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 |  Yet another blog. Been here so long I thought I ought to blog again. Besides, it is fun! |
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I've decided to blog again. I can only hope it will last longer than the last one. (Hah) The main difference is I am beginning in the middle of July, in a severe drought, and we had a little rain today. Of course not enough, but anything is welcome. The smell of rain is so rare, and nice. I didn't realize how much I have missed it. I also cannot believe how chilly it is. Yet, I should believe it, as I was recently in what was supposedly summer in New Zealand (where I had to buy hats, sweaters and sheepskin booties), Australia and a bunch of other countries, which all were experiencing strange weather. A big shout out to my friends (you know who you are). I am fortunate enough to still be in touch with some of them. This brings up some other strange topics. I mean how some so-called friends just go dark on you...nothing, crickets so to speak, not a sound. It can be family too. Strange phenomena this is. Life is full of them. Today is my eleventh WDC anniversary. Gulp. There have been so many changes here I barely know where to begin. So I just began. And so I shall end for today. Time to go drink a cup of tea now. |
| Sometimes I want to just scream. I know everyone can relate. Like just now, when I see how long it has been since I last blogged. To be fair I haven't been close to a computer. Yeah, I know that is NO excuse. It is all I have though. Did this make it easier to blog? No. Ergo this meager offering.  I'm outta here!! |
| Gopher holes pop-up In the least likely places They should keep their heads down A Haiku I wrote as I heard the pop of a bullet leaving a gun.  I would enter it in the Haiku contest, but can"t figure out how to. (Not really, just lazy.) |
| Ever notice how people say, "Leave a message" and never respond? I have so many tales of non-returned calls, as does my husband. I hesitate to say, "Back in the day", yet I remember when a person who said; "I'll get back to you" meant they would. It didn't matter whether or not money was involved. (Just to be clear money is NOT always involved.) Now it seems like nobody's word means anything. We often discuss things which do not get done these days. 1. Tree trimming. 2. Unfinished jobs. (Like doors which need finishing.) 3. Memberships to organizations you want to belong to. 4. R.S.V.P.'s 5. Calls returned even when you DO leave a message. (Or many.) It really is sad, not to get any acknowledgement for efforts you placed. I mean, REALLY? Like out time is not worth anything. (At least that is how it feels.) So the next time you do not return a call (any) try a little empathy. (If you don't know what it means, then time to look it up!) |
| I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Hah! I know how those “family” dinners go. I was doing my Christmas Cards (yes, some of us still do them!) from the list I usually use when, (shock of shocks), some people are not with us anymore. Scary thought. This required some adjustment to my address book…(yes, I know about my contact list) like…changing the changes (to put it politely). I still ran out of cards. You would think I would know…why is it I never run out of stamps? We watched a comedian the other night who said something like, “The BIBLE must have been written by Sylvester because of so many doths, goeths,and the like.” Talk about a whole new way of looking at things. While I am thinking about it I saw where Santa has been remade and now has a shorter beard, a silver man-bun, tattoos (one tat on each arm saying either Naughty or Nice) and a short-sleeved sweater. (That is not the Santa I know). Perhaps he is slimmer now because he eats no added sugar in his cookies. Does he even eat them with a glass of milk…or (gulp) maybe Almond Milk to avoid Lactose Intolerance. Sheesh. I would love to see Santa in workout clothes, now that would be helpful …although delivering ALL the gifts in workout clothes would be weird, not to mention the looks he would get from the reindeer. Oh my. I wonder what is next…drones for reindeer, a pierced ear…or maybe both since he is married. (Although I suppose Mrs. Claus could be a beard.) Far too much to contemplate for my brain. I wonder who will win The Voice. |
