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 |  I've maxed out. Closed this blog. |
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This is a way of making myself write something coherent and grammatically correct almost every day. I'm opinionated and need an outlet. I'm also prone to flights of fancy. Thanks for stopping by. |
| I'm getting into cleaning out the closets and cabinets finally. I'm giving away a box full of flat sheets with not fitted sheet, king size pillow cases that don't match anything, tablecloths, rice cookers (we have 3), and so forth. And I can't believe the way my hall closet looks! I've been taking clothes, shoes, and belts, and a few knickknacks to Good Will. But the local church won't take clothes for their annual yard sale. Things will go cheap, but they usually make a nice profit. All of it goes to mission projects, like the mosquito treated netting for Ghana. I'm just getting geared up, after a slow start. I have a feeling some Christmas wrap will go, now that we mostly use gift bags. But that's in the garage, and I haven't made it there yet. I found a box of weird ceramics, stamped Japan on the bottom. My understanding is that only dated Japanese things are worth anything. They would be from occupied Japan. After that, everything was more cheaply done, except electronics. Neither the church nor Good Will will take vases from florists--too many out there. The china cabinet is next week. Someone told me that old board games are almost worthless, as are children's books. They only want current toys and books. I'm getting more organized, and my house is looking roomier. I might even get some office space for my father out of this. And the church will benefit from my cast-offs. It's a win-win. |
| With all the trouble California farmers will have this year due to the drought, we need to be as supportive as possible. When at the supermarket, read the labels. Buy local first; support your own area. Then buy California, not some other country. California avocados, for instance, are suppose to be the healthiest and tastiest. None of my area markets have any. They are all from Mexico. I plan to shop around. The same is true of other produce, like lettuce. The crops will suffer without rain, and their expenses will get worse. We need to support them now as much as possible. Buy your almonds now and put in the freezer for this fall. So many people don't read the labels, especially on fresh foods. And remember signs and advertising can be misleading. It is legal to call a vegetable "local" if it's grown within 300 miles. "Local" meat can be up to 100 miles from the distributor, not the store. Buy American. It will be fresher, more likely pesticide free, and will support American farmers. |
| I've discovered I really like plugging music into my ear when I walk through the park. So I wanted a new album. I've spent an hour after making a 30 second purchase from Amazon, trying to get the download from the Amazon cloud to sync with itunes ap to download to my Ipod. Yikes!!!! No success, so far. I can listen to the music on my computer, but I can't carry the desktop with me. I've done it before, at considerable effort. This time I'm not finding any options.I've googled it, but nothing matches up. I'm glad I only got one album. I don't want to duplicate Internet services on a desktop, an Iphone, and an Ipod. I want the conveniences, but not the hard work or expense. I had the I-pod 2 years before I got the I-phone, so I don't want another music collection.And the I-pod is lighter to slide in my pants pocket when I'm walking. I have a Twitter account, or did, but don't use it. I'm on Linkedin, but don't use that either. I do use Facebook, which is mostly advertisements and fake claims. And job-hunting on the Internet may allow you to stay home in jeans and a t-shirt, but it's more complicated than going in person with a resume and filling out a simple paper ap. And for the phone, I need glasses and good light. No, computer savvy I am not. Even here on WDC, I have my trials at times. I need a grandchild around to help me, I guess. |
| Today after a long battle with the insurance company and alternative methods that didn't help, my specialist broke down and gave me an injection in the shoulder. Tonight, I am not good as new, I still can't reach behind my back, but I am so much better than I was this morning!!! It will take several days for the stiffness to wear off after so many months of agony and not using that arm. I can't take anti-inflammatory drugs on a long term basis because I'm on a blood thinner. (I can stand a one time heavy use like for oral surgery, and then no more.) I'll set up four appointments for physical therapy, which should be enough to get me back in action. Side effects? I asked, too. I could get infections easily for a while, so I need to avoid scratches, etc. Headaches, maybe. So far, I still have discomfort. but I'm not wincing from sudden moves or crying if I forget and put my elbow on the desk. I carried my purse in that hand this afternoon, even lifting it a little. You really don't appreciate the little things until you can't do them any more. Tomorrow, I expect to put on deodorant properly and hold my hairbrush with the bad hand. It's a red letter day, and I'm happy! |
