Holy Swiss Cheese...

Memory Batman!!!

I plumb forgot to tell ya about the stuff. THE STUFF!! Yes, the golden elixir which keeps crinkles on potato chips and off my face. The stuff that made my mom yelp with excitement when her 'lip wrinkles' disappeared in 5 mins. The stuff you best not pilfer from me lest you suffer the wrath of hell!
Ahh, sorry.
Got a bit excited there.
Here is the stuff.

I use it every day, after showering and toning the skin but before skin care products. It's been out for about 2 years maybe longer. They tested it in a clinical trial of 1000 people, men and women alike. There was a 400% improvement in their skin. Okay...I can just hear P3 (if he even reads this girly stuff) "you can't have a 400% improvement". Well, they measured the pore size, wrinkles, elasticity and a bunch of other stuff and had the testee's only put product on HALF their face. They did that for six weeks and the other half of their face didn't just stay the same, it got worse! So that's how. Now, these volunteers were actually pleased but also a bit put out, cause now their faces looked funny. They insisted that the third party testing company reveal the product at the end of the clinical trial, and Shaklee was delighted to give them free product to catch the other half of their face up to the test half! So, there you go. I didn't want to be accused of not sharing my beauty secrets....BWAHHAHAHA. Gotcha!

Within the last year I noticed a growing number of knock off companies coming out with a similar item. We call ours, botox in a bottle. 'Course it's totally natural and there are some cool pics of before and after photos from the clinical trial on the Shaklee website. Anyhoo. That's it. Sorry I forgot to add that to my post from yesterday. :0]

Do I look 44 to you?

Taken last summer. I chose this one so you can see my crinkles at the corner's of my eyes. Unfortunately it also shows just how crooked my teeth are. I don't see crooked teeth in my mirror. I have a 'magic' mirror. (okay, so I will be 44 in 2 months)



Taken last month because I got my hair cut.





Why do I ask you wonder? I ran into a friend today, she was a close friend at one time, but we drifted. She was literally aghast. She insisted that I had a facelift or something. I haven't seen her in....15 months. We talked and she finally stopped being all bugeyed. She swears I look younger. We talked about the hair, the weight (only 20 pounds) and the only thing I can say is thank you. I am thanking her of course. She's usually not so effusive. But I'm thanking myself and my husband. I have stuck to a beauty routine, which I am not good at doing...sticking to things. I have stuck to my supplements, my water routine. Been a bit lax on diet and exercise but I am back on track. I am thanking Bill for believing in me. I have stuck to my meditation. (no, no chanting and incense, but that's another post).
If I look at this in a somewhat scientific manner, there were too many variables for me to attribute my 'improvement' to any one thing. As in life, I'm sure it's some combination of those things. But I do know I made a very good decision to use Shaklee. I want to show you this picture and actually, we've been asked not to, but I am taking out all the info and just showing you the photo.


Most of the time when I ask people, women, what ages these women are, I get 70 and 50 (left to right)

They are identical twins and I have the childhood photo to prove it. The one on the right has used Shaklee, consistently, for over 25 years. Her sister on the left rarely uses Shaklee, prefering supermarket and department store brand products.


It's just too powerful a picture and story for me not to share. Even if some of you are rolling your eyes and/or snorting, I don't much mind. Because I want to look that good in 25 years. I want to feel that good. My friend, that I ran into today, she uses Shaklee inconsistently. She's actually the one that really got me interested enough to try it. She knows what Shaklee does. She just doesn't stick with it. I am so glad I finally have learned to stick with something.

I don't expect to live forever or remain youthful looking forever. And it's not some quick fix, pill to swallow, surgery to endure. It's a commitment to my health, my life. I am building a health asset that I can enjoy well into my 90's. I really do want to slide into my afterlife, having lived vitally to my last day. That's my choice to make, and I have made it.
Shaklee isn't for everyone, but make a choice today. Make a choice for life and health. If nothing else, so that you can live, really live, until you die.

Wish this were true

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind. You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life. Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling. And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Great Bloggy Meme

1. Do you blog to make friends with people you will eventually meet in real life? Well, I started blogging because I just wanted to comment on my girlfriends blog. I missed her after she moved and it's hard to talk on the phone with her because she has oodles of munchkins. It was a way for me to be a part of her life. Her aunt had one as well and I started to read hers and then...it just snowballed from there. So, I would LOVE to meet the folks I am blogging with at the present time but I didn't start blogging to do make friends. Now, my bloggy friends are just one of life's precious gifts for which I am sincerely grateful.

2. Do you blog for yourself as a sanity-seeking form of online diary that is really neat cause it can link to all kinds of other things? No, I don't think so. I hate, HATE diary's. I loved the idea but then it became a chore. So the last diary I did was in grade school. But, the interaction with others...the sharing of stories and heartaches, joys, trials and well you know the rest. That is why I blog. Because I like being part of the group and I like meeting other people that I would never have a chance to meet. It has linked me to all kinds of other things. I can't wait to geocache!

3. Do you blog to discover people with whom you share opinions about a topic? See above. I don't necessarily have to have validation on a specific topic per se. So, no I don't blog to find like minded people. I did visit a blog that invited discourse but it actually ended up bringing out the worst in me and I've stayed away. Another blog I visited ended up being a poser although they still have some people convinced they are who they say they are. I also have visited some sites that didn't interest me. I get to all the sites from sidebar links from people I know and trust. I don't just do a 'search' and find someone to drop in on. As a matter of fact, I felt uncomfortable the first 30 or so times I just popped into someone's blog with a comment. I guess I still feel somewhat concerned about being rude.

4. Do you blog to attract readers? And, do you have an expectation of what sort of readers you have? Not a specific motive to attract readers, no. I don't have an expectation of my readers because I don't know about any lurkers and the people who comment on my blog are usually there because I commented on their blog. Again, I just sorta stumbled on this whole blogging thing.

5. Would you still blog if nobody read your blog? I honestly don't know. I remember at first, the only one who commented was my friend Claire, who inspired my blog. But I must want people to read because I sent out the link to everyone on my email list so that they could keep up with 'the life and times...'. I just heard the other day that a long time friend of my husband's visits every day...Hi Jennifer! ;0]

6. Do you blog to distinguish yourself .. because you think blogging is cool and you think it makes you cool(er)? Well, since I didn't know what it was until my friend emailed me about hers...I would have to say that is a big fat 'no'. But I like talking about myself. I think it's helped me to be more balanced in my daily relationships. I don't feel the need to tell everyone around me everything that is going on!

7. What do you think of on-line friends vs real life friends? Sometimes I think my on-line friends I know a bit better because they reveal more of themselves to me/us than people you interact with daily. Or it could be that I have trouble 'reading' people in person and find it easier to 'read' them daily (sorry for the pun). Otherwise, I continue to make the same silly mistakes with bloggy friends that I do with 'real-life' friends. I still worry about them, feel emotions for and about them etc. I still expect the same things I would from 'real-life' friends. Like when someone doesn't comment (I don't know if they visit) I wonder if I've done something to upset them or if they are having problems.

8. Have you ever Googled yourself? Absolutely yes. There are lots of Pam Baker's and I just like to see what we are all up to. I haven't done it since I started blogging. But you bet I will now!

I'm 'tagging' anyone who reads this...unless you've already done it in the last year.

This was a HOOT

Mike did this cool thing and suggested we go play and find the you "inside" you. So I did. I don't think it differs much...same eye color, hair color etc. But I wish I had her bod!! LOL I think I will do others because sometimes I like being different.