| Last night while listening to a mix of older songs (and I mean from the 60’s, in particular 1967) I said to my husband, “ Odd how some songs we heard at 17 had meanings quite different than what I think it means at 67. I guess this is what it means to stand the test of time.” He pointed out how many years of experiences there are between the comparisons, how much life experience we have during the intervening years. How true. The song I was listening to when having these thoughts was by The Association, “Never My Love.” In particular as I sang along I heard, “You say you fear I’ll change my mind and I won’t require you.” WOW…followed by “Never my love…” really says a lot about how we feel at 16…insecure, and then again when we get older. I just got an email asking me to forward it to 8 other women. H-m-m-m. I don’t think I know 8 women to forward this to. It was an email which made me smile and I know the 3 I sent it to will also….but, I rarely do “forwards”. Sometimes I wish there was an unsubscribe at the bottom of the email, like on many emails I get from companies. I have signed up for many. Just as many I have gone through the unsubscribe game also. Speaking of this, wonder why AMAZON can do what they say they will do (deliver) on or before the date promised? Ok, so I know they may have overstated their “Better than Black Friday” sale, but if you are looking for great deals never shop an advertised sale. Period. If you really want to save money DON’T BUY anything! It works well when you employ this method. I hope this blog will, as I just found it and now I am way beyond 67. I am misplacing things, but nothing important. Yet. ( Nothing I can’t replace if I want to…you hear that AMAZON?) |
| There comes a time (well, if you live long enough) you find the body changes in spite of how you treat it. I look in the mirror and don’t recognize myself…despite the gray hair (which I purposely grew out) the body seems to love gravity. What a shock!! I now need glasses for more than just reading… a HUGE adjustment. You never think you will get old…older yes, but old looking too?!! Yep. I am grateful to still have my mind. Many do not. My father is one, and he used to be a pilot! I now am privileged to know how much my father receives from retiring from the Air Force, another job after he left the Air Force, and any investments he made, which is nothing. One morning my husband noted only a short time until I turn 68…and then only 2 years until we are 70. I told him, “I’m not even 68, so I think I’ll hold off.” He thought it was funny. I was serious. We heard the life expectancy is 78 in America, so we constantly say, “Only 11 years left.” I am not sure if it helps me to live a better life now, but it seems like it should. Now we both are 68. Today my right hand hurts. It is hurting in the same place I broke my wrist in 3 places 18 years ago! Wow…a long time ago, but hey it is just calling attention to it. I broke a toe the other day while shopping at the grocery store. I thought it may be one I’d broken twice before. It wasn’t. It is very colorful, but not very painful. The bottom line is that life is weird, so we have to just accept it and move on. We have no choice. |
| WHO???? (Before he died he was on 60 min. and was greatly admired for his common sense.) Did you ever wonder why cars ride so closely to each other? I know I do. I remember the days when you were supposed to leave 10 ft. for each car length between you for each 10 miles an hour you did. Now you are lucky to see daylight between 2 cars. What's the rush? Trust me, an accident will delay you AND cost you $. (That is assuming you did not leave soon enough to make it on time, if not EARLY. Or, God Forbid, you made it to a stoplight and it was RED ). Then what? Run it? NAH, we always see broken up cars on the news because someone ran a light. Ohhh, for 15 minutes of fame. REALLY? I hate to say it, but people looking for recognition should do it legitimately (blog,) do not leave a child or pet in your car on a hot day, do not "livestream" and for heaven's sake, do not rob a convenience store. (They all have video nowadays.) On another topic I wish candidates would quit spending their (our) $ on trash. Yes, some of us vote by mail and DO NOT want flyers to take to the voting booth. Who are these people? One more week of trash. I really hate paying for "trash" twice. NO on negative ads too. Who listens?? Not me, I already voted. |
Wow. Wow. Wow. Maybe I should say blah, blah, blah. Or maybe YADA, YADA, YADA. Some days are better than others and yet, doesn’t it make you wonder why the good and bad days seem to happen in a bunch? Sorta like a a bunch of grapes, yet the only thing you can do is make WHINE! On the good days you can drink it. (Smile.) For many, October has been the month from Hades. (Remember this blog is rated PG.) For me, it can’t end soon enough. (Rain or no rain as it turn out.) It began innocently enough, then got really comic as time went by. (I can only say this in retrospect.) So what happened you ask? Well, nobody I know personally died. That isn’t to say things were superb, because they were not. First off, I have been wound up…tightly. My brother flew out from NC to stay with my father while our father’s wife went into the hospital for repair of some surgery she volunteered for a few years back. She was going to have