Trust Me Ma!!

There will be a missing special person among us at our yearly celebration. Missing physically that is but she is always there in all of our hearts. I always left the the box of Christmas wrap out just in case. She always promised to be on time. Trust me Ma, I`ll be there. And she was rushing in with all of her gifts at the very last minute. Can I wrap these real quick? Just take me a minute , trust me Ma. It`s been 13 years since she was taken from us. But I still see her and hear her in my minds eye and heart coming in with all the others. Trust me Ma, I`m here.

generations

Creative One arrived unexpectedly to help with more Christmas festivities. She wrapped all my Christmas presents. ( think she likes to know what everyone is getting) She does them with thought and creativity. She also deep cleaned the kitchen. Took her 5 hours. While I was watching the now 1 year old baby who is such a joy. He makes us laugh with his antics and into everything personality. A very joyfilled day and then to top it off an e-mail from the 8 year old granddaughter. Imagine an e-mail!! My cup runneth over.

What was I Thinking?

"Creative One " (that will be the adult granddaughter ) came on Sunday to decorate out house for Christmas. She is opening boxes and says "Granny why are there names on some of these boxes? " Karen is on the cookie serving dish, Casey on the ferris wheel, Bernie on the carasel, you get the picture.
I didn`t have an answer because I couldn`t remember. It was my handwriting so I must have done it. As the day progressed in laughter and real creativity, ( she dressed herself up in garland and Christmas lights) I suddenly remembered. I had had a heart malfunction in November that was scary to me. So when I was putting away the Christmas stuff that year I was thinking maybe I won`t be here next year so I decided to designate the nicest of the Christmas "stuff " to new owners. Isn`t that a riot? Well, it was a good thought at the time Now it seems kind of silly since I am still here.

crabby old lady

My favorite CD is skipping this morning. Why do we have to have CD`s anyway ? I have cassette tapes I have had for 30 years that play just fine. My CD`s never last more than a year and they cost a whole lot more. I don`t have the technology smarts to figure it out. My kids say clean the CD player. Hello? How do you do that? And my vidio cassettes last forever and never break or wear out. The DVD`s on the other hand sometimes work and sometimes won`t even start. I know it`s the operator of the machine and not the DVD and that makes me crabby!!! I have a lot to plan and firgure out today and I like to do it with soft soothing music in the background not that bumbbumbbumbbumbbb. Pisses me off.

Bump In The Road

Looks like Dr. week coming up. Gentle Ben to start on Insulin. We go for teaching today. An appt for me with a shrink and one with the dentist. A filling fell out last week. Makes the calandar look interesting . The crazy lady goes to old people exercise class everyday , takes care of a year old baby once a week, goes to journey group once a week to contemplate our life journey, work 15 hours a week, run errands for friends that are physically challenged , meet with prayer partners once a week, try to learn how to operate the computer. Now the printer doesn`t print and I know it`s not the printer. I`m worried about the shrink. I don`t want to appear nuts so I`m trying to print out how "normal" I am. It isn`t working.

Black Friday Continued

I forgot a couple of items. First I wore my uniform pants with the many pockets so I wouldn`t have to take a purse. Put my credit card and drivers licsence in one pocket and my phone in another, car keys in another. Donned a short sleeved blouse ( I get really hot shopping) even though it is 28 degrees outside. I look pretty funny but it is 6:00 a.m /and who cares?
While on my second trip in, a lady asked if I worked there . I told her no but I think she didn`t hear me because she started asking questions about what size pajamas she should get for her friend that is living with them because he lost his job. He is short but pretty big around the middle so do I think she should get a xxl for him. I look at it for her and decide for her that she should probably get the xl. She thanks me and goes to the housecoats that says one size fits all and wants to know if I think that will go around him. It is open so she asks me to put it around me so I do and it goes around comfortably. She looks at it and says "no, his stomach is much bigger than yours." It won`t fit him. So I till her I`m sorry it won`t fit and hope she finds one that does as I am slowly backing away to make my escape.

