Ramblings and Other Things

Farewell

2007-03-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

I thought I would start out by highlighting some of my most cherished memories from my 16 months of blogging. Then I started looking at my entries. I didn't find anything that...uhmmm cherished. Well, except for this: A writing exercise that turned out rather well. I mean...I posted about things I already have memories of so....and I posted about my opinions...well, who the hell cares about my opinions. Nobody but me. (And that is not a self pitying statement...it's just a fact)
Then I started thinking just how much this blog is tied to my current work situation. Not that I have talked about it here but that for the last 2 years at this job I have struggled and as a creative outlet...I blogged. I'm leaving my current job soon. I am in the process of interviewing with several different organizations. As bad as my current job is....I don't want any reminders of it after I am done. I mean...the administrator's voice is on the voicemail system and I cringe every time I go to leave someone a voicemail and have to hear it, which is multiple times per day. And blogging is the biggest thing tied to my current job. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love seeing patients. I love being a home health nurse. These last few weeks when I have been seeing several patients routinely, has emphasized just how much my self esteem is tied to my profession. At this point in time...I have to be a nurse. Just not with this company. There will be a few folks I will miss. The administrator isn't one of them.
At first, I thought my struggles and pain were growing pains. I thought I was growing. In retrospect, I was trying to please the administrator. I was trying to be something I am not. I sorta lost myself for awhile. I lost my confidence, my self esteem and most importantly, my self efficacy. I became defensive and a bit paranoid. I don't want to be that person any more. I don't want any reminders of that person or that place or that time. I usually try to keep name badges for my scrapbook. Not this time. I take pics of me with coworkers and the building...for my scrapbook. Not this time. Whenever I wanted to escape from this environment....from my self imposed prison...I blogged. Do you see why I need to stop blogging? Do you see that I am not abandoning you all? I may not come around to your sites. I will be emailing you, if I have your addy, and I've already begun to do that. Sometimes a personal note, sometimes a BCC of something interesting or funny. You are welcome to do the same. My only request...insistent request, is that you not forward things without cleaning it up first. If you send me something with more than one forward, my virus program will not scan it and I will not open it. If you want me to take you off my email list, I would gladly oblige. All you have to do is ask. I will try not to take it personally. And BTW...I don't send out ANYTHING, that I don't think is worthwhile. (One of my cousins wouldn't open things from me if she thought it was a forward because she thought it was junk. I set her straight. That's all I am doing now) Okay, except for those blasted "must send to 7 other people in 5 mins or you will have 7 years bad luck". If I think your email is one of those, I don't open it. If I do, dangit...I'm just that superstitious and will send it to the people that I know would forgive me for doing that.
Okay.
I have met some wonderful folks thru my blogging experience. I have grown some thru blogging. I have had some painful experiences in blogging as well. People I thought were friends, that didn't turn out that way. Just like life. I get upset when folks find out I have a blog or I met this friend thru blogging....and they ever so subtly turn up their nose. Whatever. But my trip to Montana will forever be the highlight of my blogging experience followed closely by my blogger friends response to me mums head shaving last year and of course, Legs.
I've known for several years that relationships are the most important thing in life. Recently, I have come to really understand what that means. There are some relationships I have had to let go. They were counterproductive. That's a nice way of saying...it was hurting me or them or both of us to continue the relationship. I was dying inside everytime I was confronted with an aspect of those relationships. Some of these were small relationships...one or two...were primary relationships. I feel bad... but much less so than I did trying to make that relationship work.
So, here I am. Composing my final blog post. I thought I might do a video. I think I would cry. I don't like people to see me cry. I think I would babble. I don't want you to see me babble.

So let me just say....Thank you. Thank you for being there. For helping me get started, for showing me cool things to do on my blog. For letting me know I wasn't alone. For sharing your life with me. For caring about me. I hope I did the same for you. It's just time for a different phase of my life. If we can keep in touch, outstanding. If we can't, I wish you the very best that life has to offer, peace, love and energy.
It took about 5 or 6 attempts before I was satisfied and well, here you are. As promised.

♥Pam

Wrapping it all up

2007-03-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

Sure and I am wanting something to post today. I looked and hunted and snubbed my nose at many a topic and pic....but I found this tidbit that I thought was quite telling. Hope you enjoy.

To be a fully paid-up member of Dublin 4*, you have to eat polenta, send your children to fee-paying schools, have a superior attitude to rural Ireland, criticise the Catholic Church and the traditional political set-up, take holidays in Tuscany or Provence, own a cottage in the west of Ireland, think nationalism frightfully old-hat, and regard Mary Robinson, the progressive-mind, former President of Ireland, as a divine creature a cut or two above the Virgin Mary. To belong to Dublin 4, you also have to regard the whole existence of Dublin 4 as a myth dreamt up by the resentful masses who eat bacon and cabbage rather than polenta, send their children to state schools, can't afford to take a holiday, and when asked 'Have you read Marx?' reply 'Only where I sit down'.
From, The Truth about the Irish by Terry Eagleton.
*a phrase used to refer to a certain intellectual elite in the city.

After you delve into the life and times of Ireland...which, although as I've previously mentioned..and does bear repeating...is only slightly larger than West Virginia...you slowly unearth the heartbeat of the place, rather than the horse and pony show put on for you by the locals... I mean, we do the same for tourists here so, I'm not knocking it. But I began to sense a minor divisiveness between Dubliners and the rural counties. And started reading between the lines about different topics. Something else I found out was rather surprising. See, me mum is, well a very smart lady. Taught me to turn the other cheek, that skin color, education, place of birth and all those other identifiers, matter not. It's who you are and what you do that counts. That you should be tolerant and forgiving. I have never heard me mum say anything really bad about anyone. Rarely frustrated except with...well...never mind. I learned that everyone has value and so on, so forth. These attitudes are WELL ingrained in me. She taught me the way her mum taught her. Although I didn't know Nanan long, as she died when I was 12 or 13, I did however, get a sense of her remarkableness and strength. Her kindness and intelligence. So....it was rather surprising to find out that my Nanan harboured a deep seated hatred for the English entirely due to her Irish heritage. She kept that little tidbit to herself. And although I don't think me own mum is so passionate in her feelings about the English..nonetheless...she also carries some 'baggage' about the history of British rule in Ireland. WHO KNEW? Well, not me... until this month. And honestly, although I don't hold the average Brit responsible...I do think there is some accountability due the Irish people from the British powers that be. (just a tad sarcastic here)

Anyhoo..it's been quite a month and I've had a lovely time sharing my Ireland with you. I can't wait to go back. This time it'll be self driving and B&B's. I won't spend much time in Dublin and will probably fly in and out of Shannon. I'll spend more time photographing and talking with people and being there. I can't wait.

In the meantime...I enjoy this website and this as well, for some everyday Irish pictorial life....of the non-tourist kind. I also enjoy visiting ICL or Irish Church Lady at Sláinte...It's Only Me for some diaspora type hobnobbing. Thanks for riding with me this month and stop in tomorrow for my farewell address...
♥Pam

More of my Ireland photos

2007-03-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

♥Pam

For old times sake

2007-03-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

One last "quiz".

Which Irish Goddess Are You? (awesome pics)

You are Flidais, a woodland goddess, and your chariot is reputed to be drawn by deer. At one with nature, you are considered to be the protector of the trees in the forest, the protector of the creatures of the forest. Also considered a goddess of the hunt, you are an accomplished archer. Your classic image is one of a benevolent, poised woman, often accompanied by woodland creatures and your bow.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla
Join

Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

Guilford Four

2007-03-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

NOTE: As with a majority of my posts this month I had written this some time ago and had it in drafts. But I kept coming back to this one...opening it up. Rereading it. Wondering if it would be a mistake to post it. Obviously, in the end, I chose to post it. But not without a great deal of thoughtful, gut twisting consideration. I've been trying to show you some of the things I love about Ireland, and being Irish...well, Irish American anyway. I did post about the Irish Holocaust and The Troubles. I tried to be impartial...for the most part. But with this...it all came to a head. So, caveat emptor. (because I don't know the Latin for reader)

Injustice...cruelty....violence....
while certainly these traits are not the sole province of the British....I can only say that they have perpetrated hundreds of years of injustice....cruelty and violence on the Irish people. As long as I only write about the lovely things about Ireland and never mention England and her atrocities against the Irish....the kooks stay away. These kooks are only looking for a reason to mouth off and be a**holes. I'm NOT saying that America, hell every government, is not guilty of miscarriage of justice, cruelty, violence. We've only to mention the American Indian, the African American, the Japanese during WWII, hell even the Irish in the late 1800's were treated very poorly that first generation...do I need to go on? Do you think those things are in the past? Do you think our government is above that sort of thing now? If you do, I feel most sorry for you. But when I talk about Britain's treatment of Ireland...suddenly the losers come out of the woodwork. I trashed several comments by people who, although passionate about their beliefs, missed the point of my previous post about "The Troubles" and just wanted to start a row. But I cannot be silent, as this most hideous of beasts has never been brought into the light and laid bare before the world, at least to my satisfaction. This beast I refer to, is the colonial rule of Ireland by Britain and it's subsequent treatment of the Irish. If you could spend just a few minutes reading some of the outrageous things, dating back to the most significant invasion of the British in Ireland...say c. 1530's, I think you would be astonished. To list them all would take time, and again, a commitment from the reader. I know, there are other countries the British treated abominably, but I'm talking about Ireland right now.
So...let's just give an example that you might find easier to relate to. The Guilford Four. If you've seen the movie In the Name of the Father, then you know precisely the situation I am talking about...if not, I highly recommend the movie. Regardless of who it's about, it's a superbly acted and directed movie. In short, four people...Irish of course, are falsely convicted of the IRA's Guildford pub bombing, sentenced to life in prison and spent 15 years there before finally getting their conviction overturned. It's also about the main character's relationship with his father who is also falsely convicted and imprisoned for the same crime. Oh, and that also included SEVEN members of the father's family as well, including a 15 year old nephew. They were arrested under the auspices of a new law at the time, c. 1974...The Prevention of Terrorism Act...hmmm, sound familiar?
Anyway...this is the crux of the matter:
In February 1977 Martin O'Connell, an IRA soldier on trial for another bombing spoke, for the Four. He basically told his lawyer that four innocent people were imprisoned for the Guilford Pub Bombing. He also told the court: "No mention has been made in this court of the violence suffered by the Irish people; of the use of internment without trial in the Six Counties; of the conviction before the European Court of Human rights of the British Government for the torture of Irish people; nor the many brutalities of British colonial rule. "
"We will be judged only by our countrymen. Any verdict or sentence from this court is nothing more than the continuation of the hypocrisy of British rule in Ireland and the injustice it has inflicted on our country and its people....true peace can only come about when a nation is free from oppression and injustice.'' [You'll love this- when the Prime Minister, T. Blair apologized for this injustice recently...some 30 years later, he did it publicly, but... then sent a letter....one letter. One letter to the wife of one of the four. Her husband was alive and well and yet he sent a letter of apology to the wife- who didn't even know her husband at the time of the imprisonment. Oh, I forgot to mention, this wife...she's Mary Courtney Kennedy, daughter of the late United States Senator, Robert F. Kennedy.]
But worse yet...I know injustice of this magnitude is happening right here in this country today. Today.
There...I'm done.
I'm tired. Tired of people treating other people as less than human. Tired of the cruel, humiliating, evil, sick and ridiculous things humans perpetrate on their fellow humans. I'm just sick and tired. And intolerant. I'm intolerant of...intolerance. I am the thing I despise. Intolerant. I'm also tired of the way humans treat animals and the planet. I guess I'm just DONE.
I'm so disgusted...I can't even put up my signature heart. Four more days.

Movies about or filmed in Ireland

2007-03-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

I thought about only putting my fav's here but.... if it's italicized...I haven't seen it yet. If it's in GREEN...I thought it was an excellent movie and you need to rent it if you haven't seen it.

The Quiet Man
War of the Buttons
Waking Ned Devine
Ryan's Daughter
The Matchmaker
Circle of Friends
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Far and Away....which I thought sucked, but 'tis me own opinon.
My Left Foot
In the Name of the Father
High Spirits
Michael Collins
Dancing at Lughnasa
Angela's Ashes
The Commitments
Bloody Sunday
Turning Green
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
Veronica Guerin
Into the West

That's all I have today. For movies are like spaghetti sauce recipes....everyone's got one, they all end in sauce but everyone likes different ones and none shall agree. I like certain movies for certain reasons. You may like others for other reasons. It's all good. But enough said. There's the list. I'd be happy and interested to know if I have missed one. Remember....the title is movies about or filmed in Ireland.
Have a delightful day.
♥Pam

Faerie Tales

2007-03-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

...wee folk, good folk, people of peace...whatever you want to call them. The Irish consider it very bad luck to call them anything but the good people...or the good folk. If you've a mind to make your head spin...go here to read about faeries and faerie forts and mounds.

My ALL TIME favorite poster of an oil painting is this one by Edward Robert Hughes,

Midsummer Eve, 1908

There is soooo much info on faeries and their kind...it would take me weeks to do justice to it. But I wanted to post this pic and I wanted to give a few of my favorite tidbits about faeries. First, me mum wanted to make sure I spelled it correctly...which I have. ;0]

There are faeries, brownies, pixies, leprechauns of course, water spirits and mer-folk and banshee's too. There's clurichaun who are cousins to leprechauns and Far darrigs. You see...so much. You could make a lifetime hobby of learnin' all about the good folk. I'm not fond of leprechauns because of their mischievousness. But that's likely from American media. You all remember or maybe I should say...have you heard of the bruhahha about a famous writer and the little girls who said they saw faeries? It's an English story rather than Irish but....

Here's one:

The Farie’s Dancing-Place
William Carleton
Lanty M’Clusky had married a wife, and, of course, it was necessary to have a house in which to keep her. Now, Lanty had taken a bit of a farm, about six acres; but as there was no house on it, he resolved to build one; and that it might be as comfortable as possible, he selected for the site of it one of those beautiful green circles that are supposed to be the play-ground of the fairies. Lanty was armed against this; but as he was a headstrong man, and not much given to fear, he said he would not change such a pleasant situation for his house to oblige all the fairies in Europe. He accordingly proceeded with the building, which he finished off very neatly; and , as it is usual on these occasions to give one’s neighbours and friends a house-warming, so, in compliance with this good and pleasant old custom, Lanty having brought home the wife in the course of the day, got a fiddler and a lot of whiskey, and gave those who had come to see him a dance in the evening. This was all very well, and the fun and hilarity were proceeding briskly, when a noise was heard after night had set in, like a crushing and straining of ribs and rafters on the top of the house. The folks assembled all listened, and, without doubt, there was nothing heard but crushing, heaving, and pushing, and groaning, and panting, as if a thousand little men were engaged in pulling down the roof. Come, said a voice which spoke in a tone of command, work hard; you know we must have Lanty’s house down before midnight. This was an unwelcome piece of intelligence to Lanty, who, finding that his enemies were such as he could not cope with, walked out, and addressed them as follows; Gintlemen, I humbly ax yer pardon for buildin’ on any place belongin’ to you; but if you’ll have the civilitude to let me alone this night, I’ll begin to pull down and remove the house tomorrow morning. This was followed by a noise like the clapping of a thousand tiny little hands, and a shout of Bravo, Lanty! Build half-way between the two White-thorns above the boreen; and after another hearty little shout of exultation, there was a brisk rushing noise, and they were heard no more. The story, however, does not end here; for Lanty when digging the foundation of his new house, found the full of a kam of gold (metal vessel=Kam); so that in leaving the fairies their play-ground, he became a richer man than ever he otherwise would have been, had he never come in contact with them at all.

