Happy New Year to all my friends on WDC. 2009 was a rough year for me health wise, but I love New Year's day when I can applaud making it through another year and look forward to a better one. I am feeling pretty good for a change, got new PC games to play, am busy on Facebook. If you want to join me on Facebook, search for : Iva Durham, IA

If you can't find me on Facebook, I'll be helping my pastor with this site:

http://www.jwmcministries.com

Check it out!

It is very cold here in Iowa today, -1 degree right now and that's without the wind chill factor. Tell me again, why did I leave Virginia to move to Iowa? :)

Again, happy NY!
 

By now, you're probably wondering if I'm still alive. I am although it was touch and go for a while, and I can't believe it has been so long since I blogged. I won't go into the boring details of my health and will just say as Minnie Pearl used to say: 'Im so happy to be here!' It's 2:30 a.m., and I'm eating Hershey's nuggets and writing to you. I'm off to Pogo to play Scrabble ... have a great Sunday.
 

Since my last post, I had a birthday (on Friday 13!) It was a wonderful day. I had many, many visitors and gifts. Each of my four grandsons spent time with me independently of the others. All of them drive now except the 'baby' who is six. I am still recovering from all the sweets (diabetic) but it was fun.

It's still cold here in Iowa. I bought myself one of those new 'snuggies' which is quite warm. However, I may cripple myself as it is so long and cumbersome. I'll probably return to my favorite blankie, one made of fleece by my sweet friend, Lori.

The oldest woman to have a birthday this month is in Isbekistan ... somewhere. She is 128 years old allegedly. That's about half my age, and my bones are shot. I can't imagine being that old and don't want to. lol

Pretty much, I've just been keeping up with the news and playing my video games. Have you been reading about the mother with her 14 kids? For some reason, I just find her repulsive, and I feel so sorry for the babies. :( They have no father to speak of, and their mother wants a reality TV show after she gets her face more like Jolie's. Meanwhile, the home they are living in is being forclosed on; she's on food stamps and SSI and other state benefits. About half the babies have serious medical conditions and need serious medical care. Who will hug the babies? It will take a small army just to feed and change them. No time for love. So sad.

And what's with the Arab guy who beheaded his wife but is charged for secondary murder only? Did she put her own head on the block, or what?

What was your opinion of the 'chimp cartoon?' I thought it was despicable and felt sorry for the Obama's. So embarrassing for them.

The evidence is out now on Casey Anthony. I'm against the death penalty but think maybe she deserves it. To kill that sweet little child, Caylee. And now another little girl is missing. We are becoming a wicked, wicked people.


 

Did you read about the Brazilian beauty queen who died of an infection which resulted in septicemia. Before she died, they amputated her hands and feet. She was truly beutiful. Can you imagine how she must have felt about the amputation? and then to die anyway. Stuff like that is what makes me have trouble with my faith, at times.

Has anyone else been watching the impeachment mess of Rob Blagoevich, Illinois? I guess he is a bipolar mess, having made mistakes, but it seems to me that they are piling on and making much about little. So far, there has been no proof he has done anything. We haven't heard the tapes, etc. I got a little amused that he managed to appoint the next senator (Obama's seat) despite all the rumor, gossip and backbiting.

The only other thing on my mind today is the weather. All four degrees of it. It has been SO cold here. Worst winter of my life.

Stay warm ...


 

I've certainly been away a while. Where does the time go? Jayne got her degree in Business Management (St. Ambrose, Davenport, Iowa). Two of the boys are in colege, one in high school and one in first grade. The little one visited me yesterday. He told me he wants to grow up to be a good person who helps good people. He's a sweet kid, sort of fragile and vulnerable though, and I wonder how the world will treat him.

The holidays were nice, especially new year's when I celebrated beating the grim reaper for another year. :)

I was away so long, I've not done any reading or writing on the site. Gonna change that today...

Hope all of you have the greatest year ever and let's let the good times roll!
 

Finally, I feel a little better. I don't seem to have minor illnesses any more.

All I could do while ill was watch some tv, mostly news. Did you read about that crazy man in Canada on a bus who stabbed and decapitated a young man? For some reason, that just totally freaked me out. All I could imagine was one of my sweet boys murdered by such a freak. It's a scary world.