Monday MeMe

Monday MeMe we are supposed to take one of our 100 Things About Us and elaborate. So here's mine.

26. I hiked and backpacked all over New England most weekends when I was growing up.

I remember asking my Mom how could I find out how to go hiking? I don’t know how I knew enough to ask. I was 12 or 13. She asked around at work and a nice young man, Randy Levesque, the son of a friend of my mom’s, hiked all the time. I got invited to go on a day hike and shortly after that a weekend backpack to a hut in New Hampshire.
That first backpack was to Franconia Notch and Mt Lafayette. We met in the parking lot of the trailhead and divvied up the food. That particular trip leader bought all the food and planned it all out. Most of the time, you bring your own except when you are staying in a hut. We were going to spend the first night in Greenleaf Hut and the second in Galehead Hut. Greenleaf Hut
Shortly after we started out it began to drizzle. By the time we were above tree line it was miserable. Despite poncho’s, it wasn’t long before we were wet and cold. I can remember Randy asking me a dumb question and I answered him rather brusquely. He said he was just checking to see if I was succumbing to hypothermia. Once above tree line we were on a ridge and IN the clouds, so visibility was nil. It took us quite a bit to find the trail marker which is a cairn on top of Mt. Lafayette. We were quite exhausted when we arrived at the hut in mid afternoon. At that time the hut was separated in to two bunkrooms. Men’s and Women’s. Some hikers arrived a bit later and had lost some of their hiking partners on top of Mt. Lafayette. Visibility was around five feet up there and they may have headed down the wrong trail into the wilderness as opposed towards the hut. So the Hutmaster and some volunteers headed back up the mountain to look for them. They eventually found them, incoherent but alive. They were able to hike to the hut but were in need of some first aid. That was the first time I had ever seen to people get naked in public. They matched the lost hikers with some of their group and they went skin to skin and wrapped them in blankets, for about an hour. They also gave them hot drinks and homemade hot water bottles as well. I was impressed on so many levels by this experience. I am sure you can imagine.
I ended up joining both the Appalachian Mountain Club and the American Youth Hostels to get their newsletters and plan for trips. Before I turned 14, I had climbed several 4,000 footers and traveled all across New England. All thru junior high and high school, until I started working, I hiked/camped/backpacked all over New England and New York. I met some incredible people. This was in the mid 70’s. I was quite shy at that time (I still am to a certain degree) and so most people had no idea how old I was because I hardly ever spoke. And of course, I looked like I was 18. Randy was a great hiking partner. He has all the pictures of those trips and I have been trying to find him for years. His mom died while I was away in the Army and so my Mom lost contact with him and his sister. I did find someone by that name in the phone book in Connecticut but he has never answered my letters or phone calls so I don’t know if it is him or not.
What I learned the most about those times was a specific kind of peace you find in the outdoors. That nature is to be respected. I learned that you can enjoy yourself with very little in the way of creature comforts if you are with the right people. I tried hiking with the Sierra Club out here, years later, but…for one thing I could never get on one of their work trips and two…I don’t need a guide any more. I can navigate and take care of myself. I have hiked all around the Pikes Peak region and I have ventured in the Conundrum area outside of Aspen. I have kinda lost interest in backpacking but I still love to hike and camp.

While I was on terminal leave from the Army, I applied to be the late summer hut crew at one of the huts but wasn't chosen. Probably the only time in my life I had a chance to go do that. So sad.
I have always wanted one of the AMC's hut or trail signs to put in my home. Some of you may remember we have decorated it like a log cabin. Alas, they are quite expensive and difficult to come by. So if you ever see one under five hundred bucks....grab it and I will reimburse you, cross my heart and hope to die!

Sunday Reminiscing

Today's Reminiscing is gonna just be photos since I have been prolific these last few days. These three photos were taken c. 1981-1983. I was 18-19 or so. My best picture of me in uniform as an enlisted person. The next one was so 80's I just had to post it and I'd like to say, I miss the body below. What I would give for that waist. *Sigh*

This is a page from my scrapbook.

I'm working my way backwards which is why the above photos have yet to be 'scrapped'. This is the best picture of me in uniform as an officer. (The one on the left, in my dress blues) As you may have noticed...I hadn't gone white yet in this photo but it literally happened in the six months following OBC and this photo. I guess, nursing school, ROTC, living with a quadriplegic, being pres of the Student Nurses Association and Pres of the class, then taking nursing boards and heading to Officer Basic and then 3 months later moving to Colorado kinda took a toll on my hair color. Wish to god I had known about B complex then!!

What a cute Butterbar I was!! LOL

True Ramblings

I say and you think...

1. Glass castle:: Bill Joel


2. Preserved:: Jellies and Jams


3. Jealousy:: oh, crap!


4. Territory:: Days


5. Coffee:: and milk


6. Stephen:: Zahn, Dorfman


7. Slut:: whore


8. Dynamic:: Duo


9. Daybreak:: sunup


10. Dew:: Tillamore

Okay, this my first time playing and I blatantly stole this from Leesa...who else? She is my hero! I tried to do this just as it was designed to do by psychologists/psychiatrists. So I signed up for the list and didn't look at it until I was ready to type.

Want to have some fun too? Click
You Passed the US Citizenship Test



Congratulations - you got 9 out of 10 correct!


Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Okay, I had some doozey dreams this am. Losing cats and dogs then getting them back, parts of a recurring dream/nightmare about a group of people I get together with weekly and I keep wanting to bring closure to an event that we all experienced but no one will cooperate and I end up screaming at them. Also being back in the military and being stationed somewhere on the water only this is the most bizarre coastline. I am not even going to go into it. I can't. It would be incoherent as it is to me right at this moment.

Now, the reason why I know about these dreams is that poor Bill had to get up at 2 am because I was snoring. I have only started snoring the last month or so...well on a consistent basis. Now, mind you, Bill has always snored. But he is easy to awaken with a "Bill, you're snoring". He responds with..."Sorry" and usually turns over. Last week we bought 'Breathe Right' strips or rather the generic version. Hasn't helped me stop snoring. So, when I felt him get up at 2 this am, I apologized and said I was even laying 3/4 on my stomach, and still snoring. I said I didn't know what else to do. So, my doc wanted me to make an appointment with him and I will do that Monday.

Intergalactic Planet3rry has been on my mind this am because he has been running since 5 am my time, in a marathon. I would link him but it doesn't work. If you click on my sidebar, when you can find the damn thing, his link won't work either. I don't know if it's because it's a "live journal" or whathaveyou. So, good luck P3. You need to finish in 4 hours and...oops, can't post my prediction!


I am afraid to come off my meds.

