FINISHING UP THE YEAR, 2018, SICK

HEADING INTO 2019... the same..  be back when I know I can type and cough at the same time

Mom, I am so sorry.. really I am…

Mom, I am so sorry.. really I am…

These are the words that we hear from our adult daughter who has just entered the tunnel of having her daughter become a teenager.  And that sweet teenager has become a grandmother’s revenge on said adult child.  

Some words of wisdom, she is asking you.  Oh, I wish there was a handbook on raising a teen, especially a girl teen.  See I always said I rather raise 5 sons than one daughter. Sons can be asses… but daughter.. OH GOD.. the hormones rages, the slamming of doors, the OH, MOM..  is just the light side of it all. 

She, that teenage daughter of sweetness, becomes an unknown human, that was bottled up in a sweet little girl growing up.   That sweet child.. will push your buttons, she will not only push them, she will play it like a wild organ,  IN FACT, she will push buttons that you didn’t even know you had. Your emotions and sanity, will be flinging like a racket ball on the walls of a racket court.

There are some good parenting classes out there, that may come in handy.  It isn’t that they give you all the answers, as there isn’t the perfect answers.  But they can teach you self control.

They teach you to keep calm on the outside, while you are a raving manic on the inside.  You don’t fly off the handle, screaming ….ARE YOU OUT OF YOU F-ING MIND?  WHY IN HELL DID YOU DO THAT?  WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING OF?   No, they teach you how to pull yourself together.. And say calmly, What ever made you think that was going to work?  How is that working out for you now?  You do know there are consequences for actions. Guess you didn’t think that out very well did you? So tell me again how is that working out for you now?

This is not easy…The first couple of times.. well, maybe the first 20 times..  But after a while you get a rhythm to it. 

You have to get thru to them… that while lying, to protect yourself from trouble.. brings more trouble. One, you have to remember the lie. Second, once your parent finds out you lied, you have blown their trust in you.  And trust is a heavy tool in life. But once you have blown it..it is hard to get back. Can take months or even a year or so. Depending on how bad the lie is.  You have to tell them…always tell you the truth. It is hurtful.. If they tell you the truth, you can work thru it.  That you promise to do your best, not to go crazy when you hear the truth. And if you do go a little crazy, to give you 5 or 10 minutes to calm down, and then you will work with them.  That if it is bad enough to involve the law… that you will go thru it,  WITH them… NOT FOR THEM, because that is part of growing up, taking responsible for your actions.. but you will be there for moral support.  And it won’t be financial support, because once again.. you are responsible for your actions. That is part of growing up.  We all have had to do it. And you too will  survive it.  It is a learning lesson.

Also explaining that the world has changed since you were a teen.  That you made mistakes, like everyone has.. but the world is vicious now.  Women should never walk alone. Safety in numbers.   I can also tell you, that you should invest in the best self defense classes you can find. EVERY GIRL NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO DEFEND HERSELF!

Also telling the parents is easier on you, than them finding out from someone else.    

Sports is a good idea for all teens.. male as well as female. It helps keep them busy… expensive maybe, but cheaper than bail money. 

So good luck.. Keep calm.. talk, but don’t lecture.  Remember every teen has a short attention span when it comes to parents..  Because after the 5^th word, all they hear is blah, blah blah, like in the Charlie Brown cartoon with the teacher.  And if they are yelling or talking while you are, remind them, it is hard to listen  while you are talking.. (remember that when they are talking)

When deciding to be your kids best friend.. or a parent.. pick the parent.. they got lots of best friends.. they only have one set of parents, who love them unconditionally and will guide them, protect them, forever.

The immigration problem.

The immigration problem.

I hate the media… there is so many stories.. flying thru the air… with 1% of them true..  5% with maybe some truth to it.

That being bad enough…  but the rest of the nation thinks they have the problem solved…  and it is easy to say for them.. because not one of them is going to be dealing with the problem personally… It is easy to sit behind the screen like me and make judgment on how things should be taken care of..   Lots of feel good ideas, that are no way possible.

Let’s take the little girl who died on Sunday… for lack of food, for lack of water they say…  some say she was sick on arrival… Heck some say she didn’t make it to the border.  And who she came to the border with.. One story is family, one story is just her father and her mother stayed back in their country.  How is this the USA fault… I don’t understand. She had not crossed the border.. she was in a camp site on the Mexican side/or a camp site on the way… at least that is the general information. At this date.. who knows what the truth is..  But still it is not the USA’s fault, just because we didn’t let her father and her across the border.  Maybe the people should be mad at the Mexican border for not having nurses and doctors there to check the people..  who knows.. if they would be overwhelmed, then maybe ask Dr’s without Borders to help. 

I don’t have the answers..  Just don’t like blame going around.. by people who are not trying to solve the problem.

Ok, let’s take the influx of the people traveling across Mexico. Their country is so vile… they needed to leave.. for their safety sake…  So they left and made it into Mexico.  Why did they need to go thousands of miles more to get to the USA/MEXICAN border?  They were safe after they got across the Mexican border.. The Mexicans were not killing them or beating them because they came.. and they didn’t need to go further.. They were out of harms way… Oh, Mexico didn’t want them.. you might say.. for the same reason why we can’t take everyone and anyone..  But did they wait?  No.. Mexico DID OFFER.. jobs, and food and area.. but they said no… we are going to the USA.. to the land of honey, I guess.