The Brewery of Egg-shells
T. Crofton Croker
Mrs. Sullivan fancied that her youngest child had been exchanged by fairies theft, and certainly appearances warranted such a conclusion; for in one night her healthy, blue-eyed boy had become shrivelled up into almost nothing, and never ceased squalling and crying. This naturally made poor Mrs. Sullivan very unhappy; and all the neighbours, by way of comforting her, said that her own child was, beyond any kind of doubt, with the good people, and that one of themselves was put in his place. Mrs. Sullivan of course could not disbelieve what every one told her, but she did not wish to hurt the thing; for although its face was so withered , and its body wasted away to a mere skeleton, it had still a strong resemblance to her own boy. She, therefore, could not find it in her heart to roast it alive on the griddle, or to burn its nose off with the red-hot tongs, or to throw it out in the snow on the road-side, notwithstanding these, and several like proceedings, were strongly recommended to her for the recovery of her child. One day who should Mrs. Sullivan meet but a cunning woman well known about the country by the name of Ellen Leah (or Grey Ellen). She had the gift, however, she got it, of telling where the dead were, and what was good for the rest of their souls; and could charm away warts and woens, and do a great many wonderful things of the same nature. You'’re in grief this morning, Mrs. Sullivan, were the first words of Ellen Leah to her. You many say that, Ellen, said Mrs. Sullivan, and good cause I have to be in Grief, for there was my own fine child whipped off from me out of his cradle, without as much as by your leave or ask your pardon, and an ugly dony bit of a shirvelled-up fairy put in his place; no wonder, then, that you see me in grief, Ellen. Small blame to you, Mrs. Sullivan, said Ellen Leah, but are you sure t’is a fairy? Sure! Echoed Mrs. Sullivan sure enough I am to my sorrow, and can I doubt my own two eyes? Every mother’s soul must feel for me! Will you take an old woman’s advice? Said Ellen Leah, fixing her wild and mysterious gaze upon the unhappy mother; and, after a pause, she added, but maybe you’ll call it foolish? Can you get me back my child, my own child, Ellen? Said Mrs. Sullivan with great energy. If you do as I bid you, returned Ellen Leah, you’ll know. Mrs. Sullivan was silent in expectation, and Elen continued. Put down the big pot full of water on the fire, and make it boil like mad; then get a dozen new-laid eggs, break them, and keep the shells, but throw away the rest; when that is done, put the shells in the pot of boiling water, and you will soon know whether it is your own boy or a fairy. If you find that it is a fairy in the cradle, take the red-hot poker and cram it down his ugly throat, and you will not have much truble with him after that. I promise you. Home went Mrs. Sullivan, and did as Ellen Leah desired. She put the pot on the fire, and plenty of turf under it, and set the water boiling at such a rate, that if ever water was red-hot, it surely was. The child was lying, for a wonder, quite easy and quiet in the cradle, every now and then cocking his eye, that would twinkle as keen as a star in a frosty night, over at the great fire, and the big pot upon it; and he looked on with great attention at Mrs. Sulivan breaking the eggs and putting down the egg-shells to boil. At last he asked, with the voice of a very old man. What are you doing mammy? Mrs. Sullivan’s heart, as she said herself, was up in her mouth ready to choke her, at hearing the child speak. But she contrived to put the poker in the fire, and to answer, without making any wonder at the words, I’m brewing, a vick (my son). And what are you brewing, mammy/ said the little imp, whose supernatural gift of speech now proved beyond question that he was a fairy substitute. I wish the poker was red, thought Mrs. Sullivan; but it was a large one and took a long time heating; so she determined to keep him in talk until the poker was in a proper state to thrust down his throat, and therefore repeated the question. Is it what I’m brewing, a vick, said she, you want to know? Yes, mammy: What are you brewing returned the fairy Egg-shells, a vick, said Mrs. Sullivan. Oh! Shrieked the imp, staring up in the cradle, and clapping his hands together, I’m fifteen hundred years in the world and I never saw a brewery of egg-shells before! The poker was by this time quite red, and Mrs. Sullivan seizing it, ran furiously towards the cradle; but somehow or other her foot slipped and she fell flat on the floor, and the poker flew out of her hand to the other end of the house. However, she got up without much loss of time and went to the cradle, intending to pitch the wicked thing that was in it into the pot of boiling water, when there she saw her own child in a sweet sleep, one of his soft round arms rested upon the pillow-his features were as placid as if their repose had never been disturbed, save the rosy mouth, which moved with a gentle and regular breathing.

♥Pam

Tír na nÓg

2007-03-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Irish believe there is a place where people never get any older than they are. There is never any sickness, and you can eat all your favorite food whenever you want. You can play all day if you like. This place is called Tír na nÓg, the Land of the Young, and it lies way out in the ocean west of Ireland.

Tír na nÓg is pronounced tear na knowg with a hard g.

Here is the legend of Ossian* and Tír na nÓg. Long ago in Ireland lived a man called Ossian. He was the handsome son of Finn and was the poet of the Fianna. (The Fianna were soldiers who were also storytellers and singers.) Ossian had silky red hair and sky-blue eyes. He was tall and strong. Finn was proud of Ossian because he could tell the history of the Fianna with exciting stories and poems.
One summer day, Finn, Ossian, and the Fianna were cooking fish on the beach

and singing songs. Then the singing stopped in the middle of a word. They saw a lady riding a white horse over the water. As the horse splashed toward shore, Ossian saw that the rider was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
The blue-eyed lady rode toward Finn. Her blonde hair flowed around her face. Her cloak sparkled like jewels in the sun.
"I am Niamh," she explained. "I have come to Ireland from Tír na nÓg, the Land of the Young. I once saw Ossian while he was out hunting. I have fallen in love with him."
Turning to look at Ossian, she continued. "Tír na nÓg is a land where the sun always shines. No one is ever sick or old. Everyone eats his favorite foods and plays games. There are storytellers and music. The houses are made of gold and jewels. Birds sing. Colorful flowers grow. People wear soft, glittering clothes. Ossian, please come to Tír na nÓg with me!"
By this time, Ossian had fallen in love with Niamh, too. He turned and hugged Finn and said good-bye to his Fianna friends. He jumped up onto the horse and off they rode over the water. Finn had tears sliding down his face. He knew he would never see his son again.
Niamh and Ossian traveled for hours over the waves. The horse galloped over the water as if it was dry land.
When they reached Tír na nÓg, Ossian could hardly believe his eyes! The houses looked like castles shining in the light. The trees were full of ripe fruit. The fruit tasted sweeter and juicier than any Ossian had ever eaten. In the air were sounds of singing and smells of roasting meat and fresh bread. On Ossian's skin, the breeze felt soft and warm.
Ossian was happy for many years. But one day, about ten years later,Ossian began to miss Ireland. He missed his father Finn and the Fianna. He even missed the Irish rain! He asked to borrow the magic horse to visit Ireland once more.
Niamh agreed, but she told Ossian that many things had changed in Ireland. She also warned him that if his feet touched the ground, he could never return to Tír na nÓg.
Ossian rode to Ireland as fast as he could. When he arrived, he scratched his head in puzzlement. The men of Ireland seemed much smaller and weaker than those he had known before. Worse yet, Finn and the Fianna were no longer alive! A few people had heard of the Fianna, but thought they were only an old myth.
Ossian cried. He discovered that what had seemed like ten years in Tír na nÓg had really been three hundred years in Ireland.
As he rode along thinking sad thoughts, he saw fifteen men trying to move a rock. They pushed and pulled. They could not move it! Ossian reached down and easily lifted the rock. But as he did, he lost his balance and fell off the magic horse. The horse ran off to the sea.
The fifteen men watched in fear. Ossian, a young, strong man, was changing into a very, very old man. His hair turned white. He stooped with age. He spoke in a creaky voice as he told the men about his stay in Tír na nÓg. He told of his friends the Fianna.
Ossian died of old age in front of the men. The men buried Ossian in the soil of Ireland, the land he loved.

*Ossian is pronounced like ocean and Niamh is neeve

One of my favorite movies is Into the West and the horse's name is Tír na nÓg. Speaking of movies...I have a post upcoming about movies filmed in or about Ireland.

The top photo is of Inch Strand on the Dingle Peninsula and the bottom photo is of a white horse next door to Celtic Crystal outside of Galway. Not sure why I felt compelled to take the horse's photo at the time...
♥Pam

Irish Animals

2007-03-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

I've been anxiously awaiting posting this. Why you ask? Well, I love animals and well, that's all.

Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. Sad to say, the Grey Wolf, Canis lupus lupus - was hunted to extinction around 1773. That would have been the only large mammal predator on the island. It is easy to forget that Ireland is an island and has all manner of sea life and sea birds. The puffin migrates to the west coast and there is a bottlenose dolphin by the name of Fungie who has stayed near Dingle Peninsula and my understanding is, he is the longest standing, friendly, solitary dolphin in the world. You can read about it here. It is very interesting that the dolphin sometimes ranges along the cliffs to the west, as far as the Crow Rock, and out into Dingle Bay a short way, but is never observed more than 2km from the mouth of the harbour.

Dingle, April 1990

Fungie with a salmon, Sladin, Dingle

Truly an interesting website that I could spend countless hours reading and perusing. I don't know anyone who doesn't dream of swimming with dolphins...unless they don't like to put their face in the water, that is. Other sea life include the Minke whale and the common and gray seals.
Let's dispense with snakes now, shall we? There are no snakes on Ireland. And to the experts best "expert guess"....there never were any after the last ice age. So, that myth related to Bishop Patrick aka St. Patrick, is laid to rest. I have a fondness for otters and there is a freshwater otter in Ireland along with other members of the weasel family such as stoats and pine martens.

Aren't they too cute for words? There is also the Irish hare, the badger and red deer and very interestingly enough...there was an Irish Elk that became extinct about 5,700 BC but was actually just a giant deer. You can read about it here and look at the cool skeleton pic. There are many introduced species now as well, not including domesticated animals, my favorite is the Irish Donkey. Not that this is a special species or anything...just how the Irish feel about their donkey's.

Of course, there are sheep and cows aplenty. Geese and dogs and cats, as well as migratory birds but we don't have all day here now do we? So, off with you. Only a few more days left of posting. I hope to wrap it up on the 31st with a video of meself.

Slán go fóill

♥Pam

Book of Kells

2007-03-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of the Book of Kells. You may have seen pics of some pages. It is truly an inspiring piece of work that I find difficult to describe. According to wikipedia.com, it is: "an ornately illustrated manuscript, produced by Celtic monks around AD 800 in the style known as Insular art. It is one of the more lavishly illuminated manuscripts to survive from the Middle Ages and has been described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination. It contains the four gospels of the Bible in Latin, along with prefatory and explanatory matter decorated with numerous colourful illustrations and illuminations. Today it is on permanent display at the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland."

I have no pics, not because the pic is corrupted but because no photos are allowed. So, here are a few shots from wikipedia.

This is a very elaborate page. More common was the photo below. An illuminated letter was a way to add emphasis and decoration to a page of script. Bill and I took several classes in calligraphy and one of the hands was called uncial. Our instructor taught us to do illuminated letters. Of course...it does not compare. What's amazing is that just a few hundred years before this was completed....the residents of Ireland were illiterate and barbaric.

The name "Book of Kells" is derived from the Abbey of Kells in Kells, County Meath in Ireland, where it was kept for much of the medieval period. One of the reasons it is so highly regarded is that it contains the complete text of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the Gospel of John through John 17:13, dating from AD 800.

Here is another pic of a sample page:

Folio 309r contains text from the Gospel of John written in Insular majuscule by the scribe known as "Hand B".

Not only were pictures not allowed of the manuscript...but it is in a special "display" and it's very dark in there. I wonder if the security for it is as elaborate as is the security for the American Declaration of Independence?

Is it not amazing the precision of the handwriting? It's so easy to gloss over that particular detail..until you try your hand at calligraphy. This book was sacramental rather than instrumental. Meaning it wasn't meant for use in teaching the scriptures. It was for the altar.

Currently, the Book of Kells resides at Trinity College in Dublin. A stunning bit of property in the middle of Dublin. My favorite part was this place:

An amazing place...an amazing piece of work.

♥Pam

Bog and Turf

2007-03-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

I took this picture at Ulster American Folk Park. Turf or peat is used because there are few trees and no coal on Ireland...or not enough to say so...but bogs be another thing. Peat is accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. Peat forms in wetlands or peatlands, variously called bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and tropical swamp forests.

The pictures above and below I borrowed from this website and tried to get permission but...the email came back undeliverable.

There's this really great website about turf and peat and you can go there by clicking here.

Now, if you've never smelled a peat or turf fire....now that's a smell you won't forget soon. So very different than a wood fire. We bought some incense in Ireland that smells just like a turf fire. Going to have to buy some more soon. There's a bog preservation organization now as it really isn't necessary to cut the turf for home heating anymore. Here's a great pic of not only a couple at their hearth enjoying a turf fire...but with a basket of pratties as well. And another as well.

If you'd like to smell it for yourself, here's a link to purchase some. It's a bit expensive for incense but....well, we like incense. We burned some on Sunday while we were enjoying our trad Irish-American St Paddy's Day feast. We had a few friends over to share and one of them was so interested in all the info I have gathered this month, because, sure and you know I couldn't keep me mouth shut!!!, that she invited me to talk to her second grade class the very next day. Which I did, by the way, and read them the story of Fin McCool (or Fionn mac Cumhaill) and the Legend of Knockmany and taught them 1-10 in the Irish and how to say goodbye. It was only twenty minutes but sure it did restore something in my soul. My soul is plenty in need of restoring. It's been beaten and battered ....but that's a story for another day.

♥Pam

Hurlin' and Bowlin'

2007-03-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

I post this because one of my favorite songs, Whiskey in the Jar, talks about both sports...so I had to go look them up.

I don't know a thing about Hurling....but this is what they use....

This is where you can read more about it. Or you can watch it here...

Kind of like lacrosse or field hockey.

And this is Bowling....of course, if you've seen the movie "Blackball" then you know what it is already. But I have a feeling that what the song is talking about is road bowling....not "bowls". But it is difficult to tell that from the song, without having had the benefit of growing up in Ireland. Road bowling is best described as "using a 28 oz. (793.8 grams) solid iron bowl, or ball, with a circumference of approximately 18 centimetres, two contestants match their individual skills in throwing the bowl with optimum speed, controlled delivery, and international accuracy along a carefully considered and tactically selected play - path over a predetermined course distance of normal roadway". Very definitely an Irish game although it is also played in Boston.
Here's a video of road bowling.

Whereas "bowls" or lawn bowling is more like bocce ball and you can read about it here. It is a distinctly British sport.

So, what do you think? Was the song referring to lawn bowling or road bowling?

♥Pam

Claddagh

2007-03-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Claddagh Ring is a traditional Irish ring, given in friendship or worn as a wedding ring. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the old walls of the city of Galway. The ring was first produced in the 17th Century during the reign of Queen Mary II, though elements of the design are much older.

The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown).

