Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Big Change at the Benson Senior Center

Today, all seniors signing into BCAA saw a note about Adrienne Delph's dismissal from the Benson Center for Active Aging. I took a photo of it, but can't find where Google filed it. Anyway, I came up with this petition which I'll bring to the center tomorrow.

Community and Senior Services

1363 West Market Street

Smithfield, NC 2757


Attention: Josh Jenkins, Sarah Williams, Sandy Godwin, Josh Jenson


Subject: Petition on behalf of Adrienne Delph


To all concerned:


We, the undersigned, are active senior citizens who attend the Benson Center for Active Aging. It was shocking to learn that our beloved director, Adrienne Delph, was forced to resign from her position. We are outraged by this turn of events.


Adrienne has done so much for us and asked you for so little: unpaid leave for two weeks. While none of us were ”flies on the wall,” we don’t know who said what. However, all of us are united in our defense of Mrs. Delph. How could her reasonable request be denied? 


The decision to force Adrienne’s resignation was not only short-sighted, it was punitive in nature. It is devastating to all of us BCAA seniors. Please understand that the ramifications of your hasty action affects more than the one employee you mistreated so badly.


Adrienne has been the best senior center director at BCAA, as well as at HCAA. It seems that you are unaware of Adrienne’s value to us and to the Town of Benson. She is hard-working and always has a sunny disposition. As director, she continually adds interesting programs and leads many of the classes herself. Adrienne has even undertaken landscaping changes at our center, which was above and beyond her job description.


We love Adrienne Delph and hope you will reconsider your decision to force her out of her job. 


Sincerely yours,


____________________________      ____________________________ 


#BCAAinjustice

#seniorcenterleadership

#johnstoncountysocialservicesfail

#bringAdrienneback


Sunday, July 12, 2026

She did it again!

Lately, Tulip's been cramming her body into tiny spaces, which may be a response to the sounds of thunder and/or fireworks. It could also mean that she doesn't need to have a reason. After all, it's Tulip.

Unfortunately, Tulip's been cozying up to the cable box, the router and the modem. I thought I could be a step or two ahead of her: I jury-rigged a not-deep-or-wide enough metal box that would house at least two pieces of equipment. It was a nice idea, if I do say so myself.

No one should be surprised to learn that this did not stop Tulip's explorations. She disconnected SOMEthing, so I haven't watched TV for nearly a week. That's more of a "my bad" because I didn't want to bend down and readjust everything.

I fixed it today. So I was able to catch up on shows that I missed. This was a huge success in that I didn't seek assistance from anyone. TA-DA!

So, "she did it again!" could be said for either of us. You decide.

~ ~ ~

This picture is totally unrelated to the story above. It's a snapshot of the writing group in Benson. Write On!



#TulipTV
#TulipcatsetsTV
#catTV
#Bensonwriters


Saturday, July 4, 2026

Most Independent Cat

It's Independence Day today for Americans.

It's Independence Day every day for Tulip.

She's still acting like a baby, throwing down my water bottles that I had the nerve to leave on a countertop.

Guess she's playing "fetch" with me, just like my son did from his high chair many years ago. It's not amusing . . . especially when the contents spill out.

It is one way to spot-clean the floor. 

But it appears to make her happy.

===================================================================

Preparing to sell a bunch of stuff at the Highway 301 Endless Yard Sale, I started to empty out cardboard boxes onto the sales tables. Tulip was in cat heaven! She could gnaw those now-empty boxes until the cows came home (except none of my neighbors have cows (in the literal sense). 

After the 2-day sale left me sunburned and a little bit richer, it was time to separate the wheat (what I'll keep) from the chaff (to be given to a thrift shop).

After the sale, I filled plastic bins with the "good stuff" I'll be keeping. 

Miss Nosy checks out the contents of semi-filled bins. I took a photo of her, but Chrome is sending the pic who-knows-where. 

She's tuckered out after a stressful day, watching me work in the office. (Me too.) 

One of us needs a cat nap.


#tulipnews

#independentcat

#indepedenttulip




Tuesday, June 23, 2026

A Curious Cat

Tulip is curious about all the boxes of stuff in the house I gathered for the yard sale. I had brought inside two long outdoor extension cords from the shed. Tulip had to check them out. She got busy chewing the paper UL (Underwriters Laboratories) tags from each.

Naturally, I had to spoil her fun by draping one of her cat blankets over it.


I'm not that artistic, but I took a glass mosaic class last month at the Senior Center. It turned out well. The instructor suggested I not use large pieces of glass as planned for the body parts -- the body of a cat, of course. Cutting the glass down did make the design, complete with a red tulip, more interesting.


#tulipmosaic

#tulipyardsale

#catmosaic

#cat_art

Friday, June 12, 2026

I should've, but I didn't


To Do

I should've done many things on my To Do list, including people to call. Most tasks were usurped by creative writing. The hours just disappear once I get started.

I wrote a blog post which may or may not be put on NRW's blog. Nobody asked me to write it, but I guess last night's meeting inspired me. The title is "Toot Your Horn." 

Guess it's not so bad... only three things I have left to do. That number may change when I unearth more paperwork in the office.

Spent a bit of time refueling Tulip's not-quite-empty food bowl. She insisted. Minutes later, she took a nap in her living room sun spot. Nap time invariably follows Nibbles Hour.

Tried saving Tulip's picture in two or three places...none of them could be found. I still don't know how to work certain features on my Samsung phone. I guess I need to do a deep dive to find where in the heck I should look for pictures. So many options, yet none of them work.

This pic was a download found on Pexels. Credit to Mathias Reding. No relation to Tulip. 

 

TASKDATESTATUSWHAT TO DOWHO TO CALLWHY #1WHY #2
26/11/26CallLASERSunpaid $$
36/11/26CallHousing Ladyfind flier
76/11/26Link car to phoneneed VIN #
16/11/26completed 6/12CallTown of Bensonutilitiesrequest animal trap
46/11/26completed 6/12mark calendarDec 12thXmas party
56/11/26completed 6/12mark calendarNov 7Next book fair
66/11/26completed 6/12mark calendar4th Sat meetingNRW schedule
86/11/26completed 6/12email Zekariahcharacter sheet