Don’t they read our papers?  The housing is over priced? Crime is still ramping up… Jobs are at the lowest of pay now, and health insurance is going to be scrapped.  So why come here?

I have no problem with anyone coming here.. IF THEY COME LEGALLY… most are not taking our jobs away as it has been said over the years.. They are taking jobs that even our kids don’t want to do for summer jobs anymore.. Too hard and too low of wages.   So that shoots that down..  Come legally and they pay taxes, like you and I…

While it is a wonderful idea and thought to let everyone in.. as they please… But if you are out in the ocean.. in your 20 foot boat fishing…. And you see people jumping off of a sinking ship… you can’t take everyone aboard.  Your boat will sink.. and then all of you are swimming for your life.  You might be able to let them hang on to your boat, and help you navigate thru the waters… until they can stand up.,at the nearest land….. but you can not put them all in your boat..

Which brings me to the next thing… all those across the country who are mad as hell, that there is people on the other side of the border wanting in.. why aren’t they signing up for a sponsorship…  meaning take that family or man into YOUR household.. for a year.. get them jobs and homes.. and registered…. So they too can become citizens of the USA?  I don’t see anyone signing up for that?  

When I was a child, in R.I. there were a lot of people who came from Portugal & Italy. Fishermen, farmers, shoe makers, meat market owners…and etc… they came with a trade… They had relatives who took them in until they could get one their feet. When they put in.. to come to USA… they had to prove they were..1. well/healthy…..2. they had family or friends who would sponsor them..and they had a trade.  All before they got to get off of Ellis Island…  Why is that such a horrible thing?    I knew quite a few who did that. They were the parents of the kids I went to school with.

Oh, yea.. most of their parents went to school at night to learn English.  And were proud of it..

Why is this such a horrible thing? Why did these policies stop. They were not inhuman.  They were all proud, hardworking, family loving people..

Some how traveling across thousand a mile away from your country because it was so bad.. and yet you were safe once in Mexico…you continue on… you hear the horror stories of the USA separating families from children.. (Despicable to me.. no reason for those mothers to be taken away) and yet, you still come..  and then you think it is a good idea to rush the border patrol at the fence… where you could have gotten shot.. how is that a good idea…  Surely not anyone that our government is going to look at in a positive way.

If your heart is not into it...don't do it...

If your heart is not into it.. don’t do it..

I am not a good Christmas person.. never really have been. The best I was.. and that wasn’t really good, was when my kids were growing..  To me Christmas belongs to kids. 

And this year seems to be worse… for some reason. We did lose our son in law in September.. but we have lost others in the past 4 years, one each year..  One in May, one in August , and one in December…  which that one .. you would think would have effect Christmas more.  I don’t know what it is, or why.

By this time, of the year.. I would have all kinds of goodies made up for baskets that we give away for gifts for Christmas.  No baskets this year…  no candy or jam, or cookies are made.. Did get the Choc. Zucchini bread made. That is it..  But I did attempt to make one of the cookies last Thursday night.  It was a disaster. 

One of my favorite Christmas cookies is the Christmas fruitcake cookie.. And no, it does not taste like fruitcake. For those who don’t like fruitcake..  The only similarity is, they both have dried fruit in them.

I decided to make 3 batches.. So made the 3 batches putting them in different bowls…  The first one went ok.. the second one, I put the flour in after all the other ingredients were put in and beaten well.  After I put the flour in, I started the beaters going.. ...  the beaters for some reason, decided to just barely move even though I had them on the second mark… which normally would be a slow regular flow to it.   So I added the rest and step it up to the next notch.. and that is when all hell broke loose.. Because that is when the motor decided to go into full semi half beat.. throwing (yes, you should be able to kind of visualize this) flour all over the place… I mean IT WAS FLYING ALL OVER THE PLACE…  on the floor, up on the cupboard, all over the counter, in the sink, up on the window sill, and down the front of the cabinet.  Oh, yea.. AND all over me… my shirt looked like it had been blasted, and all over my pants.  My glasses.

I was able to get to the knob to turn it off… but I had a hell of a mess to clean up.  And had to estimate how much flour I lost in the explosion.

After I got back on track… and then got the 3^rd batch done.. I took a time out.. So I had 3 bowls with a batch each.  I went out to the hot tub with the King…. After all, I had to take off the flour clothes.  And wanted a fresh start to start making cookies. 

Came back to it.. got the pans ready.. recipe says a LIGHT GREASING..  So I sprayed Pam lightly.. and had 4 pans to go… Started cooking… first one looks done.. so switched for the second pan…. I let the first one cool a little.. then started to take them off to put on the cooling rack.  Well, first off, they look like they might be a little raw in the middle… so decide to give them 5 more minutes..   Well, I don’t want to drag this out.. the down load is.. all 4 pans.. after 20 minutes.. (suppose to be 12 to 14 ) look like they are done.. BUT also cemented to the damn pans..  Never had this trouble before.   After sand blasting the cookies off the pans.. I sprayed the hell out of the pans and did another 4… Slightly better, but not really… and by now.. my patience is going out the door. So decided the rest of the batches (1 and half of them) is going to be cookie…BARS… Took the batter and spread it over the heavy flour type Pam. …and cooked for 35 minutes..   Came out looking the right color..