Remember the preacher's wife, Mary Winkler? She killed her husband and served one month in jail. She got her kids back this week. Wonder if they wanted to go to her?

What do you think about the Caylee Anthony case? I figure her mother killed her, but it certainly is a strange case.

The weather has been quite warm but today hasn't been too bad and next week will be in the 80's which beats 90 to 100. My poor plants look a little wilted from the heat. My birds seem happy though. They eat seed faster than I can buy it.

My daughter visited this week and brought me two more teapots for my collection. One is tiny but complete in all details. I love it. She brought me a lot of other things too including a pair of hot pink panties. At my age... :)

My friend, Kathy, has her surgery next week. We are all nervous as cats. I'm sure it will go well but cancer is a scary word.

I've come into the high tech world, well sort of. My phone service is 'bundled' with my cable and internet service. Sometimes it goes 'down' for hours at a time. Then I had no phone which worried everyone. Not even my Life Line worked. So, Jayne got me a cell phone. The screen is so tiny I can barely see, but I've been practicing using it, including text messaging. I sent my 3 older boys a message: 'Hi big boy!' Within 5 minutes all three replied...'who is this?' lol Now I get text messages all the time which is sort of fun. Not only that, but I get to vote on polls and contests. My ring tone is 'Get Back' by the Beatles.

All four boys have been registered/enrolled in one school or another, and Jayne has two classes to finish. She will get her final degree in December. They are a busy bunch.

Has anyone heard from Charles or John. I'm a little worried...




 

I have been under the weather. I'll return to my blogging soon.
 

Since last Friday, my Mediacom bundle is not working which means I have no internet, no telephone, no life line. It tries all day to 'come on' and maybe will be up for 10 - 15 minutes but, of course, I never know when that 10- 15 minutes will be. I wrote one of my 'fix it or else' letters today. I am not going to pay $100 for services I might use 10 minutes a day. My daughter said lots of people are having trouble, that they expanded their services but don't have the personnel or broadband to take care of everyone now. If I have to, I'll go back to dialup.

I hated to hear about the death of Tony Snow who served as the first host of the television news program "Fox News Sunday" from 1996 to 2003, would later say that in the Bush administration he was enjoying "the most exciting, intellectually aerobic job I'm ever going to have." He had the same kind of cancer that killed my mother, although my mother lived longer with it than he did, seven years. I think Mr. Snow made it three years. I think he was one of the most handsome men I ever saw. So elegant looking.

Lori's sister, Kathy, who used to work for me has probable ductal breast cancer. They will operate soon and then begin radiation and chemo. She's under 50, but she has multiple sclerosis so her immune system may not be so strong. Those of you who pray please keep in your prayers. She has three children and a husband.

I'm going to stop now before it goes off line on me. :) Hope you're having a great week.



 

The holiday is over, and I barely noticed. :) I did have lots of company. Lori and some of her family visited. My daughter and smallest grandson visited too. He was in a pretty good mood and appropriate most of the time. We all had 'Long John Silver's,' my favorite fast food.

Jayne brought me some collectibles. I love tea pots and small animals. She also brought some decorator dishes, a new clutch purse and loads of perfume, some from Victoria's Secret. Won't this old gal be special? lol

I slept a lot. My blood sugar is too high which makes me very sleepy (trying to go into a coma?) and thirsty. The regimen my doctor has recommended is not working. I used to take Actos which he stopped. It apparently contributes to heart failure. He told me to increase my insulin 4 units at a time until it was under control. I'm up to 120 units a day (from a previous 30) and still no control. I'm frustrated with it.

I'm reading a great book, 'Interpretation of Murder,' set in early 1900's. Lots of murders with Freud and his cronies involved in 'analyzing' the suspects. It sounds goofy but is quite good.

Did you watch the award for Warren Beatty tonight? Lots of stars there. I don't know why, but Beatty always seemed like a perv to me. lol His wife still looks great (Annette Benning). Pacino was there looking Pacino like as well as Jack Nicholson. I did enjoy the movie clips. I have no idea how old Beatty is, but he's older than I am.

Hope all of you have a great week...