The way that a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic availability, or lack thereof. Traditionally, if the ring is on the right hand with the heart facing outward and away from the body, this indicates that the person wearing the ring is not in any serious relationship, and may in fact be single and looking for a relationship: "their heart is open." When worn on the right hand but with the heart facing inward toward the body, this indicates the person wearing the ring is in a relationship, or that "someone has captured their heart". A Claddagh worn on the left hand ring finger facing outward away from the body generally indicates that the wearer is engaged. When the ring is on the left hand ring finger and facing inward toward the body, it generally means that the person wearing the ring is married.

I have Claddagh earings. I gave Bill a ring before we were married, in friendship. Me mum has earings and several rings.
Thanks to wikipedia for the info above.
♥Pam

St. Baldrick's Day

2007-03-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

In honor of my husband Bill's quest to eradicate Children's Cancer....Please read the following PSA.

"You heard it right - I'm shaving my head in solidarity with children who have cancer and typically lose their hair during treatment, while raising critical funds for childhood cancer research!
In the US, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease. Please make a donation on my behalf to support childhood cancer research so that all children diagnosed with cancer will have a better chance for a cure."

To learn more about St.Baldrick's Day, go here.

The Shaving will be held on April 6th in Armstrong Hall on the Colorado College campus. In order to bring attention to Bill's quest, he dye's his hair....usually an obnoxious color, in order to not only bring attention to his quest, but to facilitate conversing with strangers about St. Baldrick's Day and Children's Cancer. Last year he was Smurf Blue and this year he's going to do USDA purple. If you would like to help in the fight to find a cure for Childhood Cancer please click on this link and either "Donate Online" or "Download a Donation Form" and mail in your donation. Either way the kids could really use your help. His goal this year is 1,000 dollars (even tho his website says 500). Last year you all generously helped me mum with her first head shaving and organizing an event. I promised my husband he would get fair air. Although Bill loves to shave his head every year...the dyeing is a bit uncomfortable for him. See what I mean?

Here's himself on the stage getting ready to be shorn.

Please donate and help end this terrible scourge on children and their families?

♥Pam

Erin Go Braugh

2007-03-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

Ah...'tis Himself, St. Patrick. Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh! Which in the English is St. Patrick's Day blessing Upon You.

As I mentioned in my post on the 1st of the month, St. Patrick was not Irish but was from Britian...be it England, Wales or Scotland. He was a slave, herding sheep in northern Ireland and escaped only to return as a priest years later. He is credited with a great many wonderful things that indeed, possibly may actually have been the work of Bishop Palladius. Nonetheless, he is also credited with driving the snakes from Ireland...though post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes, one suggestion is that snakes referred to the serpent symbolism of the Druids of that time and place. There is a great article about him here.

“Christ shield me this day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me”.
(from “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”)

There is a custom called 'drowning the Shamrock', which has been attributed to celebrating St. Patrick. A leaf of a shamrock that had been worn in the cap or coat was placed into the bottom of the final glass on the Feast Day of St. Patrick. When everyone's health had been drunk or a toast honored, the shamrock was taken from the bottom of the glass and thrown over the left shoulder. Also, in some parts of Southern Ireland, a cross was marked with the end of a burnt stick on the sleeve of each person at the gathering. This was done with a prayer that the individual so marked might be constant in their faith and in their love of Ireland's patron saint.

So, go forth and be learned about St. Paddy. For he was truly a humble and great servant of God.
♥Pam

P.S. If someone greats you today with "Top o' the morning to ya", the appropriate response is, "ah, and the rest of the day to yourself". ;0]

Irish writers and poets

2007-03-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

To name a few...Joyce, Stoker, Yeats, Swift, Wilde

Let's start with probably the most widely recognized...

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce: Born 2 February 1882 in Dublin – Died 13 January 1941 in Zurich. His major works are Dubliners, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses..of course, and Finnegan's Wake.

Picture of his statue on O'Connell street in Dublin.

I have to confess to never having read any of the authors work and have put Ulysses on my library hold list. Ulysses was completed in 1922 and was banned in the U.S. for using obscene language, until 1933.

Did you know Bram Stoker born Abraham Stoker was born just north of Dublin in Clontarf? Meaning that he was Irish? I didn't. November 8, 1847–April 20, 1912. His most famous work of course is Dracula, published in 1897. His other works include The Snake's Pass (1890), The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903), and The Lair of the White Worm (1911).

Abraham "Bram" Stoker

Then, there's one of my favorite poet/authors....William Butler Yeats. He was born 13 June, 1865 in Sandymount, Co Dublin but moved to Co Sligo as a young boy. His mother was born in Sligo. His father was an accomplished artist and his brother and sisters all acquired fame of their own talents. I am currently reading his book of Fairy Tales. There are too many published works to list here but he is also famous for reviving literature in Ireland and for cofounding Abbey Theater.

This picture is taken outside the rectory door of Drumcliffe Church where Yeats is buried. Unfortunately, the pic I had of his headstone...is one of the corrupted files on my picture CD. Also...if you've ever watched "The Quiet Man" this is the same church that John Wayne talks to Maureen O'Hara for the first time. Yeats died 28 January, 1939.

Jonathan Swift was born November 30, 1667 in Dublin – and died October 19, 1745. Gulliver's Travels first printed in November 1726, being his most popular work although like Yeats, was a most prolific writer. However, it seems that Gulliver's Travel's may also be coded and is based on real cryptographic technique. Interesting!

Thank you wikipedia

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born October 16th, 1854 and like Yeats was born of an Anglo-Irish family. I also had a lovely pic of his statue in Merrion Square, Dublin but...yes, it is corrupted. (I can't tell you how that ticks me off) He is reported to have been in love with a Florence Balcomb who then became married to Bram Stoker at which time Oscar left Ireland and vowed never to return. However, he did return twice for brief visits and died November 30th, 1900 in Paris France. His most famous works would be The Importance of Being Earnest, Salomé, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

George Bernard Shaw was also born in Dublin in July of 1856 and died November 2 1950 in England. He is a renowned playwright with Pygmalion maybe his most popular as well as Candida not to be confused with Candide and Arms and the Man.

Then there is Frank McCourt, who, although born in Brooklyn, grew up in Limerick, wrote Angela's Ashes. And Maeve Binchy, who was becoming quite prolific and wrote Circle of Friends but alas, has retired from writing. Also there is Samuel Barclay Beckett who has won a Nobel prize (as did many of the authors above) but not only have I not read any of his work...I never heard of him until I was researching this post. The only Sam Beckett I ever heard of was Dr. Samuel Beckett on the T.V. series, "Quantum Leap". Also in that category is Maria Edgeworth, although English born she moved to Ireland as a young girl and became thoroughly Irish.

If you can't tell....my "hold" list at the library grows longer by the minute. I did read Angela's Ashes and found it to be utterly depressing and yet my mum found it to be vastly amusing. I guess I am more American than Irish, for I found little humor in the suffering. All I did was get angry at the deprivation, disease and destituteness. (is that a word?) And although it won a Pulitzer...there has been much criticism of it's veracity as a memoir.

Nonetheless, there you have a smattering of the most "famous" Irish authors and poets. There are many, many more to be sure. And I tried my hand at writing...even took a course in it. I can make a grand start...but then I fail. So, I bow low and long to the expertise and genius of the above authors.

♥Pam

Celtic High Cross

2007-03-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

One of the things Ireland and the Irish are noted for is the Celtic High Cross. We've all seen pics of them. But, just in case you need reminding....

and a more ornate and lavish representation:

A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines the cross with a ring surrounding the intersection and has been attributed to St. Patrick marrying the Christian/Catholic cross with the pagan/Druid symbol of the sun. Others state it has pre-Christian origins and are called sun crosses. Both of the pictures above I took at Glendalough or Gleann Dá Locha (which is the Irish for the Glen of two lakes) on our trip. They are spectacular in person. So...majestic. On the first one you can see the outline of a stem of a vine just where the branch covers the stone. See it? Must have been covered at one point in the vine or plant in order for it to 'engrave' itself on the stone. There were no legible words on that stone and I can't find my travel journal to tell you what the second one said. Nonetheless, these were beautiful. They are part of St. Kevin's monastery chapel graveyard. They had signs up prohibiting etchings as too destructive. You've heard of "etchings", yes?
Believe it or not...there are some writings that link the high cross with political connotations. Hmmm, imagine that. The one I found is called the "third position". The name applied to a strand within the far right that sought to emphasise its opposition to both communism and capitalism. The name 'Third Position' is derived from the school of thought presenting itself as being "beyond Capitalism and Communism" and "neither Left nor Right." The movement uses the Celtic cross as its symbol. I guess..."nothing is sacred".
When I die, there will be no marker on the earth. No place for anyone to go sit and pull the weeds around or leave a stone or wilting flowers...or worse yet, plastic ones. I'll be cremated. It's what is best. I'll leave no one behind that would sorrow of my loss. So... what's the point? There isn't one...just wanted to see all the posh things in the building and be on me way.

♥Pam

(Post Note: I wrote the above post the other night....after having taken my Nyquill-like substance for the gawdawful allergy that is currently rendering me a snotty, sniffelly, sneezing monster....and when reviewing it this morning....I have no idea what the last line means. I just remember struggling to keep my eyes open as I was typing. Wonder who I was channeling?)

I Jig and I Reel

2007-03-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle,
And the merry love to dance
W.B Yeats

I know most of you have seen Riverdance...or Lord of the Dance. I'd like to show you some...more or should I say less, dramatic dancing. Dancing done by people like you and I. Okay, well, they've practised a bit. Just a little bit. ;0]

There is a LOT to Irish dancing. Jigs, reels, softshoe or ghillies, hardshoe, slip jig, hornpipe, sets, costumes, hair. The latter two have more to do with Irish stepdancing, which is more competition oriented. This first video is what most likely was common enough at a céilí, or a local gathering of neighbors for a party, or possible a feis, if you will.

This next one is a competetion style step dancing. I don't think the fella in the middle is a judge, but then again..I'm not sure what he's doing there. This might be an exhibition as opposed to a comptetition.

This third video is a professionally edited video about a dance troop and school. Watch for the difference between soft shoe (ghillies) and hard shoe dancing.

Hard shoes are not tap shoes. They are flexible and lightweight. Did you see them?

Lastly, this video is of someone's wedding and I am pretty sure they dance in competition. My reasoning for this is that the bride is wearing ghillies and socks and the guests are pretty good as well. But it's nice to see people enjoying step dancing outside of official performances.

There are many styles of stepdancing. The oldest is sean-nós. This means..."old school". There are world championships, held in Ireland of course. The first one to be held outside of Ireland will be in 2009 and be in Pittsburgh or Phili...can't remember which. You can see how different styles of dancing permeate different cultures. The french quadrille and the American square dancing look similar to Irish set dancing. I'm sure there is a shared history.

The costume for Irish dancing has an interesting history. If you would like to read more...go here: http://www.diochra.com/library/history_costumes.php.

Because, sure and you know it's far too lengthy to summarize.

The official site for Irish Dancing, well, to be sure, there are many, but this is the site of the Commission. http://www.clrg.ie/english/home.php

Here are some pics of things I'd like to point out to you in detail:

These young gals from Australia are wearing the common brightly colored, sequined outfits with headbands and wigs. Yes, in order to counterbalance the stiff and bold dresses...they needed 'big hair' as truly, this hairstyle became popular in competetion in the '80's. This is competetion dress, to be sure.

Less brightly colored but common competetion dress. And a much better shot of their ghillies.

Below is a group of folks in St Brigid's Hall with the Glenside Ceili Band, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo in 1996.

Don't ya think we should all get out and dance more often!!! Although I'm pretty sure the percent of the Irish population that participates in weekly or routine dancing is far less than 100%, I do think it's far more than the same age group of Americans. There is no place for us to dance unless we join a square dance club. So...I was tinkin' to meself....maybe I should start an Irish American club and get some folks out there dancing. Well, we'll see how that goes.

I've taken Irish step dancing classes. Unfortunately, shortly after starting these classes, I developed Bronchitis, which eventually went away, as well as Asthma...which has not. And if you have ever tried Irish step dancing...it's a lot of hopping about, out of breath. So my poor ghillies sit on a shelf, dusty, sad and lonely. But I think I could do set dancing, like in the 1960's video above. I danced quite a bit on this past New Years eve...wished I had brought my inhaler in with me instead of leaving it in the car, but I managed.

♥Pam

I Wish I Could Play An Instrument,

2007-03-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

but...I have no talent. None. But traditional Irish music is infectious. I hope you enjoyed the snippets I posted the other day. Sometimes shortened to 'trad', the songs really are only 200 or so years old or less, and a few were written in other countries by the Diaspora. I'd like to introduce you to some Irish instruments. Me mum bought a bodhran in Ireland. I had packed so tightly, I couldn't take home anything of size, so I passed on purchasing one myself. A group of musicians performing at the Cliffs of Moher.

Then, I bet you didn't know the Irish have their own bagpipes. They are called Uilleann pipes.

Then of course there is the harp. Also a symbol of Ireland (Well, the Republic anyway) and Guinness!

As I said in my March 4th post, I am posting something daily about Ireland or the Irish. This tribute has been mostly for myself. In reality...all for myself. I have few readers or few commenter's now, since shortly after the new year. I wanted to revel in all things Irish since we couldn't have a party...well, like we have had in the past. This was my way to honor and celebrate my heritage. At least one root of my heritage. I've had some interesting commenter's on some posts. I deleted one as just ridiculous and not befitting the privilege of commenting. He or she didn't have the nerve to post his website/blog or email address if indeed he/she had one. But it does remind me of one of the reasons why I had stopped blogging. And indeed, after March 31st, I will stop blogging. Writing and reading. It's time for another phase, another chapter in my life. It's best I keep my opinions to meself. You know what they say about opinions....every one's got one and they all stink. I have met some wonderful, brilliantly wonderful people. Made some good friends. Learned a great deal about so many things, myself most of all. But, the time has come. I won't take it down. I will post a farewell and that will be the end. I have been concerned about posting this for quite some time and wrassled with it night and day. I didn't want anyone who might have cared about me to feel as if I had abandoned or shunned them or what have you. It's just time. But before I go...we've 18 more days of Irish goodies. On St. Paddy's Day, I will of course post about him. The day after, the 18th, I have a special announcement to make. I have a post ready about Irish dancing. Another about fairy tales. More pictures of our trip and memories to boot. So, let's get on with it, shall we?

♥Pam

I Bless You and Curse You...all in the Gaelic

2007-03-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well, if I did that...you wouldn't know what I was saying now, would you?

So, I'll print it in the English.

Good Morning!
Dia duit ar maidin

~ May those who love us love us. And those that don’t love us, May God turn their hearts. And if He doesn’t turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles, So we’ll know them by their limping. ~ (Don't have the gaelic)

~ May the cat eat you, and may the cat be eaten by the devil. ~
Go n-ithe an cat thú is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat

~ My seven blessings on you. ~
Mo sheacht mbeannacht ort!

~ May the devil take you with him. ~
Go mbeire an diabhal leis thú!

~ Luck of the Irish ~
An t-áadh na nGael

~ St. Patrick's Blessing Upon You! ~
Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

~ A Hundred thousand welcomes to you! ~
Céad míle fáilte romhat!

~ Thank you. ~
Go raibh maith agat

~ May you leave without returning. ~
Imeacht gan teacht ort

I see a fair amount of "Irish Blessings" which don't quite sound authentic. If it starts out with "May...." then people think it's Irish. But...

This one long blessing I've had by my door for 26 years and me mum had it by our door for, sure and I don't know how many years before that.

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face.