I took the large drying rack and placed it over the pan, so I could flip it, out.. after all it is heavy greased..  It did release, but.. it is like raw on the bottom.. even tho the top is cooked.

What to do.. decided.. to put rack and bars back into the pan, I couldn’t  flip it.. nor slide it… as it would have broke up.

So back into the oven for another 10 minutes…  As I am standing there watching.. I see on the counter a bottle. The bottle is rum.. was going to add it to one of the batches.. as there was only about half a cup of rum left in the bottle and figured it would add flavor, and not be enough for getting drunk when eating the bars.   As the bars were cooking I was thinking.. after all this … cemented cookies on pan, flour flying everywhere.. it is 11pm… I should have just drank the rum…   After 15 minutes of cooking, the bottom did cook. Took it out… put the other large drying rack on top and flipped it.  Let it cool..   cut and went to bed.. 

I am so done with Christmas.. BAH HUMBUG.. hell with cookies, and the rest.. 

Blending the new with the past... meeting Cis

Blending the new with the past and meeting Cis

Yesterday, the King and I went to a shop in Priest

River to get our hair cut.   The name of the shop?

Cis’s.    Nope, not me.. but another Cis.. Who I had not met before but was friends on Facebook.. Because she went to school with my best friends daughter.. and also found out she went to school with two of my son’s.  So it was a  hoot to find another Cis..  I found out thru our many conversations that she own the hair cutting place.  

We had decide last week to go on Tuesday… And we did in spite of the fact it was snowing… We normally don’t go any where, when it is snowing.. But it wasn’t sticking to the road, so figured what the heck.  Even with the fact it is a long ways to go.. for a haircut.. about 28 miles. One way. 

On our way there, we watched as the scenes of the past has faded away.. The old mill just outside of Priest River …gone. One of the buildings is now a storage for rent place.   The new business.. the disappearance of old business.   Where my deceased husband and I first lived.. is a large gas station. Our insurance company is now a empty lot. The school was the same..  One restaurant moved to the middle of town.. many years ago..  See the King and I moved from Vay,  30 years ago.  Vay being  a small area outside of Priest River.  Priest River being the town to go to, for groceries and etc. 

We had a lovely time talking with “the other Cis” while she cut our hair.  The King talked fishing and hunting with her, while she cut each of our hair.  Found out we have a lot of the same values.  We definitely will make the trip back to get our hair done again. 

After leaving Cis’s shop, we decided to eat in Priest River. We didn’t want to go to the Village Kitchen, as we had been there a few years back.. didn’t feel like dropping down to AJ’s… so decided in the old strip mall, which all of the shops changed.  But the restaurant that is there now is called Rusty Rooster.  It was a little odd as there was no cars there. We wondered if they were open.  But another car drove up about the time we got out of the car.  And we all went in. Seems the young man who we walked in with, was someone the King knew… well, actually he knows his father in law…this young man was dating Joe’s daughter when the King last saw Joe.  About 15 years ago.   They had a great time visiting..  We sat down and then looked thru the menu. I ordered the cheese/bacon hamburger with their fries. The King ordered their shrimp burger. .. with fried chips.. yes, like potato chips.. but fried…   We had the nicest conversation with the waitress.. She use to live in Montana, then moved to Newport, Wa. And then to Priest River. She is a retired school teacher…and decided not to stay in retirement.. and got the job at the restaurant.   Then our lunch came. And what a lunch it was.. The King loved his shrimp burger..and the chips..  The cheese/bacon burger was very good. BUT the fries were sooooooooooooooooooo good. They weren’t your normal straight cuts.. and while they were curled.. they were not skinny curled, they were wide curled. And tasted so good. I could not eat them all, so brought them home for lunch today.

As we drove out of town.. we had the usually feeling of a town that you liked but left..  Kind of wishing we had stayed in town.. and the goodness of the people…  But life brought us to where we do live.. and we do like our small town of 600 people.  Guess you might say, God puts us where he thinks we should be.. But it was a nice visit to our past town…

But the way. If any of you locals are reading this.. if you go thru Priest River… stop by the RUSTY ROOSTER…(it is on the East side of town)  the food is great.. the crew is really nice to talk to.   And by the way .. if you need a hair cut.. stop by Cis’s next to the IGA. Grocery store. 

Getting to know you...getting to know all about you...

GETTING TO KNOW YOU.. GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU..

Have had an issue with my leg… some kind of rash. It

Actually started at the back of my calf… on both legs..

Then it came around the side of the left leg.  So after a month and half of playing DR. Cis .. it wasn’t going away.

So I bite the bullet and went to the dr.   She looks at it.. tells me to put some kind of cream on it.. Aveeno… should help it.  But she was more concerned about my left leg, being swollen..  Which it tends to do from time to time.. Being my father died with Congested Heart Failure, she decided that I needed an echogram on my heart.  So a couple days later, off I go the hospital.. The King decided to tag along..  He said if I was going to be at all of his.. he would try it out .. going with me.   I go with him because he hears what he wants to hear and forgets the rest.. Also I keep him honest with his answers to the dr.   But oh, well, it wasn’t  an up and personal visit.. just my leg.. what the heck.. why not.

