Happy Halloween...NIGHT

Happy Halloween...

By my daughter... double pumpkins...

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

WHO IS GOING TO CLEAN UP THE MESS?

All these protestors. All the different cities… Thousand of people
at some of them.. Heck, New York is almost like a little city in it’s
self… People sleeping on the streets, in tents, sitting in chairs.
milling around. Food being supplied… paper plates and cups.
Then the first aid tent, massages tents or chairs…

I got to ask.. who is going to clean up this mess when they all
leave? After all they have to leave sometime. The
weather should be turning cold soon in the Northern states.

If you have ever been around an area that many people have
gathered.. even for just a day, there is garbage all over the place.
Even with garbage cans all thru the area… They end up overflowing.
There is garbage left behind, clothing left behind.. lost items.. Dirt,
from everyone walking all over the place…

How much money is this going to cost the city to clean this stuff up.
Every city is complaining about their budgets stretched to the max as
it is… And those in the Northern states are looking at snow coming,
have a limit budget for that. How are they going to clean up and
remove snow?

I think the cities should give each one of the protestors a large bag, and
Half of them, brooms… and let them clean up their mess..

Salesmen can be fooled just as taxi drivers are...

As I told you yesterday, working in the nursing home can be funny.
Today’s tale is about a gentleman and a truck…

One day a man decided he wanted a truck. He lived at the local
nursing home for about 8 years. So he called up the local taxi
and requested a cab.

The cab arrived and the gentleman walked out with his walker
and got into the cab. He requested the driver to take him to
the local Ford dealer.

The gentleman dealt with the salesman for about half hour and
went for a ride in the truck of choice. That the salesman allowed
him to drive… with the walker placed in the bed of the truck.

When he arrived back at the dealership, he gave all of the information
to the salesman. And the salesman gave him a ride back to the
nursing home , helped him out of the truck and gave him the walker.

The salesman went back and worked on the paper work so he could get
the deal thru asap. But he had to called the house number
to talk to the gentleman as most of the credit record was over 10 years old.
Only to find out he was talking to the gentleman’s adult daughter who informed him that….
Dad has been in a nursing home for 8 years.
Dad had his driver’s license revoked 9 years before.
And that the daughter is the one who controls Dad’s money
As dad is delusional and has been for 9 years…
And was just notified by the nursing home, her father had taken
a taxi ride..and just returned.. as they had been looking for him for more
than 30 minutes.

The poor salesman was the butt of many jokes around the dealership.
Don’t know if he still works there or not… as that was over 5 years ago.

These two stories are true, I swear with my hand on a bible…

Working in the nursing home...

We had a gentleman name Francis...
One day Francis called for a taxi... Francis had dementia...
The taxi came and picked up Francis without question...
Francis told him he need to make an appointment in Spokane (75 miles away)
So off they went...

Only trouble was when they got to Spokane and Francis couldn't come up
with an address and thru the conversation, the taxi driver discovered
he probably shouldn't have picked up Francis in front of a nursing home..

He ended up having his dispatcher call the nursing home to see if they were
missing someone called Francis.. Sure enough they had discovery he was
gone and were totally surprised that he was in Spokane... long and short ..
he had to return Francis to the nursing home.

But it gets better....

The Taxi company decided to sue Francis for not paying for the ride.
(why they didn't sue the nursing home I don't know ... unless because
the nursing home did not know that Francis had called and didn't discover
he was gone until about 45 minutes later)....

The girls were told to have Francis's suit clean by the laundry gal..for him
to show up in court the next day. When it came down to time to take Francis
to court, they went to the laundry and got his suit. It was the only thing he
had to wear to court...

Well, thru the laundry the suit shrank.. it was 3 inches too short on the sleeves,
and about the same for the pants... but he went anyway with the Social Worker...
The Judge took one look at Francis as he was called and walked up to the bench,
looked at the Taxi Company man, and said... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING..
The taxi driver shrugged his shoulders... and the Judge said this case is dismissed...

OK, NOW WHAT???