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Now...here's a joke for you:

Sean goes into the pub and asks for three Guinness. He sits there and sips from the first one, then the second, and the third. He does this until finally all three pints are finished. He pays the bill and leaves. A couple of nights later he comes back and repeats the ritual. This goes on for a while and finally the bartender's curiosity gets the better of him and he asks why the three Guinness and why drink them all together the way he does. "Well, " says Sean, "My brother Michael is in the USA and my other brother Liam is in Australia. We can't meet in the pub and share a Guinness, so we have an agreement that whenever we go have a drink, we order three pints and pretend we're together." The bartender thinks to himself, "What a wonderful idea." A few months go by and one night Sean comes in and he orders two Guinness. The bartender is afraid to ask, but Sean seems fine, so finally the bartender says, "I see you've only ordered two Guinness tonight. Did something happen to one of your brothers?"No, no," says Sean, "They're both fit as a fiddle and healthy as horses!" "So why only the two Guinness?" asks the bartender. "Ah, well now," says Sean, "I've given up Guinness for Lent."

And another:

Q: How many Irishmen does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Three. One to hold the bulb, one to screw it in, and one to say how grand the old one was.

And finally,

For 50 years, Paddy left the box alone, until his wife Moira was old and dying. One day, when he was putting their affairs in order, he found the box again and thought it might hold something important. Opening it, he found two doilies and 82,500 pounds in cash. He took the box to her and asked about the contents. "My mother gave me that box the day we married," she explained. "She told me to make a doily to help ease my frustrations every time I got angry with you." Paddy was very touched that in 50 years she'd only been vexed with him twice."What's the money for?" he asked."Oh, well that's what I've made selling the Doilies."

Slán

♥Pam

I've Been to Howth

2007-03-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

and it's pronounced Howt. The Irish don't say their th's. So instead of saying...I was thinking...you would hear...I was tinkin'. It's one of my all time favorite parts of a brogue.

I want to embed this video but it's been disabled. It's about nine and a half minutes long but I thought it was a good snapshot of the Dublin/Howth area. Howth is north of Dublin and Bill and I were there our second day in Ireland. So here's the link for Ronnie Drew showing Howth and Dart. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BVKP6EH4iw
Below are two pictures I took in Howth that evening. Row houses just down the street from Abbey Tavern. This was taken about nine thirty or ten at night in the month of June.

This is one of the marina's in Howth.

♥Pam

I Share The Troubles

2007-03-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

When speaking with anyone of Irish heritage or residents of Ireland, and you refer to "The Troubles", it is commonly considered the period of strife between Northern Ireland and Great Britain c. 1969-1998. Although technically, it was between opposing political groups in Northern Ireland and the role of Great Britain, was that they were an instrument of law and order (which later proved to be not accurate, hmmm imagine that!). There aren't too many topics that will put folks backs up, like talking about The Troubles.
If you don't know what they are, let me summarize it for you. And you must realize the inherent dangers in summarizing this.... for the history of the relationship of Ireland and Britain is long, complicated and brutal. But first, you have to know that the Republic of Ireland, see the map, has been independent since roughly 1919-1922 (It wasn't an easy process declaring independence from Britain.) Northern Ireland is part of the UK and at the time I was there in 2005 this was very apparent as the UK was still using Sterling instead of Euro's. Part of the problem for Americans, who don't have a direct involvement in The Troubles or any background, is... the many, many names for differing groups in this conflict. Let me try to make this simple.
In Northern Ireland, there are two main groups which, unfortunately, have aligned themselves along religious lines. The “nationalist” community, principally the Catholics, want to be part of the Republic of Ireland while the “unionist” or “loyalist” community, principally the Protestants, want to be part of Great Britain or the UK. Okay? Just think, “nation”, one nation….all of Ireland, as one nation. “Union” or “loyal” wants to be part of Great Britain. Does that help? Then, it gets some complicated. Because, now I am going to introduce you to the individual groups involved and this is where it gets really, really confusing.
On the loyalist or unionist side, you have the RUC or Royal Ulster Constabulary. “Royal” for Britain of course, “Ulster” for Northern Ireland and well, you know the last word. These guys are the police force in Northern Ireland. They, along with the state security forces…otherwise known as the British Army, were the groups supporting Northern Ireland and it’s inclusion in the UK. There are also two main groups that are not officially sanctioned by the UK, which were major players in The Troubles. They are the UDA and UVF. I’m not going to go into detail but just remember Ulster is the north and these two groups’ names start with Ulster and they are considered loyalist paramilitary and actually, also considered terrorist groups in both the UK and America. On the other side you have the IRA and then the PIRA. The IRA stands for the Irish Republican Army and the PIRA would be the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The PIRA objected to the IRA’s unwillingness to engage in armed action against British/loyalists or in defence of nationalist’s under siege in Northern Ireland. You also have associated with the IRA and the PIRA, the political components associated with them.
See, I told you it was complicated.
The most recognized name is Sinn Féin which is Gaelic for “we ourselves”. This is the political front for the Provisional IRA. The Official Sinn Féin is the political front for the IRA.

Your head swimmin’ yet?

So, in August of 1969, the IRA split into the above named groups because of attacks on nationalist areas of Belfast and Derry. This is considered the “start” of The Troubles. To go any further is to not only invite a heated exchange but also requires too much commitment on the part of the reader. Unless you are Irish, in which case you lived it or grew up learning it or, are part of the Diaspora, you aren’t gonna care about the details. But if you are interested, go to wikipedia for a fairly comprehensive but easy to follow explanation. Just type in ….The Troubles.

What I would like to tell you about The Troubles is that when I learned what they were about as a young girl, I was embarrassed. Ashamed even. Because I was raised that violence never solves anything and just begets violence. It seemed to me, The Troubles were just about as stupid as any people could be. I’m not saying I agree with either side and if you really want to know, I think Britain has no business in Ireland…never has, but that would take up several gigs to write about. Both sides have perpetrated violence on innocents. Hell, just perpetrating violence is evil enough for me. I tell you….Has no place. But then, I have trouble understanding the cowardice of terrorism. I was embarrassed that my beloved Ireland was involved in such heinous behavior, on either side.

When we visited Derry or Londonderry, in Northern Ireland, there are many, many reminders of The Troubles. Here is a slide show of some pics from Derry or Londonderry.

The Troubles ended with the Good Friday Agreement on April 28th, 1998. There has been relative peace since then.
♥Pam

I've A Fondness for Irish Drinking Songs...

2007-03-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

tho, as I have said... I don't really drink anymore. Maybe 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks a year. But Irish Drinking Songs....Jaysus Mahry and Josef...I canna get enough! Here's a "youtube" of The Dubliners and the lyrics to one of my favorites:

Whiskey In The Jar
As I was a-goin' over the far fam'd Kerry Mountains
I met with Captain Farrell, and his money he was countin'.
I first produced my pistol and then I produced my rapier,
Sayin' "Stand and deliver, for I am your bold receiver."
Musha ringum duram da,
Whack fol the daddy-o,
There's whiskey in the jar.

I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny;
I put it in me pocket and I took it home to Jenny.
She sighed and swore she never would deceive me,
Bu the devil take the women, for they never can be easy!
Musha rungum duram da

I went into me chamber all for to take a slumber,
To dream of gold and girls, and of course it was no wonder:
Me Jenny took me charges and she filled them up with water,
Then sent for Captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter.
Musha rungum duram da

T'was early in the mornin', before I rose for travel,
A-came a band of footmen and likewise Captain Farrell.
I goes to draw my pistol, for she'd stole away my rapier,
I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken,
Musha rungum duram da

They put me into jail with a judge all a-writin':
For robbin' Captain Farrell on Gilgarra Mountain.
But they didn't take me fists and I knocked the jailer down
And bid a farewell to this tight-fisted town.
Musha ringum duram da

I'd like to find me brother, the one who's in the army;
I don't know where he's stationed, be it Cork or in Killarney.
Together we'd go roamin' o'er the mountains of Kilkenny,
And I swear he'd treat me fairer than my darlin' sportin' Jenny!
Musha ringum duram da

There's some takes delight in the carriages and rollin',
Some takes delight in the hurley or the bollin',
But I takes delight in the juice of the barley,
Courtin' pretty maids in the mornin', o so early!
Musha ringum duram da

Or this one:

Wild Rover
I've been a wild rover for many a year
And I spent all my money on whiskey and beer,
And now I'm returning with gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more.

chorus: And it's no, nay, never,
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.

I went to an ale-house I used to frequent
And I told the landlady my money was spent.
I asked her for credit, she answered me "nay
Such a custom as yours I could have any day."

chorus

I took from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight.
She said "I have whiskey and wines of the best
And the words that I spoke sure were only in jest."

chorus

I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
And I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son.
And if they caress (forgive) me as ofttimes before
Sure I never will play the wild rover no more.

chorus

Okay, now, I know you're busy an all, but this is the cherry on the sundae. Because after they sing, The Dubliners do some interviewing and you get a good tastes of not only the brogue but the Irish humor as well. So, hang in there....sing along if your coworkers won't mind and here's The Dubliners singing
Seven Drunken Nights

Sure, and it's hard to narrow down my favorites to a few to put up here for you. But go out and get yourself some Clancy Bros, Dubliners or Fenians CD's and sing your heart out until you are hoarse.
♥Pam

I Renounce The Famine

2007-03-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

All of my life I thought my ancestors came to America because of the famine. I have done more researching...much more researching, and I find all manner of "truths". In reality, none of my ancestors ever said those words, but being Catholic, Irish and arriving in the US around 1850's, I assumed...
Leaving aside my family myths, which are of my own doing, I first became aware of the miss-truth about the "Potato Famine" (which I considered an unfortunate act of nature that befell the Irish) while reading a series of books by Bodie Thoene this past January. She, and her husband, are christian based writers. The series takes place in Connacht province in 1846-1848. The biggest piece of information that made me start researching was the ship's manifests that list the tonnage of food that was removed by British landlords and protected by British troops during the height of the blight on the potato. There was no famine...potato crops failed the world over, and actually came from America and spread to Europe before Ireland...but mass declines in population didn't take place like they did in Ireland. Why? Because the potato was the only food stuff the British didn't take away- lock stock and barrel. It's all they had to eat, although they raised wheat, oats, barley, cattle, stoats, and made butter and flour to name a few items. It was sent to England because the produce was "owned by England". They were not allowed to fish on their own, the British Coast Guard confiscated any fishing currach's and the catch was turned over to the military.
All the while, Britain was begging the world for money to "help" the poor starving Irish. Did you know the Choctaw Indians of OK sent $710 (equivalent to almost a half a million or more in today's money) all the while Britain was exporting tons, literally tons, of food OUT of Ireland? The census of Ireland in 1840 was reported at 10,897,449 and in 1851 as 6,257,456. Approximately one million left Ireland in either forced or voluntary emigration during those years. What happened to the other 3-5 million?
Think that all of this may be skewed documentation or faulty memories? Well, you can research if for yourself, if you are so inclined. I have links at the bottom. But let's consider this:
Thomas Carlyle, a British essayist wrote: "Ireland is like a half-starved rat that crosses the path of an elephant. What must the elephant do? Squelch it - by heavens - squelch it." Queen Victoria's economist, Nassau Senior, expressed his fear that existing policies "will not kill more than one million Irish in 1848 and that will scarcely be enough to do much good."An editorialist for the newspaper The Times wrote in 1848: "A Celt will soon be as rare on the banks of the Shannon as the red man on the banks of Manhattan."

When an eye-witness urged a stop to the genocide-in-progress, Trevelyan replied: "We must not complain of what we really want to obtain." Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, in service to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, insisted that all reports of starvation were exaggerated, until 1847. He then declared it ended and refused entry to the American food relief ship, Sorciére. Additionally, though "work houses" were set up for the starving, if you entered a workhouse, you forfeited your land. Thus, the English obtained hundreds or thousands of hectares of Irish farm land. Not to mention that the presiding belief about the function and nature of workhouses was abysmal.

A poem written in 1847 in the United Irishmen newspaper, by Oscar Wilde's mother, Jane Wilde, under a nom de plume, Speranza.

THE FAMINE YEAR
Weary men, what reap ye? "Golden corn for the Stranger.
"What sow ye? "Human corpses that await for the Avenger."
Fainting forms, all hunger-stricken, what see you in the offing?
"Stately ships to bear our food away amid the stranger's scoffing."
There's a proud array of soldiers what do they round your door?
"They guard our masters' granaries from the thin hands of the poor."
Pale mothers, wherefore weeping? "Would to God that we were dead"
Our children swoon before us, and we cannot give them bread!"
"We are wretches, famished, scorned, human tools to build your pride,
But God will yet take vengeance for the souls for whom Christ died.
Now is your hour of pleasure, bask ye in the world's caress;
But our whitening bones against ye will arise as witnesses,
From the cabins and the ditches, in their charred, uncoffined masses,
For the Angel of the Trumpet will know them as he passes.
A ghastly, spectral army before God we'll stand
And arraign ye as our murderers, O spoilers of our land!"

Lastly, there was food to be had...if an Irish Catholic peasant would renounce his religion and embrace the Angelican church of England.

So, do I think the Irish were victims of an unfortunate famine? No. Not anymore. There was food to be had but alas, there was land to be had. I will no longer call it the Potato Famine or The Great Famine. I will call it the Irish Holocaust*. It may not have been premeditated. It may not have been managed solely with the intent to eliminate the Irish...but no longer will I think it an act of nature and an unfortunate circumstance to happen to my ancestors.

http://home.comcast.net/~irishholocaust/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Potato_Famine
http://www.irelandforvisitors.com/articles/black_47.htm
*referred to as "Holocaust" in the Cork Examiner in 1847.

I've Got Some Pics for You

2007-03-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy some pics from the first 4 days of our trip in Ireland in June of '05. I took over 750 digital pics which was then pared down to 690. Unfortunately, about 180 of them have been corrupted and are not retrieveable. I remember some of them.
♥Pam

I Fell In Love With Irish Music

2007-03-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

My first and favorite Irish ditty.

Black Velvet Band
Chorus:
Her eyes they shone like the diamonds
You'd think she was queen of the land
And her hair hung over her shoulder
Tied up with a black velvet band.

In a neat little town they call Belfast
Apprenticed to trade I was bound
And many an hour's sweet happiness
I spent in that neat little town.
Till bad misfortune came o'er me
That caused me to stray from the land
Far away from my friends and relations
To follow the black velvet band.
Chorus
Well, I was out strolling one evening
Not meaning to go very far
When I met with a pretty young damsel
Who was selling her trade in the bar.
When I watched, she took from a customer
And slipped it right into my hand
Then the Watch came and put me in prison
Bad luck to the black velvet band.
Chorus
Next morning before judge and jury
For a trial I had to appear
And the judge, he said, "You young fellows...
The case against you is quite clear
And seven long years is your sentence
You're going to Van Dieman's Land
Far away from your friends and relations
To follow the black velvet band.
Chorus
"So come all you jolly young fellows
I'd have you take warning by me
Whenever you're out on the liquor,
me lads,Beware of the pretty colleen.
She'll fill you with whiskey and porter
Until you're not able to stand
And the very next thing that you'll know, me lads,
You're landed in Van Dieman's Land.

