The Tale of Mary McRainey

Ms. Mary McRainey had the most beautiful gardens in all of Southern Illinois , at least that's what all the tour books said. Mary had lived in Sand Creek for the last couple of years.Before that she had lived in an institute for the insane, but know one knew that. She had a nervous breakdown after her only son drowned in a fishing accident. And had spent two years in that horrible place, where one can only imagine the torment and torture you go through while there.

Her sister Ellen came to visit her one week -end and found Mary clean and dressed. That was the first time in her many visits to Mary that had happened.

" Ellen I am ready to go home." She said this to her sister very
solemnly.
Ellen didn't dare tell Mary that her husband had sold the house and left with another woman just a few months before. She waited until she got her home.

" Mary, I've got bad news, Evan has sold your home and left." Ellen's lip trembled.

"I know Ellen, I've known for a awhile. He ran off with Cheryl Miller. One of the kind nurses told me about it repeatedly." Mary's bitterness was quite evident as she spoke .
"I've lost everything Ellen, except for you." Mary sobbed quietly in her hands as Ellen wrapped her arms around her sister's slender shoulders.

The two sisters lived quietly together for 2 years when tragedy struck again. Ellen was killed in a car accident on the way home from work one night. Ellen had been the only family Mary had left in the world. Now she was totally alone...

Mary sold the house she and Ellen had shared and after the insurance had been collected she moved to a new city. Sand creek was 3 hours away from where she had lived with Ellen and no one knew her there and that's the way she wanted it.

That's when Mary began her gardens. It started as therapy for all the grief she had endured.She needed something to take her mind off the horrible sadness she felt on a daily basis.

Mary had a two story Victorian with 2 huge lots, and she completely filled them with plants. Not just any plants, but heirloom plants and exotic plants.

She also had the most amazing life like statues in various parts of the garden. Statues of people to be exact. When asked where she got her statues, Mary always replied that she had made them herself.



She had gotten on the garden tour just a year after moving to Sand Creek. During the tours Mary still felt a little lonely, but
when everyone would leave Mary always made a point of telling the statues good night. Because of course Evan and Cheryl were there, and the kind nurse who had taunted her relentlessly in the hospital. Those statues, so life like, so real.....

by Nita Barrow- Zimmerman

todays song...blue moon with heartache by roseanne cash

This is an Indian tool I found years ago at my sister's house in the country. She owns alot of land and has always let me come out and explore. I have done alot of research on tools that were used by ancient Indians, and this looks like one that was used to take the tallow off the back of a deer hide. And I am sure it was used for other animal skins too. It literally has the finger prints of those who have used it embedded in it. My heart skips a beat ever time I pick it up and feel those finger prints. ~nita~

Geez! I look like I could gouge somebodies eye out holding this thing in the air like this!

The Gift ( part 2)

Heather looked around at her home in the stillness of night, she checked the doors and windows to see if they were locked. She then went and put another load of wood on the fire that was getting ready to die. And in the sparks she saw a face . She jumped back from the flames that had begun to greedily lick at the wood.



The face was the leader of the midnight riders, It was twisted and bent and his eyes were blacker than the bottom of the well. She prayed for God to show her what to do. She knew her life was in danger and maybe her family's life as well. All the next day she sat in silence in her room, praying and thinking. Her Mother came to see her because this was not like her daughter.



" Heather, what is wrong?" her mother asked her softly.



"Mother I don't know if I want to tell you because I don't know if you will believe me." Heather's lip trembled slightly as she said this to her Mother.



" I will believe you, just tell me. " Her Mother said to her in a worried tone.



"I dream things and they come true." Heather blurted these words out hurriedly. " I don't want them to come true but they do. And I have had visions of things that were going to happen." She began to cry , and her tears flowed down her checks like a damn overflowing.



Her Mother wrapped her arms around her, and quieted her oldest child. " It's all right, I knew this might happen. My own Mother had the Gift. It is not your fault. I was skipped and only certain people are chosen from each line to have it. You must always use it for good and never for evil. I remember there were times my Mother prayed that she would see no more visions and have no more dreams, but God saw fit for her to have this gift.And apparently you have been chosen now too."



" Mother, I dreamed a man was coming to kill me and I saw his face in the fire. I am scared he will kill you and Dad and the rest of our family. " Heather could not quit crying.



Her mother took her in her arms and let her finish crying and then she said, what are all the details of your dream? I need to know everything. These dreams are like puzzles and you have to figure them out."



Heather began, "It was midnight and the moon was out, it was a full moon. And the riders had on black coats and they were very skinny. There were maybe six of them and they riding across the prairie to our home. And the lead rider pointed at me and told me he was coming for me. He had a tattoo on his neck of a knife with blood dripping down his neck."



Heather's mom thought for a minute and said, "I remember hearing about a man who had a tattoo like that over in Silver Creek. He was arrested last year with part of his gang for several heinous murders not far from there. They murdered several families that lived near the river. It was so bad they had to piece the people back together who were murdered to identify them. This gang is scheduled to hang in 3 weeks. But, alot can happen between now and then."

Heather felt like throwing up she was so scared. "Mom, what are we going to do?"

