Flowers and bombs....

There are bombs in the neighborhood... 

And flowers in the house

As I was taking pictures yesterday, my thought went back to the 1960’s and 70’s.

Flower children… and bombs of Vietnam protest.

The paper and national news television has pictures of the

flower children ….. called because they wore flowers or carried flowers, as they march or gathered in protest of the bombing  in Cambodia and other places near Vietnam.  Some of them in a drugged haze, with the influence of marijuana.

We have come a long way since then.. looking back at it in

neither a good or bad of it all. Some will say it was the best of times.. Some who were there and now are corporate heads, don’t like to mention they were there. Some wear it like a badge of courage. And it did take courage….. even if some thought of it as a drop out generation. 

Funny how those who were protesting.. and not trusting the “man” or anyone over 30, now are the ones who are working hard in those corporate that they hated.

I, personally, was busy raising kids.. doing housework, dealing with the death of a President and then later his brother, and later a divorce.

So I didn't have time for such protest, or being upset with the government. The government to me was paying my taxes.. and that is basely it. Wasn't even into voting.. couldn't vote for JFK, as I was a year too young. The age didn't drop to 18, until several years later.

Federal, local politics were not on my horizon,… diapers, bottles, wash cooking and house cleaning was.

Also flower power and etc. wasn't so much in our faces, unless you happen to live near by.  There was no internet to bring it up in your face like the news is now. We had to wait a day or two to hear the news.. or what ever the ones on television thought was newsworthy.

How disappointed those who were in the late 60’s and 70’s protest mind frame, must be… to see how the country turn out to be, and they have been in charge. The baby boomers who are starting to retire.. guess they didn't do any better than the ones who they were protesting

against.

By the way.. the bomb here,  is a beetle catching bomb they have put around our neighborhood. I have seen about 4 of these… And the flower is a July surprise.. as usually these don’t bloom at this time of the year. They are usually on sale at Christmas time. But I put it outside in June.. and noticed last week, it was going to bloom, so it is sitting on the soil for our Hawaiian tree, in all its glory.  

JULY.... where art thou?

Is it me, or is this summer speeding by us?

Seems like I just was looking forward to the 4^th of July the other day,and here it is history…

I judge summer by Lost in the 50’s.. which is in May.. and to me the start of summer… and mid summer is 4^th of July…. And here we are at the End of July already.. only 2 more days left…And then it is the count down of summer to Fair time.. which is the end of summer.

Well, I am here, hanging on to July with a death grip… I don’t want to see August fly by like July does… so get out the anchor.. let's slow this coming month down.. 

I love................

These are words that are used so loosely..

I love a certain ice cream…

I love  my truck…

I love my house…

I love my job….

All used daily…. Yet there are times we use it seriously.

I love my husband.. I love my children.. I love my mom or dad…

Love of God….

So sometimes, one has to wonder, when the two are mixed..

You tell your husband that you love him.. and give him a kiss yet.. in the next sentence… you will say.. I just love that.. an object of little interest to others, but is to you....

After thinking about this… I was thinking… what word could we use for the objects, small things in our lives… Saying I like that so much, is just too long.  I like that very much.. still too long..

What word can we use to show we really, really like something but not actually love it..  come on now.. you really don’t love strawberry ice cream… your truck,  your job, your house… none of these you would put before yourself… Where as, you love, your spouse, children and even parents.. and some siblings.. enough you

would put your life on the line for them..

So fill in the blank….

I …………………… my truck/job/house and etc.

Visitors and Knock 3 Times Bar

I feel the lull before the push….

I have been taking my time, doing yard work and etc.

Busy at first.. in June and early July… but then the heat

came upon us.. and I don’t do heat.. So it has been in the

cave. The house, with curtains drawn where the sun is shining.

Which kind of bugs me, as I love windows and daylight and sun.

So to have the house looking darkish inside, is not my liking.

I have been enjoying as much as I can on the deck early in the morning.. with paper and coffee in hand.  And heading in about 10.

Even the grass as slowed down growing.. was mowing 2 to 3 times a week.. now just once a week. Which is kind of nice. And I have caught up on some of my magazines.. and trying to get thru 2 books that is slow reading.

