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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| Prompt: “I often talk to people who say, ‘No, we have to be hopeful and to inspire each other, and we can’t tell [people] too many negative things’ . . . But, no — we have to tell it like it is. Because if there are no positive things to tell, then what should we do, should we spread false hope? We can’t do that, we have to tell the truth.” ~ Greta Thunberg I basically disagree with the quote. I discriminate according to my listeners. With some people, I'm straightforward and honest, no matter how bad the news. With others, it's none of their business, or they have burdens enough of their own. I don't lie to them, I just avoid the truth. If negative things involve a lot of us, then rather than dwell on them, I try to find something else to discuss, to balance things out. Maybe the situation calls for an act of kindness, not a discussion. If I go out of my way to do something nice for someone else, I don't feel the negativity so much. The worse things are, the more we need to do and say good things. I have cancer. I can avoid the topic, and never tell anyone what I'm facing. No one will understand my moods, or my busy schedule. I can focus on it, and make it the center of every conversation or encounter. No one will want to be around me. I can feel sorry for myself and indulge my gloom. I am volunteering at several places, playing hand bells, and singing in the church choir. I organized a family trip with 7 kids, who just made a Christmas memory to last a lifetime. I am baking cookies to take to several shut-in friends this week. I will act in a positive manner, but will respond truthfully when questioned. The truth, even when negative, does not have to defeat us or our relationships. |
| A Holiday Affair is a lesser known Christmas movie. It stars Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh, and was made in 1949. It's worth seeing. Some of the best lines about love come from the men in the movie, including the supporting actor. There is one very short scene with Harry Morgan that's terrific, not realistic, but very funny. Supposedly, the director just let Morgan run with it, the way he wanted, and it turned out great. I am very moved by the movie every time I see it. Another one I've just seen for the first time is Remember the Night, from 1940, starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stynwck. It's an unlikely event, but we buy into it right away, maybe more now more than they did in the 40's. Today, they would have taken a plane, instead of a car. The farm would not be managed by two older ladies, the salt of the earth type women that we all want to nurture us. And there wouldn't be an old-fashioned barn dance, and we'd have too many presents on Christmas Day, instead of the simple exchange of one gift each. But we do buy into it and fully accept it. By the end of the movie, where every thing is not settled neatly the way you want, I was sobbing out loud. It hit very suddenly. The tenderness and intensity between these two lead actors pulled me and had me hoping for the relationship between this unlikely pair A Christmas Story 2 was not as good as the original because of the absence of Darren McGaven, but it's a believable follow-up of the 16 year old version of the 9 year old. The writing stays true to the original, even if the acting does not. And, yes, a resurrected version of the fish net stockinged lamp does show up. |
| Prompt: Look out your front window or door and describe the weather. If there are animals or birds visible, how are they acting? Looking out my back door, I see a gray sky and leafless trees with a few evergreens. There is no silence, but the chirping of busy birds and the chattering of squirrels. My presence there has run them off for the time being. It's very cool, borderline cold. In the distance I hear the traffic noise. Over my neighbor's field, above the trees I see birds flapping their wings. I know they are large birds because of the distance from me. Now these flapping birds soar towards me, no longer flapping, but gliding over the corner of my yard, towards another neighbor. They are so high above the tree tops, which are pretty tall, and the wing span is huge. Just as I suspected, not crows, but turkey buzzards. There must be a small prey somewhere urging them on. There is something majestic and peaceful about the gliding. But I know they survive on road kill and violent deaths of small animals. Something of the chill and the bleakness of the day suits them. Oddly, I don't see the stray black cat that I've been feeding for two years. He usually runs up from nowhere to beg when I step out. I have to find a way to trap him and carry him without him drawing my blood to the local SPCA, which will neuter him and do all the other things for worms, rabies, and fleas at no charge. But I have to pick him up and bring him back. I'm a little afraid of a feral cat. I bleed easily. But he does rub against my ankles when I feed him, and lets me rub his head only. He still acts afraid of me most of the time. So I have to be careful. That's a bleak job, too. |