So I arrive at the hospital in time to sign in. Which was a good thing I came early. I had been there many times before to sign in the King.. but I am not on record, so I needed to give all kinds of information..  The guy comes and gets me and off the King and I go to the room.. being it was my heart.. only had to remove the top…I laid there, as he ran the machine left and right and around the sides..  Swooze wooze the sound of the heart.. It all sounded pretty steady, so I figure there is no worries.  The King sat in his chair very intrigued with the whole thing.  Told me to get dress, and if I didn’t mind.. fill out the survey there… Looked at it.. checked all the positives and remarks I wrote .. tech did good job and also made me feel relaxed about the test..  And we went to the Dr. office from there..   I picked up my copy of the blood work from the other day..  and a note of platelets not readable due to aggregative or something like that.. I asked the gal about it as that has been a problem for over 10 years.. She said the Dr. was looking into it.   So of course when I got home, I looked it up.  As I am reading about it.. (it is talking about blood clots), the phone rings. It is my dr. office.. wanted to know if I would mind going back to the hospital… this time to get an echogram on my legs..  Being I was unsettled by what I read.. I said sure..  And stop by the dr. office and get another blood draw when you are done.  Ok..

So off to the hospital again.. This time, remove the pants..this time a woman tech.  And of course the King is with me.  So she runs the machine back and forth across the legs on front, then back and then sides..  So she too tell me to get dress and she will guide us out.   As I got dressed I saw this too had a survey sheet… so I wrote…. GETTING TO KNOW YOU, GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU… (being this is my second time….. and this is an old show tune)  thought I better add that, as she had to be 20 something.  Then I added..  crew was great.. very calming… thank you…  Oh, by the way, she said I had nothing to worry about.. the dr. would get the result in a day or two, but if it was a blood clot … I would not be going home today.. but because everything is clear I could go home.  And then.. DR. KING…SAYS, EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD TO ME..  lol..

Then it was off to the dr. office to GET a blood draw, this time.  And got the call the next day..  blood work came back good.. that my platelets were 68,000!!!  (now for those who are aware of platelets numbers.. I know that is low, but they were the highest I have had in 10 years.) I was thrilled. But then she said.. come by and get your copy of the results and stop by your pharmacy as we have sent over a prescription for you…  I said.. ok.. for the swollen leg?  She said yes..  I thought to myself.. oh, great…  old lady bladder isn’t enough.. I got to take some pills to step it up… (sad face)

Oh, well.. over all.. I guess I am in pretty good shape for an 78 year old broad..  ha ha..

Just can't get in the mood....

I just can’t get in the mood ….

I just can’t get in the mood for Christmas..

I am horrible about it anyway… humbug type.

I don’t do well with Christmas until about noon

on the day…

I go thru the motions.. get the presents.. wrap

them..  and wake up that morning.. get a cup of

coffee.. and if we have presents.. I open mine.

Because the King has gotten up hours before me

and open his already.

Christmas is for kids… and I wouldn’t ruin it for

them for the world.. But for me.. it is way over

blown. And the fact it is so over commercialized.

Drives me nuts.   And no, I don’t want to go shopping

with thousands of people..

This year it is worse than ever… I did go outside and

checked to see if the lights still all worked.. some did

some did not..  got them all fixed.. so it is just a matter

of pushing the button on the remote control.  But I have

the .. who cares  feeling as I do.  Put up a couple of

indoor decorations..  put up the sad looking flat tree on

the wall…

By this time I usually have half of dozen chocolate

zucchini breads made… and  started on cookies.

Even some jam.. some years.. but this year.   I haven’t

done anything.  I did buy the stuff to do the bread today

But that is it.. just not in the mood.  

So I will happiest on December 26.. even January 2^nd.

is better yet.

Remember letters in the mail?

Remember letters in the mail?

WOW.. Saw on Facebook an old joke…the first time I read it was when a friend sent it to me in the mail back in 1960 something.. Remember when we use to mail jokes back and forth to each other with letters... (for the younger generation that is a paper with words about your life......and we put ha ha . when it was funny)

Oh, how the world has changed.. now we don’t have to wait to hear the latest.. for the most part it is on Facebook for all to read and see… which is good and not so good.  Seeing my grandchildren and their kids.. and the pictures of all.. is so nice.. Now a baby can come into the family and everyone see the baby…. Near and far… when the baby is minutes old.  Not waiting a week for a letter and years ago, to wait for the pictures to be developed and then mailed out.

Some of the other stuff I see on Facebook makes me cringe. My grandchildren are bolder than I am…and far more able to share things, that I would never share..  But that is what scrolls are for.. to zoom by quickly.  I never say anything to them… as it is their page, and their friends..  so I stay long enough to see the pictures and if I want to say anything, I message them in private .. to find out how they are.. and what they are up, if the pictures don’t show.

But writing is a lost art… even my generation who also wrote, but we also typed.. I had/have lousy penmanship, so typing was better for my reader. 

I had an uncle, who when he retired.. wrote to me every Tuesday… The first time it scared me to death, as it was always my aunt who wrote and she wrote once a month.