I Am An American

2007-03-04T04:58:00.000-07:00

I am descended from a number of different ethnicity's. To name a few, French Canadian, Irish, German and English. Which do I proclaim at any and all opportunity? Why, Irish, of course. I have been asking myself this morning, why that is so. Why am I not drawn to my German or English heritage? Haven't a clue. But I am drawn to my Irish roots with great alacrity.
If you haven't figured out that I am posting something about Ireland daily, then...I'm thinking you must be sleepin' on the job. But this is today's installation and I thought I 'd move away from beer and spirits and talk about...well, read for yourself.
I am part of the Irish Diaspora. The Irish Diaspora is described as Irish emigrants and their descendants. There are many interpretations of the constituency of The Diaspora. At the most there are some 80 million...at the least, about 3 million. Depends on how it's defined. Legally, my mother can probably go back and register in the foreign births office. I, am one generation too removed. This saddens me. But I can take heart in that, in a broader sense, I am still considered to be part of the Irish Diaspora, thanks to the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson.
(By the way, did you know that Ireland is the only country that a woman succeeded another woman as an elected head of state? But I digress...what's new?)

My "ancestors" hang in my upstairs hallway. Yes, their faces peer at me daily, as I trod up and down the stairs. We call the tintypes and portraits of my maternal parents and grandparents and great grandparents...the "ancestors". These portraits were revered by my Grandmother, Nanan. She wrote a "book" called, "The McCooey's And Their Footprints" which she self published. Really it's only a pamphlet with 40 pages. It's a bit confusing to follow, but it's the only written history I have. I do have some notes written about my father's side of the family. Snippets I have garnered over the years. But nothing formal.

There is a peculiarity to the Irish Diaspora that most native Irish do not understand. Us Diaspora are most inordinately sentimental about all things Irish. Is it the lyrical prose and lively and haunting music which seduces us, with our innate romantic nature, into a sentimental stupor? We Diaspora flock to Ireland to soak up the lilt of a brogue, bask in the broad greenness of the countryside and espouse all manner of Irish traditions while natives look on in bemused bewilderment but happy enough to have a boost to the economy from our tourist euros.
I cannot explain with any degree of clarity, as to my deep seated longing for "All Things Irish". I have a whole section of my "favorites" entitled..."All Things Irish". I have taught myself a few words of Gaelic, read the ancient history...albeit with minimal comprehension, practiced a brogue of my own, researched my familial history pertaining to my Irish origins and have had the opportunity to see the Emerald Isle for myself. It's not enough. I long for more. More things Irish. I would move there...if it were possible. (I know it is possible...it's just not practical) And yet I know the locals would tilt their heads and wonder what the crazy American was doing. I would not belong there, but I so desire to.
The amazing thing is...I am not alone. I am part of the Diaspora and we are all drawn to the threads of our heritage.... like moths to a flame.
♥Pam

I Tell You Beer Is Good For You...

2007-03-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

weeeelllllll, a Guinness is!! Och...I don't feel much like trying to convince you but...it is true that Guinness' porter is high in iron (was once prescribed to pregnant and nursing women as well as blood donors) as compared to most other drinks-alcoholic and non-alcoholic, has anticoagulant properties and antioxidant properties. Guinness is lower in alcohol, calories and carbohydrates than Samuel Adams, Budweiser, Heineken and almost every other major-brand beer not classified as light or low-carb. That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!

Bubbles in a pint of Guinness float down.

Arthur Guinness obtained a 9000 year lease on a four acre piece of land near the River Liffey in Dublin with an annual rent of £45.

It takes 119.5 seconds to pour a good pint of Guinness.

The managing director of the Guinness Brewery in 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, is responsible for the "Guinness Book of World Records".

Canned Guinness relies on a 'widget' to give it it's characteristic "head" which is due to the use of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

♥Pam

I'm Not A Beer Drinker...

2007-03-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

but Bill is. (Although he much prefers Scotch) And one of his favorites is:

Planet3rry mentioned in comments on yesterday's post that Killian's is red and of course, Guinness is so dark that it can't be dyed green... that I thought I would share with you another brew that you may not be familiar with. Then tomorrow, I wanted to tell you some interesting things about Guinness . But here is some info about Bill's favorite Irish brew.
Smithwick's is an Irish red ale style beer from Kilkenny in Ireland. It originated from and is still brewed at 'St. Francis abbey Brewery' in the city. Known as 'Smithwick's Brewery' until c.2000, Smithwick’s was originally brewed in St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny, situated on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century. It is Ireland’s oldest operating brewery, founded by John Smithwicks in 1710 on land owned by the Duke of Ormonde.[1] It has the ruins of the original Franciscan abbey in its grounds. It is the major ale producer in Ireland. It was purchased from Irish Ale Breweries in 1965 by Guinness and is now, along with Guinness, part of Diageo. Smithwick’s is now brewed in Dundalk as well as in Kilkenny.
From the early '60s until the mid '80s, Smithwick's was probably the second most popular beer in Ireland after Guinness and continues to be Ireland's largest selling brand of ale.
When pronouncing the name, the 'W' is silent. In Ireland, it is generally pronounced as 'Smithicks', 'Smitticks', 'Smidicks' or 'Smeth-icks'. The variation of pronunciations is mostly due to differing accent and dialects of the Irish. When ordering in the US, 'Smithicks' is the preferred method, while 'Smiddicks' is the most prevalent pronunciation in Canada.
Smithwick's Draught has a ruby red tone with a stable, but slightly thin head. It is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Although of lesser fame than Guinness, Smithwick's is often regarded as the 'local favourite' amongst Irish pubgoers. In 2004, Diageo PLC began distribution in the USA.
[Thanks to Wikipedia.com for this info.]
♥Pam

I Celebrate

2007-03-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Feast of St. Patrick. Many of you know it better as St. Patrick’s Day. But…it is a Roman Catholic (RC) Optional Memorial Feast Day. It is reported that Patrick of Britain, Bishop of Ireland, died on March the 17th (year uncertain, but certainly in the first century) and because of his many contributions to the church, was made a saint, on the diocesan or regional level. He has never actually been canonized by a Pope. Hence it is an Optional Memorial. Meaning a church priest does not have to officially recognize or “celebrate” his feast day during mass that particular day.

However, since I am not a practicing Catholic, I don’t celebrate The Feast of St. Patrick the way most of Catholic Ireland will be celebrating him, even to this day, which is to go to mass. Typically, the family will then go home for a meal of cured pork or boiled bacon and potatoes, to be sure. The men would have been sharing a 'Pota Pádraig' or St. Patrick's Pot at the pub while the women were making the feast meal and after the family meal, sometimes many families went to or held a céilí. Most of the “traditions” you/we practice in the US are US traditions. They don’t drink green beer in Ireland. I mean, you can’t really dye a Guinness green now, can you? They don’t wear lots of green, as many are still superstitious and know that fairies like green and wearing too much green would invite them to snatch you away. But many do wear St. Patrick’s cross. And they don't typically eat corned beef.

So, on St. Paddy’s Day (which is what I grew up calling it) I don’t go out and get full on plastered. As a matter of fact, I rarely drink alcohol anymore. That’s for youngsters who can survive the inevitable hangover. I do make corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots and my own soda bread. Bill and I used to have our own céilí, or 'caint, ceol agus, craic' until he started working nights and it got way too complicated and difficult. At one party, our second to the last, we had the St. Brendan’s Dancers in our home. We had 18 children and adults dancing with soft shoe in our dining/kitchen area. Truly…truly, I cried real tears of joy that night at the spectacle. We had approximately 50 some odd guests in the house, not including the dancers, that night. I miss celebrating in our home…but what can you do. This year, St. Paddy’s Day is on a Saturday. While you are out celebrating this day in your own tradition or your own way, please be safe and responsible.

Here is one of my favorite pics of Ireland that I took almost 3 years ago.

Click it to big it.

Pasture land on the Dingle Peninsula.

For a first hand accounting of a first generation Irish American...go here:

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StPatsDay.html

♥Pam

I Sat Stunned at the Simplicity

2007-02-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

Now, if you actually watch till the end and leave off jumping down my throat for posting this...they don't show you how to get or make the special key in order to actually be able to do this. Some critics have said it is just another marketing ploy for lock companies....I dunno. I just thought it was remarkably simple and stunning in it's simplicity.

I thought....hey, I should post this and email it. This is important to know...at least I think so. Then, as I was looking at the clip on YouTube...I noticed several others. And one in particular made me look harder. This company actually sells the bumpkey. Yes. That is what I said.
Bumpkey.us @ http://bumpkey.us/ sells the keys that you can buy to bump most locks. But that is not all. It seems that Bumpkey.us wants to assure their customers that they will not sell their personal information to anyone, so they have a privacy statement. This is the first two lines:

"BumpKey.US respects your privacy. This document explains our policy relating to your personal data that is provided to us."

Does anyone else see the irony here? The absurdly insane irony? I actually called the FBI office in Denver and talked with the Duty Officer and he was very polite and did not laugh at my naiveté. It's totally not against the law. Not whatsoever. So I called the local TV station (KRDO) at the suggestion of the Duty Officer and the guy at the news desk couldn't be bothered. "Already done the show" he says. By the tone of his voice, he sounded distracted. Probably didn't even recognize what I was talking about. Guess something else was vying for his attention at the moment. So there you have it. Totally legal to sell someone a product that's sole use is for breaking and entering...or maybe I should say...Unlawful entry. I totally must be going thru midlife because the only words that pop into my head are...."what is the world coming to?".

♥Pam

I'm Shocked...

2007-02-17T11:09:00.001-07:00

and then some....by so many things about this.

Crave Online: Funny Videos, Sexy Videos, Music Videos, Movie Trailers, and More!

Crave Video: TOP GEAR - ATTACKED BY REDNECKS

Were you shocked? If so...by what specifically?
♥Pam

I'm A....

2007-02-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a Mazda RX-8!

You're sporty, yet practical, and you have a style of your own. You like to have fun, and you like to bring friends along for the ride, but when it comes time for everyday chores, you're willing to do your part.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

2007-02-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

BROCK

I Could Sputter and Spout

2007-02-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

because I was "made" to switch to the new blogger this morning....grrrrrr. But I don't want to spend the energy.
What I was going to start this post off with is...

I Do This....Do You?

Let me tell you that I am certain others do do this...but it sounded like a fun thing to title this post.

Let me also tell you that this may seem a random jumble of things but in reality....it's not....er random. It is a jumble.

Okay. If I am reading something or watching something and I am curious about it...I go look it up. In the days before internet profundity, I went to the library or our ancient set of encyclopedia's. I like the library. I have the ability to request any book on line and have it delivered to the closest library, as we have 7 or 8 branches in our overpopulous city. That to me is phenomenal. They email me when it arrives and I go pick it up. Then they email me when it's due and I can renew it online. Awesome. I can put holds on popular books like, "From Baghdad, With Love". Currently, I am number 32 in line. I started out in the 50's. Anyway, I guess I should say...I love the library and consider it one of my greatest privileges as an American citizen. I don't buy books anymore unless it's for someone else. I donated all my non medical books to the library. Well, I kept some that had significant sentimental value or were given as gifts. I have learned how to organically garden, raise chickens, set up solar power banks, can foods, raise a fawn, well...I could go on, all from books borrowed from the library.
But I have an insatiable curiosity sometimes. I am intrigued with all manner of information and knowledge and love to research it. I'm not always patient with some search engines but....let me give you a for instance.
Last night...late, last night....I caught the movie "Muriel's Wedding". I have been wanting to watch it for some time now but usually end up catching it, on cable, after it's been on for a half hour or more, and it's also waaaaay down on the Netflix list. I still missed the first 15 minutes but...
I totally identified with Muriel, played by Toni Collette. I loved Toni in "Connie and Carla". In "Muriel's Wedding", I was very impressed with her Australian accent. I am very familiar with her most recent work and was...intrigued. So...I did what I usually do...I went to IMDB to see if she was from Australia...and she is. Surprise, surprise. Born in 1972 in Sydney. Wow. Listening to her English accent in "About a Boy" and lack of any accent (heheheee) in "Connie and Carla" and "Sixth Sense" and "Little Miss Sunshine", I was intrigued and googled her. I found a one line statement about her involvement in PETA and her stand on "mulesing". I looked up "mulesing" of course and found it a practice in Australia to prevent "flystrike" or myiasis. So of course, I looked up "flystrike" and found that info interesting. I found on the wikipedia site that there had been a research study by Fell and Shutt in 1989 concluding that the animals do suffer in more ways than just experiencing pain. But that the practice of mulesing wouldn't be outlawed until 2010. Interesting.
Then, I noticed a comparison to "crutching". Read that and went back to the info about flystrike and saw a reference to MDT. This is Maggot Debridement Therapy which we have used in homecare as a treatment therapy for very bad wounds. I like to work with wounds...not enough to become a WOCN or Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse....but I deal with a lot of wounds in home care.
So...that reminded me of a recent conversation I had with my mother. She does the same thing. Hmmmmm, imagine where I learned to do that? Anyway. We were talking about it because I was mentioning something I read in a book and went and looked up. Sometimes it's about gathering the trivia...mostly it's about trying to understand a complex situation or problem better and sometimes it's to verify the veracity of a statement. For instance...

Have you ever heard of the Bonus March? Did you know there was a very public expression of antisemitism in our nation during the early years of WWII? These are just a smattering of things I have looked up this past week.
As I was pondering this peculiarity about myself, it occurred to me that although I learned and retained a lot when I was in elementary, junior high and high school, it seems like I didn't learn near enough. Or maybe it was that I was given a nice neat package of things to learn. Or maybe it was that I was not emotionally or intellectually ready to learn more. Or possibly, the world has changed and is parting with it's secrets more. Likely.....it's a combo of all these factors.

I guess I live up to my nerd reputation. In junior high school, I wasn't a nerd. I was good in english and social studies...I only passed math because I tried so damn hard my teacher felt sorry for me...thanks Ms Bennison. And science was interesting but...without the math, much of it got lost in me brain. But that changed as I got older. My curiousity over powered my inability to "get" things easily and I labored at learning. But back in the day...I was just one of the many uncool but not a jock and not a burner/doper kids in junior high school. Then of course, I went to my all girls high school which you can read about here. So, I can relate to Toni Collette's character in "Muriel's Wedding". A lot. More than you can imagine.

I've come full circle. I think that was enough of a ride for today. Did you click on any of the links? Did you learn something new and/or interesting here today? I enjoyed giving a quick peek into the inner workings of my brain or at least the things I am intrigued by.
♥Pam

I Love The Dog Whisperer

2007-01-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

You all know I have 4 dogs. I stumbled across the show on National Geographic, "The Dog Whisperer" with Cesar Millan about a year ago. At first I got so angry at people for not getting the obvious. They were at fault for the dog's behavior. Then two things happened. Current guests have been watching the show and accept that they are to blame and readily admit it and I realized....not everyone is going to have an intuitive sense of dog behavior and I need to lay off them.
It's simple behavior modification. By that I mean not "simply behavior modification" but simple behavior modification. You have to understand the behavior first...and that's where most people are not well versed or even cognizant. So I love this show for showing people that they have to be pack leaders. They have to be calm, assertive pack leaders and that discipline doesn't involve ugly behavior. I wish more parents understood this principle as well. Children are all about simple behavior modification. The truly difficult part is incorporating the rest of childrearing into the process. Training and teaching behavior is relatively simple and straightforward. Teaching and demonstrating, moral and ethical processes is far more complicated and far less straightforward. I don't know that I would be very good at it. Guess I will never know. But I am good with dogs. Most animals. Patient's pets come up to me and mind me in mere seconds after I enter the home. This has astonished a few patients. "Fluffy never goes up to anyone". "Bear never listens to anyone but my husband". "Fido usually barks non stop when someone comes over...I can't believe it".