But this lackadaisical lifestyle is going to start changing.. As August is upon us… and that means.. visitors… from everywhere.. Even France.  Looking forward to all this, really… but it is going to put a cramp in my laid back ways… lol.. My knack of putting things off.

So it is visiting, taking pictures.. and enjoying friends and family.

Update on the Knock 3 Times Bar that I wrote about in March. It open up mid June. And seems to be open on Wed and Thursday… from about noon to 7pm… So far, so good.. all quiet on the western front.

So if you are thirsty for a beer or maybe something stronger.. you can check it out on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Oh, yea, the real name of it is… HAPPY HOUR BAR… it is at 109 Boise St. In Kootenai. 

From a distance it looks like Cheers type bar. The King walked over to see what it was like.. and they have done a lot of work on it.. even have a patio.

HERE WE GO AGAIN....

We are constantly being told drink this.. don’t drink this…

eat this…. don’t eat this… use this product, don’t use this

product..

This time around it is the electric cigarettes. Which I thought was not a good choice anyway. But for those who want to quit, these electric cigarettes were suppose to be the answer.. Shops popped up every where. In malls, and

other store areas. And they aren't cheap.

But it just didn't make sense to me.. if drawing smoke into your lungs, was not a good health choice, then how could steam flavor water be good for them either.

And sure enough.. out comes a report yesterday, that electric cigarettes are not only bad for you.. but they are saying it could be worse than the cigarette

themselves.  Which is pretty far to go, as the smoke is bad in itself as it has been proven with cancer and etc.

The best thing to do is just give them up all together.. I am not saying it is easy.. and there are several things that are out there to help you, if you are addicted that bad… but with our luck… they are probably bad for you too.

Just make up your mind.. for yourself.. can’t do it for others.. do it for you….

Quit.  Not easy, but doable.

It was 1998.....

There was a nice young man who got out of his car to change a flat tire. While in the process, a man came upon him.. The young man’s name was Ennis. Ennis, probably thought the man was going to help him.. but in seconds, Ennis was laying along side of the highway, in Bel Air, California, dead. Shot.  By a white man.

What makes this different than the Trayvon Martin case? Several things.. and then again, things were similar. Both were black young men. Both shot by a white man.  

Both young men where doing something common in the United States.

One was walking home from a store, going to his father’s house. When approached by the white man with a gun… not shown yet, but still.

Ennis was driving down the highway, and had a flat tire. He got out to fix it.. and was approached by a white man with a gun.. who knows if it was immediate or not.   Both, had no witness that I know of.

Both young men died. Both shooters went to court.. One gets to walk out, The other was sentenced to life.  I guess the difference is one did not go there to kill… (Zimmerman)  and actually the other didn’t go there to

kill, but to rob.. (Mikhail Markhasev), he wanted Ennis’s car.

Both, I believe, ended up dead…not because they were black..but  because one was a teen (Zimmerman thinking he was up to no good, being he had a hoodie sweatshirt on), and the other had a high price car.

Both young men’s parents were devastated. Both parents handled the killing of their son’s with dignity.. and that is where the sameness ended.

We have people marching.. we have Jesse Jackson and Rev. Sharp. We have towns getting together parades of marches in honor of Trayvon.

And there, is the difference.  No one did that with Ennis. But Markhasev did finally in 2009 give Ennis’s parents some closure by not going after any appeal to his sentence. Which was life in prison.

No one marched for Ennis… while some people watched what happen to Markhasev, I am sure no one reading this.. or even if you ask someone about that name.. will anyone recognize that name.  But Zimmerman will go down in trivial games, and everyone will know.. just like every one knows about the OJ trial.

Mikhail Markhasev doesn’t mean anything to you? Google it.. you will be surprised. That is the reason why I did not use Ennis’s last name.

My point? There is no point… or maybe there is… I just don’t get it. but I wonder how Ennis's parents are doing watching this all go on.. They would NOT wanted the Reverends and the parades... Not to say the Martin's do.  

One of the things I miss.....

One of the things I miss a lot, is my privacy.

I wonder if you can really say, your life is private?

