I’ve said this before but I cannot repeat it enough, I’m so Glad and Happy I moved to the Evening/Night Shift!! The rest of my co-workers on both the evening and night shifts are Super Nice. We have each others back and support each other. My work environment is the best its been in 8 years. This is my 9th year at the museum and I’m so Blessed to be with a community of people who are fun to be with.

As for Saratoga, well I did go there with my Dad many years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. My Dad Edward G. Palmer was a true Blessing for me and my brother Stephen as he took us many places and exposed us to locations outside New York City.

When I was in the military Daddy had more Father/Son bonding time. Daddy and Stephen went on an Alaskan cruise! I’m sure they had fun. Stephen was very close to Daddy and even though he can’t really tell me what they did I’m sure Stephen has fond memories of the Cruise.

The moral of the Story is that and always is God answers prayer. Maybe not in the way we want or on our time line but the Lord always comes through. For that I am Grateful.

As the Mothers of the Church used to say, God will make a way out of no way! Say Amen Somebody!!

1 Chronicles 4:10
New King James Version (NKJV)

10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

When I was a young girl I enjoyed a TV program called On The Road with Charles Kuralt. I’d tune in just to see where his adventures took him. Exciting. I always wanted to be a combination of Charles Kuralt and Zora Neale Hurston the famous African-American writer however as I’m nearly legally blind my driving days are long over. Me driving would be like putting Mr. Magoo behind the wheel! Also I cannot be too far from my brother Stephen who has Autism because his group home needs to stay in contact with me. But it still is a wonderful fantasy!

Nature has been my solace. Parks and Botanic Gardens re-energize, invigorate and provide me with a sense of peace. Within the steel, glass and concrete of New York City one can still find many green spaces. Also New York is more than the Big Apple which is what most people see in the media, TV, magazines and movies. Upstate New York is more rural and if I had the time and money I would spend a summer exploring those cities.

When my Dad was alive we did go to Saratoga, New York one summer for a day or two. Saratoga is famous for horse racing. We did not see the horses run but spent a wonderful time exploring the great outdoors. Saratoga is also famous for its therapeutic hot springs something I really need since I suffer from chronic back and arthritis pain!

When Stephen and I were kids Daddy would take us every summer on the Circle Line cruises to Bear Mountain. Circle Line also went to West Point and Daddy always gave us a choice between the two and like clockwork every time we chose Bear Mountain. Never saw any bears (Thank Goodness) but again we enjoyed Nature and just being outdoors! Getting on those hiking trails and seeing the different types of trees, flowers, and other flora! Oh for the good old days!!

In my Nature Get-A-Way Fantasy Stephen and I load up our 21st Century Winnebago, make ourselves comfortable inside our luxury vehicle while our personal driver takes us up and down the East coast of the U.S.A. periodically making stops to take in the Great Outdoors!! Stephen and I would have our fancy cameras photographing flora, fauna, wildlife & all the wonders of Gaia. And Yes we would bring kitty cat Sylvester with us! After all cannot leave our Feline Friend behind!!

May all your travel dreams come true!! Wanderlust!!