| Just watched an old movie, The Outlaw, from 1943. It starred a young Jane Russell, barely out of her teens. Wow, was she a young beauty. Yes, there were lots of cleavage shots. Apparently, she hadn't learned at that point that she could say no to directors and cameramen. And there were some really crummy close-ups of her face and lips in supposedly romantic scenes. Those lousy shots were the men's fault, not hers. What I liked about the movie is the way it mixed up the Billy the Kid legends. They cooked up a plot where Billy's death by Pat Garrett was faked, and he really rode off with Rio, the young beauty who had secretly married him while he had a fever. I've read a lot about Billy the Kid, and none of this ever came up. His friendship in this movie was with Doc Holiday--played by Walter Huston--not Pat Garrett. Most legends have him being like a younger brother to Pat Garrett. Billy had Mexican girlfriends. He ran across the border frequently. In the 60's TV show, The Tall Man, Billy had an affectionate relationship with Pat, but there was always a foreboding about the lawman and the fun-loving young prankster who walked the edge of the law.On that show he had a girlfriend named Rita. We know the legend was bigger than the man. Billy didn't kill as many people as the tall tales would let us believe, according to historians. He didn't commit as many crimes as he was credited. The researchers think his name may have been an easy one to use for unsolved crimes. William Bonney captured the imagination of the nation and continues to captivate us today. |
| A woman I know challenged us today with just a rhetorical question. "How would you feel if tomorrow you got up and had only what you gave thanks for today?" She left a small group of men and women speechless, wondering "What would I be willing to live without?" If a person were to start listing desperately the things for which he wants to keep and needs to express thanks, you could tell a lot about that person's age and personality. A musician for instance might want to give thanks for his antique guitar or a treasured Stradivarius violin. Most would think of their families, their spouses or significant others, extended family, and friends. The basics would be listed like food, clean water, shelter, clothes, transportation. Some people over 50 or with medical problems would list their medicines at the top of the list, even before food. Doctors, medical workers, emergency workers, hospitals make the lists for family people, the elderly, the handicapped, those in pain. I would add my computer, books, electricity, the ability to work, a place to sleep, and my privacy, Some would add their jobs, their school, a club, the family silver, their stock portfolios, or their smart phones. Some might list their collectibles, their art, their skills, their power, their success, their nice houses.For some, it would be all about their animals, or the gardens, the farm, or the ranch. Most sooner or later would get around to liberty, safety, justice, individuality, and creation. We know that an attitude of gratitude is good for us. It keeps us level-headed and helps us heal and cope. Whether you are religious or not, being grateful for the good things in life is healthy for us. "An attitude of gratitude" is a mantra for 12-step help groups.I remember a scene in the Karate Kid, where the teacher tells him to remember the sky is blue and the grass is green. In some very low times of my life, when I felt like I had nothing to give thanks for, I would repeat: the sky is blue and the grass is green. It was always a place to start. From there, I could find more things to add to the list, and I could be grateful even in the middle of some horrifying times. Fortunately, my friend's admonition to be thankful today and every day isn't really a threat to us. I caught myself thinking that I need some legalistic, covering phase like, "Thanks for all the things I take for granted, or the things I can't remember at the moment." But that isn't necessary. I believe in a loving God, who is not legalistic, who gives us good things even if we take them for granted. He forgives us for the times when we are not grateful, as long as we come around again and remember the source of the sunshine, the flowers, the rain in season, love and life. We aren't walking some narrow bridge, from which we can fall off into poverty and need, if we aren't grateful enough on a constant basis. We don't have to be afraid of losing it all. We do need to give thanks on a regular basis, not to be safe, but to be healthy emotionally and spiritually. |
| With so much bad news, maybe we should wake up to the dangers pending on us all. Christians have been targeted in so many African nations, and slaughtered, including the recent college massacre. Christians in every nation are under verbal and financial attack, with Jews close behind. Within Islam, one sect attacks another sect. Buddhists attack and drive out Hindi. It's not always a matter of religious beliefs. No one stops and asks people if they are adherents of a certain creed. They simply identify them by race or family or location. In some places the fight is over who's taking the cattle to market, one group or another? Maybe Easter weekend is a good time to show we are not afraid to believe as we choose and exercise those rights. If Jewish, go to a synagogue; observe your traditions. If Christian, go to church; say grace and give thanks for religious liberty. We are free to disagree with each other, to worship differently or not at all. But no one has the right to impose their beliefs or lack of belief on someone else. |