Any one of us.

I have always been a pretty private person. People

only get to know what I want them to know.

But with life as it is now, I doubt that anything about

me is really private.

With very little research, one can find out quite a bit.

Where I live, my phone number (even without the phone book) Who I am married to.. for that matter, who I have been married to and why I am not married to them any more.

How many children I have.  And if they want to pay one of

those sites that will do the research for them.. they probably

can tell you where I worked, how much I made…. And who knows even my income tax information for the past years.

There are so many sources out there that we have no control over. You give information to a couple of sources that you think is safe. Yet they will sell or give your information away at a drop of a dime.

You apply for a loan or mortgage … your information goes out there to all kinds of financial business… some of which have nothing what so ever to do with why you gave the information out.

You go to the doctor…. All insurance companies get that information. From your Social Security number to what your body functions are doing. Be it good or bad.

Your credit rating can effect your driving insurance. They figure if you are a bad credit risk, they you are a risk at your driving as well. If your health insurance sees that you have health issues, your life insurance could be effected.

Tell me what store you walk in, that there isn’t a screen somewhere in that building, that watches you walk into that store and where you walk thru that store? Wal-mart, and such only put up the cameras for you to see, that they want you to see.. you don’t see the lines of cameras and employees who watch them.

No, our privacy is gone… so far, what you actually do inside your house is still your business… until someone of authority ask you about it. And depending on how important it is to them.. and whether you want to spend time in jail… on how much you can guard that.  

Gosh, my kids are getting old...

You notice I didn’t say I was.. just my kids…

Today…50 years ago… I had this little boy.. with dark

hair.. I question if he was really mine, as his two sister’s

before him, had peach fuzz and color hair.. So to see

this little guy with almost black hair.. and almost side burns,

(much to his father’s delight)… well, I was surprised.

All my children (sorry but I call them my kids) are unique in

their own way.. I love each and everyone of them.. As in all

families there are ups and downs.. So out of 8.. I love them

all, but 6 of them and I see eye to eye…  A few of them will

tell you that they are the favorite one… and that is true.. of

each of them.. ha ha…

This child is #3.. is my oldest son. (I don’t use their names to

protect their privacy.)  He came in the middle of the night, or

rather the early morning.. about 1:30am.  He was the delight

of his father… and of course, me.  And he lived up to that

all of his life. Even the bumpy times.

He was a kid on the go… He had figured out the neighbor

had the cookies.. so he figured out how to pull up the fence,

to escape to the neighbor’s porch and politely knocked on

the door and say “COOKIE?”…  I had him in a wooden

playpen, to keep him in view of my kitchen window, so

I could at least get the dishes washed.  He found a way

to remove the slates.  He went on to scare the beejees

out of me, not being satisfied with sitting on the glider, on

the swing set, but to stand on the handles on each side,

and swing the glider as fast as he could.. swing out about 6

feet each way at full blast, before I could get out of the house, jump the fence and quietly talk him down… I didn’t want to scare him and have him let go.

I had a girlfriend watch him, when I went to have his 3^rd

sister in the hospital.. I got home at noon (in those day

you could just stay over night) to a call of …could I pick

him up.. Seems that he was in one mess after the other.

She would be cleaning up mess #1, while her husband

was picking up mess #2, and he was in mess #3…they

couldn’t keep up. He was also known to climb up dressers

by pulling out the drawer slightly, getting to the top and

jump down to the bed below.. how he kept the dresser

from fall back over him, I don’t know.

At the age of 5, he taught his sister to back off… as they

were always bossing him around.  One day as a calf bull

came over to the yard, he mounted the bucking bull, and

held on for at least a minute before hitting the ground.

Much to his sister’s horror. They just knew he was going

to get killed and they were going to get killed for not stopping him. As he brushed himself off, grinning, he pushed his oldest sister in the chest, as she ran up… and told her to back off.

She had new respect for him there after.. and slowed down

some of the bossiness.   