I want to show you something from Cesar's website:

"You were ecstatically entertaining, yet your message has profound implications and takes our knowledge that nothing exists in the universe except thought and energy to a new level. If the human species destroys itself, it will be because of its disposition to follow unstable pack leaders. And, if diplomacy could be carried out with calm assertiveness and calm submission, we could resolve our differences without aggression. Your mission to teach the people in third-world countries to offer reciprocal fulfillment could, indeed, bring world peace. For if love nurtures the state of mind and only the calm and submissive are fed, then the whole paradigm of human behavior shifts.

You are the embodiment of the American Dream, and your life demonstrates that immigration has created this nation. Thank you for doing your work and for coming to share it with our community with such forceful energy, enthusiasm and humor."

Adrian S. Windsor Ph.D
Inside Edge

I found that to be a profound statement. What do you think?
♥Pam

I Need A Witness

2007-01-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

A witness to this situation. In the sense that marriage has been described as a witness to your life, that’s how I need a witness.

In particular, I am awake at 4 this morning because neither my stomach nor my heart, will let me slumber. (I didn’t tell you all that I have gastritis, GERD and potentially an ulcer, and if this round of meds doesn’t stop my symptoms, I get to have a tube down my throat into my gut to take a peak…)

I have a patient I need to tell you about. I can’t give you much in the way of detail. I am sorry. He’s a year younger than me. Smart and kinda geeky….so I felt a bond with him from the first. I see him weekly to maintain a high risk/high tech procedure that typically is not taught to patients or caregivers. That’s unusual in this day and age when so much of my job as a home health nurse is to teach the patient and/or the caregiver how to do all manner of formerly nurse only procedures. His insurance, like most, follow Medicare regulations for eligibility of services. The biggest requirement to be eligible for homecare is that you be homebound. But you see, homebound means different things to different people.

To some it means they are stuck at home without a car. To some it means they just don’t feel like leaving home very often and only do so for rare and infrequent purposes or are psychological unable to leave home. To others it is a “severe and taxing effort” requiring the assistance of at least one person for safety. Driving is an automatic disqualifier. If you drive…you are not homebound. Being “homebound” is a subjective assessment according to Medicare. Guess who gets to determine “homebound” status? Yes, I do. I have been doing it for coming up on ten years. I have been exhaustively trained in administering this rule. Being homebound is a functional ability. You may be functionally able to leave home and choose not to. That doesn’t make you homebound, unless of course, you are diagnosed with a psychological illness. We want our patients to graduate to the non homebound status. It means they have gotten better. So while I am assessing all the things a nurse assesses when I make a home visit, I am acutely aware of what their functional status is and prepare the patient accordingly. I set them up for outpatient therapy or intervention if it is required. This is a good thing. That is my goal with every patient.

My patient, this patient I am telling you about, is a young man with a particularly fatal type of cancer. He has progressed, this last two weeks, to the point where he had started to go to work again. Amazing to me, because he has already outlived his prognosis. And without sounding like a cliché, it’s because of his attitude. He is very involved in his care and…you are gonna love this, keeps an excel spreadsheet of his intake and output. Yup, just my kinda geek. Granted, after going to work for three or four hours, he returns home to sleep for the same amount of time. It is a “severe and taxing effort” for him, bless his heart. Yet so good for his soul. And he continues to do it. Going once, I would overlook it. Going twice, I begin to question his other out-of-home excursions and discuss his functional ability. Last Monday I tell him I need to verify that his insurance does follow Medicare rules on homebound status because, he is driving to work. We discuss how well he’s doing. He says he will call his insurance company to see if he is eligible for any special programs, insurance wise, because of his age and disability that would override the requirement for being “homebound” and call me if he finds out anything.

Now, let me explain something to you. If I continue to see this patient and his insurance company finds out he is not homebound (which would mean I would have to falsify his records every time I visit), they will not only refuse to pay for any further visits for homecare….they will deny his entire episode. Regardless of how homebound he was in the beginning. That is the way of insurance. Guess who bears the responsibility if this happens? Guess who gets “sanctioned” then? I will bear the brunt of responsibility for either knowing he wasn’t homebound and continuing to see him or not assessing appropriately enough. I get written up. I get in trouble.

The next day, Tuesday, I discuss at length the patient’s condition with the insurance liaison in our office. She is adamant. This insurance company follows Medicare homebound status to the letter. No matter how “severe and taxing” the effort is, he has gone more than once, he is driving…he is no longer homebound. I regretfully call the patient to inform him of this and he says he has not called his insurance company yet and I urge him to do so. I tell him I will call his doc to get the ball rolling on outpatient services. He says he will let me know if he finds out anything. On Friday afternoon, after not hearing from my patient, I call his doc and speak with his doc’s assistant to inform her that he is no longer eligible for homecare because he has started driving to work. She tells me she will get working on it when I remind her that he will need bloodwork and a procedure on Monday and that his pharmacy will be looking for those results.

Well, guess what? I hurt my back this weekend and was out sick on Monday. Tuesday, I find out he called on Monday evening, to the on call nurse, to find out why I hadn’t come. Upon hearing this, I immediately call his doc’s office and of course, the nurse responsible for arranging the outpatient services knows nothing. Great. I call the pharmacy to let them know the situation so they won’t be looking for the lab results. I call the patient and while we did not have a heated or angry conversation, it got “pointed” a few times. He then informs me that he spent many hours in the ED on Saturday because of a bladder infection. I asked him why he didn’t call us or at least let me know of the change of his condition…that could have changed his homebound status but only a home visit with an assessment could determine that. He doesn’t really answer me. He says… “Oh”. He cites me chapter and verse out his insurance handbook on homebound status. He interprets the meanings differently then would a homecare agency or staff. I try to educate him, but he continues to not accept what I am telling him. I tell him I will have my Branch manager call him but that I feel confident in my ability to determine homebound status.

My heart hurts and my stomach isn’t happy either. I feel bad about how this has evolved. If his doc’s staff had done their job…he would’ve had a smooth transition or at least they could have notified me of his change in condition (which the patient failed to do) and I could have gone out to see him and assess him. I want to provide good, compassionate care for my patient within the confines of insurance regulations. I don’t do my company any favors by seeing a patient who’s not homebound. We are talking thousands of dollars of care that he has received, that we potentially might not get paid for if I don’t follow the rules. And trust me…I would bear the brunt of this if that happened. Possibly, the company would have “fined” me the cost of my portion of his care.

So, now this patient is very angry with me. He has written an articulate but scathing letter to our agency. I have lost my therapeutic relationship with him. I am tempted to blame myself…by saying that I gave him a situation to have to “deal” with at a time in his life where he doesn’t need any “situations”. But I must let him be responsible for his actions as well.

My heart hurts and my stomach isn’t happy either.
♥Pam

I Say

2007-01-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Janet C. has the FUN stuff...

Your Rising Sign is Sagittarius

Happy and upbeat, you are always optimistic.

Even when you're in a bad mood, people find you friendly.

On the flip side, you're very restless and bored easily.

You've been known to pick fights just for the fun of it.

You've got a great sense of humor and a quirky outlook on life.

Aggressive, wild, and unconventional, no one knows what you're going to do next.

What's Your Rising Sign?

I've Been Tagged...again

2007-01-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

by Janet C. in Life in Westcliffe. Haven't seen this meme, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Thanks for thinking of me Janet. ;0]

The Thinking Meme

1. If you had to choose one vice in exclusion of all others what would it be?

Well, since "vice" means: mild failing in character or an immoral habit...and I don't have any immoral habits....that leaves a mild failing in character. I had to double check "character"...to make sure I had that right and that led me easily to my mild failing...the persistent need to be correct. I don't like to be wrong. How incredibly silly is that? On the other hand, if I am wrong...I am the first to admit it and learn from it. Please note: I didn't say "right"...I said "correct". Big difference.

2. If you could change one specific thing about the world what would it be?

That is a tough one...because there are so many things I would change. Then, if I separate it into the world, meaning the physical universe, and people, who inhabit this world, it becomes a bit easier. Well, not really. The world all by herself is a phenomenal entity and needs no changing. People however...oh my. Where to start? Leesa listed "animosity" and certainly that would rank high on my list. And Janet C. put down "The incredible amount of potable water waste." which would also fall into my fav category of -waste in general, lack of recycling and reusing etc. Peace and Justice and Freedom all come with costs. Sometimes those costs are very high. I think I would change this: I would increase every humans wisdom by 100%. Wisdom. Look it up.

3. Name the cartoon character you identify with the most.

I went to Janet C.'s website link to find out which character and I was "Tweety" too. Hmmm. But which one do I identify with the most? I never watch cartoons. As a kid, I liked Chip and Dale because of their accents and their neverfailing optimism. I also liked Wile E. Coyote because he was always coming up with a solution to a problem but never quite made it stick. I wanted Mighty Mouse to die. I have no idea why I wanted the poor little mouse to die...don't ask.

4. If you could live one day in your life over again which one would it be?

Relive it because of the shear happiness and joy or relive it to right a wrong or to change my path? I have no idea. Right at this moment in time...I wish I had never heard of the position of Staff Development Coordinator (My most recent job in the corporate world). Even if I had turned it down, wonder and possibly regret, would have followed me for many, many days...nay, years. If I had never heard of it...I wouldn't have ever been tempted. You can't regret what you don't know about. I was so very contented and happy before I came to that position/company. That is a very powerful emotion to experience day after day.... contented and happy. I am slowly finding my equilibrium and my joy again.

5. If you could go back in history and spend a day with one person who would it be?

Okay...go back in history implies that I must choose someone from history as in "famous". I am choosing to go back in my history. My maternal grandmother, Nanan. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. She was a remarkable woman.

6. What is the one thing you lost, sold or threw away that you wish you could have back?

Well, not because I actually want it back but because it's loss haunts me. And actually, there are two things. I rec'd a macrame purse in my childhood and a mini stapler and some other things for my birthday one year. They were all in this purse. Somehow, the first day I had it/them...it/they disappeared. I believe someone stole it. The other is my slide projector and a carousel of slides. Irreplaceable.

7. What is your one most important contribution to this world?

My most important contribution to this world? Surely you jest.

8. What is your one hidden talent that nearly no one knows about?

Well, I have blogged about anything I might remotely be good at so I don't have any hidden talents. But, I may not have pointed out that I am good with directions, navigating. I like maps...what can I say.

9. What is your most cherished possession?

My most cherished possession, well, I don't really posses it. It is not a tangible or durable item. It is my relationship with my husband. It isn't perfect, but it is cherished.

10. What one person influenced your life the most when growing up?

That's very easy. That would be my mother. Logical, very smart, fair, a humanitarian, loving. Her voice is in my head...all the time. "Do unto others..." "Two wrongs don't make a right." "Love and forgive them because they know not what they do". "Don't stoop to their level." My mother spent hours talking with me about world and life matters and as a matter of fact, driving any significant distance was a joy, because I would have her undivided attention. I learned to be persistent as I watched her work endlessly to find assistance for my retarded sister in the 60's and 70's. She gave me a magnificent foundation and then let me learn on my own and make my own mistakes without trying to live my life for me. She let me fly when most parents are tethering their children to keep them from harm.

11. What one word describes you better than any other?

I have no idea. Crazy?

♥Pam

I Can Only Say...

2007-01-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

it's a new year and a new me. I have the power to change...I am taking full advantage of it.
♥Pam

I guess I need to explain

2007-01-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

when I say I "read it immediately"...I mean I devoured it. I am a voracious reader. It took me just under 3 hours to read "Marley and Me". And about the same amount of time for each of the next three books I read. I usually wait until a complete series is out (Janet E.'s One for the Money series with Stephanie Plum, for instance) so that I can read them one after the other. I don't like to wait.
So..."Marley and Me" was completed...around 9 am the day after Christmas.

Good book. He and Cesar Millan of The Dog Whisperer fame were just on Friday night.

I enjoyed the book and cried of course when Marley died but was aghast at their pet parenting techniques with the exception of the amount of exercise they gave him. That was exemplar.

♥Pam

I Got

2007-01-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

this for Christmas...and I LOVE it.

and I got this and read it immediately,

and I've read 4 more books and shoveled snow and went skiing and am thoroughly enjoying myself.

I danced the night away on New Years Eve,

I have started a personal journal that I write in every day and that is good and fulfills me.

Tomorrow, I am going to a large meeting in Denver to hear Roger Barnett, CEO and owner of Shaklee, speak. I am very excited.

Life is good.

♥Pam

I Hope there was much Merriment in your Home yesterday!

2006-12-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all the kind wishes. I think I am gonna take a short vacation from blogging. About a week I think, should do it. I have things that are piling up and changes to make and I don't think there will be much going on in the blog-0-sphere that can't wait until I resume blogging. I will, of course, be checking email.

Wishing you all a very Prosperous and Fulfilling New Year.

Sláinte!

♥Pam

I Say

2006-12-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Joyeux Noël

Feliz Navidad

Mélékélikimakka

Froehliche Weihnachten

Nollaig Shona Dhuit

And...

Buone Feste Natalizie

♥Pam

I Are Tired

2006-12-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

I was in bed by 2215, or 10:15 pm for you non military/health care types, and at 9 mins after midnight I got a call and ended up having to go make a visit. I am a bit of a Grumpalufugus this am. Got home at 0200 (2:00 am) but I wasn't able to fall back to sleep until 0430 (4:30 am) despite a cup of Sleepy Time tea.

Speaking of Sleepy Time tea...November 20, I had off, since I was working Thanksgiving. So Bill and I went to Celestial Seasonings for the free tour. They are in Boulder which is a solid 1.75 hr drive from the Springs. It was a GREAT tour. I couldn't take any pics inside the processing or packaging plant. Took about an hour, after shopping in the gift store. While waiting for the tour to begin we hung out in the reception area where they had all sorts of samples out. Hot and cold tea. And because they are now part of the Hain Celestial Group, there was some samples of their food as well. The walls were decorated with the original artwork that they use for their boxes of tea.

The best part was the way the place smelled. YUM. They were sifting Blackberry tea that day.

The process for cleaning loose raw tea is quite ingenious. They loft it and apply just enough loft to cause the non tea, like dust and feathers and lint kinda stuff to float high and be sucked away and the heavier non tea stuff like rocks and small twigs to fall to the bottom and be collected. The other really cool thing was the Mint room. It is a large room that is sealed off from the rest of the plant. They put spearmint and peppermint in this room. They keep the mints seperate because if they don't, everything will taste like mint. When they opened this big garage door to the the room, I didn't and really couldn't go in. My eyes started to burn and my nose started to run. Very, very intense. Bill, walked right in and hung out as long as they would let him. He said, and it was confirmed by the tour guide, that the two types of mint don't mix even though they are only feet apart. He said you could actually smell the dividing point in the room.

Well, here's a few pics. Click 'em to big 'em.

A bit about the company:

The Sleepy Time Tea box pic:

A collage of pics:

The early packaging:

This was VERY cool...

Why would someone make a dress, hat, shoes and handbag out of tea bag packages? You can read about it here.

All in all it was a delightful trip and tour. The gift shop was full of fun tea things and a host of other delights. That is where I got my large cookie cutters for the mittens, snowflakes and bear.

I guess this makes me a dork...you know, liking tours and stuff. That's okay. The pleasure I get out of watching how something is made is well worth any social stigma. I watch "Unwrapped" all the time. Last night the History channel had a two hour piece about candy making.