I thought maybe she was ill.. so called and found out she was fine, just that my uncle liked getting letters….. and to get letters you have to write.  I loved this uncle.. but he was pretty strict as I was a kid.. you know one of those when they said jump, you asked how high and how far. Lol.. But thru the letters over the years…. We got to be pretty close.. we talked about everything.  So it came to be.. I would write every Saturday, and mailed it.. he would get it on Tuesday.

I miss those letters now… Wish I kept them, to I could go back and read them over. 

That is the nice thing about letters.. you can go back and read them.. just take them out of the box or drawer… Unless you have a way of saving on the computer.. or maybe print them out… emails are gone after you read them..

Look at all the letter service men wrote years ago, during the war.. Letters written.. letters wives waiting for.. taking a week or more to get..  Letters that their family would read 50 years later after the passing of their parents. Yep, writing letters is getting to be a lost art.

Playing the “who is that” game.

Playing the “who is that” game.

You know when you are at the grocery store or the mall or some other pubic gathering place., someone comes up and starts taking to you. They talk to you like a long lost friend.. You know they know you, because the subjects are applicable. But after they leave ,you look at your spouse and say… who was that?  The “who is that” game starts.. 

I have even tried using questions.. like how are your kids?  In hopes he or she will mention a child I will remember. Or what have you been up to.. that is a better one, as I am hoping that I will recognize a job, or place or mutual friends.

The King was pretty good at it.. .. it was me who mostly asked the question.. So I depended on him for the answers… But lately, he is getting as bad as me…

Because I will say… “who was that?” and he will answer

Darn if I know or I don’t have a clue..   

Lost of innocence?

As I sat down on Thanksgiving day… I thought of where

I was 55 years ago…  saying nothing to anyone here, I

also thought.. I am not the only one who is thinking of it,

in silence..  As it was not on the national news, at least what I saw.. nor any special program… 

It was the 55^th year since John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot. Our President..  Huge host to conspirators that go on to this day.

To me.. a lot of innocence of the nation… was also lost.

We are all to young to know about or lived the past of President killing of Garfield and Lincoln.  We only read it in the history books at school.  But reading in books at school, was a far cry from our day of 1963…our day of civilization, and security. JFK’s murder kept the nation glued to their TV’s for days.. Then the killing of Oswald by Ruby in a police station.. Unheard of. And of course it was a rare person who did not watch JFK’s funeral. The widow, the saluting son, the officials of every country following down the street.  People gathered in their homes.. in the home of those who had tv’s (not everyone had a tv in those days) or at a store front. Where the owner would point the screen towards the street with the funeral being broadcasted.  Tears flowed.

While I am sure as human nature, there were naysayers, I never heard a word.  There was a great deal of respect. And we wanted answers to why.  It was the CIA…it was Cuba’s Castro…. it was the FBI… even Johnson was named…. It was Russia. It wasn’t Oswald, there was a gunman on the lawn. That Oswald was a pawn.  There were books written about it.. there were movies shown. And we will never in our life time…if ever know the truth. As no one has come forward to admit who, why or how it was done. Or was it really a flute only gunman named Oswald.

Even Lincolns was shroud in theories that Booth wasn’t the only one.

My generation lived in a bubble of good times.  It was after World War Two,  and even with the Korean War, there was still the good times.. Jobs, houses being build and owned by the regular man.. That was the only credit one had…with a bank. Called a mortgages. You didn’t buy things unless you had money.. and you had a job, so you put money away to have that.. years later came credit as stores.  But it was good times in America… for most.  There were hard workers, honor, loyalty, with hard work being the norm.

Yes, I do believe it was the end of innocence to what we have now.    

Our generation remembers what it use to be. And saddens us to know our grandchildren and great grandchildren won’t have that innocence.  A child playing with out fear of an adult stealing them away, teens without fear of failure, and even to of being led astray by adults, harming them… kidnapping them.  Internet has open a huge door.

They won’t get to know, the safety of church, schools, shopping malls and places where people gather, being shot at now.  To find that murder, greed, lies, disloyal are the norm.

We know that it was there since the being of time. But we didn’t hear about it often. As you do now, daily, moment to moment .

In the old days, it was newspapers or letters and later radio that told of these turmoil’s… For most of us.. it was local and occasional nation wide, and by that time the facts were there, which was mostly true. Not the instant opinions of half truths.

In this day and age of internet we have it in our faces minute by minute which what they THINK happen…

Yes, the beginning of the end of innocence ended in 1963.

Where we saw film of the President being shot.. and his killer being shot in the tunnel at a police station, surrounded by police officers.. 

I still remember where I was.. what I did, as I heard the news.. I am sure if you are my generation…you remember it as well… but we are close to having it …just in history books to be forgotten, like Pearl Harbor.

Happy Thanksgiving.... to one and all....

Remember this is going to be a day of 

memories... make them blessed ones

even with humor.. 

May you have a great day, with lots of good

food... and lots of  laughter... 

The Race is on…. Holidays

The Race is on…. Holiday

The start of the season of HOLIDAYS...

First up is Thanksgiving…

Many memories of this day over the years.

Some and hopefully wonderful ones.. maybe

even funny ones…  knowing also there is the

down side of this day as well for some… And

hopefully they have made better ones with their

own families..  

Some times there is even disagreement

of where to go... in laws...   whose turn is Thanksgiving?