Everyone seems to be thrilled at the death of Gaddafi. While I never
am thrilled about a death of anyone or thing.. if I was, he would be a
close first (all with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden) …
Gaddafi had based his throne on the bodies of many…as did the others.

So there are the rebels, shooting off their rifles… which I do have to ask
two questions.. first where do those bullets come down.. and hit what or whom?
Second, they have that much ammo, that they can waste it shooting at least
10 and some 20 times… and you times that per rebel..

But as we have seen with Egypt, after the rebels take over, it isn’t a easy
fix.. Egypt is still up in the air with no real leader. And the military that is running
the show isn’t too much better than Mubarak. When the people go to the polls
to vote, they don’t necessarily get who they vote for… as that person has to be
approved of by the military… Which isn’t necessarily who the people want, as
you remember the military stood to the side while the rebels took over.

I don’t know how the other countries that the rebels are taking over are faring.
but so far, with the ones that the rebels have won… I have to say…
Now What?

I can't sing

No, really, if you heard me, you would know I can’t sing..
In Church I am like Bill Cosby… remember he talked about
his brother Russell and he singing, but only mouthing the words.
And how he almost got caught as he had mouth the words AMEN,
only to be almost caught as he had to shift his mouth for the words
that turn out not to be AMEN, but FOREVER MORE…That is me.

I was told when I was in my 20’s and had a husband at that time who
played guitar and sang. One day I decided to sing with him as I knew the
words… only to be shut down by an instant stop of guitar playing to silence,
and a glare… and words of… what ever made you think you can sing? You
have a terrible voice. Needless to say my singing was done from then on
in….. in the shower when I was the only one home.

About 15 years ago, I was taking my grandson to a soccer practice and
a rock and roll song came on, and I started to sing along with it, forgetting
he was in the car…. To hear him say, “Nana, don’t give up your day job.”
Smart mouth kids.. lol… I had a night job anyway… but I knew what he meant.
So still, I don’t sing with others within hearing distance… only if I am home alone.

I got to admit.. I couldn’t hold a tune, if it came in a bucket… But it does
Remind me of a song about 40 years ago, I think it was sung by Red Sovine.
About Brother John, who was in the church choir and couldn’t hold a tune
either and the others had shamed him so bad.. he left the choir and the church.
And the Pastor came to his house to see why he wasn’t coming to church.
When he explained, the Pastor told him.. that to God, all of us sound good,
after all he was the one who gave us our voices.. Which I thought was a
nice thought, but I sure wish the good Lord had gave me one that was a
little more pleasing.. to others… I didn’t want to sound like Loretta Lynn,
but just good enough so people don’t get this painful look on their face if they happen to catch me singing..

Men need.....

Men need hunting season… I know this does not mean all men.. as there are a lot of them who don’t hunt… Some view hunting as just a reason to get rid of the wife and kids and have a drunken party…

But a true hunter takes hunting very serious.. and if they are lucky to have several friends who hunt, then it is a great time together… to bond, to be just themselves.. very much like women do when they have a girls night out. Or a women’s retreat.. Sometimes, no matter how much you love your spouse, it feels good to take a few days or a week to unwind. Both come back stronger than before…

Now ladies, don’t get upset, I know there are those of you out there who also hunt.
And do it very well… but unless you are hunting with your husband or boyfriend, it is a day time hobby for you. Where the men have a community up there in the hills. Huge tents, campers, canopies, little tents, with coolers, campfires and tarps, and all the stuff that guys can think of to go camping..

All this starts at least a month before they actually pull out of the driveway. There is a driving force, and one mind set, almost a tunnel vision you might say…
This is the same guy who won’t touch a suitcase, or help you pack the car for a trip. But saying hunting season, and they get this glaze over there faces and the race is on… packing the camper, clothes, guns, food, and all the stuff that goes with it..