Black Friaday

Why is it called that I wonder? Ka-ching ka-ching Friday would be more appropriate. Oh well that`s neither here nor there. I did it. I got up in the dark and went Christmas Shopping and 6 a.m. I haven`t done that since the early 1970`s when I went to redeem my green stamps on that day and got into a terrible traffic jam and didn`t get what I went for. I said "never again in my lifetime will I do that."
I have been suspecting short term memory loss but now it seems I have a touch of long term memory loss as well. It was an adventure. I got what I went for first thing. It was very heavy
so they graciously offered to get someone to help me get it to the car. I waited not to long a time when a lady came to do the deed. But I was concerned because she didn`t look any more capapable of carrying it that I am But then she sent for a flat cart thing so that was ok. On the way to the elevator somene threw up in the asile. She is a manager as it turned out and had to take care of this inconveince. She goes gagging off to find help. Finnaly she returns and we continue to the elevator where a little kid had broken a glass bottle full of something in the entrance to the elevator. She`s off again. We at last get to the parking lot which is packed and I have to go get my car and lose my spot. It is quite a hike. The item is safely stowed in the car and I take off to find another parking place . My common sense says leave, you have what you came for but, the shopping frenzy is contagious and I am suddenly on a mission. A parking place opened up in front of the door so I took it.
Back into the land of dreams and everything you ever wanted right at your finger tips and on Sale!!!! I floated through the store in a shopping coma checking out when my arms got full and tired and took those items to the car since is was now so close. I did that three times when finaly the legs gave out the the breathing became short and labored and the stomach began growling and the thirst became a real need to quinch. At this time my sister calls on my cell phone. I tell her where I am and what I am doing. . She says " get your ass out of there and get home. Don`t you know it is dangerous to go out in these mad crowds . I just saw on the news that in Florida a Wal-Mart employee was trampled and killed, two pregnant women had miscarraiges and three people were sent to the hospotal when they opened their doors. Now I am next in line to check out so I do and take the last bag out to the car and colapse inside. There are cars honking at me to get out of there so they can fight over my spot.
This time I mean it. NEVER AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME!!!!!!

Magnificent Seven

I have a group of 7 friends who have laughed and cried together for 40 some years. Our kids named us the OOC`s ( out of controls) some years ago. However as the years have past we recently renamed ourselves the Magnificnt Seven. We have all cooked out of the Colorado Cache cookbook over the years . We had a luncheon the other day and each brought a favorite dish from the cookbook. It was so fun. We brought our books with us. They were in all versions of the original, from not to bad to very very well used. Mine was the dirtiest. I never thought about washing a book. We went through the books together and added notes from each other and tips and how we have made changes to suit ourselves. For instance, I add 6 eggs instead of 5 to the Chilli Rejeno Caserole and I layer the chillies and cheese instead of stuff them. Now our books are an exclusive Magnificent Seven Version which I think should be published as the new and improved version.

empathy

I see the face of a young brave marine on the front page of the paper. He served his country , came home and told he had to go again. He could not in his soul face the horror again. I don`t know the young man at all and very little of the facts of the reports. I just know how it makes me feel.
We as a people the world over have not yet evolved out of the mind set of War to settle our lack of understanding of other cultures, ideas or beliefs. Educated, mature elected or inherited leaders of our global world choose to send our children to the slaughter. They are not provided with the necessities of the war they have been sent to fight. They are ordered to give more than they volunteered to give. Then they punish a soldier who just can`t take it anymore and makes a poor choice in how to get out of it. If he told the truth he would be ostrasized and called a coward and still have to serve time in the brig with a dishonorable discharge. I feel deep sympathy for the family of the young man and all others who have faced such unspeakable sorrows of war.
Yes, I am a senior citizen and have seen much. My family sacrificed one, and two others wounded in WW2 . My father was gone from home for 3 years . We as a family sacrificed much and we were proud of our country. We had a victory garden, my mom painted her legs with pretend nylons so parachuttes could be made for our boys over there. I am patriotic still and am proud to be an american. And we need to grow up and take resposibility and seek other solutions to our problems. Amen