 

It has been slow for a weekend. My daughter did visit and brought me a great dinner, Saturday evening. She is a great cook. She brought ham, home made mac & cheese, green beans and rolls. There was so much ham, I had enough for a sandwich on Sunday.

On Sunday, Lori brought me some great home made enchiladas with a salsa of tomatoes, onions and cilantro and some sour cream topping. Oh, and some brownies. :) With all that, I didn't need anything else today.

I've been on a sci fi kick today, Channel 48 here. I saw one tonight starring Mark Dascoscos who is 'The Chairman' on 'The Iron Chef' series on food network. He was (is) very handsome. The movie was OK, not perfect, but watchable.

Oh, before I forget, Jayne gave me this photo. She thinks the pickle looks like Bill Clinton. :)

http://members.aol.com/IDurham923/pickle.jpg

Have you noticed how disgusting TV commercials can be these days. I absolutely hate the one for Gas X. When I was young, one didn't discuss that subject even with their spouse. And I know about eight names for erectile dysfunction that didn't include erectile dysfunction. I feel like giggling when I think of my favorites, but that was discussed only with your very best girl friend, the one you discussed all bad male habits with.

I saw the doctor this week. One piece of good news is that my hemoglobin is holding. For the first time in 4 1/2 years, I've gone more than a week without bleeding out. Usually my hemoglobin would fall 1/2 point a week, and I would have to have transfusions every 6 weeks or so. It has been three months since my last one. The doctor doesn't know why I've stopped bleeding since they never found out why I bled in the first place. It certainly makes me feel stronger.

I collect, among other things, tea pots. I just love them. My daughter found a small one, say 2 1/2 inches tall and beutifully decorated. I love it. I also like dolls, especially decorator dolls with victorian clothing. Who knows why we like certain things? I don't. I do remember some dolls from my childhood that I loved very much. I had one as tall as I was and I put a stick in her back and she walked along side of me. Cool?

I'll try to get some pix of my favorites.

Well, it's about time for a news round up, so I'm going to sign off my lovely friends. :)




 

I fooled around on here and missed my Friday night episode of 'House.' Maybe I can catch it on video later. I really enjoy my 'House' fix. I told Lori, my friend, that that's probably why I like my current doctor. His personality sucks, he can't communicate well and he gives me two minutes tops to tell my 'story.' I usually start with what is hurting the most. I never get all the complaints made. He takes the usual pint of blood for his tests, a good thing, because he would never make a diagnosis otherwise. 'You look great,' he says. 'See you in three months.' Every time. My lung doctor is the exact opposite in temperament, and I love him too. He not only listens to my complains; he relieves them, and he listens to my jokes. What a guy.

My grandson #1 came over for a visit this afternoon. It's time for him to pay his car insurance, so he needs a boost from MaMa. He has highlighted his already blond hair, but it looks great.

While Jayne and family were in Memphis, Kevin had his picture taken with 'Elvis.' This photo cracks me up.

Here is a photo of my favorite food in the world... southern chicken and dumplings.

The picture is not that clear. The yellow is rich chicken gravy. The white are pieces of white meat chicken. If I had to be executed, this food would be my last request.

My favorite late night joke this week: 'Arnold Schwarzenegger met John McCain today. There was an awkward moment when they shook hands and McCain’s hand broke off.'

Bush and War Crimes

"After years of disclosures by government investigations, media accounts, and reports from human rights organizations, there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account."

I found this interesting ...

e have begun, as a society, to question what we eat. One line of argument involves cave men. The reasoning is that modern man evolved over 1,000,000 years and that agriculture has been around for only the last 10,000 years. The population size grew tremendously as a result of the fact that things like rice, wheat, potatoes, and such could be grown in sufficient quantity to feed large numbers of people. But, the consequence of this was less healthy people. We evolved to eat fruits and nuts, fish, and sometimes some meat. Eating corn chips was never in the plan. Maybe 50,000 years from now our descendents will need ice cream, and assorted chemical preservatives, in order to thrive. But, today, we are still those people who evolved from the natural selection process of being able to function well on what was available to hunt and gather. We are still cave men biologically. We just wear better clothes.