I am going to tell you something I need you to be sensitive about. I have been on these meds for 7 years or so. I fought going on them for a very long time. I wanted to be able to pull myself up by the bootstraps and 'get over it'. Didn't work and I found myself at the very bottom of a dark, deep, pit of despair for no apparent reason. I was severely, and later I found out I was profoundly, clinically depressed. I remember telling my doc that I wanted to die. Not kill myself, just die. The pain of living was profound. I am not going to go into every detail. Just trust me when I tell you it was bad. And at the same time I was, I was feeling this way, I was telling him...I don't have any reason to be depressed. NO REASON AT ALL. That's when I knew something was really wrong. I guess too, when I was crying and driving and wishing someone would just take my life from me, seconds later, I almost got broadsided by a large firetruck responding to an emergency. I was literally, seconds from dying. That was a very large wakeup call. I have been so even and balanced and so much more happy than ever in my life since starting on these meds. It got even better when I started taking Shaklee nutrition products. Then perimenopause started. That's another post. So, I want to see if I can come off my meds. I haven't ever been off them. I am afraid. Afraid I'm still sick. After all, it's a chemical imbalance rather than something I can control. I have probably had it my whole life. But I want off these meds. No, I don't have any side effects...well that is unless I forget to take them and then my B/P skyrockets and I am incapacitated, so I try not to forget them. I just want off them. They're pricey too. Then I am afraid that I will still need them and when I go back on them, they won't work anymore. These are the two irrational fears that I have. I actually don't have a good reason to come off my meds...just that I don't want to be on them. Maybe I don't want to be 'sick' anymore. Maybe I am tired of paying for them. I dunno.

Bill's birthday was this past week. He turned 43. I totally surprised him with a pull along golf cart that matches his golf bag. And then Friday night I brought home his favorite cake...German Chocolate from the Old Heidelberg Bakery. He took it to work (cause I am allergic to coconut) and shared it with everyone.

Guess what? I am orienting a person who will be able to take over my weekend remote vital sign monitoring responsibilities. And she is quick!! No need to tell her something more than once. *doing the happy dance here* I will go in next week to observe and fine tune some details and then...I. Am. Done. With. Working. On. The. Weekend.....unless I WANT to that is. Since September I have been working at least one of the days and then in January, I started to have Monday's off but I still had to cover the monitoring on Sat and Sun. I will be bringing this gal treats and heaping lotsa love on her!! You can bet your sweet petunias.

I have a question for you, especially Shephard, but anyone else who might know the answer. I get confused with the definitions of simile, metaphor, fable, parable, etc. Does anyone have a mnemonic or other method, to help remember and differentiate them? I HATE that I can't keep them straight and actually, truth be told, tell one from the other.

Okay, I am done rambling this am. Hungry. Me want french toast. Yummmm. Last test. Was interesting, considering my penchant for words/language. Later All. Love you P.

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% General American English

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

10% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern




What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Something to do

This was too funny, especially all of you with children just getting ready to drive or have started driving. My girlfriend and business partner, Patty, who doesn't blog, has a son aged 16 who is learning to drive. She has some interesting stories.

This next blog, is about a guy who has taken the high road...literally. I think you might enjoy reading his entries.

And I think we are going to try this for fun. It looks interesting and I love to travel. Anybody ever done it?

So, what are you doing for fun this weekend? P3 is running his little legs off.

82 things...

Good-For-A-Saturday Meme

Borrowed ;0] from Leesa:

1. How many keys are on your keychain? 2 truck keys, 2 office keys, 1 house key

2. What curse word do you use the most? Well, when I hurt myself or drop something or fall it's SOB. I use CRAP a lot, otherwise, which doesn't count.

3. Do you own an iPod? No, hubby has one

4. Who on your Myspace "Top 8" do you talk to most? I don't have Myspace.

5. What time is your alarm clock set for? I don't use an alarm clock unless it's an unusual wake time otherwise I get up around 5:45 am.

6. How many suitcases do you own? We own four.

7. Do you wear flip-flops even when it's cold outside?. Not when it's cold.

8. Where do you buy your groceries from? Whole Foods and sometimes Safeway.

9. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture? Either, if the person with the camera has any sense of artistic talent...there's only a few angles I look acceptable in.

10. What was the last movie you watched? "Contact"...again. And I should have added "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" to my list of quirky movies.

11. Do any of your friends have children? Yes, a few. My really good friend Claire is going to deliver her 5th baby (and hopefully a girl finally!) any day now.

12. If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you would buy? This is a tough one. I would 'buy' a tax lawyer, in reality. But I think I would buy a Prius.

13. Has anyone ever called you lazy? Yes, an extremely large ex-boss called me lazy once.

14. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster? Not on a regular basis, maybe 2-3 times per year I will drink a cup of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime or Sleepytime extra tea.

15. What CD is currently in your CD player? "Wild, Cool and Swinging" a compilation disc. We own all 15 or 16 of them.

16. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk? Skim, organic milk

17. Has anyone told you a secret this week? Yes

18. When was the last time someone hit on you? The nice waiters at a dinner meeting Thursday night flirted back with me. Even though I wasn't tipping them!!

19. What did you have for dinner? Last night? Wings from Back East Pizza

20. Do you wear hoodies often? No

21. Can you whistle? Yes, I can whistle a tune and I can whistle the "get your ass over here" whistle as well.

22. Have you ever participated in a protest? Yes in high school, we marched on the Hill.

23. Who was the last person to call you? My 'boy' last night before I went to bed. He calls me every night he works.

24. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park? The rollercoasters and the virtual rides.

25. Do you think people talk about you behind your back? Sure, everyone does.

26. What area code are you in right now? 719

27. Did you watch cartoons as a child? Of course.

28. How big is your local mall? Ahh, I dunno, I never go there. I think it has 3 or 4 major dept stores...it's certainly not a Mall of America!!

29. How many siblings do you have? 1 sister Kathy and a step sister Vicki and step brother John.

30. Are you shy around the opposite sex? No

31. What is your biggest regret? Leaving the 'field'.

32. Have you ever had Jamba Juice? No.

33. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt? Awhile ago, I don't remember, sadly.

34. What movie do you know every line to? Breakfast Club, It's a Wonderful Life.

35. Do you own any band t-shirts? Yes,well actually a concert shirt- WOMAD.

36. When was your last plane ride? June

37. How many chairs are at your dining room table? 4.

38. What is your favorite salad dressing? Balsamic Vinaigrette

39. Do you read for fun? Blogs yes. Books - I'm on a short hiatus at the moment both for work and for fun.

40. Can you speak any languages other than English? Rudimentary American Sign Language and basic conversational Spanish.

41. Do you do your own dishes? Yes because you can't put our pots and pans in the dishwasher.

42. What color is your bedroom painted? Terra Cotta red and taupe

43. Have you ever cried in public? Yes, usually at a 'Come to Jesus Meeting' with a boss unfortunately.

44. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop? Both.

45. Which do you make: wishes or plans? Both.

46. Are you always trying to learn new things? Absolutely and unequivocally.

47. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos? Ahh, that would be a definite NO.

48. Do you believe that the guy should pay on the first date? Not necessarily.

49. Can you skip rocks?. Yes

50. Have you ever been to Jamaica? No.

51. If you could be anyone in the world, who would you be? A more polished and actualized Me :)

52. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I had to go count...22 pair including sneakers as well as 2 pairs cowboy boots.

53. Do you love your job? Sometimes, it has lots of challenges. I LOVED the job I did before.

54. Has someone you loved died in the last year? No.

55. What to snack on at the movie theatres?. Popcorn and Milk Duds...at the same time, YUM!

56. Who was your favorite teacher? Didn't have a favorite until college and then she was my mentor, Dr. Eleanor Herrmann.

57. Have you ever dated someone out of your race? Yes.

58. What is the weather like?. It's 40, partly cloudy with a humidity of 60%, we're supposed to get some precipitation this weekend.

59. Would you ever date someone covered in tattoos? Tattoos would not be a defining factor in whether I would date someone or not.