| I would love to do something different, but I have to consider family members who thrive on tradition. I would also like to use cloth napkins and get through a meal without anyone spilling or crawling under the table. But since the ages go from 1 1/2 to 91, none of that is going to happen. We'll use paper napkins and wash the cheap table cloth if it's salvageable. For some things you just have to bite your lip in order to keep peace in the family. We will have turkey, now brining, to be cooked at the crack of dawn, and ham, which I will cook tonight. I've already fixed mashed sweet potatoes to be heated tomorrow, as well as the Jimmy Dean version of stuffing. They will have a choice of homemade cranberry-apple relish or canned cranberry sauce. Raw vegetables and dip, crackers and cheese spread, hot yeast rolls, deviled eggs, and green beans almost complete the list. A niece is bringing her special macaroni and cheese. My brother is bringing red potatoes (my dad's request) and pumpkin pies, his traditional favorite. I have the whipped topping, coffee, tea, sodas, and fruit juice for the kids. Gravy will done last minute, after the turkey is carved. There's a chance the fourth family will bring something. I almost forgot, I have a pumpkin roll in the freezer, purchased from Costco after one of their tempting samplings. Sounds like more than enough, right? My dad being the country boy at heart, and who can't stand the thought of everyone not getting too much, will fix some shrimp cocktail. He used to fix a seafood salad. My mom's recipe was pretty good, but her taste buds started to go, and she stretched it out with too much onion and celery. Now dad is doing the same thing, only he buys really strong onion and goes too far with the vegetables in it. No one will eat it but him. When so much was left over a few holidays ago and was eventually discarded, he caught on that no one liked it. Be sides it's too much food for 14 people, half of whom are under 11. And he forgets that 9 of them have already had a meal before they get here. And one family will have a third one the same day *thankfully, they're all thin and never gain). They don't want as much food as my father wants to give them. I don't have any Beano on hand, but do have a large jar of Tums. Spell check says brining is not a word, but you do brine a turkey or other meat. |
| Prompt: What is your favorite or most thought provoking quote from a book you've read? Why? I will butcher the quote, but I won't be able to find it on my e-reader. In the book, Have You Seen LLuis Velez, the old lady says the world is about 50% terrible and 50% wonderful. Sometimes terrible seems to pile up on us and fills our world or our family's. That's when we have to do our best to do as much wonderful as possible. It is a hard task to fulfill. If you've just lost a friend or relative, or you lost your job and have bills to pay, or you've been told that a close friend has cancer, how can you even think of something wonderful? But that is when you need to do or say something wonderful. When you feel at your worst, you need to hold the door for someone else, or compliment a child you don't know. Give someone else the right of way at an intersection. Smile at an elderly person. It's a good time to go through the closet or the dresser and donate clothes you don't use any longer. Or visit an older aunt you haven't seen in a year or more. By paying it forward, you may influence others or set off a chain of events that will offset the terrible eventually. Perhaps the only thing that will change is your own attitude. Seeing that others are less fortunate or more desperate will help you put things in perspective. Or maybe you'll get more in return than you gave. There are no guarantees. You might have to perform five or six good deeds before you get any "return". In fact, I now recall C. S. Lewis wrote that you should be charitable even if you don't feel charitable. Act first, feelings will come later. I'm not saying that anyone should hide his head in the sand or refuse to face reality. I am saying don't become defeated by drowning in fear or self-pity. Rise above it, if only one minute at a time. |
| Black Friday. Are you going out to shop, or are you staying at home with a good book and plate full of left-overs? When I was much younger and still full of vinegar, I loved going out at the break of dawn for door busters or being one of the first 100 customers at J C Penney for a free ornament. I loved the crowds and the bargains. I had high hopes of finding presents that would elicit oohs and awes and jaw dropping when opened. I would shop until I couldn't carry any more packages, go to the car, where some motorist would get mad because they waited for my spot, not knowing I was returning to the mall. I've been sworn at big time on Black Friday. Time has taught me that no matter how much I like a gift, it never really excites the receiver the way I wished. We buy ourselves what we want all year, so it's hard to get the "perfect" gift for Christmas or other holiday. And children lose interest a few days later. Never mind that the gift might have cost you a day's wages. Or the parents put it up and never let the child play with it (noise, parts, whatever). I'm never overjoyed with the gifts I receive either. I don't feel like much thought goes into the packages I open. Apparently the others feel the obligation, not the desire to surprise or to please. Maybe we should eliminate gift giving, but that's another topic for another day. The other problem with Black Friday, or all Christmas shopping, is that I find more things I want for myself! I am overwhelmed with all the wonderful things I want to buy myself. I don't generally