Well, it's after midnight and grandma needs her rest. ;) Have a great weekend!

It's very sad to watch the funeral and memorial services for Tim Russert. He was too young to die in my estimation, eight years younger than I am. I watched his show for fifteen years and, of course, he was on other shows and events. It's like losing a close cousin.

It has finally stopped raining for a while in my part of Iowa. The sun is out, if weakly. The birds are happy it's not raining in their hanging feeders. My impatiens have survived so many storms, it's a miracle. I love those flowers.

I knew this :)

Good news for coffee lovers: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee daily won't shorten your life span, a new study shows. In fact, coffee might even help the heart, especially for women, the researchers found. I traded my coffee addiction for diet Coke addiction, but I may go back to coffee. Cheaper in the long run. I need my caffeine.

Bush news ...

President Bush may follow in the footsteps of his brother Jeb and convert to Catholicism, several European papers are reporting.

In the wake of the president’s visit to see Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Italian newspapers, citing Vatican sources, said Bush was open to the idea of converting to Catholicism.

The Italian newspaper Il Foglio referred to such talk about Bush’s possible conversion and stated that “anything is possible, especially for someone reborn like Bush.”

McCain news...

Despite graduating in the bottom one (1%) percent of his Annapolis class, McCain was offered the most sought-after Navy assignment -- to become an aircraft carrier pilot. Perhaps it was because of his father's career that he got it. He left the Navy shortly after learning he would not get a star.

A couple of my favorite quotes...

"Women have started to become lovers of each other as a result of not having enough men."--Usher Huh? Where did the men go? lol

O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet.
– Saint Augustine (354 AD - 430 AD) My kind of thinker.

That's about it for now ... have a great day!






 

I can't sleep so I might as well blog.

Did you know?

90% of Americans will pay less tax under Obama than McCain
dailykos.com — CNN posted an article online summarizing the Tax Policy center's report comparing John McCain and Barack Obama's proposed tax plans. The numbers are remarkable, but CNN fails to notice the obvious punchline: almost 90% of Americans will pay less in taxes under Obama than McCain.

Dick Cheney may not be called on to play any role at all in the 2008 presidential bid of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, sources say, because the vice president’s levels of unpopularity are too high and the ill-will McCain and Cheney have had in the past is too great. Does anyone want Cheney around anymore?

At age 82 (she died at age 115 and had little or no Alzhimers!) a Dutch woman made arrangements to donate her body to science after death. She contacted Holstege when she reached age 111, worried that her body was too old to be useful for research or teaching purposes. The neuroscientists reassured her that, contrary to her belief, they were particularly interested due to her age.
"She was very enthusiastic about her being important for science," Holstege and his colleagues write in the journal article. I like how this old gal thought. :)

Brannon Howse says he walked into the store recently with his 11-year-old son and was shocked at what he found on a table they passed by. "There lying on one of the tables was a big old coffee table book [with a] full color, full frontal nudity [photo] of a gay man," he reports. Hmmm. Would it have bothered him less if the man had been straight? The pornography should be the issue.

The collective nature of society breeds a desire to be "unremarkable" and
"uninteresting" because with that comes a sense of fitting in with the crowd.
With general knowledge comes self-awareness and with self-awareness comes a need to be accepted. So that's why most are conformists while claiming not to be. :)

That's it. It's 2:42 a.m. and I'm going to try to sleep again. Or maybe I will wait a few hours when it starts to rain AGAIN. It is supposed to rain all weekend -- either a good time to write or hibernate. I've got this story idea for a cave child brewing in my head.

Sleep tight...


 

I'm bright eyed and busy tailed today. It's 5:28 a.m. and my place is clean; my birds are fed; I watched the early news, and now I'm blogging.

Yesterday was a little rough. My bedroom air conditioner was leaking water which got under my carpet. I called around in a tizzy and, finally, got my daughter on the phone. Yes, she does have a wet vac and, yes, she will come over and fix things. Whew. She brought little Kevin with her her.

