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 |  My Blog....Pearls of wisdom and/or foolish mutterings.....You be the judge.... |
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A little of this, a dash of that......epic mood swings.......A LOT of foolish mutterings and occasionally a few words of wisdom. It's a crapshoot. You never know what you'll find in here... |
| The last piece of property in my dad's estate has finally been sold. I can now close out the estate and distribute the funds (what little remains) and be done with this horrific episode after almost exactly 3 1/2 years. I never believed it could take this long and that things could go so horribly wrong. Looking back on it all now, it seems surreal. My dad died on February 16, 2005. It was unexpected, he had been sick, but we believed he was getting better. We were wrong. He died without a will, or at least without one that we could find. The reason it has taken so long to settle the estate is because of the woman he was married to when he died. She was his second wife; they had only been married for ten years. I'm quite sure they were ten years of hell. I make this assumption after having to deal with her over his estate. My brother and I have often wondered what the hell he was thinking when he married her. We'll never know, but if he was able to tell us, I'm sure he would have to plead temporary insanity. Some of you may have read the story in my port detailing the insanity that ensued in the year following my dad's death. My brother, Mike, was framed for bank fraud by my dad's bank and a former business partner because they wanted to take my dad's business (which they succeeded in doing.) Mike went to prison for 14 months, and his wife and I lost our minds - literally. I'm feeling much better now, thank you, but it was hell. If you're interested, here's the link to the story. It may leave a bitter taste in your mouth, as I was not in a very sound state of mind when I wrote it. But I have kept it as I originally penned it because it reminds me that not everyone will do the right thing. There truly are evil people in the world and it serves well to keep that in mind.
However, having finally reached the end of this long and winding road, I am happy to report that my brother is home and is happy working at a job where he was promoted after a very short time, which serves to remind me that there are decent people in this world, as well, and I need to keep that in mind. Mike and his family are doing well, his wife is no longer crazy and neither am I, although some might argue that point. But this is my story, so I get to make that call. After three and one-half long years, I can attest that it is true that what does not kill you, only makes you stronger. We are all stronger for the battle we have fought. Instead of losing my faith in a loving God, my faith has become stronger - much stronger - but not without going through a very difficult refining process first. I know now, in a way I never knew before, that even when we walk away from God, He never walks away from us and is always right there within reach when we finally give up and turn back to Him. I know that very bad things do happen to good people, But I also know that it is only for a season and that "this too shall pass." It may seem like it never will, but it does indeed pass. I will be sorting out all of the life lessons I have learned for quite a while longer, I'm sure. Right now, I'm just happy to be at the end of this road and ready to set out on a different one. Strangely enough, I would probably not be a writer now had it not been for the events of the last 3 1/2 years. I was forced to find a "relief valve" for all of the thoughts swirling inside my head. Writing has been my salvation. I am thrilled to be able to throw my arms around the good that has come from this nightmare and to turn a blind eye to the tragedies we have overcome. As it happens, there apparently is light at the end of a very long tunnel after all. |
| I logged on this morning to find a wonderful surprise - I have been promoted to the status of Preferred Author! I am thrilled and honored and find myself at a loss for words. Those of you who know me, know that it isn't often that I don't have words--and a lot of them, at that--to express myself. But this is one of those times. I will take some time to absorb the news and then I'll be back. This truly means so much to me. |
