Antiques Roadshow San Antonio, Texas

Posted on April 30, 2019 by M. E. Murray

On Saturday, April 27, 2019, a a memorable experience took place at the McNay Art Museum of San Antonio, Texas. My husband and I were very fortunate to attend an Antiques Roadshow (AR) event. We have been watching AR for years! This year we applied for tickets to attend the show. We were feeling disappointed when we hadn’t heard from them, but suddenly on Wednesday, an email appeared in my inbox . Wow! I couldn’t believe that we were being given an opportunity to attend! Panic set in because we weren’t sure what items to take so they could be appraised. Thursday, we spent a considerable amount of time searching for items to take. Finally, we settled on four. I took a ring and bracelet. My husband took a book and a piece of Rookwood pottery.

We were so excited as we drove to San Antonio, Friday, and were so pleased that our niece provided food and lodging for us. We had told her about the event, but neither she nor her mother got tickets. We were the only ones who got lucky.

Anyway, we had an exciting time. We met most of the appraisers. I met Kevin Zavian, hugged him, and had my picture taken with him. Then, I met and hugged Leslie Keno. And, of course, also had my picture taken with him. Boy! That was exciting! All of the appraisers were so nice and friendly. The show itself was very well organized. I participated in the AR Feedback Booth. I hope that I didn’t make a fool out of myself. I have a tendency to call AR “the Antiques Roadside Show”. I hope I didn’t say this. If I indeed made this speech blunder, my husband said that I did okay because I was an enthusiastic speaker.

It was a pleasure to attend the event, and I hope that we are able to attend the show again! Thank you AR for making my day!

Bob and Mark Schaffer

Bob and Maria

Suzanna Perrault and David Rago

McNay Art Museum

Easter Sunday

Posted on April 21, 2019 by M. E. Murray

On Easter Sunday, the crucifix in my favorite church was no longer covered with a purple shroud. I don’t have a picture to celebrate that Christ has risen, so I decided to put a picture of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, Texas, because it brings pleasant childhood memories about Easter, such as hunting for eggs in our overgrown backyard grass.

Immaculate Conception Cathedral

Egg hunting was a serious undertaking. I recall we saved egg shells to color and later fill with confetti that we cut from school paper we no longer needed. Once filled with confetti, the colored egg shell openings were covered with soft tissue. We called these eggs “cascarones” and hit each other’s heads with them. I must admit that some of my cousins hit pretty hard and the pain lingered on my skull. I never found enough cascarones to get even, but I had a lot of fun.

Good Friday

Posted on April 19, 2019 by M. E. Murray

Orchid Flower

Why do I have an orchid? I’ll explain why. I’m not thrilled to see Jesus suffering. Instead of looking at a picture of Him, being beaten while dragging a cross, I prefer to see this beautiful flower.

I was very busy today with bank business which took me a bit longer than expected. I was late for my massage appointment, but got some treatment, though.

Late afternoon, close to 6:00, I visited my favorite church hoping it was open. It was! It’s crucifix was covered with a purple shroud. A religious service was going on, so I stayed for the ceremony, recalling what Jesus had done for us. He knew what was going to happen to Him, but proceeded with great courage. Thank you, Dear Jesus, for what you did!

Since it was getting late, my husband and I tried IHOP for the first time. We got an excellent deal. Two meals for the price of one. Jesus rewarded us for visiting Him. Great!

Palm Sunday

Posted on April 14, 2019 by M. E. Murray

jesuschurchwindow/memurray.com/wordpress.com

Palm Sunday, the last Sunday of Lent, marks the beginning of Holy Week and the Lord’s triumphant entrance to Jerusalem where He was greeted by people carrying Palm fronds; only to be crucified later by the same people who welcomed Him.

Palm Sunday is a time to reflect on God’s love for us. He sent us his only begotten son to save us from ourselves. Jesus suffered immensely. After His terrible death on the cross, He resurrected three days later. That action proved Jesus indeed was the son of God.

I look forward to Easter Sunday. It is a reminder that God loves me, and has always been by my side, especially through tough times. Today, and every day, I thank Jesus for loving me, my husband, relatives, pets, and friends.

The Swinger

Posted on April 2, 2019 by M. E. Murray

Marty

Marty

“The Swinger” is the nickname that my husband and I gave to our cat, Marty.

When Marty lived in our backyard as a feral cat, we tried to befriend him by trying to pat him. But each time we tried, he would quickly turn around and swing at us with a paw. Hence, that’s how he acquired the nickname. Now, he’s strictly an indoor cat, but his swinging habit hasn’t disappeared, yet, he loves pats!