He loves the woods, and that is where he works. He is a tree

topper… among other things.. Has worked in the woods for

over 30 years. One time being hit by a widow maker.. knocking out his arm from the shoulder socket..went down while waiting for his partner, and grabbed ahold of the truck tailgate, and pulled it back in place. Thank goodness I find out about this adult mishaps a few days to a week later.. as he lives 8 hours from us.

He and his beautiful wife, have 4 children 7 grandchildren, and live the life they both love with a farm, animals, motorcycles, boats, and family surrounding them. .

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY #1 SON….  May the next 50 be as

much fun for you…

I AM A BELIEVER....

In my cleaning of yesterday, I came across an lab experiment.

This description use to describe a bowl or plate of food that got pushed to the back of the refrigerator and forgotten. Until one day in the cleaning phase, you discover this green mass in a bowl or plate… MOLD…  Use to tell my kids I was trying to discover a new deal like Madame Currie with her mold which produced penicillin… They didn’t buy it, neither did my husbands.

This one was in my coffee pot. We bought a Keurig type coffee pot a year or so ago.. and only use the Mr. Coffee pot when we have guest or if I want ice coffee. As I use the left over coffee from the morning for making ice coffee.  Never could get use to ice tea.

Well, when we had our temps in the high 90’s I was drinking ice coffee.. I guess I must have used up the coffee, but didn't check out the coffee grind area.. as there it was in all its experiment glory… huge and green.. and barf-ly smelly. I put it in the dishwasher and ran it thru … but it still smelt bad.

So I figured I would try the new deal you see on Facebook.

Vinegar, baking soda, and even a splash of peroxide.

I washed out the sink really well… put the grind holder in the

sink, poured vinegar, and baking soda in.. OHHHHHHHHHHH.

I LOVED IT..  it boiled over… I should have taken lab when I

was in high school.. I would have LOVED pouring things in

other things and boiling over.. ha ha…

I looked in the sink and I could see flicks all over.. I thought, why? I had washed out the sink really well.. Must have had some stuff In the drain part.. So I washed the sink really really well, and the drainer.. and did the job again.  And there you see it… all kinds of flicks in it… wow..  so I did it 3 more times before the flicks stopped.  I was so surprised at how much it took out.  Because if I had decided to use it after  the dish washer… look all the left over mold that would have been there.

So I have become a believer.. My new cleanser will be baking soda, vinegar and peroxide.  Maybe I better buy stock in those products.. 

as I am buying the giant size as it is..  J   

I made it....

My daughter and I walked the Jacey Race 3K on Sunday.

I had never done any of the walks.. My daughter is a pro..

She has done Bloomsday 3 times.. she did Dirty Dash on

Saturday.  But this was my first…

Now for those of you who don’t know what a 3 K is.. well,

(head not held quite so high)… it is just under a mile.. the kiddies and old folks race.. (Race is used loosely here, as we walked)

But I have to say… while I didn't finish in the first 10… I was

far from last.. and did it in 10 minutes, and some odd seconds.

I was actually surprised that I could not only walk at my usual fast pace, but could keep it up for most of the walk… so that was good as my daughter didn't have to slow down for me..

I wanted to do the 5K… but my practice run (walk) last week, showed me that wasn’t going to happen.. my hip gave me lots of problems.. got a mile and knew I better head back to the house.. and ended up limping the last block….. 5 K is about 4 miles.  I am so out of shape. I can’t believe how

bad I am… I use to walk all over the place.. When I was a kid, I use to walk to school because it was quicker than taking the bus that went all over the country side.. literally. I had a 5-6 mile an hour walk speed. Even later in life, I still had a fast pace… and even at 73, I leave my husband

behind when we walk anywhere. Don’t mean to.. just I am use to walking fast.  So was really discouraged when I only got a mile done last week.  

But NEXT YEAR….  That is on my bucket list…

Oh, and last week, I rode my bike to center of Ponderay.. Not much,but a starter.. that too is on my bucket list.. to bike the bypass bike trail. To Sandpoint and back. 

MY FRIEND....

MY FRIEND…

VIRGINIA TIBBS…

These words, I don’t take for granted…

To be called someone’s friend.. is a special honor.