extended surgery to her neck. (Never you mind I wanted to strangle her.) She let me know (approximately a few days before she was going into surgery) she would not be available for 6 weeks to take care of my DAD, who has Alzheimers. So, I tried to figure out a way to take 24/7 care of our dad. That is when I called my brother and he volunteered for the duty. Whew! Now all is well enough, my brother is back home, we went to get me to meet Paul’s newest grandson. I GOT TO MEET HIM! He is quite heavy for 6 and a half months. (Like 18 pounds.) We are awaiting a call from the vet about Niles. We took him into the VET last week, and there has been little improvement. (He had his birthday on Friday…it was also Frasiers.) Niles is gone now. Sadness fills our hearts. Not funny. |
| So, where have you been? I mean where is your sense of humor now? Did you lose it along the way? Okay, I will admit this last year has been a difficult one, losing one of my pets was hard, but not as hard as losing a friend. I have lost a few. Why, the Frasier was my friend, and so is Niles…but now, today is Niles’ birthday and he has been asleep for it. So far. Happy Birthday to him. He is blind and has dry eyes, so this necessitated a trip to the vet. Now he has goop for his eyes (which cannot see, so he bumps into everything), but some dog-ibuprophen to ease the pains. What do you do about STINKY, SOUR SMELLING SHEETS on your bed? I know, I have a very sensitive sniffer, but really sleeping on a bed which smells something like a sour washcloth is NOT for me. So today I washed sheets…or should I say, STERILIZED them. Now the need to remake our bed. Sheesh! The bed is remade minus a leaky feather pillow. It did make it difficult to sleep, as it was the pillow I use to keep my knock-knees apart. However the smell was gone so this made for a good night. Well my time for blogging has ended now…at least for this blog. I hope to be back tomorrow. By the way we have gotten a little rain...not enough by far, but something. Until then.... |
| The lonlies. |
| Just home from taking my brother back to the airport. He's such a nice man. The other night was nothing short of magical. (See photo.) I have nothing more. |
| Sorry, it has been awhile and probably will be again! My brother is in town to take care of our AF vet dad while his wife has been in the hospital for over a month. I understand this, yet what I do not understand is why she left my father with no money, my brother with no instructions on his doctor appointments, or anything else. Well, yesterday there was a meeting to "discuss" the options. Really. I went to a meeting about options over a month ago, before she went into the hospital. It was determined there are no options. It was more of the sane vs the insane. She will be home Sat. What will be will be. We take my brother to the airport after the "handoff". He is totally unsure what Hurricane Matthew has brought to his home in Orlando. We keep checking CNN, and so far so good. There are people staying in his house who live on the coast. During the relief my brother has afforded me we went to visit my husband's mother in Texas. We only had raindrops once, and not even in Texas. (Of course don't even start counting teardrops...from laughter I assure you.) My husband is a very funny man. Sometimes I am so serious I can't tell if he is joking. ( Don't ask, he won't tell.) Well, just wanted you all (who care in the slightest) to know I am still here...kicking and screaming, but still here! |
| Guilt is a whole other matter. Yeah, this is a conclusion I came to. Neither is very productive in the scheme of things. Case in point, I wonder where my grandchild is. I worry she will never know either her father or me. See, I need not have worried. My son has met his daughter. Need not to have wondered when she was born. Now have her birthday. I wondered about her middle name, yet now I know what it is. All things will come to those who are patient. Wonder yes, worry no. I wonder what she’ll be like when I meet her, but worried or guilt I don’t have time for. Worry causes stress which will come out in many ways. Some obvious, other not so much until later. Guilt is another gift which keeps on giving, long after the intent. We all feel guilt about something for far too long. Forgiveness is difficult. My father. I no longer feel guilty about not calling very often. It turns out he doesn’t even know me. He’s frustrated. Not the father I remember from not too long ago. I think he needs to be in a memory care facility, as does his neurologist. His wife (who is 90, maybe 91) is his main caretaker. She called me (because she needs my help), to let me know she is going in for another neck surgery. The last one she had was a failure, and she was in a care facility for 6 weeks. She says it’s offering her some hope of being pain-free. Oh. The way I