Okay, so I've only had a total of 4 hours sleep. I don't know how some of you do it routinely...ahem...I won't mention any names but you know who you are...we IM'd last night at around 3 am!! ;0]
But I for one suck when I don't get sleep. Actually, I can manage very well, but I don't like it. What really gets my goat is being woken up. If I choose not to get a full 7 or 8 hours that is one thing...being woken up is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Just call me a Grumpalufugus...Bill does.
♥Pam

2006-12-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

I Like Both...which do you like?

Here are the two movie clips that had "White Christmas" featured. Which was your favorite and more importantly, can you name the movie to the black and white video?
♥Pam

2006-12-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

White Christmas

Color version of the song..."White Christmas" by Irving Berlin.

I Like Izze

2006-12-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

instead of soda. Well, if you are having popcorn or pizza, then a P*psi (decaf) is required... but otherwise, if it's not water or milk, it's an Izze. Blueberry is good. Apple is almost too sweet. Haven't tried BLACKBERRY, CLEMENTINE, LEMON, or POMEGRANATE yet...I'm a little fussy, so I go slow. But I adore, simply adore, Grapefruit. Not only is it natural, one bottle is the equivalent of a piece of fruit, by USDA standards. You can't beat that! ♥Pam

I Just Gotta Post These...

2006-12-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

I ♥Love♥ Snow. I love that song from "White Christmas"..."Snow", you know, when the four of them are on the train in the club car and singing about snow.
I know Christmas isn't about snow but....dang. I sure do love the stuff.
So, I couldn't resist. I went outside to take a few shots. Enjoy.

Our moose lights went out the other night on one side of his body. His head turns from side to side.

As you can see....it's still snowing but the wind is the bugger...making some significant drifts. My neighbors house 2 doors away has NO SNOW on the front yard or driveway....yeah, it's all over at my place. Heheheee.

It's blowing so hard it has even coated our wreath. The red dot at the 3 o'clock position is the nose of a plush stuffed moose.

♥Pam

I Jump Up and Down

2006-12-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

They are closing the office today at 11 am due to the storm. We are expected to get 8-12 inches here in El Paso County and the winds are horrific. So, I don't have to go to work.
YEAH!!
The bummer is we were having our holiday meal at our monthly staff meeting at noon today and I was looking forward to Red Hot and Blue...I mean, really looking forward. And the phones will be rolled over to me starting at 11 am. CRAP.
I will be making cookies and watching The Homecoming. They never show it on TV or cable so I bought it last year. I ♥ The Waltons and I don't care who knows. I want to BE The Waltons...and I don't care who knows. You can read about it here. It's not likely to happen any more but...och, who am I kidding. It will never happen. But...
I'm still off work today!!!
♥Pam

I Can't Believe...

2006-12-20T03:58:00.000-07:00

that for the second night in a row...I've been awakened by the on-call phone at 4 o'clock in the frickin' morning. Holy Criminoly. Lord have mercy people, you want me to be coherent AND pleasant in the middle of the night.
I'm gonna try to go back to sleep. CRAP
♥Pam

I Unveil...

2006-12-19T00:25:00.000-07:00

this weeks YouTubesday selection, which is a rough attempt at low light video. I love making videos with Windows Movie Maker and someday I will be able to put sound to it, other than ambient sound that is. So I have filled in with some still shots. Hope you enjoy. (If you want to play YouTubesday...go here.)

We went to for a Madrigal Dinner last night. So incredibly inspiring and joyful. Such glorious voices and wonderful food. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. I don't know if the folks I was with will actually send me copies...
But it was incredible. You can see their photo's here of the Madrigal singers. The main page has some awesome photos too, which you can see here.

I Spew

2006-12-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm forewarning you. Depressing post to follow.

I alluded a few times to having an issue with the holidays. So what is my problem with the holidays. In a nut shell is…loneliness. And resentfulness. And well, what can I say. I am greedy. I want my family near me. Herein presents the dilemma. My sister cannot travel. So I must go to her. That means taking time off from work. In case you don’t know or have forgotten, I am a nurse. Taking time off during the holidays is vewy, vewy twicky. Most of the time you have to work one of the winter holidays, which are Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years. Some places add in Christmas Eve. Isn’t that nice? So, if you want Christmas off, you have to work Christmas Eve. Well, who the hell wants to travel on Christmas Day?

Where I am at now has us working two of the winter holidays. WHY…I don’t frickin’ know. I will be discussing that at our next nurses meeting. It’s just plain ridiculous.

I’ve been in nursing since 1981. I ALWAYS work Christmas. ALWAYS. Except for 5 years ago. I got special permission to have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years off. I told them I hadn’t had a holiday with my family in over 15 years and I thought it was about time I did. They were very gracious about letting me go. I went home to my mothers. Bill and I enjoyed Christmas with my mom and my sister and my stepbrother, stepsister and her family. That was a wonderful year.
But you see? Bill and I don’t have any family here and we end up working, so we really don’t have any traditions about the holidays. We didn’t decorate for the last 2 maybe 3 years. Why? Ain’t one single person gonna come over. If we have an open house…no one shows. If we invite a few friends for a buffet…no one comes. So…why bother? If I have to work, or if it falls on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and sometimes Saturday, Bill works. It’s either work or take vacation time. (Which if you haven’t noticed about me, is very precious, because I like to travel too much) So why decorate? We have to haul that stuff up stairs, which Bill is good at doing. Then, I get pissy because I end up doing most of the decorating by myself…which is retarded, because Bill would help, but I never know where I want to put things and so the poor guy ends up standing around waiting for me to give direction. And we won’t be here on Christmas Day, well, I won’t anyway, because we are working, so why bother? Yeah, I know, ‘we could celebrate before or after. We do…but let me tell you…IT IS NOT THE SAME. You try it. Is it the same?
I’m getting to the point in my career where I feel entitled. I’ve been in healthcare for over 25 years. Aren’t I entitled to some perks? Why do I have to work every frickin’ holiday? Why must it be this big ordeal for me to take off on Christmas?
Why? Why can’t I have family close? Why can’t I have my own family?
So, I get pissy and I try to hide it. Antidepressants did a wonderful job for 8 years. But, this year…I had no chemical governor. It was me baby. The raw and the uncooked. And it wasn’t/isn’t pretty. I removed myself at Thanksgiving so I wouldn’t spew vituperative crap all over the place. I was out of control angry. I’m not angry any more. Resentful, sad, lonely…but not angry. Too much energy being angry. I’m tired of “making do” with having to celebrate around a work schedule. Last year I was off on Christmas, because it was a Sunday. But Bill worked Saturday night and slept all day. And, I went in to do the remote vital sign monitoring for an hour or so. So, even though I was off…I still worked, even if only for an hour or so.

And then, when I gather all that stuff up above and look at it…I feel ashamed, horribly ashamed. There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and their families that are separated at this time of year. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are homeless, broke, sick and dying and here I am complaining. Big baby. Shut up and deal with it. And…I make myself worse. Guilt on top of resentment. Man…what a double whammy. I am such a sad sack. I decorated…made cookies so I could show you all what we can do, what we would like to be at Christmas. Truly…how sad is that? Wacked and weird. But, I’m gonna throw my chin out and put my shoulders back and post that video tomorrow. And if nobody comes…then I guess I better get out Shaklee’s Mood Lift Complex. Because it’s my bizarro problem. I better get to dealing with it. And I better buy a lottery ticket too while I’m at it.
I want a life that I want to live. This ain’t it.
♥Pam

I Do A Little Showing Off

2006-12-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

*Updated...sorry folks, I'm turning on word verificiation. Too much spam.
I think these came out okay. Maybe not Martha St*wart okay, but they made me happy. Last weekend I made Spritzen or Spritz's...click it to big it....

for a cookie exchange at work this week. I also made these butter cookies (I like 'em better 'n sugar cookies) and have been working on them all week long. The icing is royal and so it dries to a hard candy type coating. I mean...HARD. But, maybe next year instead of making them out of butter dough, I will make them out of cinnamon and glue so they won't go bad and you could hang 'em on your tree. What do ya think? Are they cute enough to hang on the tree? The blue is too dark, it's okay but I would have preferred a lighter blue, especially for the snow flakes. I like the green. Tell me what you think? What's your favorite?

BTW...if you are smart and like yourself even just a teensy bit, never, ever, EVER get tile countertops. They are a *expletive* to keep clean.
♥Pam

I Hunt Annoying

2006-12-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Click here to join the FUN.

Hmmmm. A picture of something Annoying. What can I choose? The idiots who cut in front of you on the road? Naww...how interesting a pic could that be? The stupid, vapid commercials on the radio? Annoying to be sure, but how do you capture that on film? And capturing my annoyance with non recycler's would be challenging.... or with moron's who insist on either talking during a presentation or using their phone and not leaving the room. Can I catch that this week? Or, people who either insist on parking in such a way as to take up two spots so that their vehicle won't get scratched or dinged or because they are too damn stoopid to figure out how to do it properly. I saw that yesterday and said...."Aha", and took a pic in the hospital parking garage. But...it wasn't what I wanted to post. On the way home from the hospital, while stopped at a traffic light, I had the "pleasure" of enjoying someone's bass, restart my heart rhythm. Can't capture that on film. Man...what am I going to photograph for this Saturday's Hunt?

But this is what I came up with.

This is what I decided would best illustrate annoying...at least for me, and Bill of course. They have been building these condo's for THREE years. As you can see, any construction vehicles end up working just on the other side of the fence. Their incessant "beep, beep, beep" as they turn around or back up...is ANNOYING. Ok, it's really past annoying. It's decidedly past annoying. But that's my Annoying shot for this Hunt.

And, I am going skiing today. And am hopefully, thoroughly enjoying myself whilst you are reading this.
♥Pam

I Present our Year End/Holiday Letter

2006-12-15T09:26:00.001-07:00

Okay my bloggy friends and lurkers. I recently read this and was...well, miffed. Not because the blogger put up a funny post about year end/holiday letters (it was a very tongue in cheek and therefore humorous letter), but because everyone who commented was so mean about them. So, I am sending out our letter with our cards this weekend. I usually add a personal note to each one.
But here's your chance to tell me what you think. Is the letter that follows something you and your family will make fun of, if you were to receive it with your Christmas card? Would you rather just get a card with just our signatures? Or should we just skip the card altogether because that would mean you feel compelled to send one in return?
No, really. I wanna know. I'm a big girl. Bring it on.
Just as an aside, I have been writing one since 1990. I was single, working in the ICU at Ft. Carson and had access to a computer. Very rudimentary computer...heheeee, but a computer nonetheless. I didn't write a letter the last few years because there wasn't anything to say. And actually, we didn't send out cards last year. So..make hay while the sun shines.

Merry Christmas Everyone! 13 December, 2006

So, you've had a couple of years break from our year end/holiday letter. I recently came across some writing, where the year end/holiday letter was much maligned. What say you all? Do you want to read my version of our lives? Or do you typically give this type of thing a cursory glance and toss it in the trash bin? Well, since I have already written it and it is what is in your hot little hand, this is truly a rhetorical question. However, I should love to hear from you and invite, nay beg, your comments on the topic of the year end/holiday letter. I write because I like to. But writing more often, doesn't seem to flow as well. A sum up of the year seems like a good thing to do and to put in the Christmas cards. That being said, some of you who are lucky enough to be on my email list, have had my blog address sent to you to peruse which has given you the opportunity to keep up with us on a more daily basis.
For those of you not in the know about what a blog is or who haven't shared your email address with me or Bill, let me take a moment and bring you up to speed. According to wikipedia.com, a blog is a contraction of the words, web log and is a website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order. It also has the ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format and is an important part of many blogs. It can include pictures, audio and video.
I started my blog, November 2005 in order to comment on my girlfriend Claire's, blog. She was my next door neighbor many years ago and moved, due to the military, and it was a fabulous way to keep up with what was going on in her world and her growing family. I found the idea of creating my own website fascinating. So, I've been writing almost daily for over a year now. It has been a growing and learning experience. But before I expound on that, let me catch you up on the last few years.

Well, Bill and I are still working, doing the same thing we were doing, the last time we sent out the year end/holiday letter. But we are doing it at different places. In late February of 2005, I was offered the position of Staff Development Coordinator at another home care agency in the Springs. I lept at the chance to design and implement the program and all that it would entail. The company where I had been working, for about 8 years, was never interested in investing in the position. Well, until I said I was leaving and then there were all sorts of promises. But promises are like ...well, best not go there. So I merrily went off to the new place and to make this brief, I am back in the field seeing patients. I am not an office/corporate person. I am a hands-on, roll up my sleeves and down-to-earth kinda gal. I didn't fit in and I struggled every day. In November of this year, I took the position of the Evening On-Call nurse which means I start work at 2pm, by monitoring our agency's remote vital sign monitoring program from a computer at the office and then I go out to see a few patients. After 5pm, I also answer the phone. The office phone rolls over to the mobile phone and I get to be "on-call" until 8 am the next day. Mostly, it's okay, although a few times I have had calls at 2 am for problems such as chest pain, bleeding IV etc.. I handled the problem of course, and then try to go back to sleep...not an easy thing to do. But, it sure beats the abject misery I was trying to survive while working in the corporate office. Another good thing is I get a company car...a Toyota Corolla with the agency logo emblazoned on the side. This is a very good thing, since my 4-Runner is almost 12 years old with 196,000 or so miles on it!
Bill is still making computer wafers and still works the same days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7pm until 7am (and every other Saturday). He just went from one manufacturer to another. He now works at Intel. The difference is, he is VERY happy and has been, since he started there a year ago in November. He sets records every week on production. And I'm just gonna go ahead and brag:they asked him to work another shift, for a few days, to help them figure out why they can't be as productive as he and his coworkers are. That's as good as it gets, since he and I work in jobs where promotions are not possible. For either of us to get promoted, we would have to change jobs. He would have to go into engineering, maintenance or management. I would have to go into management. Not something either of us is keen on and quite frankly, I hope I never see another corporate position again as long as I live.

On the home front, Bill and I still live in the same house we moved into shortly after we were married, 12 years ago. Yup, 12 years. We are quite comfortable though we aren't happy about the condo's they finally built, right behind us. Now we have no view of the mountains from the house. Oh well. It's really more that I feel hemmed in. Fenced in. I suppose, it could be worse.
We haven't had a veggie garden in many years, mostly because we were in a drought. This past summer brought rain and relief finally. After more than 3 years of drought, it was a lift to the spirit. For that we are very grateful and we planted annuals and some perennials to brighten up our poor bedraggled flower beds. We are planning a garden for next summer. Hmmm. Maybe I should say, I am planning a garden for next summer. Summer also brought the most amazing thing into our lives.

A three day old, mule deer fawn. On June 17th, my girlfriend found this little sweetie near her home, apparently abandoned by his doe and when I saw it...and my friend looked into my face...it was all over. Legs came home with us. Yes, Legs; we needed to give it a name, but I knew we would have to turn it over to wildlife rehabbers and it wouldn't be a good idea to get too sentimental. Yeah, right. So we named it Legs. It was either that or Radar because mulies have enormous ears. I have posted several videos on my blog. I won't type it here...but if you send me an email, I will send you the link. And you can see for yourself what a joy it was to have him around. I literally cannot begin to put into words what caring for this fawn for one month, meant to me, to us. I truly cannot and as I type this, tears stream in torrents down my face. If we didn't live in the city, I would take up wildlife rehabbing. The down side is that Bill and I fell in love with Legs and it was incredibly painful to turn him over, on July 16th. But, of course, it was the only thing and the right thing to do. I surely do miss that boy. Here is Bill and Legs, enjoying a moment together.