Heather's mom answered confidently. " I am going to talk to the sheriff over there tomorrow and tell him about your dream and tell him to watch out for a jailbreak. I know he will listen, he knew Momma and he use to ask her for advice. He is like us he believes in warnings."

The next day Heather's mother went to see the sheriff and told him about Heather's dream. He took this to heart and when part of the gang that hadn't been caught tried breaking them out the night before the execution, they were prepared. They caught the rest of the gang that evaded them the year before and executed them too.

Heather lived to be nearly a 100, and saved many lives with her gift.

Too many times people assume that which is different to be evil. When in fact it can be a gift from God.

by Nita Barrow- Zimmerman

For anyone who wants to send John cards here is his address:

SSM Rehab

c/o John Zimmerman

Room 137

6420 Clayton Road

St. Louis , Mo.

63117

I have also had questions about the Trivia Night, here is some information on that:

Trivia night is Saturday

November 17, 2007

doors open: 6:30p.m. games start 7:00 p.m.

It will be at: Meadow Ridge Clubhouse

615 Westpark Drive

Columbia, Illinois

There will be a silent auction, quilt raffle, 50/50 drawing, and food is included in the price of the ticket which is 20.00 dollars. Donations accepted as well. Tables are limited so please contact Carolyn as soon as possible if you want on a team.

For information contact: Carolyn Sickmeir at 618-281-6132

The Gift

Tonight I don't have a drawing but I do have a story.


Heather MacDougal was gifted with the sight.

She knew when bad things were going to happen. Some call this a curse, but it says in Psalm 25:14 The Lord confides in those who fear Him. She took this scripture to heart.

Ever since she was a little girl she would get the feeling, then she would see a candle in the bedroom corner late at night glowing ever so bright, but there was no candle in that corner.
Then the dreams would come. She dreamed of Sandy McNeils death two weeks before he died, trampled to death by his horse Winnie.

Those two weeks were the longest weeks of Heather's life. She told Sandy about her dream but he had laughed at her, then he called her a witch. She begged him not to ride Winnie for awhile but he just ran away. Then he was dead.

She prayed and prayed for God to take it away. She didn't want to see the deaths, didn't want to know the horrors.

But they continued. Then the dream that changed her life happened...

She had fallen asleep by the fireplace and the dream started immediately, like falling when your dreaming she couldn't stop it...

A band of travelers rode across dusty prairie in moonlight. They were traveling to her home to kill her and her family. Dust flew from the horses hooves and their nostrils flared. The men's coats hung loosely from their gaunt frames . And the leader had a tattoo of a bloody knife on his neck, drops of blood trailed down his neck. He looked up and pointed, "I am coming for you Heather."

Heather sat up her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would fly from her chest. Sweat covered her entire body , yet she was cold.


to be continued tomorrow....

by Nita Barrow- Zimmerman

tonight's song, Very Superstitious by Stevie Wonder

Mermaid Chronicles (Mitzi)

This is my friend Mitzi, she's an Irish American Mermaid, and very proud of that I might add. She has been my best friend since 1st grade.

You might have noticed Mitzi has glasses. I know, you didn't know Mermaids wore glasses, right? Well some do.

Mitzi realized she had problems with her eyes when she thought she was petting a dolphin but it turned out to be a shark, a man eating shark.

Who was in a very foul mood!

Mitzi is lucky though, the only thing the shark ate was her pinkie finger on her right hand. He was banished after this incident by King Neptune to the Neverworlds to do dishes for the rest of eternity and to scrap bubble gum off the bottom of every bad Merman's tail. (really bad punishment)

So Mitzi got glasses and has her pinkie finger missing, But, she is the best Seahorse activist you will ever meet. She fights for the rights of these precious little friends of the ocean .

We have handicaps some people would say, but we see them as challenges. That is why we are the perfect friends, we are overcomers.

by Nita Barrow- Zimmerman

Crystal the Narcoleptic Mermaid

Hi, my name is Crystal. I never knew I had a problem until one day I was sitting on a rock, just sunning myself, when all of a sudden I wake up flat on my back in the ocean with a huge bump on my forehead. That's when I suspected I might have "narcolepsy". I was so ashamed. It runs in our family, we are predispositioned for it. I could never play the games other mermaid girls did. Because of my.....Narcolepsy. I always wondered why I was excessively sleepy in the daytime, and why I would wake up on the floor at home. Mother and Dad never talked about it much, they were too ashamed of it. A girlfriend told me about it at school in the bathroom. That is how I found out what I had. That is my story, thanks.

by nita barrow- zimmmerman

todays song, slide by the goo goo dolls

my dream...

This is a dream of mine. If we don't have dreams what do we have? I want my own Art Shack where artists from all over can come and teach, and sell their art. Maybe someday...

I have been thinking about alot of stuff today. I do not want to hate. I don't want to hold anger in my heart anymore. I have a choice, I choose to love.

(click on picture for a better look)



We can only learn to love by loving.
- Doris Murdock


There is a song by the Black Eyed Peas, Where is the Love , in the top right corner. It is one of my favorite songs. If you have time, listen to it.