A few years back, I was talking to a friend who was asking for a name

of someone she could trust with her mother. Her mother had fallen

and needed help.  My friend wanted her mother to be able to stay home,

So wanted some one who would come and help her in an out of the tub.

Someone to vacuum and mop the floors, do the wash. And maybe some

physical therapy.

To make a long story shorter, I ended up being that person. Which started

a wonderful journey for me.  I had retired about 3 years early from working

17+ years in a health care center (nursing home). And wasn’t really thinking

of doing home health..but I thought I would help my friend, Marianne, out

until she found someone she could trust.  It turned out to be a good fit for both

of us and I ended up with a great gal for a friend. Who called me.. MY FRIEND.

She called me by name most of the time, but also referred to me as “my friend” until the past year or so.. as she decline in health.

After all it is hard for a 91 year old to remember all names.. I have trouble from

time to time myself..  But even as she became confused.. she still remembered

my face…. And still called me.. MY FRIEND.  And that was good enough for me.

As time went by in our journey of getting her to walk and be able to transfer

herself with ease.. and able to take care of herself… we bonded. She was

a hoot.  And sometimes even reminded me of my own mother, when she

could be ….. well… let’s say stubborn, and in charge.  And she and my

mother had a lot in common. Both were horsewomen. Both were opinionated.

Had to be in charge. And ran ramrod over their children.  I say this with love.

She became stronger… with the use of her arms.

Which was a funny story too… she wouldn't lift them very high. So I

came up with an idea… she has a electric cart that she use to drove

around the farm. So I came up with the idea, if she drove us around

the farm up and down the 3 driveways… she would have to use her arms

to make the turns… Well, I wanted to start out small.. just two driveways.

But she was determine to show me the farm and get the mail, I told her

that might be a little much for starters..but she was telling me, she was

fine..  so we traveled the 3 driveways, with her making those sharp turns.

We got back to the house, and I asked her how she felt.. she felt great!!

First time she has gotten to drive anything since she fell.  Well, when I showed up 2 days later, I asked her, how do you feel.. she said.. well, my arms hurt. I looked at her and said.. well, do you think the driving of the cart had anything

to do with that.. and it was like a light bulb went on.. and we both laughed.

She really didn’t need me anymore.. yet she and the family still wanted me to

come each week.. sometimes twice a week. Until there came a time of

concern over her safety being alone.

She was an amazing woman.. she was a Rosie Riveter during World War II.

She had a leg injury which left her with a limp at an early age, (I believe at 12)

Yet did not let it ever get her down. It never slowed her down until she was

in her late 80’s. And that was after the fall. She thought nothing of driving

across country, when women didn’t drive across country. She got a divorce

from her first husband and raised her first 3 children by herself.. and then

met the man of her dreams.. her soul mate… and had 3 more children. She

and her husband Harold farmed and raised 6 kids who became wonderful

men and women. All well-educated and did well on their own. And held

court on all of that family, that enlarge 3 time folds.. until dementia started

to work thru… and even then she still was a strong woman. 

We would go to town and buy groceries, go out to lunch.. this was the easiest

job of my lifetime. And laugh.. oh, God, we would laugh. The picture you

see, here is at the horse show that her daughters were showing in and her

third daughter was doing the announcement. I had the pleasure of taking

Virginia to the show. It was like walking down memory lane, as my mother

would show horses as well.. Only my mother’s were English riding and

this was a Western riding one.

Yesterday my friend, Marianne Love, who some of you know as Slight Detour blog writer.. called to tell me that, her Mom, MY FRIEND… had passed away.  With great sadness.. I will miss going over to see my friend, Virginia. But I will have the memories of laughter, the memories of her working hard to regain her strength in her legs.. and  her determination to stay in charge.  But most of all…

I will miss… MY FRIEND… VIRGINIA TIBBS… horse woman…  

My heart goes out to her wonderful family… Mike, Kevin, Marianne, Barbara, Laurie and Jim..  Also the 3 generations or more…. They have a high bar to follow…

But I know they will do well…   

VANDALISM....

Vandalism, destruction, sabotage, defacement… I just don’t get it.

What do people get out of destroying things? Even if it is their own, which of course is rare. What enjoyment does one get out of sabotaging defacing things?