60. Do you have an online journal? Yes, as a matter of fact, I do...*snicker*.

61. What was your favorite class in high school? Photography and vocabulary.

62. Does your closest Starbucks have a drive-thru? No, it's part of Safeway.

63. Do you eat breakfast daily? Yes, Energizing Soy Protein shake, cocoa flavor of course with skim milk.

64. What was the last thing to scare you? A coworker snuck up behind me in my cubicle yesterday, causing me to toss the papers and pen in my hand up in the air. Sh*thead!

.65. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberries

66. Do you pay attention to calories on the back of packages? No

67. Are you picky about spelling and grammar? For myself yes, for others...only if it doesn't make any sense or could have more than one meaning, because of a lack of grammar/punctuation.

68. What was the last thing you ate? Popcorn with real butter... :0]

69. Do you get along better with the same or opposite sex? Both

70. What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? Have no clue!

71. Do you like mustard? Not on hamburgers, hotdogs or sandwiches but in sauces yes.

72. Would you ever sky dive? Yes

73 Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back? Start on my back for 10 minutes then turn on my side or 3/4 on my stomach

74. What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself? Hmmm, none really.

75. Do you enjoy giving hugs? I have learned to, yes.

76. Would you consider yourself to be fashionable? No, although I did get complimented on my wardrobe just the other day.

77. Do you own a digital camera? Yes!!

78. What celebrities have you been compared to? Princess Fergie...before Weight Watchers.

79. Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do? No.

80. Are you a jealous person? I was going to say no because I was thinking of what I consider jealous. But I do get put out if my favorite person (s) don't spend enough time with me.

81. Do you ever feel guilty after eating meat? No, I LOVE steak, roasts, chicken, carnitas....

82. If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name have been? Don't have any idea, but I will be asking me mum, the next opportunity I get!

Quirky Movies I Love

UPDATED...Oooops I forgot, can't believe that I did...just a couple more quirky movies.

In no particular order... and not to be confused with bizarre.

1. Tank Girl
2. Sean of the Dead
3. So I Married an Axe Murderer
4. Exit to Eden
5. Arsenic and Old Lace
6. The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
7. Bringing Up Baby
8. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
9. Lone Star State of Mind
10. Matchstick Men
11. I Love You to Death
12. Connie and Carla
13. Rocky Horror Picture Show

Hey, check it out!

You've got to check this out. Especially if you love Leesa's wildlife pictures.

Hereeeeee'sss JOANIE!

What you have been waiting for.


Smiling for the 'Before' website photo



"What was I thinking??'

"Well, just do it"

"Hey I'm still cute!

"Jaysus, Mary n Joseph, I really am bald!"

"My mother always told me to hold my head up"

My brave, bodacious, bald mom and her kooky friends!

Thought for the day

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't
believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people
who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."
~George Bernard Shaw~

He's a Lover

Yum Yum poses and Koko looks on. While all our cats love to have our attention, Yum Yum only seeks it out when you are reclining in the sofa. Otherwise...he can't be bothered.


















Yum Yum loves to sit in the window and sun himself making sure that the blinds part at just the precise spot to have the sun blind me while I am on the computer. Thanks boy!

BBbbrrrrrrrr

Here is what we woke up to this morning. Along with blowing snow, howling winds and kkkkkkkcccooolllllddd!
The wind blew our fence over. (Don't ya love our new "neighbors". Ahh, it used to be so peaceful here.
Gretta runs to the back door after only a few moments outside. "Mom, it's cold outside"
Yum Yum stays warm in freshly laundered towels. Blurry picture because light was low.

Monday MeMe

100 Things About Me

I get to explain one (or in this case two) of the things on my list of a 100 Things About Me. Here is:
# 2 and 3. I am not a good friend; I am learning to be a good friend.

I think it's fair to say that this would be one of my major struggles in life. I don't have a bunch of friends or acquaintances. I am lucky to have one good friend. I just really don't know why. Consequently, whenever I have a friend, invariably I do something to ruin it. Sometimes I am too intense and they feel smothered! Or I do something to 'help' and end up ruining things (not talking about anyone I blog with) or I misunderstand my friend and don't 'get it' and we part ways. Ever since I can remember. It pretty much started when we moved to our house in Enfield. The neighborhood kids had already picked out their friends and I was 'late to the party' so to speak. I did make friends with Teresa but her family only stayed one year. Then there was Debbie that lived behind me. She and her family ended up being just this side of psychotic. Another girl lived down the street, Theresa. We were friends for a while but I always felt as if she thought I was a lost cause or silly. In high school, I had one friend Lisa. She was a beautiful girl and quirky like me. She also felt just a bit left out. Although to this day I can't imagine for what reason. As a matter of fact, there was this classmate who was a year behind us who used to be so frickin' mean to her. Argh, I didn't like her. Anyway, at Lisa's funeral, the summer before our senior year, this chick cried the most. I so wanted to kick her teeth in. The nasty bitch. I knew she felt bad for having treated Lisa so awful, but that didn't give her the right to go all to pieces at her funeral. I will never forget that night, that morning, the day Lisa died. Only the good die young.

After I graduated from college and was back in the Army, I had another good friend, Kevin. But he lived in CA and was trying to go to grad school and then met a girl who was really jealous of our conversations so we agreed to end our friendship. What a stupid thing to do. I don't know where he is and I miss him, even though I moved on.

Right now, I have a good friend who is also my business partner. But even still, I take a back seat to her family. As it should be I guess. She is the sweetest, kindest person I know. A living angel on earth. Honest, caring, forgiving and generous. Now, my mom still puts up with me. So does Bill. But he reminds me to be friendly with people not be friends with them. He suffers the same problem. We want to be friends with everyone, have this huge extended family type thing and then, these friends don't look at us the same way. We get hurt and withdraw. I am glad we share that in common. Two lonely, somewhat lost souls trying to figure out what the heck we are doing. I am learning to be his friend. It's the one thing I don't quite 'get'. Being friends. It means different things to different people at different times in their lives. That's a tough one to figure out. I am reminded of a bit of prose about friends being a season, a reason or lifetime friends. That helped ease some of the guilt and explain a bunch.

Shephard has offered some very good words that have helped with my most recent woes. Problems don't have to be setbacks, just another layer to work through. That has helped. Thanks my bloggy friend.

I can honestly say, that I have been intentionally hurtful 5 or 6 times in my life although I know I have been significantly more hurtful, unintentionally! My point is, if I do something that feels hurtful or wrong to someone, there is an extremely good chance that I don't have a clue that my actions or words are causing this response. Sometimes, when I am paying attention or have the opportunity to pay attention, I see that my actions or words are causing a problem and I fix them. Mostly, I am clueless. Maybe that's why I have so much trouble in the corporate world or rather the daily office grind. I can be amazingly intuitive and amazingly stupid. But give me the benefit of the doubt. Give me a chance to explain and/or fix what I have done. Ask me. Be blunt and straightforward or I may miss it. I remind myself to 'check in' with people frequently to see what the 'temp is like' so to speak. That helps, but I can make some doozy mistakes.

Well, that's all that I have right now. Thanks for reading this far. Hope your eyes haven't fallen out of your head or you haven't cracked your chin on your desk!! As the saying goes, I am a work in progress.