| I am totally out of words of wisdom, so I shall have to resort to FOOLISH MUTTERINGS for this entry. I actually prefer foolish mutterings anyway, it's so much less taxing on my brain. Usually, the inspiration for my mutterings - foolish or otherwise - is my very own life and today is no different. Yesterday I was at Target with my daughter and two of my grandkids. We were buying school supplies from an unbelievably specific list (since when did schools get so darn picky about the size, brand, color and every other thing about school supplies? Sheesh!) Every other mother, grandmother, and child in the greater Pasadena area was there as well, so there was nothing quick about this shopping trip. Aiden (6) and Olivia (4) were actually doing fairly well, given the length of time we had already been shopping, but Aiden was nearing the end of his patience. I was pushing the basket he was sitting in and as we passed the toy section, he piped up, "Mimi, today's the day I get a new toy. Mom said." "Aiden, I don't have any money for toys today, we're buying school supplies," I told him and kept going. He reached up and put his sweet little hands on either side of my face, looked me staight in the eyes and said, "Okay, but just remember, next time I'm going to poke your eye out with my thumb." He added extra emhpasis to his words by holding up his fist and crooking his thumb toward my eye. I stopped in my tracks.  "Aiden, what did you say and where did you hear that?!"Quick as a whip, he shot back, "Never said it, never heard it." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. I still don't know where he came up with that. Try to ask him and he will start talking a blue streak about any and every thing he can think of to say. The look of shock on his face when I stopped that basket was priceless. He went from feisty to faint-of-heart in a split second. I already feel sorry for his first-grade teacher. She has no idea what she's in for.  I'm just happy I'm his grandmother and not his mother. I can think he's cute and get away with it!This is the same kid who told his mother after he was sent to his room for misbehaving that he was laying on his bed crying because she broke his heart when she got mad at him and then Jesus fell out of his broken heart. Where does he come up with this stuff? |
Okay, just to make this exceedlingly clear - I am not a Trekkie. Never have been, never will be. Just thought it was fun to see all those "grown-ass people" going to such great lengths to dress up as Star Trek characters. I mean, these people had to put out mega-bucks on those costumes and then there is the expense of going to the conventions, etc. Not something you see every day - grown people dressed up as Klingons, Locutus (or however you spell it), and general run-of-the-mill Star Trek characters. There must be a whole industry devoted to that one thing - I'm sure there are worse things to be addicted to. I mean, I know there are. So I guess, as things go, being a Star Trek addict is better than being addicted to lots of other things. Just not my cup of tea. Nevertheless, it is fun to have your picture made with them.  So now you know, I am not a Trekkie, but I do have my addictions. Here they are, in no particular order: 1 Scrapbooking 2. Reading 3. Writing (of course) 4. Shopping (YAY!) 5. Photography There you have it, folks. My list of full-blown addictions. Go ahead, spread the word around.  |
| As promised, here are a few pics taken in Vegas. We had a wonderful time, contributed quite a bit to the Vegas economy (unfortunately), came home tired but happy. This was not my best showing in three and four card poker, in fact, it was probably one of my worst, but hey, you can't win every time. Hubby did better than I did and even convinced me to play in a Texas Hold 'Em tournament with him. That was fun! I didn't win, but I wasn't the first (or even one of the first ones) out, so I count it a success. We saw two shows, and forgive me if I'm repeating myself here, I'm still tired and not quite firing on all cylinders yet. We saw Menopause, the Musical which was fabulous; and we saw Defending the Caveman - funny, but nowhere near as good as Menopause. Had a couple of great meals, played a lot of poker at the table games, ran into some Trekkies at the Hilton when we went there to see Menopause. Great costumes and I even got a picture with some of them. We stayed at the new Planet Hollywood which was absolutely first rate. I highly recommend it, just don't get sucked into doing the timeshare presentation no matter what they offer you to view it. The timeshare condos are BEE-U-TI-FUL, but wow, talk about high-pressure sales people. We actually went up there on their nickle, knowing we would have to sit through a 90 minute presentation about the timeshares and of course, we didn't buy because we didn't have any intention of buying. But the "closer" they brought in after we turned down the initial salesman almost pissed me off. She wasn't just high-pressure,she was downright rude. I thought I might have to bitch-slap her before it was all over. Fortunately, I didn't, but not because she didn't deserve it. Anyway, we stayed one night at the Tropicana - love the casino, hate the hotel; two nights at Planet Hollywood - love the hotel, the casino not so much, hated the high-pressure timeshare bitch; and our last night was spent at The Golden Nugget - very nice, didn't compare to Planet Hollywood, but did have the advantage of being on Freemont Street. Overall, it was a really nice getaway. Here are some pics - FINALLY, right? ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Me, on Freemont Street ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Me and Hubby at Planet Hollywood ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Me and the Trekkies - I'm the girl with hair ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** And finally, me in front of The Golden Nugget I have more pictures, but don't want to bore you with them all. It was great to be gone, but it's even better to be back home.  |