Who is doing Christmas… hopefully there is an agreement

of each year a different one.. or to make it easier.. maybe

just do your own… and have the in laws come to your

house... Which can be quite a chore for some.. but

remember it is only one day.. and if you are lucky about

3 hours worth…  and then tell everyone you are doing Christmas alone with your own family….  maybe showing up for an hour at each in aw on Christmas eve… 

But back to the fun times of Thanksgiving.. there is a favorite

Uncle or Aunt who will make it entertaining.. or even a grand

parent... Otherwise it could just be a nice time to visit over

a great meal…  That is the kind we had..  Some of you have relatives… and some just have friends.. or even both.

Ours was our own family… meaning mom, dad, brother and myself... with two wonderful friends.. That was my teens anyway...  First was the male, who was like an uncle to us.. he was the brother, my mother never had. And then in our teens we had a wonderful woman join us…  and we call her

Our very own AUNT JO…   Aunt Jo, won my heart, when I was sent to the kitchen as it usually was.. after the meal to kitchen duty.. by myself .. year after year.. Mom figured she did the meal by herself..( did do prep work) I could do the dishes by myself… Along with the week before of the duty to polish ALL of the silverware and etc.. even if we didn’t use it.. it was polished once a year.. and actually we did it together.. so to make sure I did it right… But back to Aunt Jo... when I was sent to the kitchen.. and filling up the one sink with soapy water and the other with hot rinse water… in comes Aunt Jo..  My mother told her that it was my job…. but Aunt Jo persisted.

She came in, said.. “ I will wash, as I don’t know where everything goes.. so you can dry and put it away”  That was the start of my worship of Aunt Jo... It lasted to my last Thanksgiving at home…(AND TO THIS DAY)   and years later when I came back for a couple years....  I am sure she did it for my brother and then my mother later….  She didn’t see it as a chore.. she saw it as a time to visit as well as getting the dishes and etc. done.. 

Those memories and then years later as a wife.. and going to my Aunt Harriet and Uncle Tiny’s over the years... when I lived in Ca. and when I went back for Thanksgiiving.. when I lived out of state…  Great memories with my cousins or my sisters and brothers from another mother…  We still talk about them, with fond memories...

For the past several years.. Thanksgiving has been at our house with a dabble a couple of times to one of our son’s house in Seattle area… But mostly here... We had over the years.. a son and his family come.. and the King’s brother and sister in law…But mostly my daughter and her extended family…  And that will be this year... with sadness of a missing precious son in law, Tim.  But he will be here in our hearts…  as the others we have lost in the past 4 years.. A

Sister, Mother of our out laws, friend, older daughter… but

memories we will have and hopefully the King the prima donna cook, will out do himself, with the turkey and ham.

I am prep cook…

So I wish all of you.. my readers of 12.. lol... with the wish of

A wonderful day..  celebrating those who watch from above and enjoying each other on earth… Make your own memories with your family….  God Bless.. 

Living in the bubble….

Living in the bubble….

I was thinking the other day, as I watch the news…. With the hurricanes, the shootings… in so many states… and now the fires in Ca.  during the late fall….

I feel like I live in a bubble…. A bubble that I am comfortable with… so much so, I don’t care to travel anymore…

Here in our state, especially up here in the panhandle area, we don’t have that.. the nearest and even theirs is low is Spokane.   Well, I shouldn’t say that.. because we have had some… but it is so rare, it surprises us.. and we are shocked.  We had some one murdered next to our local gas station… The man had taken a taxi from Spokane to our area and had the driver drive around.. and then had him pull up along side of the gas station… and stabbed him several times.. I think he called 911… and waited for the police..

To say we were shocked is an understatement.   Part of us wanted to ask.. why did you come to our town to kill him, after all you got the taxi in Spokane 72 miles away…

We don’t have the hate protest here.. or people who block the roads.. if they do protest, like right to life type, and etc.. they are respectful, and line the street or walk across our bridge with signs.. that is about it.

We complain a lot about our government as we bleed red with Republicans here, yet there are a lot of us Independent votes here..  But nothing like what the nation is going thru right now.. Maybe because we have a say in what is done in our state… if we can get enough signatures we can change things and have it put to vote for ALL of the citizens to decide.. where as nationally we know we have no control. Even sending our senators and representatives to DC doesn’t do much for us… and our guys are voted down anyway.  Unless the congress is Republican run.  

So I love our bubble.   And hope we continue to keep it. We do have some Redoubt party people who have showed up in our state, but so far they are very inconspicuous/subtle so far.. but are inching into our politics… they are stronger than the tea party which we have had quite a bit of them over the years…

Yes, I want to keep my bubble.. we are still like it was when we were younger.. our word means something.. Business still care about their customers… and etc..  I just hope I don’t live to see what is going to happen once it burst.. and really fear for my great grandchildren.. who also live in a bubble where they are..

THEM and US

THEM and US….

It has always been a THEM and US world.. even when I was a kid… My folks did the best they could.. by the time I came along there was a war starting, and we were in it a year later.

My father was a civil service person.. he built torpedo’s for the war.  Then later after the war .. worked for the Seebee’s in R.I. at Quonset.  We never had to worry about our next meal, and we had a house that Dad built.  But there were those of money.. us in the middle with a lot of poor people..who just inked by.  Even though it was NEWPORT, R.I. the home of the mansions.