Sunday Reminiscing

I thought since you all were so generous in helping my mom out I would share alittle about this lady with you. This is my mom at work one Halloween. My mom is a lot of fun. In her own most oft used expression (although, not about herself) 'she's a hot ticket'. She always has a story/joke to tell. She likes to entertain both as a performer and as a hostess. She and my husband get along famously. She's kind and generous, wickedly smart and occasionally absentminded. She used to have long, deep conversations with me..well I guess my dad was driving but he never said anything, about all sorts of interesting things. How the world could save resources by changing our circadian rhythms. What racism was and how it affects everyone. Stuff like that. When my sister's retardation became the least of my sister's problems, my mom spent hours on the phone after work, calling different gov't agencies and departments trying to get help and information. I would hear her politely tell her story, Kathy's story, over and over and over while they transferred her from one person to another. I learned patience and resourcefulness from those experiences. I 'hear' my mom in my head all the time. "Do unto others...". "Two wrongs don't make a right". "Turn the other cheek". She is my best friend, my confidant, my hero. I am the lucky one of this turn of fate. She's not perfect and I remember coming to that realization. Eventually, it just made her more important to me.

I was tagged officially by Shephard and unofficially by Colin, so here it is. This was harder than I thought.

List ten things you want to say to people you know but you never will, for whatever reason. Don't say who they are. Use each person only once.

1. If you don't take care of yourself, your child WILL be an orphan before he's an adult. That is a professional opinion. You've started another health program but you will quit, just like you always do.
2. You don't believe you will be successful because then you would be in competition with your husband, so you sabotage yourself. You would deny this till your last dying breath.
3. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you but she is the type of person I avoid and honestly, you enable her.
4. Why do you have to lie? Don't you know that we ALL know you lie? Don't you know that we would love and respect you MORE if you stopped lying?
5. Hello-LIFE is passing you by-WTF are you afraid of? Get off your dead ass and do something.
6. She's the only mother you have. She's not perfect, nor are you. How many more decades are you going to be estranged? She'll be gone very soon. Very soon.
7. You are SO like your mother, JMJ. Why won't you trust that I do know what I am talking about? You are so stubborn, you border on the absurd.
8. I would like to be closer to you, but you'll only run. So, I will never tell you and I will continue to keep my distance.
9. You are not a nice person. Everyone thinks you are just difficult but that you have a good heart. That is the biggest sell job I have ever seen. You are a nasty, backstabbing, and gossiping wench and you make everyone miserable.
10. Why didn't you stay in touch with me? Was she worth losing your best friend over? Or maybe I really wasn't your best friend. Why wasn't I important enough to you?

After I read this, I thought, man, what a nasty angry person I am. Why am I so angry? I posted some time ago that I dreamed about yelling at people and that was okay because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by doing it in person. But maybe holding all this inside by pretending I wasn't angry wasn't the best management of my feelings. On the other hand, what good will it do to tell these people, either bluntly as demonstrated above or with finesse and diplomacy? I will just be showing them what I feel and they will then know it and things won't change so why show them what I am really thinking/feeling?

I try to keep toxic people out of my life. I am blessed with some wonderful family and friends but, I guess I just have issues with self esteem. It is important to me for people to listen to me and value me. I can't believe I am typing this. How could I have been feeling so self- actualized one year ago and have deteriorated to this level? Is working closely with people day after day what has caused my decline? Has their crap rubbed off on me or was I just in my own little universe before? A happy, delightful state of denial.

I came to the conclusion a week and a half ago, that I have a chip on my shoulder. I was expecting behavior from certain people and I was lashing out. At first I thought it was just hormonal but then I figured, it wasn't, so I validated it by acting on those feelings and subsequently ate a very large slice of humble pie. So, when I recently found myself driving back and forth to Denver, instead of talking on the phone and catching up with family and friends, I left the radio off and let my mind wander and contemplate at will. Sharp insights occasionally would flash across my brain and I would hold it for a moment and try to examine it but it would be gone and I cannot recall them now. I still feel as though I have some work to do on this particular issue. So, I guess it can wait until those lightening flashes of insight develop into a forest fire of change.
I know I can never have back what I had last year. I think I am angry at myself for changing my life and basically selling my happiness. I know I have to create and nurture happiness now. But first I need to let go of the chip on my shoulder, the repressed anger and some other crap.

The other thing that came to mind as I read the list of ten above is that whenever you accuse someone of something, generally you are guilty of it as well. That's how you were able to recognize it. Or as stated in the old adage, 'when you point a finger at someone else, you have three fingers pointing back at you'. So what of the ten listed above am I guilty of as well?
Numbers two and eight and a bit of number one.

You're 70% Irish

You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland. (And if you're not, you should be!)

How Irish Are You?

Dia duit ar maidin

Me in Ireland last June!

I Need Your Help

I am going to blatantly use my blog to help my Mom. This is her first attempt at setting up a charity type event and it's her first time EVER to shave her head. Yes, I said SHAVE her head.

You can go to her St. Baldricks sponsored webpage and read about the event. My husband does this every year too, but this is my Mom's first time.

It's for Children's Cancer Research. All tax deductible and easy and secure to do online. Please, please, please, go check it out. She's alittle discouraged because so few people have volunteered to be Shavee's and she is way far from her goal.

How many other 65 year old women do you know about, who will shave their head voluntarily? How many people do you know who are affected by childhood cancer? Why not help two groups of people at the same time. PLEASE!!!
I know you will make all us bloggers proud and maybe next year you will set up your own event in your own town. I promise, Bill and I will donate to your cause if you do! Really. Just let us know!

Here is my Mom, Joan Perkins-Smith

Before!

BTW, her hair is MUCH longer now and she will be donating it to Locks of Love.

One More Thing....
Can you help get the word out by putting a link either to my post today or my Mom's St. Baldricks webpage on your blog?
I apologize if I have committed a blogging "no-no" but it is for an exceptionally worthy cause.
Thank you for your understanding and your generosity. You are an awesome group of people!
I love you all!

Junque Drawer

Dreams...well, with all the talk about dreams lately, I thought I would share my first bloggy friend dream. It was early this morning actually. Ahhh the power of suggestion.

I dreamt that I was talking with my girlfriend Patty and tried to hang up the phone but it wouldn't disconnect. In the meantime, she had either rec'd a call or placed one and for some reason I could see on my screen who she was calling. It was intergalactic Planet3rry!! Somehow, I knew it was a local call and I couldn't figure out how that was so. P3 doesn't live around here. I remember thinking. Wow, she knows P3!! Cool. Maybe we can get together. Then I had a lucid moment and said, he lives back east and I can prove it because of where he says he runs and exercises. I still couldn't hang up the phone no matter how many times I tried to push the button. That's all I remember now anyway.

Other fragments from this morning are a race with one of my cats....Mouse to be exact. I had to do 5 circuits of this course with him. The course resembled some hillbillie's yard!! Well, I mean it was some hillbillie's yard. But my mom and dad were there to help/watch which is bizarre because they have been divorced for 20 years. I had some issue with my mom which is even more unusual because...well, she's my mom. I have issues with my dad not my mom. But I cannot recall what they are...I think it had something to do with jewelry. But the last circuit I was supposed to dig a hole so I grabbed a shovel and as I was trying to go the last leg, I realized that the course deviated from the previous 4 circuits and this time I had to cross a 'bridge' of soldiers laying stacked like cordwood!! As I started to cross them, I realized some of them were female soldiers and they were partially undressed and one of the male soldiers was trying to cop a feel!!

Okay, don't say it.

I woke up then. So you realize that these dreams just happened. I got up, used the loo and came in here to start typing...!

So in keeping with today's title, here are some other things in the drawer today.
My bead box. I like making jewelry. Just a hobby.