Whoa!! Pink Towels

Linen`s `N Things are going out of business in our neck of the woods. All sales final. I was cruising through looking for some towels with a pattern for a change. Found some with a argyle type pattern in different shades of pink with some green that miight match the green on the walls in the bathroom. Get home and throw them into the washer > When I went to fold them discovered the handtowels and the washchoths do not match the bathtowel!!! And when fully unfolded the main color is hot pink. The colors are all the same but the handtowels and the wash cloths have stripes down the middle. Hang them up and wait for my husband (Gentle Ben) to make a comment. Nothing . Ok we can live with the odd combination.
Fast forward two weeks. Go back to Linen`s just to see if the towels are still there. Yes they are. Ok, I will now get the handtowels and washcloths to match the bathtowels . But now maybe I should get the bathtowels to match the ones at home . So I buy another unmatched set
Hang up yet another set of very hot pink towels in a green bathroom with beige carpets and shower curtain. It is really garish!!. Wait again for a comment from Gentle Ben. Nothing.
Granddaughter comes over to do her weekly help out Granny chores I hear this loud shriek coming from the bathroom ,Whoa!!! What`s with all the pink!!!!
I don`t know what`s with the pink. Now Gentle Ben speaks "I was wondering about that myself."

serenity returns

Have not been able to post because I forgot my names to sign in with!!!!! after days of trying every combination I could think of I finally hit on the correct one. I am so happy. It is now written in the old fashioned way, on a scrap of paper, by hand ,always at my disposal without having to sign in anywhere.

How does this sound?

We have a new president elect that is making amazing history in our nation. The campain was long and gurelling for all concerned. We know that both contenders are well accepted by the popular votes both received. So, why can`t we utilize both of them? Let Obama and Michelle handle the ecconomic issues, health care and educatation. Let McCain handle the war and peace issue and other foriegn affairs. He could choose his own cabinet. Let Hillary be seceretary of state and Bill be secretary of the treasurey ( We were in the black when he left office and he is a Rhoads Scholar after all.) We just need to keep him focused on the task at hand. Bidden can be the peace keeper in the White House making sure all parties are following the rules and offering his imput to both as he respects both men a great deal . Oh, and let`s have Sara be the cheerleader for all the issues! Mrs. Mccain seems to do well with Real Estate. I don`t know if there is a title for that or not.
Oh, an afterthought, there is still only one Vice President and that would be Joe of course.

Leaves and granddaughters

It`s fall. One of my favorite times of the year. My precious 8 y.0. granddaughter was over a few days ago and she wanted to rake up the leaves so we could jump in them. She was vigorously raking and noticed I was not keeping up. "I could use some help here Grany" she quipped.
We had our pile all pumped up for the big jump. So much fun!!!! So much joy laying in the leaves looking into her beautiful joyful face. It doen`t get any better. My jumping is more like laying down gently but that doesn`t matter to her. Ah, the joy of grandmotherhood.
Fast forward a few more days and the 22 y.o. precious granddaughter comes over and begins the chore of cleaning up the leaves and helping me put the yard to bed. She has the leaves all raked up into piles and we begin putting them into bags and I hear her say " Granny, don`t be doing that now, you might hurt your back." So I go get the camera and get a picture of her sitting in a pile to add to all the pictures I have of her doing just that since she could walk.
I sit on the patio watching her lovliness and reflect on the blessings of grandchildren and all the memories that keep me company . Life is good.

Teeth

I had a tooth attack not long ago. It was sooo sore and ouchy. I called the dentist and got started on antibotic. I babysit for a little 9 mo old baby one day a week. He was also having a tooth attack at the same time. His was of a different ilk. He was grabbing everything in sight and madly chewing chewing like a mad dog.
I went to the dentist and was finally put out of my misery, however I came out of the ordeal minus a tooth. The babe returned for his weekly loving, sporting yes, a brand new shiney tooth. As he lay in my lap happily drinking his bottle , nonchalantly swinging his foot and touching my face with his pudgy little hand, we had a wordless communication. Looking deep into each others eyes we recognized the dichotomy of the tooth exchange .