| I was in the middle of uploading photos that we took in Vegas so that I could dazzle all of you with tales and photos of my latest adventure. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with sleepiness. I had to take a NAP! Dang, I used to be able to stay up all night and not bat an eye. I could go without sleep for days and then just catch up on it when I had nothing better to do. But that was then. Now I am faced with the extremely unappealing truth that not only am I getting older, my waist has disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of my ever-expanding hips, my mother peers back at me when I look in the mirror and I need sleep – lots of it. I have no stamina. I have no waist. I am getting old… (er.) Wait, I don’t know if I want to go that far yet. Let’s just say I’m not young anymore. That’s a little more palatable. I guess. We went to a couple of shows in Vegas, one of them being Menopause, the Musical, which was fabulous, by the way, and if you get the chance to see it, by all means, DO! You will love it. Especially if you are… shall we say… not so young anymore. I did find a certain comfort in sitting in a theater filled with women my age and older who are all sharing the same experience—this wonderful passage called menopause. It was like being a part of this huge sisterhood. And that was all before the show began. Once the show started, the laughter of recognition echoing throughout the room as each all-too-familiar facet of menopause was commemorated on that stage made all of us instant friends. I can’t say that I’m happily embracing this new phase of life or that I’m content to be leaving youth behind. I can truthfully say, however, that I am beginning to view things differently. I wouldn’t want to revisit age 20 or 30 or even 40. I like who I am today at age 50. No, I’m not crazy about some of the “by-products” of this stage of life, but I am smart enough to recognize that being at peace with myself is of much more importance than having a waist. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the peace factor every time. I’ll take the extra pounds and even the hot-flashes in exchange for the uncertainty of my youth. I’ll happily surrender the arrogance of youth for the wisdom of maturity. I prefer the serenity of knowing what I want over the frenetic race to be the best, the most, the first. Been there, done that, relieved to have it behind me. I am overjoyed to have the confidence to pick and choose the projects I want to tackle, to not feel the pressure of outside influences on my decisions because I am finally comfortable in my own skin. Maybe I am happily embracing this new phase of life, after all. It is certainly a more comfortable place than I’ve ever been. I guess if I have to take a nap every so often, that’s not such a bad thing. Not such a bad thing at all. |
| I. AM. SO. TIRED. Hubby and I have been in Las Vegas for the last four days. We just got back home tonight, about an hour ago to be exact. OMG! I'm glad to be home. We had a really great time and I have much to tell you all about, but later, not tonight. I just wanted to sign on and say hi to everyone and let you all know that I'm still around - I've just been in Sin City for a while. Back now and damn glad to be here! When we landed in Houston and were walking to baggage claim, I looked at Hubby and said, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home!" If I had some ruby slippers, I would have been clicking my heels together for all I was worth. Oh and I took some great pics, some of which I will be sharing here over the next several days. The Hilton was hosting a Star Trek convention, which I had sarcastically dismissed when Hubby mentioned it to me before we left as something interesting. I remember telling him (in a very sarcastic voice), "Oh yeah, I think I'll have to pass on that one." Well, guess who was going crazy taking pictures of the people in their Star Trek costumes and even had her picture taken with several of them? Yep, that's right. I sure enough did. Hubby was gracious enough not to say, "I told you so." Okay, more tomorrow on our Vegas adventure. For now, I'm off to MY OWN BED, thank God in Heaven! Goodnight, All.  |