Over the years the gap has widen between the THEM and US  And never so much as it is today.  Much of it is not because those with little money didn’t work hard. As they did and do… but if you had a lot of kids which was normal in the 1950’s… then college was a luxury.  And still is.

Some say, well if “THEY” got a good education.. they wouldn’t be working in poor paying jobs..  As I said just before that wasn’t always true… And now.. with college ranking up there at the price of a new house or more.. it is less possible.  Some do it slowy.. taking one or two classes a year.. making that certificate out there like a carrot for some.. 4 or 5 years..  Some tech school are less.

But for the most part it is a stack deck against the regular guy.  As there are privilege who go to work for a company and get not only a good wage for that degree.. but also many bonus.. and the higher you go and do less.. the higher the bonuses go… Some in the hundred thousands.. some with a million.. some with hundreds of thousands AND stock in the company…  But this is just the beginning…  Because you see.. if we/I,  louse up.. and get fired.. that is it.. here is your last wages..and you are gone.. period.. But the CEO’S of the world… be it companies or school districts… YOU GET A RELEASE PACKAGE… Severance package… It can be hundreds of thousands…. Some even with stock.. Case in point… when K-mart started to go down hill.. they FIRED their head ceo… and he got, as he went out the door… now remember he was FIRED.. He got a million dollar, plus two million dollars worth of stock…  This is with the company heading into a downward spiral…. Which supposedly he caused..  AND then they hired another one.. for TWO MILLION DOLLARS plus I don’t remember how many millions of stock…    Now remember..when you are fired.. you are walked to the door with your coat in hand.. period..

Then there is the yearly bonus.. Now this man or woman is paid.. paid a huge monthly wage.. HUGE… by the standards of the production people..  So tell me why.. are they entitled to a bonus.. ?   Some say.. because they ran the company and it did well… First of all, some companies are not doing well and the bonus is still there. We are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars…  But lets say for the sake of argument, the company is doing well… Why should they get a bonus?  THEY ARE BEING PAID VERY WELL…FOR DOING JUST THAT.. THEIR JOB..  The production worker who makes sure the company is working well.. gets maybe a $25 bonus.. if lucky.. some get a fricking 10 pound turkey..If you are a supervisor, you might get $50…

So tell me again.. why does this Ceo.. get extremely over paid and a extremely.. high bonus?   Just for doing their job?

Talk about a stacked deck… No wonder there is a THEM and US problem.

By the way, when I was a kid.. my parents taught me.. I didn’t get extra…. BECAUSE IT WAS MY JOB… and for many years.. I was told, I had a warm house to live in.. and food on the table and clothes on my back.. THAT WAS MY PAY…  It wasn’t until I was 15 and got a job (not counting babysitting..which went for clothes) …and I was to put 1/3 in the bank to save.  Only got 75 cents an hour… And after school I got a job for $1.00 an hour, which paid at the end of the week was $36.00 with deductions.. which I paid my parents $10 a week rent… Plus put $10 a week in savings.. And because I had a car I bought with my baby sitting money.. (hell, no Mom and Dad did not give me one) so I had gas to pay for..  Luckily for me .. I could walk the 2 miles to work, when I didn’t have enough gas.

So can some one really seriously tell me where it started that business heads get bonus on top of their high wages?  Who started that???   And how can they look at the guy in the production line, who brings home his pay check which is just barely over what his company head paid for lunch with his cronies? 

And you wonder… why we bulk at the THEM and US.

As the dust settles or is it?

As the dust settles or is it?

Well, here we are .. the day after the big vote.

The mid term elections…

Who survives… the liars and cheats.. or the good people of United States of America?   Way things have been of late,

It is hard to say..

I am sure most of the voting counting isn’t over. There is the absentees that have to be counted, as they are written so slower to count…  Volunteers counting thru the night until they are stir crazy….  Some of the poll places have changed back to marking on paper because of all the stories about different states being hacked. 

Some of the states are using the post office… as the ballots where mailed out the last two weeks.. so they are coming in… and as long as they are postmarked the 5^th.. they have to be counted.  Again.. one by one… verifying first that the signature is in fact the person who is voting.. open next envelope and remove the ballot, … smoothing it out from being folded.. and placed in the pile.. next volunteer is counting that pile… And piles there are.  Hundreds for many places… smaller town probably if they are lucky there is a thousand in all.. and the real small towns.. have maybe 100 or even less.. Our little berg averages 32. Then turn into the county court house…

All of this will take time. Answers won’t be in, until  the wee hours at best… way past the deadline of the newspaper, so your morning paper won’t have the end results either..  so if we are lucky we will have an idea who won by the night fall of the 7^th if we are lucky and in the newspaper on the 8^th..

So much for the modern day of computers and fast results.

Personally…..  I like the fact it is going to take a few days..

And this year.. this particular midterm election.. they say the turn out is more than the Presidential year.  I truly hope so. I hope everyone who can vote… voted.. 

And as the dust settles… will you be happy?   Will there be cries of fraud?  There are always that.. will there be recounts?  You can bet on that… So hang on to your hats folks.. this is going to be a hell of a ride.

HELLO, MY NAME IS REGRET…

HELLO, MY NAME IS REGRET….. 