see it, she’s a hypochondriac, always has been. However, when I call my dad I must go through her (she always answers my dad’s cellphone). She never makes it easy nowadays. I spent the day with my father. Because I wanted to. His wife asked me to pick him up at 7 am, promised to be in touch. She never called until 4:30 pm to ask if we wanted to have dinner at 5:30 pm. We’d just returned from a huge meal where my dad ate a large bowl of ice cream afterwards. She never spoke to me or my husband. Fast forward to now. My brother flew in from NC to stay/give care to our dad. Suffice it to say this part is going well, the rest not so much. I just spoke to my brother, wow it's apparent my father needs loving care, not the crazy care he’s been getting! We have dad waitlisted for memory care. Sigh. |
| Just a drawing I did to celebrate... |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY WDC!! |
| This is a reprint, seems particularly apt right now! There was no bad news on tv, radio, or online today? Suppose we turned on the morning news and were greeted with our favorite morning anchor. “Good morning, the entire world was at peace last night. Not one war happened. There were no shots fired. There were no bombs blowing up anything. There were no abandoned, abused or kidnapped children. There are no violent deaths to report. The fire department says they all got a good nights sleep; completely void of any fire alarms. The police department reports apparently nobody drove past the speed limit, nobody drove drunk or high on drugs; there were no high-speed chases, car shootings or accidents. Not one person died on the freeways. Not one Politician made a stupid remark or lied to us or, incredibly, spent money we don’t have. The national debt is now zero, and unemployment is non-existent. Not one celebrity had their photo taken, nor did they hurt or slandered another. Nobody abused a pet. Though we have searched high and low we could not find one hungry person, one homeless person or anyone in need of medical care. Now here is the weather report from our very own Mary Sunshine...” “Thank you. There are no tornadoes, hurricanes, snowstorms, droughts, or torrential floods anywhere on earth this morning. As you can see the sun is out! The lows are in a bearable range, with the highs being in a very comfortable zone. Any clouds you see are of the large fluffy variety, and there is no change in the immediate, foreseeable future. Now let’s throw it over to Highway Patrol Officer Clara Bell for a traffic report.” “Thank you very much for the great forecast Mary. The freeways are all running smoothly. Incredibly everyone is doing the speed limit and there are absolutely no tires, couches, mattresses, refrigerators, dogs, chickens, people, or stalled vehicles impeding traffic. Looking at the shot from our Sky Hawk traffic watcher, you can even see the drivers are smiling and waving to each other. No roadwork is being done during this peak times, and all potholes seem to have been filled. Oh wait...let’s zoom in on this slow down.....Ohhh, it seems some cars have pulled over to the right shoulder....is there a problem? No, upon closer inspection it seems they are all just getting out of their cars to... dance. Yes, I hear the music...isn’t this the best thing you have ever seen? Other cars are now pulling over and they too are joining in...they seem to be doing the Freeway Shuffle. How delightful! Now it’s back to the anchor desk and you Dave...” “Thank you so much Clara. We do have some breaking news down at the beach though...our reporter is now there...what do you have for us Chuck?” “Thanks Dave, it seems we have an entire flotilla of yellow rubber ducks making their way to shore.I have no idea where they are coming from, but as you can see, the ocean is yellow with them. When one gets to shore and I can interview it I’ll break back in.” “This is Dave, with your positive spin on life signing off for the day. Smile, help a neighbor and try to refrain from hurting anyone, especially yourself. Have a wonderful day!” It's contagious! |
| It has been two days now since Frasier died. It is now my husbands' 68th birthday. Life goes on, when you are lucky. RIP Frasier, you were COURAGE personified. My life has been enriched by both Frasier and my husband. I am indeed fortunate. |
| Becoming a curmudgeon is easy. Here are a dozen ways: 1. When your pants fall down, even when you have a belt on. 2. When wads of kleenex supplant the dollar bills in your pocket! 3. When you hit a curb. (Of course it moved closer than you thought.) 4. When dog litter bags supplant your wallet in your pocket. 5. When you feel rubbing on your leg you think it’s your dog, NOT your spouse. 6. When you throw out things you had to have in favor of things you think you have to have. 7. When everything you want, you already have. 8. When you have a full time dumpster you actually use. (Your kids want nothing of yours.) 9. When your mouth corners become (or look like it) stained by chocolate. 10. When your animal needs (your) assisted living. 11. When you talk back to the TV. 12. When holidays come too quickly. I lovingly submit these! |