Now I think this is great.. because that is the time I get to do a project. A project that I can do in my own speed, which is usually faster, than if I have help. Also I don’t have to have dinner fixed by a certain time, I can start any time I want to,
I can have a cup of coffee, read the paper, and then start out there without anyone getting impatience with me. This weekend’s project was laying down weed block and about 10 bags of pea gravel between the raised garden.. I was tired of weed whacking it… and the King has talked two years about we should do that… Well, two runs to Home Depot. With my little car loaded down with bags of pea gravel.. in my back seats.. laying low to the ground, we made it home.

Kind of sad, in some ways.. see we have two.. yes, two pickups.. and the King has both of them. One with the camper, and one with the 4 wheeler loaded up in the back.. and they all have to go to camp.. That just isn’t fair… but ever underestimate the power of a woman and her little car.

Now… I wonder what I can think of for next weekend…

Life is not fair....

That is what I use to tell my kids… That if they are waiting for life to
be fair, they will miss out… because life is never fair. This conversation
usually started because one of my son’s thought life should be fair.. as
He was always saying, “it’s not fair.”

He wanted every thing, right down the line to be fair… I use to have to divide up M&M to colors, exact amount of M&M AND the exact amount of colors per child.. ( had to eat the leftovers, and that is why I was fat.. that was my excuse and I am sticking to it)…. So when he grew up, I figured he was going to be a civil rights lawyer, as he always wanted things to be fair.

But I learn fast that life is not fair… I can remember an article in the Sunday paper the Parade in the 1980’s… about the CEO’s of companies bonuses. I don’t recall all the companies they talked about, but it cover quite a bit.. But I do remember the Sears guy got $700,00!!!! BONUSES.. A bonus of $700,000… do you understand this.. a bonus.. on top of the hundreds of thousands he already got for his job.

I am sorry, but I don’t believe people should get bonuses when they are already over paid for a job, like most CEO’s are. After all where can you work where you get fired and still get money. They fired the CEO for K-mart quite a few years ago, and he got a firing package… FIRING PACKAGE? The only firing package I got was a pink slip… This CEO, who got fired… got millions worth of stock in the company..plus a pay off… Have you ever been fired and they paid you on top of it? Unheard of, in 99% of the jobs. And a $700,000 BONUS.. which is more than 80% of the nation makes a year… And now, I understand it is millions they get instead of hundreds of thousands. And they wonder why the nation is fed up?
You wonder why there are OCCUPY (fill in the town) protest going on?

The people don’t want a hand out, they just want a fairness in it all. They understand they don’t have the education of a CEO of banks or any other company… but they just want fairness. The CEO’s get paid plenty.. but you got to understand without all the little people who are making the product, selling the product, they are just as important as the CEO. So outlaw bonuses… bring on an even tax… straight across the board, no deductions… for anyone.. I thought 30 years ago, if we had a straight across the board 7% income tax for everyone.. from the ditch digger to the CEO… with no tax breaks.. the country would have enough money.

So when people see that the CEO’s get a high wage in the first place, get tax breaks that the average joe doesn’t, and then stack on top of that HUGE BONUSES.. well, like they said on the movie Network… “I’M MAD AS HELL, AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE’…. War of the classes, yea, I guess you can call that, when the rules aren’t the same for everyone. One of the places they could start with is…. The Congress person’s. the biggest welfare system we have.. Different insurance than the country has, different wages and automatic raises, and the rest of the bennies… that the average guy or gal will never see… yep, mad as hell and not taking it anymore..
So if you are expecting a change.. don’t hold your breathe… there has always been the very rich and the poor… and some in the middle… back hundreds of years… so if you are hoping for a quick change.. not going to happen…
They don’t have the old saying… the rich get richer and the poor get (poorer or more children, depending on which one you have heard) …. So changing something that has been going on since the beginning of time, isn’t going to change…

Life just isn’t fair… never will be… get use to it…

Living in Bonner County, Idaho

When my deceased husband and I moved here with 4 of our children, we
moved to Priest River first… then to Vay. The moving to Vay was frustrating, as we were moving a trailer we had bought in Priest River to land we bought in Vay.
My frustration was with the county. As they required, moving insurance, in case the truck driver broke down on the road.. but he had the insurance, so that was ok…then they required property taxes to be paid in advance. I don’t know what was with that… we had already paid for the trailer property tax for that year. But that wasn’t good enough. They wanted next years up front. Then there was a moving permit. And it seem like it went on and on. The electric was a headache, as we had to have it all installed and the first part was the permit and impact fee of $100. I didn’t see what the impact was besides my wallet..