Things have improved somewhat at home and at work. Less tension. Because I force the confrontation...er...discussion. I know when the boy isn't happy with me but he will deny it because..."a happy wife is a happy life". Course, what he doesn't realize is, I KNOW when he's not happy with me, no matter how hard he tries to conceal it.

But I am back to having night sweats. I don't want to increase my Menopause Balancing Complex. But my irritability is on the rise as well. Could be that gorgeous FULL MOON last night. Did anybody see that? Beeeaautiifullll.

I will give it a few more days, for the moon to wane, *snicker* and if it doesn't improve I will either increase my MBC or increase my soy shakes. I HATE waking up in a sweat. Nope, I don't have hot flashes. I have hot rages. An irresistible urge to rip someone's head off will flood me for about 30 seconds and then it recedes. Doesn't have to be associated with an event or comment someone will have, just random. Could be a total stranger. Poor thing. Anyway, nobody knows 'cause I don't say nuttin'.

I have done my Pilates this week. Sunday and yesterday. It's the Winsor Pilates and I got it for $10.95!!! I was surfing and came across.....uh...okay, I confess it was an infomercial. But I ordered it online and they were running a special. I like pilates but I didn't want to do it in a public setting. Uhmmm, you do alot of abdominal work and it forces you to...ah....well. Be human. I spent half my time trying to control that instead of doing the movements.

Anyway, I will be adding walking today to my routine. I am making a commitment. You are all witnesses. This is the last time I 'start' an exercise regimen. It will be a permanent part of my life. My cuz Barbara said it best when we were together in Feb. She said she was tired of "having to 'start' to eat right and 'start' to exercise. It was better to maintain then to start." It made sense to me and by god, I will not 'start' again. I will maintain or ramp up.

Well, I have GOT to go, I need to get to work and get some things done as I am headed to Denver later this morning to give orientation to new staff. I won't get back till 7 pm. O-days are always long and draining.

So, I can't make my rounds this am. It was either write this or visit. Sorry. I will get around this evening. I cannot go a day without Marianna, Leesa and Laura...(I missed you Laura when you weren't posting every day). I might peek in to see what's up with M.

Have a great day everyone. :0]

Monday MeMe

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope

Ohh, how glad I am that my step sister doesn't read this. I mean she could, she can, but I'm sure she doesn't, not with 3 boys and not to mention that I don't think she has the address. However, I totally forgot about the birth of her youngest, Matthew. Man did I feel stupid about a week after posting my list.

Anyway, Vicki and Doug had their latest, Matthew, last February and we got to meet him in June when we were returning from Ireland. Let me tell you how I could forget my latest nephew. See, I was in my mid 20's when my mother met and later married Vicki's father. She was away at college. Well, it wasn't that far. But she lived on campus and was busy with basketball and school and such. As was I, away at college and busy with stuff. I saw my mom maybe once a month. It was a long a tortuous drive from Coventry to Holyoke so I wasn't always able to get away, especially with my schedule. So often as not, I never saw Vicki on my visits to my Mom's. Plus, truth be told, I was a smidgen jealous. She and my mom had a great relationship. She saw my mom more than me. But, Vicki is quite pretty and talented and extremely sweet. Naturally sweet. I am not. Get the picture so far? Not enough opportunity and an indifferent attitude on my part.
We didn't actually start to treat each other like family until her Dad died. I never thought she would consider me family. Sometimes I am incredibly dense and downright dumb.

Since then, we have grown slowly in our relationship. She has a very busy business to run and now 3 boys to nurture and of course her husband. So while I don't consider her a stranger, we are not 'close' in the sense I took it in my "100 things about me" list. My bad.

So here's my sister Vicki and 5 month old Matthew. My sincere apologies Vicki and Matthew.

Sunday Reminiscing

Reminiscing is hard for some folks. Leesa, has a hard time remembering any good things from her youth. And some folks commented that they too had a hard time remembering.
It's interesting because I have lots of my own memories. I have assisted memories from pictures and stories I heard in my family. But sometimes I look back at WHO I was. The person inside. The one with the fears, and poor self confidence/self esteem. The one who grew up physically much faster than my schoolmates. The one who's sister was retarded and had to protect. I have a hard time reconciling that person, with the one I am now.
Have I grown that much?
I thought I had until last week. I got my panties in a wad over some situations and emails at work. I went on a full fledged rant on my blog. I thought these were valid feelings and thoughts. After all, it was a full week early for any PMS. My perimenopause is under control, or so I thought.
Yeah well I found out I was wrong. I have a chip on my shoulder. I expect my boss to screw with me and set me up for failure. I felt like a victim. These are all highly unusual emotions and thoughts for me. So, I treated them as legit. When I sat down with my boss, it was a full two days after my cycle had started and usually any crazy shit I am usually thinking during that time frame has dissipated. It hadn't. I wasn't as angry, but I was still 'butt whipped' as Bill likes to call it. Then, when I am talking with my boss, I hear the words come out of my mouth and my only thought is..."You big whiner. What is your problem?" These things sounded so legit when I talked about them with my husband and my mom. But as I listened to them thru my bosses ears...they sounded ridiculous. I told her that too. I am pretty lucky. Actually I am damn lucky. She admitted to not using the best judgment in her emails but really, the majority of the problem was the chip on my shoulder. The baggage I carry. I don't want to make any excuse like, I was perimenopausal and PMS'ing so....Bull shit. I am responsible for the words that come out of my mouth and the actions/reactions I have. I just thought it wasn't time for the crazy, oversensitive crap so these feelings must be real.
Well, let me clarify that, they are real or I wouldn't be experiencing them. I mean they are based on illogic and overemotion not on levelheaded, mature thinking.
But what does all this have to do with reminicising you ask. To grow to the person I want to be I have to deal with the load of emotional baggage and damage of my childhood. I had to remember the bad times in order to make some sense out of who I was and who my family was and how can I reconcile my love for them with the issues that I have with them. So I thought I was all done with the baggage...until this! Now I've got to do some work which means I will be doing some reminiscing or rather remembering to help sort it all out.
I also come from a family of storytellers. We revere our ancestors; we have 5 generations of portraits of them. We tell stories and write books about them. We have family reunions every year. We stay in touch even when it's not so nice and easy to. Family comes first. Not just our immediate, but our cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews.
I know not everyone's family situation allows for that kind of connectivity and closeness. I feel sadness for those folks. Knowing where and who I come from is important to being who I am now. But certainly, not everyone needs to know those things to figure out who they are now. Which is a good thing.

Shephard wanted to hear a nun story because I went to Catholic High School. Our Lady of the Angels to be exact. It has since closed due to declining enrollment. Which is a shame because everyone wants to send their kids to private schools lately and my school might be flourishing now. Anyway. I don't really know what kind of nun stories Shephard wanted to hear. I used to take Sr. Constance (Sr. Connie behind her back!) to the dollar movies. I would pick her up at the convent and drive us across the river to the Suffield dollar theater. Can't really remember any movies that we saw. We were just two gals out for companionship. I wasn't close with her. Didn't exchange confidences or anything. Just companionship. She was the youngest, I think, of the Sisters. I think the sad thing about the religious orders is that they are dying. Very few young people want to live of life of deprivation, prayer and service. For me, obeying would be the thing I would rebel against. Wearing a uniform, being in service doesn't bother me. But if someone told me to do something and I didn't think it was something I wanted to do or would be beneficial. Well, the fur would fly. (That's one of the reasons I got out of the military)

There is a certain type of countenance that nun's have. An innocence or peace...hard to say. I met some gals on our coach trip to Ireland and I was pretty sure they were or still were, nuns. They just had that presence about them.