He had a surprise for me. He had been playing somehow on his mother's bed, hit his face on the headboard and knocked out two of his front teeth (baby teeth). He looks so cute snaggle toothed. :)

The weekend was nice weather wise, upper 70's or lower 80's, both sunshine and rain. My birds are eating me out of house, home and bird seed. Sometimes, there are so many little birds on my patio, the neighbor's little dog gets anxiety and barks at them. :)

Did you watch the mind-numbing credentials committee meeting? So they decided to seat all the delegates of FL and MI but at 1/2 vote each. That didn't satisfy Ms. Hillary, of course. She wanted them all! Some of her supporters say she'll take it to the convention floor. Ought to be an exciting convention. Hope it doesn't destroy the Dems chance for the presidency. If the Republicans win, I think it could be laid right at Hillary (Bill's?) feet, the failure.

Obama finally, finally left his church formally. It might be too little, too late. I still think it will be an issue throughout. 'Why did he stay in that church for 20 years, hearing what he heard?' Good question.

Let's see. What else happened. My Avon lady and dear friend, Evie, came to call. I love Avon although I am allergic to most of the non-natural fragrances. I got two bars of soap, one vanilla and one peach scented. Smells so good. I buy a lot of gifts for the young ladies there ... lipstick, lotions, etc. in small sizes. And Evie and I get to have a nice chat. It was sad this time for her father died two weeks ago. He was old, yet had not had serious problems until recently. They started him on Prednisone for something or other. He died. I hate Prednisone and will never take it again while in my right mind. It is the drug of choice for my lung condition, but it has so many awful side effects.

Lori came by today. Some day she works like a dervish. She cleaned and went to the store and put in my bedroom air conditioner. She's a hard worker and a sweet girl. I don't know what I would do without her ... really.

Shame on us: new government study has come out stating that Americans waste (are you ready for it?) twenty-seven percent of all food available for consumption, and ninety-eight percent of that gets put in our landfills. That math equates to a pound of food wasted every day for every American. It may not be biodiesel driving up the price of food around the world after all.

As the New York Times also makes note, "The study didn't account for the explosion of ready-to-eat foods now available at supermarkets, from rotisserie chickens to sandwiches and soups," which get thrown away if they're not bought in a timely fashion. This information comes out as we plunge into a global food shortage which starting to be felt here at home.

When you're retired and disabled, the middle of the week isn't much different from the first or last. Some things I do every day such as have a cup of tea (gave coffee up) or a diet Coke; read the paper; check blood sugar; take insulin; eat a piece of cheese (I am a creature of habit); check my email; turn on MSNBC for the political news of the day; turn on CNN for latest world news; feed my birds; chat with my neighbor Jan as I get the mail. After that I do the fun things.

The fun things? Playing video games, text messaging the grandsons, crocheting, cooking when I'm able, playing Zuma to which I am addicted, and writing. I love to write. Not a day goes by that I don't write something, but I don't publish everything, just the best stuff. Also fun is laughing. I usually get that from Jayne. She has the best sense of humor, though irreverant and cynical, of anyone I know. She gets that from the Lilly side of the family. The Currys didn't laugh much. The Durhams didn't live long enough. Bill, though, did have a good sense of humor. He made me laugh anyway. :)

Each day, it seems to me, we struggle with s-load of bad news, and learn of friends getting sick, divorced, or even dying. We think, "Why me? My life would be sweet if only I were richer, more famous, thinner, younger, had a better job, or lived somewhere else."

Let me tell you, happiness is all around you. And it doesn't care how much money you have, or the circumstances of your life. You only need to find it. I can find happiness in a good book; I read lots of those; or in a good puzzle, not too easy, not too hard, my friends who visit, the grandchildren who love me, my beloved daughter, all the little birds who feed at my house, my sweet neighbors, and much more. Happiness, pretty much, is a choice. I could moan and groan about my circumstances. I doubt I would have lived this long with these problems had I done so. And then ... there's God's Word. I love and find strength and happiness in the Bible. Try it sometime ...

A friend told me once about making a 'love list.' Have you ever made one. Just list all the things and people you love. You'll be amazed.