ShellySunshine  wrote in her blog this morning about her dreams, wondering what they may be trying to tell her. That made me stop and think for a bit about my own dreams. Oy!If my dreams are trying to tell me something, I don't even want to know what it might be. I have the most bizarre dreams imaginable - always have. Some mornings I actually wake up with a look on my face that says what the heck was that? Most of my dreams are so freaky I wouldn't even tell anyone about them. Of the few that I have the guts to put in print, a lot of them have to do with teeth. Huh? I've often dreamed of my teeth crumbling in my mouth and I keep spitting out the crumbled teeth which have the consistency of small bits of gravel. No matter how many times I spit out the gravel-like teeth, there are always more. I've also dreamed about moving back to Slowdeatha (okay, it's really Odessa, but until you've lived there, don't judge me) in West Texas periodically for the last twenty years. In my dreams, I'm always really sad to be moving back there (that's a no-brainer!) but I'm always trying to make the best of it. It's weird though - same dream, just different versions, for 20 years. That has to mean something. I dream a lot about being late for a flight. Invariably, I'm visiting somewhere and suddenly I realize that I haven't packed yet and not only that, but there is no way we can make it to the airport on time, even if I was packed. All my clothes and shoes are always strewn all over the place and they never fit in my luggage, either. It's not unusual for me to have dreams that are all about people I don't know - sort of like I'm watching a movie or something on television. In those dreams, I'm always completely removed from the action. I'm nothing more than an observer. No telling what I might dream tonight after talking about all these different dreams. Maybe it will be some freaky combination of all of them. Oh, I almost forgot the most interesting feature of my dreams. I don't have scary dreams very often, but when I do, I do this really cool thing where I "rewind" if the dream gets too frightening. It's like I have a built in rewind button that kicks in if the dream is too scary or too intense. Then after the rewind, the dream starts back up but this time, it's different - the outcome is better. I mentally do a rewrite in my dream. I read an article about that one time. It's called "directed dreaming." Apparently, it's not a common phenomenon. Pretty interesting, I thought. I think I'll head off to DreamLand right now and see what's playing tonight. Talk to you all tomorrow.... |
| Not that anyone has asked. There have not been hordes of people clamoring for my learned opinion. I have not received a single letter, email or phone call imploring that I impart words of wisdom in my own inimitable way. But, hey, that has never stopped me before and I doubt that it will stop me anytime in the future. As a matter of fact, one of my most beloved smart-ass plaques which hangs in my kitchen boldly states Everyone is entitled to my opinion. I fervently believe this. With that said, I have a few things to get off my chest. Gird your loins, people. I address this diatribe to husbands. Having had one of my own for thirty-one years now, I feel qualified to speak on the subject. Husbands can be of the utmost advantage to a woman. At times. And then, there are those times when husbands become the bane of any woman’s existence. Let me take a moment here to insert a disclaimer. Yes, I do understand that wives can have the very same attributes, but then this blog isn’t written by a husband, is it? Husbands, feel free to take equal time regaling us with your opinions of what a wife is and is not. Just do it in your own blog. I’ll even read it. How’s that for equal time and equal billing? Now, back to my diatribe. As I was saying, a husband can be a wife’s greatest supporter or he can just as easily be the bane of her existence. Sometimes in the space of a very short time—sixty seconds, for example. The tide can turn that quickly. So, here are my time-tested, well-worn words of advice for any man wishing to refrain from becoming the bane of anyone’s existence, particularly that of his own beloved wife. 1. First of all, and of utmost importance, whatever words of wisdom you may have to impart to your wife, tone of voice is crucial. Your wife is now, always has been and always will be, much more sensitive than you. She will, according to her nature, listen for every nuance of emotion, every hint of criticism, every indication of the mood behind your words. And this is what she will react to. She will hear your words, but she will respond to your tone. Men, if you hear nothing else that I am telling you, hear this. Heed these words; they will save you a world of heartache. TONE. OF. VOICE. Write it down, memorize it, live it, make it your own. 2. Please also bear in mind that women are the fairer sex. Note that I did not say women are the weaker sex. There is an important difference. No, I specifically used the word fairer to differentiate women from men. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word fair as follows: pleasing to the eye or mind especially because of fresh, charming, or flawless quality Your wife may indeed be your best friend. She may be the one to whom you turn , the one you trust with all your secrets, and the one you look to for advice. Hopefully, she is all of these things to you. Which will make it all the more important that you remember that she is of the fairer sex and should be treated as such. Your male buddies do not care about the methods you use to communicate with them, they do not notice if you show irritation or disdain at something they do or say, and they are not looking to you to make them feel important. Your wife may be your best friend, but she is of a different ilk—the kind which requires gentle communication, wilts