When someone is mad at another, and wants to hurt them.. then I can partly understand.. I don’t like it, I think is a low bar way to get back at someone.. but it makes slight sense.

But for the life of me, I don’t understand the destruction of children playground equipment. The city of  Kootenai, was generously given a large playground equipment for young children. Slides, swings, climbing area, and etc.  Second day someone broke off the flag above… and ripped off the steering wheel, as it was a pirate ship theme.  Now the roof is off.. and looking at it tonight.. it looks like 1/3^rd is gone. Still has the tube slide.. and I think I saw the swings.. But

so much gone.  We are not the only city that has this trouble.

Even Ponderay had put up a bike rack near their police station.. And someone worked on it until the bolt let loose from the cement base.

And that was the day after it was installed.  These are two small towns.

About 700-900 residents.

What is with that?  Oblivious it isn't small children doing this. They aren't that strong.. The painting of bathroom walls, breaking the toilets… etc.

  

All of these things are put in by the cities to be helpful to the citizens,or for their enjoyment. Why, oh, why.??  We recently, here in Kootenai, had huge rocks moved from one side of the park to the other and throw In the port-a-potty damaging it. Why?

Are they so miserable in their own lives, that they don’t want any one to enjoy nice things?  Surely the park department, didn't do anything to make these individuals mad.

Why?  Can anyone give me a real answer to this… and then they wonder why cameras are installed.  Sadly they have to be used.. and sadly they can’t be put everywhere…where the damage is done.

Witness for the Prosecution....

Most of us have not be to court, unless as an observer.

And maybe called for jury duty, but didn’t have to serve.

After watching the George Zimmerman trial, I know I would

not want to be a witness. Even though I thought it before, this trial really has convince me that I don’t want to.

Even if I was sure of what I saw, or didn't see.. even if I was

confident that I knew what to say… I know that the lawyers

have a way of twisting thing. Not that I couldn't counter, but

the law does not allow you to do so. You are giving mostly a

yes or no option. You are not allowed to explain, unless the

lawyer allows you by asking a follow up question.  When they tell you to answer yes or no, and neither applies.. you are not given the chance to say they don’t. You have to say, yes…or no.

And especially when it is the other side’s lawyer, you can become the person on trial.  Your reputation can become public record in the court. Anything you may have ever, ever done in your life time can be twisted, if it will help their side, even if it has nothing to do with the case in court. Because to show you are not a good witness, they can judge your actions on anything you ever did, or say, can be held against you.

I really felt sorry for the girlfriend… she held it together pretty well, but they grand slammed her from all sides.

The father of the boy, was made to look like a liar. To me, if

it wasn’t true when you were being question by the police,

then you shouldn’t change your story in the court.. no matter

how much you want to help your relative or friend.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. It doesn't look like Mr. Zimmerman will spend any more time in jail.  Even the lawyers being interviewed on different news shows think that. Not even manslaughter.  I, personally don’t think Mr. Zimmerman is blameless. He was told by the police to disengage… he didn't. And the kid wasn't doing anything wrong but walking in a neighborhood that his father

lives in.

And what does this do for the law that protects those who are defending themselves (Stand your ground defense) under the same situation.. will this case give an opening for more of the same?  And I think we have gotten pass the Rodney King riots when Mr. Zimmerman walks. But I am sure there will be those who think Mr. Martin didn't get a fair shake in this.

And the 6 women on the jury, will have a tough time with this. The main play will be the wording of… BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT”… but as mother’s, they have to have on their mind… what if this was my son?

Nope, don’t call me to be a witness, please.. Not that I have done anything really wrong in the past, but I have sure there is enough in my life time that could be twisted to help the other side.  

Taking things for granted....

Sometimes we take things for granted.

So many people complain about everything.

The weather, how people do things, how people

drive, or shop. Many things that aren’t even their

business.

Some people rather look for the bad than see the good.

Rather than take the time to smell the roses.

To find something good about what they see.

Some people take a lot of things for granted.

Always thinking that everything will be there tomorrow…

But the truth of it is.. it will be there tomorrow…

Just we might not be…

So appreciate the day.