Well, I'll quit preaching now and go play some Zuma. :) Before I go, check out this photo. This is my brother Carl's grandson, Ryan. He is so cute and looks so much like his daddy, my nephew Carl III.

http://members.aol.com/IDurham923/ryan1.jpg


 

This holiday is a lonely one for me since I moved to Iowa, some seven years ago. All my family is back in WV or VA. Four of my mother's brothers served in WWII, two in Korea and one in Viet Nam. They all made it home but one. When he died, it is told that it was the only time my grandmother ever cried 'in public.' Another boy was captured by the Japanese and was in a POW camp for two years. She never gave up hope and, one sweet day, she heard from the U.S. Army. His camp had been liberated. He came home a changed man, but he came home. He's the only one of her children still living. He's 85 years old now, my Uncle Buddy.

We used to get together, all 55 cousins and the aunts and uncles , have a 'reunion' picnic. Every family brought loads of food. There were big watermelons. Marshmallows to roast and hot dogs too. My Aunt Lila always made my favorite dish, chicken and 'poor' dumplings. That just means they weren't the 'puffy' kind. Nothing poor about their rich taste. Everyone, including me, sang or played some kind of instrument. We sang country and gospel. Nothing else allowed. lol Even my oldest uncle played a little guitar and 'The Chapel Bells,' so lovely. I would eat my fill, swim, play tag, softball, get sunburned, talk myself silly and just have an all-around grand time. By the time we got home, all of us kids were worn out and tidied ourselves up and dropped somewhere and slept. Sometimes, it was five or six kids to a bed. You had to be careful or you literally could get foot in mouth. :)

Now, I mostly celebrate through the electric media, television. I still get choked up when taps is played and the 'hero' stories are told. I don't think Jayne gives the day a thought. Times have really changed.

Damn... a person isn't safe anywhere.

MIAMI -- A Miami hospital employee was arrested for allegedly performing a sex act on a patient. Miami Beach police say 27-year-old Pedro Gonzalez is charged with sexual battery. He was being held at a Miami-Dade County jail. It was not clear if he has an attorney. Gonzalez transports patients at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

According to a police report, Gonzalez confessed to performing a sex act on a male patient waking up from anesthesia after surgery last month. The 31-year-old patient told detectives he was aware of the act and could ID the suspect.

For the nonbelievr: what do you think?

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - It seemed like an almost literal answer to their prayers. When two New Zealand pilots ran out of fuel in a microlight airplane they offered prayers and were able to make an emergency landing in a field - coming to rest right next to a sign reading, "Jesus is Lord."

What did you think of the Hillary Clinton vs. assasination flap? It sounds like she was saying, 'well, I'll hang in there through June. You never know, someone might assasinate Obama like they did Kennedy.' That's pretty crass, and the danger is very real for Obama. A lot of bigots out there would like to kill him. I heard one such ignoramus say, 'yep, I'd be mighty proud to be the one.'

Well, I made some chicken and rice which is stewing light in the pot right now, and it's smelling so good, just calling my name.

Meet my brother Carl's first GREAT grandchild... Addyson

http://members.aol.com/IDurham923/adyson.jpg

Have a wonderful weekend.
 

The first news I heard when I turned on MSNBC was about Ted Kennedy's brain tumor. I surely hate to hear that but knew the seizures were indicative of something serious. He's a fighter, but he has a hard battle. Radiation and chemo at his age, alone, could kill him. A lot of prayers are going up for him, a lot.

I listened to the election returns off and on all day. One state for Hillary and one for Obama. She's tenacious, I'll give her that. I don't know if I would want to be known as she who got the racists vote though.

I mostly lazed around the rest of the day after tidying up a bit, myself and the apartment. Did you know that most of you live a parallel life? Inside my Sims community, that is. I have most of you in one house or the other. I also have lots of enemies, real and imagined living around us. I not only built homes but churches and jails. I am a big fan of the Sims game.

I also play a lot of Civilization III and IV. So far, I've bested both Charles and John McC in scoring at the 'god level.' :) And they laughed when I sat down to play.

My grandsons download games for me all the time. I have a new one I like. As soon as I figure out how to equip the sword, I'll be in business. No instructions come with the downloads. They swear they are 'legal' and 'freeware.' I hope.

I made these for lunch today. The kids love them.