| Nothing makes me sadder than hearing an older person say that he or she is just waiting for the grave (more often a he). Frequently, those people have tied up the meaning of life with work, so that when they stop working by choice or by health, they have little reason to keep living. What makes me mad is when I hear younger people writing off older people, like they can't continue to be creative, productive, vital, sensuous, or active. Did you know that Michelangelo started the final Sistine Chapel painting when he was 59? It wasn't a short term job. Grandma Moses sold her first painting at age 78. But it's not just artists. Sir Isaac Newton was the first scientist to be knighted when he was 62. John Glenn manned his second space flight at age 77. Benjamin Franklin invented the first bifocals at age 78. Guiseppe Verdi, the Italian composer, wrote "Ave Maria" when he was 85! I've studied cowboy legends and found a woman who ran a riding school for girls and young women. She died at age 101, not from illness or "old age", but was thrown from a horse while teaching girls to rope from a moving horse. Now that's living a full life! In the entertainment industry, you have Betty White who stays busy, but maybe doing easier things than she used to do. There are other tougher jobs being done by Robert Duvall and Clint Eastwood, both pushing 90. Paul Newman made personal appearances right up to the end, and still looked good at 94. Never plan on resting on your laurels. Retiring from a job doesn't mean retiring from life. And being over 50, or 65 doesn't disable a person or diminish their worth. They can still be vital in the workplace, in volunteer work, in politics, in the arts. We need to clean up our attitudes for ourselves, our family, and our friends. Let seniors have a full life. Encourage them to continue pursuing their dreams. |
| The daily news is depressing. It seems as though we are living in the most intolerant time in my lifetime. With all of our emphasis on cultural diversity and political correctness, we are meaner than ever and hate more than ever. If you believe the Ten Commandments, you are politically incorrect. If you do business with gays with no problem, but you say you don't believe in the sanctity of gay marriage, then your business is threatened with fire and vandalism, and your family has to go into hiding for safety reasons. If you eat or sell pork products, you are violating the rights of people who want to believe that pigs and pork products don't exist. If your church or synagogue, which have voluntary attendance, teaches that it is wrong to live with someone to whom you are not married, you are offending people who don't believe the same way. We can twist the law and the truth to mean anything we want and use it to attack anyone with whom we do not agree. We want to dictate to every business owner and organization what they practice and how they operate. Whatever happened to "live and let live"? That's a concept of the past, like freedom of speech apparently. If it's vile and disgusting, no one objects. TV humor just gets raunchier every year, and body parts are discussed in prime time in demeaning and crude ways. "Tolerate me! But I don't have to tolerate you!" That seems to be the words many people live by. Those of us who feel offended by the whiners, complainers, and litigators and all their anger feel powerless to do anything. But we shouldn't. I believe there are a lot of people who practice democracy and individual freedom every day, but they don't stand up for their beliefs when challenged. They don't point to themselves as examples of tolerance for contrast. We need to find our backbone, and stand up for our neighbors and personal freedom. |
| I must have been born after my time. I love the older music. I'm listening to Robert Goulet at the moment. I love Mel Torme, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Johnny Mathis. Let's not forget Ella Fitzgerald; she does every song better than other performers. She makes her music sound effortless. I'm not a Sinatra fan. And Perry Como sings so slow, you want to fall asleep even in your favorite song. I think I like the older songs because they were romantic sounding, and you can sing along. The words were something you could understand. Apparently, others agree, because these songs reappear in the movies from time to time. Even in this modern age, some of the old songs just say it best. Big band sounds will stay around forever, but not so many big bands. It's expensive to pay that many musicians, I have my own repertoire that I sing fairly regularly, when no one is listening. "Fly Me To the Moon", "It's Wonderful, Wonderful", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Chances Are", "Hold Me", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", and "Misty" get me started. If I really want to tackle some tough intervals, I try "Ebb Tide". Then I mix in some newer ones. I guess someday, a person somewhere will marvel that he or she likes The Beatles of The Beach Boys and will mix it up with some old Madonna and Lady Gaga. |
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