Here is a picture of Sr. Constance.

She was the English teacher. She was firm but nice. You didn't want to mess with her. I have heard that she is still teaching somewhere in New England but...no one seems to be able to catch up with her. I have been out of school for 26 years and yet we have had no reunions. Shame. Isn't the senior class president supposed to organize the reunions?

Anyway, that's all for today's reminicising.

Top O The Morning to ya!

Your Luck Quotient: 69%

You have a high luck quotient. More often than not, you've felt very lucky in your life. You may be randomly lucky, but it's probably more than that. Optimistic and open minded, you take advantage of all the luck that comes your way.

How Lucky Are You?

Ach, and the rest of the day to yerself!

It Felt Like a Picture Sorta Day

Last week, Bill and I hit a bucket of balls at the local golf course. It was a stunning day. He was trying out some new glove designed for golf that's like a reverse bowling glove. He says he's driving straighter and farther. :0]



Sazi smiles for the camera.







This was taken a few years ago. From left to right, Yum Yum, Koko, Mouse and JR. JR went to live with another family but the rest are still here. KoKo and Yum Yum are Mouse's mother and father. Aren't recessive genes interesting?

My COLDWATER CREEK jacket. Well, I use it as a work suit-coat kinda thingee. It's woven and I LOVE this. I can wear it with blue, or green or tan and it all goes.

And for all of you that are pining for Spring....last years pictures from our garden.

Happy Weekend Everybody!!

Friday

Hey everyone. Thanks to those that emailed me about Max. I/we are still 'working through' this.

Here's Friday's Feast:
Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how intuitive do you think you are? 6.75
Soup
What is your favorite kind of gum? Don't have one.
Salad
Name a CD you own that you would never get rid of. Fine Young Cannibals
Main Course
When was the last time you said something you didn't mean? I can't say that I've actually said something I didn't mean but I am always nice to this one person who I believe to be a treacherous, backstabbing bitch.
Dessert
What is the sum of the numbers in your birthdate? (Example: 3 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 7 + 9 = 31) 28

Well, it's been a long week. A long 2 weeks actually. So much emotion and energy both at home and at work. I am pooped but I think I have no monitoring duties this weekend so I may be free for 3 days. I will find out at O Dark Thirty tomorrow when I pop in to the office on my to Denver to take a certification test for OASIS which I will not bore you with the details.
So I will catching up with you all Friday night.

Again, thanks. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I couldn't handle a lot of well wishes and such so I had to turn off comments.

I will leave you with my favorite all time quote, "Our belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that will ensure a successful outcome." William James

Wordless Wednesday

Requiem for Max

Maxwell O'Shaunessy

1992 to February 27, 2006

"Our boy"

I'm off on a Rant

Okay, so here’s what has been on my mind:

That whole De-Lurking week thing. Kinda funny. Kinda cute. I put stuff on my webblog that I don’t really care who reads and who doesn’t. What I find creepy is that there are folks out there that count how many people stop in, load different “pages” and where they linked from or to. Sounded like fun to me when I first heard about it. Tried to put a counter on my site and I couldn’t get the gall don thing to work. Then, the more I thought about it, the more I came to this conclusion. I don’t care who stops in. I don’t care who likes or doesn’t like what I wrote. I don’t care who doesn’t leave me a message. I don’t care where they came from or where they go. I understand, to a certain degree, why folks get a little unnerved about people just looking and never commenting.
I am putting stuff out there for anyone and everyone to read. Period. End of thought.

This whole “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holiday” excitement. Look, my Mom taught me to be polite, treat everyone the way I would want to be treated. Yes, I know that best estimates have 70% of the U.S. as Christian. That means a vast majority of the citizens of this country probably celebrate Christmas. I could give you all the research and all the opinions I have looked up over the last 2 months. I am not going to because the bottom line is-be polite. Have charity for your fellow man. You don’t know what he or she celebrates. And vice versa. I don’t hear the “gov’t” saying you can’t say “Merry Christmas”. (No, I am not discussing the 10 Commandments in a public building, that is another blog.) I hear –retail businesses wanting to include all nationalities, all faiths and creeds when greeting their customers. After all, that is what our country is founded on right? I hear businesses want to make it comfortable for all employees. Yeah, sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. And don’t think you can assume you now know how I feel about any of the other issues pertaining to religion and gov’t. You would probably be wrong. Just be polite. Be courteous.
One of my favorite movie quotes comes from “Blast from the Past”—“I know, I mean I thought a "gentleman" was somebody that owned horses. But it turns out, his short and simple definition of a lady or a gentleman is someone who always tries to make sure the people around him or her are as comfortable as possible.”

If you look long and hard for something, whatever “it” is, you will find it. Includes discrimination.

I am so tired of all these people with children complaining about how their kids don’t mind them and how hard it is to raise kids. How important it is to be at all their functions so you can support them. Hey, if you don’t want to do it- don’t, or shut up about it. Then they worry they are scarring them for life, giving them issues etc. I tell you what issues you are giving them-your tone of voice when you correct them, your inconsistency in disciplining them and the ridiculous things you let them get away with. You got no one to blame but yourself. So shut up about it or fix it. And another thing. Try recycling. It’s your bratty kids that will inherit this earth along with whatever problems you leave for them. So why is it that I do my part to reduce, reuse and recycle while you are throwing stuff away, driving big gas hog SUV’s and adding more toxins to the environment instead of trying to “tread lightly” on the earth. Yeah, this really gets me going. Yeah, I know I am pissing off people left and right. I am not being polite or being a lady. Well, I don’t care. You don’t care about the things I am passionate about. Why should I care about hurting your feelings. Wake up and smell the burnt toast. You chose to be a parent, act like one. You want them to grow up and be a productive member of society, start the day they are born. And give them something to inherit when it’s their turn.
Lord I have had enough of my generation’s floundering parenting skills.

Complaining in general. I am so sick of hearing people whine. You are either part of the problem or part of the solution. So do something or move on. You are wasting your energy, my energy and generally pissing me off. I work hard to stay happy and upbeat. It’s a choice I have made but it sure the hell is hard to remain so with you griping all the time. You think your fricking life is so hard…let’s go down to Brazil or Afghanistan or Ethiopia. I’ll show you hard. Just being born in the US puts you in the top 10% of wealthy people in the world. Yeah, even if your parents are on welfare. House not big enough? Not new enough? Well how would you like a tin shack in Africa where 1 of every 4 adults has AIDS/HIV and there is no healthcare? No health care education.

Well, what the hell. Might as well let ‘er rip.

I think this dual language signs stuff is bullshit. If I moved to France or Russia I would expect that I would have to learn the language. Maybe some tourist spots could have some international symbols for the toilet and such but…I am traveling to experience other cultures. If I wanted it to be painless I would have gone to a Busch Gardens theme park or Epcot Center. So, you decided to move here to the US. Learn the frickin’ language or you don’t get welfare, healthcare etc. Stop sucking off the generosity of the American people.

Our country was founded on some important principles. One Nation Under God. Doesn’t say a Baptist or Catholic God. Doesn’t say Yahweh or Buddah or Mohammad. Says God. Covers a whole bunch. Don’t believe in God and it upsets you to have that on our money, gov’t buildings etc. then get the hell out. I believe you should do unto others. I believe in the 10 commandents. They are pretty damn good rules if you ask me. So leave ‘em at the courthouse. What frickin’ better place to put ‘em I ask?