Mashed Potatoes Tacos

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 (16 ounce) package refrigerated mashed potatoes, warmed or make your own
1 (1.25 ounce) package ORTEGA(R) Taco Seasoning mix
1 package (12) Taco Shells, warmed
Toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, sliced green onions, Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese,
ORTEGA(R) Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce or your favorite.
1/2 tsp. salt

Cooking Instructions
BROWN beef; drain. Add mashed potatoes and seasoning mix and salt; mix well.

FILL taco shells with beef mixture. Top with lettuce, tomato, green onions, cheese and taco sauce.

My daughter prefers hash brown potatoes instead of the mashed. That's good too


Are these the same scientists who just 'know' there is no God? I suspect there are a lot of things they don't know.

New Zealand marine scientists found millions of tiny starfish trying to capture food in a large string of underwater volcanoes. The "sheer volume" of the starfish "challenged what we as scientists thought we knew," said one researcher.

It was chilly this morning but seems warmer than usual now, either that or it's my lack of hormones. :) It is almost midnight so I better head to bed. The blood suckers (lab personnel) will be here 7 a.m. tomorrow.

Have a great Wednesday.... 'over the hump' day -- we used to just say 'hump day.'




 

I was up early this morning and watched a lot of electric church. I was told I was going to hell in five denominations.

I have some kind of rhino virus today. It's like my head is full of water which comes out my nose. When you're on continuous oxygen, that's just a pain in the butt. Take out the tube, blow and blow, put it back and do it again every 2-3 minutes. I tried leaning my head over the edge of the bed, but it made me dizzy. Oh well, tomorrow it will move to my chest and I can cough all day. I wonder which child who visited gave it to me? Got to watch those sloppy kisses.

This is my youngest grandchild. Doesn't he look sweet? Sometimes he isn't. He is very smart for his age and somewhat socially inappropriate because he prefers to be around adults all the time and is a bit precocious (he told the Sister at school that he would give Jesus manure for Christmas. She nearly passed out, but Kevin thinks manure is a good thing because it helps crops crow, and the other kids had already said beans, corns, etc. This IS Iowa. At first, the good sister thought he wanted to give Jesus 'crap' for his birthday. One never knows if Kevin is innocent or not. He's good at acting innocent but he's also good at stirring up his teachers.. I have a wonderful time with him because I will listen to his stories. He's a bit OCD and his stories are very detailed and told with many wonderful gestures. If you have an hour or two, visit when he's here and let him tell you about the Humboldt squid or the John Deere tractor, complete with power train comparisons.

I'm having an Obama day. The way the white vote is going, he probably won't get elected. It's a shame if that's the real reason. I think he's a decent man and would do a good job. I don't much care for his mouthy wife, but it's not because she's black. Oh, well.

For Mother's Day, Jayne, bless her , got me an oven--toaster, regular and convection (sp). It has more controls than a jet plane. With the book and my best glasses, I was able to make toast. Today, I am going to be brave and bake some biscuits. No oven is going to defeat me.

She also bought me five summer tops, nice ones I could never afford. I think everyone is tired of my ten-year-old tops, but I hate to throw away good clothes. They really are nice. And she brought me lunch. It's good being a Mother.

Lori brought me some flowers and put them in a planter that fits my patio bannister. Very nice.

I am hungry. I was thinking of ordering pizza, but it always makes me sort of sick these days. Too heavy, I guess. Maybe a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup is better. I could make one of my grandmother's 'killer' sandwiches (two will cause a heart attack). You fry up two pieces of french toast without sugar or spices, just the egg and bread. On one piece you place two slices of cheddar cheese or your favorite. Top it with a tsp. of mayo. Put the two pieces together, butter the top and eat with a fork. Yummy.

This is a recent picture of my two brothers -- Carl without the facial hair. Carl will be 68 in August. Jim was 69 on May first. I was 66 on February 13. We were close in age.

http://members.aol.com/IDurham923/brothers.jpg

That's it for today. I'm going to whip up a saucer of food.

It was good to see my grandson and his girlfriend (and her brother). The luncheon went well. I forget how much teens can eat. Fortunately, I had enough. Ikey is 6'3" tall and leans down to hug me but he always does. When no one is looking, he will get down beside my chair, and I'll rub his head like I did when he was a little one. This is one of my favorite pictures of him.