I was sitting one day thru all of this with my friend Wayne, who had lived here about 10 years before us. After hearing me for a few minutes he told me…” Cis, you got to understand… you have moved to Idaho. And Idaho is like the two bulls on the hill top… One old and one young. When the young one sees a herd of cows below, he tells the older bull, let’s go run down there and get one of those cows… of which the older bull said, no… let’s walk down there, and get them all… That Idaho, especially Bonner County, is like that, they take their time and they get us all”. That story has stuck with me ever since.

So seeing the newest wrinkle in the county commissioners doesn’t surprise me. They haven’t had a good mix up for quite some time… I forgot about the meeting on Thursday.. but I am sure there were a lot of people there giving voice to their concerns… and election next time.. just might be interesting. The commissioners have woke up a sleeping giant, called the citizens.

The Disorganized Organization

I am frankly confused when I read about the organization of the OWS group.
(that is Occupy Wall Street). First off, not all of them are in New York where
Wall Street actually is. Seems like a lot of towns have their own group. Even some of the small towns (compared to New York).

I haven’t really paid much attention to mass crowds who protest. It rarely gets anywhere, but I also wonder if all of the group is there for the right or same reason.

Many years ago, we all remember the groups of protestors of the 1960’s. Most of them were college age and a lot of them were on the college grounds.. But one of the things that came out, that there were people who showed up to these groups to make more trouble than the ones who really organized the protest. That they had no real interest of the protest, but they like to stir up the crowd and get them into a frizzy, and step back and watch. Getting glee from the riots they had cause. This came out in the famous Kent College riot that ended up with the National Guard shooting some students, some which died.

So I wonder about this new group, which seem more like a FLASH MOB, which has become the newest rage of the past couple years. That is where they email, text a large group to show up where ever. Most of them are harmless. You see them on the internet on U-tube… singing hymns, or other such things.

As I watch on the news, and some of the people they have interviewed, they don’t seem to be very organized except for the fact they are all there. They have almost a community among themselves. They have free food, free physical therapy, (they showed people receiving back rubs for stress) free medical help and other things that are free to those who show up. Which makes me wonder, how many showed up just for the freebies.

Also, when they interviewed several… none of them seem to know what they wanted. When the reporter asked, what bill do you want to have passed to fix what you are protesting for… the person had kind of a blank look on their face and then mumbled something about, they didn’t think there was a bill that would fix it. Some were asked what did they hope to have happen at the end of the protesting… and what did they really want? And again, the blank face, and said I don’t really know. There was at least 8 people, who were asked these questions, and none of them seem to know exactly what they wanted. Also they were upset with banks, but it was the stock market they were blocking..

Another thing that was kind of funny to me… was they were protesting big companies. And those with stock on the stock market. What made this funny to me, was the fact that one gal had a name brand jacket on, while carrying a lab top computer. I don’t know if it was an Apple or a Microsoft type, but that seems to be kind of counter productive.. It would be kind of like a PETA protesting while eating a hamburger. I was shown a site that is suppose to state what their leaders want, but that too was first off confusing.. and not practical.. more like the combo of Ron Paul and the Tea Party. http://www.infowars.com/dissecting-the-ows-list-of-demands/" Don’t know how accurate it is…


I don’t mind protestors, but I hate the ones who decided to block traffic, so no one can get thru. A few years ago, there was one in Seattle… caught up in it was a woman, whose small children get home about an hour after she gets off work.
She was stuck in the traffic blockage for 5 hours… this was before cell phone were really popular. Also was a woman who went to town to the doctor, and got stuck in the same traffic… her handicapped husband was home, and she was suppose to be there giving his meds… and couldn’t. When you block traffic for that long without thinking about those it will effect, that is criminal. Protest all you want.. just don’t put others in harms way.