shop a lot, so being forced out to shop for others is like sending a kid to the candy store. I want everything. I can't stay mission focused. And I'm lured by all the advertising, like the four year old who points to every TV ad and says, "I want that." It's funny because he's cute, and they're just toys. But I'm like that with air fryers, pressure cookers, and instant whatchamajigs, not to mention spiralizers and colorful knife sets. So, no I don't go out on Black Friday any more. I take a gander at Cyber Monday, but don't go overboard if I get anything at all. I wish I could reduce Christmas shopping in general. On Black Friday, I will be cleaning after all the guests are gone and pulling toys out from under the furniture or behind appliances. It's amazing how fast and how sneaky rug rats can be while adults are eating or talking. I will have leftovers and maybe start decorating for Christmas. Maybe. |
| Thanks to all the men and women who have served their country in the military. We appreciate your sacrifice and your family's. You deserve a day of recognition. Also, note that November 10 was the 245th anniversary of the Marine Corps. They were established by the Continental Congress before our nation was formed. |
| In the news today, three things were added to the official Toy Hall of Fame. It started me thinking about what I would include in my own Toy Museum. Mattel brands, of course, come to mind. Barbie. Need I say more? You could actually have several, one from my era, later one with moveable joints, later, a liberated overachiever Barbie, with a car and a beach house. GI Joe with a few accessories would be necessary. I guess a Monster High doll, too. In general, we'd need a yo-yo, a hula hoop, a frisbee, a top, a slingshot, a pogo stick, a paddle ball, and a Rubik's cube. We'd need Raggedy Ann and Andy, a Cabbage Patch Kid, and a full-size American Girl Doll. A toy baton, sparkly plastic heels and a tiara, and a child size broom and dustpan. A cap gun (the outdated kind), a plastic sheriff's badge, and a little red wagon would be needed. Don't forget a Matchbox Car, Hotwheels with a track, and a Tonka truck. I'm almost forgetting Rock'em, Sock'em Robots and a Simon Says. Etch A Sketch. Play Doh. Silly Putty. PickUp Stix, Jackrocks. Plastic cowboys and Indians (from bygone days), plastic soldiers. Plastic dinosaurs and spiders. A bride doll (bygone decades), Easy Bake Oven. Crayons, Coloring books-any kind. Dr. Seuss books. Small rockers. A medical bag. A Paw Patrol figure. Wrestling figures-one male, one female. Batman and Superman figures. Pokémon cards. Baseball cards, etc. Toy dishes. Stuffed Micky and Minnie. For games, I'd choose Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Yahtzee, Candy Land, Checkers, and Chinese Checkers. And Bingo. In the wheels section, we need a scooter, a tricycle, a small bike with training wheels, a medium bike with a banana seat, and a Radio Flyer wagon with removable wood slats on the side. A skate board and roller skates are necessary. And in-line skates. For the preschool section, we need a toy piano, a colorful little xylophone, a toy drum, stackable rings, and anything by Fisher Price. We need an old-fashioned telephone and a cell phone, both by PlaySkool. Lincoln logs (real wooden ones), A B C blocks, Tinker Toy, and a Teddy Bear. Toys are very important to our growth and development. Some of us didn't have that many. Or we weren't allowed to play with them freely. I didn't have all the toys I listed. My brothers might have, or other kids, or my friends' kids. I am sure I have a feminine point of view in what belongs in this museum. They all tell a story in someone's life. SStill adding on: How could I omit Slinky, Gumby and Pokey, Magic 8 ball, Nerf balls? |
| I have frequently written about my back deck and plants. Today it is getting a makeover. Everything was packed up and hauled out into the yard. I am positive the deer will graze on the flowers and herbs now at their level. I may have to start over with them. The deck will be power washed tomorrow, I guess. The back windows are not finished yet, so I don't know which painter will dominate in the morning and decide. It takes 24 hours for the sealant to dry, so I'm guessing things will be in the yard at least two days, maybe three. The chives and sage will come back next year, but the basil, pansies, and other things will not. However, in my mind, I'm anticipating a clean new coated deck and railing and wheelchair ramp (no longer actively used by a wheelchair). The furniture and grill will be returned, minus a swing I want trashed. The pots of summer plants will be emptied and carried behind the shed when I am well enough to handle them. I'm picturing myself on a sunny day in a sweater, sitting on my clean deck with reduced plants enjoying what remains and the sounds of nature all around me. Next spring I will plant marigold seeds that I harvested from this year's plants. I'll buy some new planters to replace the old cracked ones. I'll buy new basil seed, because I love to smell it. Once again I will have my oasis We'll rehang the rain gauge and the hummingbird feeder and the thistle seed feeder. (How will my cardinals and doves make it a few days?) Soon the blue jays and wrens will return. Unfortunately, the squirrels/tree rats will return, too. But at least, after its absence, I will have my little haven back again. |
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