That is just what I don’t want to hear on Wednesday the 7^th of November…that you regret that you did not vote…  

I know I am repeating myself… same thing I said 4 days ago… BUT THIS IS SO IMPORTANT…

PLEASE VOTE…

And Democrats… if you lost today… that is on you… on you for not making sure every Democrat friend you have.. went to vote…constant reminding them.. take them to the polls..  have them fill out their ballot and mail it in.. what ever it takes…DO IT..

And those who are young.. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.. some of you were discouraged after the Democrat party railroaded Bernie out to left field… robbing you the right to vote for him.. but this time.. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE… you can make a difference locally, state wise AND federal wise..  so get out there and vote.

VOTE… TODAY…

No excuses!!!!!

WHY PEOPLE DON’T VOTE….

WHY PEOPLE DON’T VOTE….

Thought I would write this  early.. being in 4 days you all are suppose to vote, unless you have already by mail.  Tuesday is the big day… THE MID TERM ELECTION… this year more than any other year.. it is a big deal…  We will see if there is such thing as a Democrat party… It is a make or break deal….  If they can’t get the people to vote for them ... then it will be a run away train.. They will become the ALSO RAN party…  The Republican party will take this mid term and run with it.. 2 more years of hell, and who knows even 2020 could mean the end of the Democrat party.  The Democrats better have their party members voting as well as convince the Independent voters that there HAS TO BE  a change.

It is kind of funny…  I am reading a book and in it was a paragraph, I am going to kind of quote it to you… about voters and why they don’t vote….  here we go.. and then I will tell you who and why…

“They say the reason the majority of Americans don’t vote is that they are tired of having to choose between Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber”.  And then he went on to compare it to a restaurant… “ If you went to a restaurant and the waiter said..  “We are sorry, but the only choices we have left on the menu are cottage cheese and fried breadsticks,”  You would get up and leave, if that wasn’t what you wanted… But imagine that this is the only restaurant in town and there was nowhere else to eat.”

This is not his exact words..but enough you can tell where I got them if you read the book.  Now get this… this book was published in  … ready?  1997… by one Michael Moore.. the book?  Downsize This! … wow.. 21 year ago!!! And it is still true….  

SO… I AM TELLING YOU…. and I don’t care who you vote for….(yes, I am serious, because I don’t tell people who to vote for)  GET OUT AND VOTE..  and for those who come up with excuses… I …… DON’T….. WANT…. TO .. HEAR… FROM … YOU..  don’t even bother… go talk to the wall.. go put a quarter in the phone and call someone who cares…  because as far as I am concern.. you aren’t worth the time you didn’t spend voting… THERE IS MAIL VOTING.. for those of you who work… there is early voting for those who can’t be in your town at the time of voting… get your lazy ass out and vote… even if you are sick.. you can vote by mail.. There are people who will drive you to the polls if you need a ride… SORRY, BUT UNLESS YOU ARE DEAD.. you have no excuse..

What I told my daughters/strong women

What I told my daughters…/strong women

When I was raising my daughters, I told them they could be anything they wanted to be.. they just had to want it bad enough… that they only thing that would stop them…….. would be themselves. 

So they have gone on and some have worked in a man’s world… One sold tools in the Northwest district…then she decided to be closer to home and works for the city as a groundskeeper because she loves the outdoors and gardens.  The other one that just past away last year… she too, worked for the city, with mostly men…  Keeping all the parks mowed, the flower beds in great shape and etc..   in a different area than her sister..  The third one has been a cook, a welder and I forgot the other thing she did.. The youngest one is working in the office of a manufacture company.  For 20+ years..  Some times these girls had to fight their way thru… but they have done a great job of being independent.  Youngest one went out and bought a house for herself and her son, 20 years ago… it was later that she married… but she is strong. And strong enough to call me on things.. if she think I am wrong.   Just the way I raised them..  

I think all women should be strong.. I admire the ones who went on and did their own thing. I have one friend who bought her own sail boat.. and she has sailed across the ocean from Seattle to Hawaii…  with just one friend with her.. and she was in her 50’s at the time.  I love it when woman can be strong enough to believe in themselves. 

I don’t think women should be like the ones in the 1940’s. Stay home and just be a housewife.. if that isn’t what makes her happy…  And she better have some interest besides the family…… because when those kids fly out of the nest…she is going to be lost.

Now days most couples work..  So they have their home life.. their work life.. and if they are smart they will have their own interest besides their husband’s interest.  If it isn’t a matter of money, then hobbies.. volunteer… there are so many groups that would love to have help.  There are dog shelters, if that is your thing.   If children are your passion.. then there is lots out there to help with.  Children advocate for the courts.  Animal shelters…  even they have foster plans where you can take an animal until they find a home for it. 

There are so many avenues.. so if your husband is a hunter, or a golfer or loves to work in his garage and that is not your thing.. then find your own thing… there is still plenty of time to be together.. and enjoy things together.. and even help out each other in the  interest of your partner.   And talking about their interest over dinner..

So if you are sitting home by yourself.. it is your fault as there is a lot out there to do… that you would love to do.. and they would love the help. 

Myself, my yard is mine.. I love being at home and working in the yard.. but I also strike out for the day for something of interest..  And when my husband comes home.. I ask about his day, where he went for the day.. (that I did not want to do).  We love talking about how our day went… So will you.