While I am at it. Pull up your damn pants. Stop dressing like a hooker. Your boobs are fine and so is your nose. Want to lose weight? Stop putting food in your mouth and get moving. Do something nice and don’t tell anyone. Ever. Give someone a hug when the feeling strikes.

Don’t hire people, give them shoddy training and then flush them when they don’t meet your high standards. You are responsible for part of their self esteem.

We are responsible as a people, a nation for helping those less fortunate. Doesn’t mean ya got to take ‘em to Rays! You lend a helping hand not take them by the hand.

Stop spreading gossip. Are you so frickin’ perfect? Think your little comments are making the situation better?

Take some time and do some self evaluation. Are you as nice to your spouse as you could be? To your parents? Your children? Your coworkers? I don’t mean nice like giving ‘em junk, I mean being considerate and caring. Spending time with them doing nothing special. Watch “The Homecoming” and you’ll know what I am talking about.

Clean up your damn yard and while you are at it, wave to your neighbors. Won’t kill ya. You might even try smiling.

And finally, don’t get a dog and stick ‘em in the back yard and put out food once a day. Hello. Dogs are pack animals you moron. You are isolating them. Either get them someone to play with or spend some time with them yourself. They are better friends and companions then most people I know. They don’t deserve to spend their short lives alone. They are one of the few species on this earth that actually wants to spend time with us. They are NOT possessions. They are members of your family. Or give them to someone who will treat them properly.

Done.

What pisses me off is that I sound self righteous now. CRAP. Well. I just needed to get that off my chest. I’m pretty opinionated. Doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t change my mind about something once I have made a statement. I have no qualms about saying… ‘geez, I never thought about such-n-such that way. I guess I will change my mind.’ I try to respect everyone’s opinion and choice but shit, sometimes I’ve just had enough.

The other thing I don’t like about this is that it is so negative sounding. I am a firm believer that you reap what you sow. So now I will be going out and be Polly Sunshine. This is my blog, you are invited to read what I write, make thoughtful, honest and civil comments. Thank you for stopping by.

Sunday Reminiscing

I was born in Plattsburgh New York in the AFB Hospital. The one with the fighter jet propped on the front lawn.
My mom was born and raised not too far away in West Chazy.
My mom’s family mostly lives in Plattsburgh or surrounding towns. If they don’t live in Plattsburgh, they visit every summer and half of them have summer cottages on a lake. We are talking little mismatched summer cottages, nothing fancy but a place for the kids to swim and escape the city heat while the adults play cards on the screened-in porch.
We didn’t have a cottage; we camped at Cumberland Head State Park on Lake Champlain. Every year. First it was this monster tent we put up and then later a camper we yanked off the back of the truck. My dad wasn’t always there because this was during the early 70’s and he was always starting a new job because he was always getting laid off. The space industry was going thru some tuff times in those days. So, he never had any vacation accrued by the summer.

What I loved best was playing in the water. During the day, we’d actually have waves and a stiff breeze off the lake. In the late afternoon, the wind would die and the lake would be glass. The water was clean. The beach was natural sand, not man made. Those were the days.
My cousins would come stay with us. Aunt Barbara’s younger kids, Pat, Danny, Laureen and Barbara Anne. Then on the weekends, everyone would gather at our campsite for burgers and beer or root beer in our case. There would be Bridge or Hearts or Canasta for the adults and campfire and marshmallows for us kids. Usually, my mom would only stay 2 weeks (no more vacation time) but leave me with Aunt Barbara for a few weeks and then drive up and pick me up. Sometimes they would drive down and drop me off as well as a couple of my cousins and then make a switch again.

But the beach and the lake were all that was important to me in those days. We hadn’t gotten a pool at home yet so it was our only swimming opportunity. Ok, here’s a little secret that my cousins don’t know, and I’m pretty sure no one else knows either. After the lake was glass, I would play ‘submarine’ I would get in the water and get in a push-up position on my hands. And I would talk ‘sub’ talk while backing up and ‘submerging’ and going forward to resurface. I kept myself entertained for at least an hour. There would be a few people on the beach but mostly I was all by myself. I don’t remember why my cousins weren’t there or maybe they were but I was fairly oblivious.
Here are some pictures of camping at Cumberland Head State Park on Lake Champlain.


Long legs for a 10 year old
Camp
This is my mom! She was a cutie! My mom's other favorite thing to do at camp.

Multiple Sclerosis

Okay, I haven’t had anything to say for the last couple of days but I do NOW!!

I had coffee with an acquaintance this morning. Well, she had coffee, I had milk and pumpkin bread. Man doesn’t Starbucks have great pumpkin bread?

Anyway, Sue (not her real name) is an infrequent user of Shaklee. She also uses Melaleuca products. Approx 5 years ago she discovered she had MS. The standard treatment for MS exacerbations is steroids. Steroids are very hard on the body and have their own nasty side effects. Sue didn’t want to go that route.
After about a year of progressively worsening symptoms, she decided she had to do something and chose vitamins and supplementation. She didn’t start with Shaklee products but she did notice an improvement in her symptoms. Two months ago, she decided to continue the same vitamins and supplements but use Shaklee’s products instead. She did this all on her own.
She told me this morning that several of her symptoms are completely gone and that the rest of them are so mild, she hardly notices them!

OMG

This is phenomenal news. So, all she did was switch companies and experienced an enormous change in her health. I can’t make this up people. Well, I could but I’m not. Holy mackanoli!!!

This is a good thing too, because her employer found out a couple months ago about her disease and let her go this week, so I am doubly glad for her. (‘Course they didn’t say that’s why they let her go).

As a home health nurse…I have/had a tremendous number of young men and women with MS. I would see them monthly or two to three times a year for exacerbations which required a round of intravenous steroids. Without mentioning Shaklee, I would suggest to these folks a regimen of quality vitamins and supplementation. Not one single person followed my suggestion. I continued to see them for IV drugs though. One gal, a science teacher, who I really hit it off with and knew about my Shaklee connection, at least listened to me carefully but still chose not to try it even after I offered her one month of product for free to see if it would improve her symptoms. I was so sad because MS is such a nasty sneaky disease and I saw so many of these patients. It really weighted my heart. I literally spent hours pouring over research, brainstorming ideas to use to get through to people.

I so love that Sue experienced a difference. Even if I had nothing to do with bringing Shaklee to her, I am so glad to find out for myself that it does work. I have read lots of testimonials but I am somewhat of a skeptic, and I need to see if for myself. I just wish I knew how to get folks to trust me as well as want to take care of themselves.

Some people would say it’s a placebo effect. Ya know what my response is now, to that comment? “So frickin what!” If the person feels better, what frickin difference does it make? Wouldn’t it be worth any price not to feel like crap? To be healthier? To be at your best?

It’s not like I am asking them to make radical life changes, just add some supplementation, start feeling better and then start adding exercise and then, better eating and other healthier changes. I came to the conclusion that I think people just like to be miserable.

Not me sistah! I am all about the great feelings. Being happy. Staying healthy. Staying happy. These things are ADDICTIVE. There is nothing like feeling like a million bucks especially when you’ve felt like crap for so long.

Anyway, that’s my story for today. I am still beaming, grinning from ear to ear. A big hoorahh for Sue!!

So I am very proud to put this here and I will figure out a way to put it on my sidebar. Isn't life grand?

Nuttin' to Say

Wordless Wednesday