| CURMUDGEON POWER (See Photo of My Cards below.) I guess if you live long enough you can become a curmudgeon. The dictionary defines it as; an old, cranky character, a person who is easily annoyed. The accepted definition would be it is usually a man, but I can attest women can be curmudgeonly also. I suppose another way to look at it is “a negative person”, yet not really. You see, experience is what makes a curmudgeon. I just discovered I spelled it wrong in a card I made. It takes one to recognize they are not “perfect”. (Pretty close though.) It is possible to make someone into a curmudgeon also. I did it, or contributed greatly to someone becoming one. In fact the first time the word was used by me was to describe another person. Getting up with a “curmudgeon” is worse than going to sleep with one…there is little hope when a curmudgeonly attitude begins the day. I spoke to a self-described “curmudgeon” today. I told them it was the first time I heard someone else use the word. Then was told an an they were original one. I believed them. Had a few friends (gal-pals) over this weekend, for two nights. It was really fun, and we re-united with a former cruise buddy. She was the oldest of the three cruisers, I was the youngest. She was (the former cruiser) and is worse now at “curmudgeondom.” Suffice it to say we were fortunate she was late to dinner and we had ordered so did not need to spend much time with her. When we got back to the car, the daughter of my friend commented, “Wow, is she negative.” Yeah, she always has been. We all smiled. We have been having loads of fun being curmudgeons, and using our humor to describe it. Like: It takes a lifetime of practice to become one. (I should know…wink.) Or: Being a curmudgeon is easy…just open your mouth and use no filter. Yesterday I went to see someone (a banker) who is well on their way to becoming a curmudgeon…by virtue of birthday. He said he was a “romantic”, to which I made him a birthday card with a tie full of hearts and a group of stairs leading to another tie with *@!’s all over it, to indicate he will be a curmudgeon some day. (See picture.) Being a curmudgeon is fun. Until it isn’t. |
| Happy Birthday…exactly what does it mean? As of 5:36 AM the other morning we welcomed a grandson, Riley James. Yes, it finally happened. This could be the happiest day of his life, and he doesn’t even know it. I know it has made my husband extremely happy. Me? I was only here at the time, really had nothing to do with it. No blood, nothing. But I can be happy nonetheless. The birthday parties will come and go, remembered by the photos (if you are lucky), and maybe special people, games, cake, or ? In Hawaii there is a Luau for a child’s first birthday. I suspect it is more for the parents to celebrate their own survival of the past year! My husband left to visit his son and new grandson. Actually it will turn out he’ll get to see both go his sons, and both grandsons. Pretty special. Sort of an all guys thing, since the newish daughter-in-law isn’t going, and I am not…only the “new” mother will be there to represent the women. Since I will be having a few as houseguests soon, I am home. I know the new baby won’t remember me anyway…besides, it is far more important that he goes now. I will go later in the early fall. I just got a message (text) telling me he is building a mobile. It was to be an ocean theme, so it had two fishing rods crossed with assorted nautical items hanging. The mobile will hang from a light fixture in the center of the room. Who wants a baby strangled with fishing line as was pointed out to me (if it fell)? Now he is home, 3,000 miles later and 3 days. WOW! The trip would have been difficult for me to sit in the car. But he made it just fine. We decided we would go back in October. (All things working out.) Speaking of Birthdays, I wonder why we only find out about people we think we know AFTER they die? It seems we go to Ancestry.com after a death. I know, I went after my mom died. I have a newish grandchild whose birthday is unknown to me, or her father. I know she is 3 months old and her first name. I know she is part Hawaiian and is supposedly ornery like her father. (I will admit I needed to look up the word.) I’m reporting it is a perfect definition. So, now I know something about my grandchild. She is like her father. Uh-oh, people will have their hands full. I suppose it would be wise to get this out before my NEXT birthday. Although 68 is a nice round number. Happy Birthday to all!! |
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