Is It?

Is it A.D.D. or is it the toilet paper roll syndrome?

The toilet paper roll syndrome, I have talked about before.. That is when you discover your life is like a roll of toilet paper, your life seems to be unraveling at a faster pace at 70 than it was at 30. Time just flies, and you get the feeling of so much to do, so little time.

A.D.D. of course, every one knows what that is… Attention Deficiency, where you can’t keep on subject. I thought in the years past, it wasn’t I wasn’t staying on subject, because I was..I thought of it as multi-tasking… Any woman who is a wife, mother and has a job… even those without outside of the home jobs, are asked to do many things. You are a taxi driver, merchandised inventoryor.. meaning you know where everything is in the house, that belongs to everyone in the house, even if you never saw it come into the house. Because your husband will ask where is his favorite shirt, even though he knows it is hung in the closet where you put it after you either washed it or picked it up from where he dropped it… Your child will want to know where their homework is, a special toy, and many other things they have dropped somewhere. All of this while running the household, paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking meals and etc.

But now I find myself having a hard time just sitting. Sitting watching a movie, sitting reading a book, or the newspaper and etc.. because while I am trying to sit there and enjoy those times, my mind is going 90 mph, thinking, well, I will go do this, or I should be doing that… And a lot of times bolting off of the couch, chair or what ever to do some of it. Some times it drives the King nuts.. after all he thinks I should be sitting there watching the movie.. But I am not gone long.. after all I am either throwing another load of wash in the washer, or starting the dish washer.. and etc And I can watch the movie while I am reading a magazine. I do slightly better on rainy days, rainy days seem to blog me down.

And right now I see the sun coming out, and I feed off of the sun.. makes me feel so good, and here I am typing a blog… soooooooooooooooooooo got to go…Outside is calling me…
Hope you enjoy the sunny day too……

I. AM. BORED...!!

Yesterday was boring… today doesn’t look much better.
I did the wash, mopped the floors, straighten up the living room.
Decluttered the table… and then it was 10 am…

I read some magazines, I do have some books… but I am bored.
I have things I could do.. like clean out my file cabinet, declutter
my big desk in the back room.. but I don’t feel like it… I am bored…

After a fun and busy summer, between the remodel and doing the
yard, this is a let down.. It is going to be a long winter at this rate.

Even the dog and cats are bored… they slept most of yesterday away.



…

The Last Rose of Summer......

These are some of the last roses from my flower garden. They please me.

I love flowers… and firm believer in giving while people are alive.
And I want mine while I am alive.. forget it when I am gone… give them
to some one who is alive. My Aunt was like that as well… she would send
flowers to a family member, in memory of the person who had died.

So thru the summer, I pick flowers and put them in my sink window.. it just
makes me feel good. Also I will put some in the middle of the dining room
table, or the coffee table. (I wonder why they call it coffee table)


And sometimes I will buy some for me. Especially the daffodils in the early spring. It is like bring in some sunshine. And if I see some roses or carnations,
that smell good, or unusual color, I will buy them for the house. And sometimes, I just deserve some flowers…

I have a daughter in law who is wonderful about sending flowers for Mother’s Day, and some times for my birthday…

But the best flowers are the ones I get as a surprise… for no reason. Just because, no reason… My husband is a great one for doing that. So is my two of my daughters. If they think I might be having a bad day… or couple of days, I will
get some flowers… a surprise and some times they say, well, I saw them, and thought of you… thought you might like to have some. How wonderful, to be thought of, when you least expect it.

Disappearing Sandpoint landmarks....

So many people walked thru these doors... So many people window shopped here... Do you know what they were seeing thru those windows? Well, if you are from Bonner County, you know you were looking at the newest model of cars sold at Taylor-Parker ...