at your expression of irritation or disdain and needs to know she is important to you. She is of the FAIRER SEX. Make a note of it. 3. Your wife deserves the better parts of your nature. Yes, she has seen all of your warts and your explosions of temper and still loves you in spite of those things. But do you really want to keep pushing your luck? Love does indeed cover a multitude of sins, but even love has its limitations. Instead of donning your Sherlock Holmes cape to ferret out the mistakes, misdeeds and missed opportunities of your wife, try focusing on the reasons you were drawn to her in the first place. None of us are good at everything all the time. Often the wife you looked upon as your perfect companion yesterday will fall from grace today when she steps on your toes with an ill-considered word or a forgotten task. Don’t diminish ten or twenty or fifty years of faithful companionship by placing an over-exaggerated importance on your most recent grievance. Is it really that important? Or is she? ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| It's raining, raining, raining. And I am smiling, smiling, smiling. I'm curled up in my recliner with my laptop, watching the rain through the window and listening to the steady rhythm (that word is like kryptonite to me - I always have to go to the dictionary) of the wind and rain. Days like today give me permission to be a lazy bum. I know I can't leave the house to run any errands - because, after all, every news channel is telling everyone, in dire voices, to stay at home unless you absolutely must get out. Nothing that I need to do is an absolute must, so I have my orders to stay in. We haven't had a good tropical storm here in a couple of years. In fact, the last one I clearly remember was way back when I was still a working member of society. I worked on the other side of town (I always worked on the other side of town, it seems) and my drive home was normally a 45 minute drive. When I used to work, I was a work-a-holic. I worked 12-14 hour days routinely and that day was no exception. When I finally left the office at about 7 pm, it was pitch black outside and the rain was blowing sideways in sheets. My drive was all freeway until I got close to home, but that only helped to keep me out of the deep water. I joined the throngs of other Houstonians crawling along Highway 59 and then I-45 at approximately 25 miles per hour. My windshield wipers were woefully inadequate, even on super-high-guaranteed-to-clear-your-line-of-vision speed. At that time, I was driving a piece-of-crap Chevrolet Blazer. It was only a year old, but it was still a piece-of-crap, hence the reason they no longer make them, I'm sure. But, I digress. It was just high-profile enough to keep me above the worst of the pooled water on the road, but two and one-half hours later when I finally made it around to my side of town and had to exit the freeway to get to my neighborhood, my semi-high-profile vehicle turned into a flat little pancake car taking a dive under water. Somehow, I made it home, chug-chug-chugging the final four or five miles from the freeway exit to my neighborhood. That was the year the tropical storm stalled out in Houston for two days, went inland for a day or two, made a u-turn and came back to stall out here for two more days before finally heading back into the Gulf to peter out. I have some incredible photos of Houston submerged under gazillions of gallons of water. The Medical Center was almost washed away, Highway 59 heading to Greenway Plaza (where I worked) was completely under water - it was a literal lake. Interstate 10 was clogged with submerged 18-wheelers with only the topmost part of the cab peeking out of the water. Downtown's underground tunnels with all manner of shops and restaurants were filled to the brim with flood water. We don't need another tropical storm like that, but a good dousing from a tropical storm every now and then is not a bad thing, contrary to what the over-zealous reporters with their sensationalized news stories would lead one to believe. My biggest complaint since Hurricane Katrina decimated Louisiana and Mississippi is that every storm that comes into the gulf is now a "killer storm." Reporters tend to be far too reactionary for my taste anyway, but particularly around here when it comes to tropical storms and/or hurricanes. It's impossible to find a news station that exercises any common sense, thereby making it impossible to judge fairly whether the alarms being sounded are real or sensationalized. But, I'm rambling. For now, I'm happy that wherever this tropical storm made landfall (I don't even know because I had to turn off the television to keep from pulling my hair out from the over-the-top emotional screeching of the reporters,) it wasn't the killer-storm the reporters were yelling about last night and the sound of the rainfall outside my window is peaceful and calming. Me-thinks a few reporters need to just shut up and listen to the cadence of the rain to bring their blood pressure down a few notches. That or take a valium or something. |
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