I am sure one of the most popular salesmen was and is Pat Garvey, as he is at their new digs out in Ponderay.. So looking for a Chevie, Buick...and etc... well, not here anymore..... it belongs to the hospital now..









So many people walked this lot, looking at the newer models...but the walk my husband and I did, was at the rear of this lot.. that is where the used cars and trucks were. I did buy a Bronco from the used car lot section about 15 years ago.



















You can see the wrecking pole that will start today to dismantel this building down to the ground over the next 3 weeks... So next year I guess we will see that the hospital puts here.



And how many of us in Bonner County walked the floors in this building. Looking and choosing what we wanted... a freezer and couch 15 years ago for me.

While down taking pictures I came across this pole across the street from the car dealership...

and this is the English side of it ...

Around the Water Cooler

I heard the words “ around the water cooler” the other day.
Don’t know if anyone uses that phase much anymore.
Do those under 30 remember it and what it meant.

After all they don’t have water coolers in offices anymore, do they?
Everyone carries water bottles, now it seems. If they even drink water
anymore. Before it was a matter of a drink of water because your
mouth was getting dry…but more than anything it was an excuse to
get up and walk around. To get away from your desk for a few minutes.
Or off the floor of the factory.

Then the words ….”standing around the water cooler”, was usually an
excuse for gossip, or talk about something now called HOT TOPICS.
Be it sports, television show, or what is going on in the world, and
of course the office gossip.

Now we know office people and factories as well, still gossip and hot topics,
but is it left to the lunch room or do they still have the water cooler there?
Or those with computers participate in local newspaper blogs?

Media maniacs

Amanda Knox, is a free woman… well sort of…
If you thought the media was bad when she was in jail, what until she hits U.S. soil. The media will be all over her like flies in July on dead fish.

There will be the war of wills as Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters fight over who will get to interview Amanda first.

Then you will have the Today show trying to out bid Good Morning American…
And of course there will be the photographers outside of her house trying to get
a pictures as soon as they can.. probably starting as she gets off of the plane in Seattle..

Let’s hope the family can protect her and let her live her life. Especially after
being in jail for 4 years, the last thing she needs is to be in a jail of media spot light.

And hopefully she will be come just a trivia question and answer in a short time,
and let her be… she already lost 4 years of her young life.

Slippery Slope they slide down....

I live in Bonner County in Idaho… and recently one of the Commissioners has come up with the idea that the rules should have anyone who applies for a county job, will not be hired if they smoke.

This isn’t so much against smokers up front, so he says, it is about health and saving on health insurance.

What a can of worms that will open. You see they aren’t saying you can’t smoke
at work. They are telling you, if you want a job for the county, you can not smoke at all. Never… ever.. While some people probably think that is a good think. It would be a healthy thing, for sure. BUT…BUT.. what will be the next thing that this commissioner want to for the change of rules for the sake of cheaper health insurance?

The one that comes to mind for most people will be weight. Will you have to weigh with in 5 pounds of the national average for your height? And if you are over those 5 pounds, you will not be hired? What about 5 pounds under. As the national health reports have reported both sides of the coin that had their share of health problems. Which is costly for health insurance.

Will it be you will have to prove that no one in your family has ever had a heart attack? No one in your family has ever had cancer? Will you have to take a test to see if in fact you might have the genes that could be Alzheimer’s later in your life? Will you be turn down for a job in the county for any of these test?
Who will be left to hire?

I wonder what health issues are hidden in this commissioners genes. I don’t know if he is retired or owns his own business or works for another… but I wonder how he would like it if he was to be subject to each any every one of these health issues which could become a health liability for the health insurance that the county carries.

What a slippery slope this will be come, if it does become an issue. So far there are two of the other commissioners who aren’t supporting this issue.. hopefully they will understand the can of worms they will open, say nothing of the lawsuits.

By the way, how do they hire someone who does not smoke, who gave up smoking because he wanted the job that bad, and his supervisor is a smoker? And gets to keep his job as he is grandfathered in. Will there be drug test and nicotine test?
Yep, a slippery slope indeed.