Our dogs and cats still occupy a huge portion of our lives. Max, our English Cocker Spaniel, passed away this past February. He had a stroke, I think and went to sleep. Even though he spent the last 5 or so years, blind, he still had a good life, right up until the day before he died. Abby, Sazi and Gretta are getting on in years. Abby and Sazi much more so, at 14 and 12 years respectively, and we expect to lose one or both of them soon. It is the burden pet owners have. Outliving their pets. For you know, to us, they are our children. We adopted Hank, an Australian Cattle Dog or Red Heeler in September. He is....ahhh. Well, he is an active little guy and let's leave it at that, shall we? Koko, Yum Yum and Mouse remain the same, although Mouse has some significant gastrointestinal issues that the vet has no idea what is causing it. We have no plans of increasing the size of our clan. Although...naw, just kidding.

In other randomness, we don't entertain much since Bill went to night shift some 6 years or so ago. I miss it. But it is too stressful on both of us, to try and entertain, with him working nights. My Shaklee business is slowing, mostly because with the corporate job I had, there was very little time or energy...mostly energy, left at the end of the day to work on my business but I haven't lost any ground, thank heavens. I am currently working on actively growing again. I gave up my Longaberger business finally. Well, I hadn't had a show in over a year and I let my contract expire. I love the baskets but don't like the business. Not my cuppa. We've been doing a bit of traveling in the last year and a half.

In June of 2005, we traveled with my mum to Ireland for 12 glorious days. Truly a delightful, inspiring, lively place with warm, wonderful people. Intel has a plant there, outside of Dublin, if I thought I could get work, we'd move, I swear it. Bill went to Alaska for his brother, Tommie's, retirement from the Air Force at the end of September. I was committed to be in Montana the following week and someone had to watch the dogs while he was gone, so our plans are to go together in 2008. I am really looking forward to that. As I said, I went to Montana to house sit for a friend the first week of October. I have always wanted to move to Montana. And after housesitting for a week, I would move today if there was ANY work for either of us. My friend had lots of pets, birds, horses and deer to feed. Not to mention some inquisitive black bears that scared the poop outta me. Bill had no more vacation time and so I drove up with another friend and we laughed so much, my sides hurt for days. I love Montana. I can't wait to see Alaska.

Next year we hope to go to my mother's family reunion in July, in upstate New York. Then I would really like to go to Shaklee's annual convention in Nashville the first week of August.

See, we haven't had a year end/holiday letter in years and yet, not so much to tell. Although, if you read my blog you will find everyday details that might be more interesting. Then again, maybe not. And speaking of my blog, you can go here to: http://ramblingsandotherthings.blogspot.com/
to read what we having been doing. On the right hand side of my blog, you can scroll down and click on my archives. I have enabled anonymous commenting but would appreciate it if you left your name. That means, you don't have to have your own blog in order to comment, but that it would be nice if you signed your comment with your name. That being said, you don't have to comment, you can just read. I will never know if you came and read or not. Blogging is just my way of being creative and somewhat social.

Other than what I have mentioned about vacation plans..we have no other plans. I still dream of living on a huge ranch and not having to work. You'll have to ask Bill what he dreams about.

We have lots of guest room...still. So, don't be a stranger. And as always, reduce, reuse and recycle. We wish you love and peace, and may your holidays be merry and bright.

Pam and Bill

I Ramble...

2006-12-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do. Hey, that's what my blog is called...for good or bad.

My husband works 12 hour nights...7p to 7a. He leaves the house at 5:o8. Just in case there might be some traffic on his 20 minute drive. He doesn't want to be late.
S'all I'm saying on that topic.

But his bosses want him in a meeting every morning after his shift is over to 'discuss' the production for the night. WTF???
I sent him the following pager text message after he emailed me a reminder that he was going to be late because of his meeting:
"Yeah, was just thinking about that and that is a load of crap. You tell your bosses that you put in more than 13 hours already and they should have this meeting while you are on shift."

Then he calls me and says...nope, they canceled it.

I'm sorry. I mean, I spend half the week alone. Am I greedy? Selfish? Difficult spouse? Is it reasonable to expect to spend some time with your husband on a daily basis? I miss the turd when he's at work. Unless of course, he's had onions or chili....then, he can work as many hours as he wants.

Can't comment on any Beta Blogs. If you've switched to beta...and you don't allow anonymous comments, I can't comment. And...I ain't switching till I have to. Don't see the need to add that bit of excitement to my life two weeks before Christmas. Like I'm not busy enough as it is. My apologies to anyone, like there are any folks, who might miss my stunning wisdom and hilarious commentary on your blog.

Had taken video for YouTubesday but wanted to add more footage for a nice montage. So...I guess it'll have to be next Tuesday for the vid. Anyone care? Yah, thought not.

Bill and I adopted Grandparents about 12 years ago. They lived next to us in my condo. We only moved a quarter of a mile away. They actually have children younger than Bill and I but...for all intents and purposes...we call them our grandparents. Grandma, Kay, came to our wedding as Grandpa, Bob, was in WY on business and couldn't come. Over the years, we have celebrated anniversaries...theirs and ours. We celebrated New Years Eve one year...played games until midnight then went out to watch the fireworks on Pikes Peak and then hit the hay. We shared many, many a meal with them. Kay taught me to crochet. Bob taught me to make coleslaw and toffee. They are important folks in our lives. Up until 3 or 4 years ago, they spent the winter in Florida. But, even though they didn't go to Florida for the winter, they still went to one of their 6 children's homes for the holidays.
But...they have decided, because of Bob's CHF/CAD and other health problems, to move to a lower elevation. 6,000 feet is hard on the heart and lungs. I can't tell you just how sad this makes me. I cry just thinking about it. I actually cried in front of them the other day. If you know me, I don't cry in front of people. I don't cry in front of Bill. (Well, until perimenopause kicked in) But at least, this year, we get to have them on Christmas Eve. I have to work Christmas Day, so we have to celebrate Christmas Eve. I believe it is the saving grace for me this year. To be able to celebrate with family.

My dear Sazi, is about 12 years old. And she suffers from arthritis. She has such a hard time coming up the stairs from her kennel in the morning because of the pain. It breaks my heart. Rimadyl doesn't seem to help. I think I will start her on Shaklee's Joint Relief. Hey, it works for Bill and I.

Well, it's time to make the cookies.

Sláinte
♥Pam

I Read

2006-12-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Book Snob
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Pretty accurate. I have taught myself a lot from reading books. Organic gardening for instance. Vermicomposting. And I read quickly. I intuitively learned to read the "Evelyn Woods" way. I had no idea. I remember my mom taking one of her classes when I was a preteen and when she showed me what the technique was, I said, "I already read like that". Who knew? So the average Nora Roberts novel takes me about 3 to 4 hours. And...I cannot put the dang thing down. I will read until I'm done. Unless of course, I fall asleep. Usually, I am reading with one of those little book lights, so's not to disturb Bill. Or, if it's during the day, I read and end up late for anything, like say...work. If I get a book to read on the plane...I'm usually done before we've landed. Because I read half of it while in the terminal.

What I cannot do is read sewing instructions or knitting/crocheting instructions and then turn around and put them to use. Surely, they were not written for the average non sewing person.

One last thing. I have been known to be so ingrossed in a book, that Bill will be standing next to me talking to me and I had no idea. Never heard or saw him. And no cracks about selective hearing. Absorbed by the prose....s'my story and I'm stickin' to it.

♥Pam

I Catch Up

2006-12-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

as opposed to ketchup or is it catsup? Do you know it doesn't matter? The tomato condiment can be spelled several ways. But alas, that is not what I post about.

I went to Hammonds Candies Saturday. Tried to rally people from work and as usual, had no takers....not one. It's one of the reasons I have shied away from celebrating lately...but more on that in another post. I had fun, as you can see here....well, I was gonna post a pic of me in a reindeer hat but good gracious I can't abide another shot of my gums. But here is Jordan, my neighbor who went with me, wearing the hat.

Click it to big it

We did have Bill's boss and his wife over for dinner on Sunday. We actually went to see a play first. One of my coworkers is an actor/director and he had a big part...well, he was the lead in the show...check it out here. We saw Arms and The Man, a play by GBS...George Bernard Shaw. Absolutely delightul. I smiled the whole time. I think we are going to buy some ticket packages because I loved going here when I was growing up and in college in CT and miss it greatly. Here is my coworker Kelly playing the Serb soldier.

Click it to big it

Dinner was fab...mostly. I bought a tenderloin of beef...and was absolutely astonished to find out how big that puppy was. And of course it was pricey. I was buying 'natural' beef. We always do. But let me tell you.....I was beyond incredulous that I had made this beef into this succulent entree. WOW. Bill and our guests raved all thru the meal. We were able to cut the meat with a butter knife. Do you think I remembered to take pics? Ah, no. Sorry.
Unfortunately the Supreme Scalloped Potatoes were....watery. But there was very little left so either they/we were starved or they weren't that bad. Disappointed but at least they weren't disgusting...that was my big worry.
I rec'd the ultimate compliment though...the bosses wife brought homemade apple pie and said she followed my recipe for the crust...you know the one I posted back in October. She said she liked it and was going to use it from now on. I beamed with pride. Someone acutally trusted my advice. Hehehehee.
We have decorated the house for the season. We haven't done that in 2 years. I have too much to say about that for this post. And will take pics for tomorrow's YouTubesday.

So that's it for today. All the news that's fit to print.

♥Pam

I Expound

2006-12-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

on my post from Thursday..."I Am Moved".

So many threads weaving and twisting in my mind. I found myself, awake early, this morning thinking and writing in my head. Unfortunately, rarely do those words of stunning prose end up in a post. I know I should jump out of bed and rush to the computer but...in the past when I have done that...it doesn't work.

So, if you are not familiar with the movie, Merry Christmas, and haven't watched it, then you should before reading this. It's not that I'm going to spoil the plot. The plot is listed on the IMDB link I gave you. It's that I don't want to prejudice your thinking prior to screening the movie. So, continue reading at your own risk.

One more preface. The movie is based on true events. But it is a movie. Which means, the writer and directors have 'artistic license'. I will hopefully, be expounding on concepts rather than facts. You can read for yourself the facts as they are published, by checking the links I have posted at the bottom, in a sort of bibliography.

The first thing that moved me about this movie is that mostly, we really do just 'want to get along'. We, being the human race. We will fight. Because we will disagree. But quickly, the men (and women) who fight, lose their motivation, for scores of reasons...seeing a buddy die or the amount of carnage wrought by war, is one. In the movie however, there is one young Scot soldier, seething with hate because his buddy died. Other reasons might be living in inhumane conditions, as well as enduring months of physical and emotional misery. So, while the common everyday man suffers at the 'front', the decision and policymakers extol the reasons for fighting, safely ensconced in the 'rear'. It has always been this way..it probably always will. It is the nature of 'man'.
Did you know that one of the peace talks in one of the wars, was stalled because the participants couldn't agree on a setting. I don't know if it was a ploy to stall talks or because they just were cantankerous, but the stall ended when it was determined that if they moved the table, it would satisfy everyone and so these very important people decided to pick up the table as a group...enemy to enemy, and moved this massive conference table. (I'm sorry I was unable to locate a link to validate this story but I do remember reading it or hearing it my my university poli sci class.) Working together brought them together. That is the first thing, that moved me about this movie, was all about. We have many commonalities. "We" being peoples of the world. But we let a handful of policymakers make those decisions for us. We trust them. We let these policymakers convince us that the enemy is different and therefore evil and must be eliminated.

Let me ask you this. When your children fight amongst themselves...do you tell them, go ahead and fight. Fight until the other kid can't get up? Or do you tell them, there are better ways to resolve conflict. Do you encourage them to perhaps....share? Say they are sorry when they have done something wrong? So then, if you teach your children those qualities, because your parents and their parents etc, taught them that...then what changed when they became an adult? Did the stakes get bigger? "My opinion is right and yours is wrong"? Nooo, I think children fight over that topic a great deal. What about "invading another country to destroy, pillage and other atrocities"? Well, children fight about that too, but they don't usually employ guns and lethal weapons. "Johnny took my truck." "Susie won't let me play with her doll". So, why was it wrong for the children to fight? Hey Johnny, smash that playmate over the head until he gives up his toy. You want it. You should take it.

The movie made me mad at people and fall in love with people. Why is it weak to want peace? Peace is harder than war. Or rather..."Winning the peace is harder than winning the war. " Xavier Becerra or how about this..."Making peace, I have found, is much harder than making war." Gerry Adams (Thank you Brainyquote.com) Why are people so afraid to take a stand for peace? Love thy neighbor. How does fighting and killing stop... fighting and killing? Love thy enemy.

Another portrayal in the movie is the Scottish ?Cardinal or Bishop or whatever he was. They portrayed him as devaluing the lowly pastor for 'fraternizing' with the enemy. The fraternizing matter refers to this lowly pastor reading bible scripture to all of the troops on Christmas eve. This high official in the church then went on to motivate the new troops moving to the front, teling them to kill all the Germans. I don't think that actually happened, in fact, I'm sure of it. But you never know.
I will say I am amazed at the amount of "Christians" that say that war is just. Jesus Christ was the original pacifist. How can a "Christian" say that it is okay to engage in war by killing others? I do not understand that concept. Yet "Christians" condone and often perpetrate the killing of others in the name of Jesus Christ. How the hell did that get to be "okay". Oh, I forgot...it's always been okay e.g. the Crusades. And don't pull the old "self defense" card on me...I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about war. I'm talking about aggression. I'm talking about death. Have you had the opportunity to see death? Up close and personal? Have you seen, with your own eyes, what happens to the human body when blunt force and projectiles have been used? Have you? Not what is shown on TV and movies. With your own eyes? Watched someone die because you could do. no. more? And I'm not talking about watching Great Aunt Edna pass away in her sleep either. Have you seen a human being become pieces of torn, broken and bloody anatomy before your very eyes? No? Then before you consecrate war...you should spend some time in an ED. Then try and comfort the living, who must try to make sense of their loved one's death.

The only thing that floods my mind right now is the second to the last scene from Schindler's List. As he leaves, he realizes how many more he could have saved had he only done something else. Isn't that what makes him a Christian? Isn't that what we want everyone to embody? Isn't that the quality that makes 'man' so astonishing? Forgive, turn the other cheek. Two wrongs don't make a right. Love thy neighbor...love thy enemy.

That is what I took away from the movie, Merry Christmas. I am choosing to forgive some of the artistic license in lieu of the bigger picture. I am choosing to forgive. I am asking you to look into your beliefs. Not what you are told by the media or your church or your spouse. Look into your heart. What do you believe?

♥Pam

One last thing. If you feel personally insulted by anything I have written, please note, there are several commenters who are "Christians", and who read and/or comment here. This was NOT a personal attack on any one person, despite how it may make you feel. I am pretty sure I don't have any policymakers visiting here, so I am good to go there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp#add
http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/
http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/xmast.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/197627.stm
http://www.kinnethmont.co.uk/1914-1918_files/xmas-truce.htm

I Quote

2006-12-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

Mark Twain

♥Pam

I Am Moved

2006-12-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

by this movie. Joyeux Noël or Merry Christmas. I am not sure what prompted me to put it on my Netfli* list but I did. I watched it tonight.

I'm torn between discussing the plot in detail and possibly spoiling it for some or just alluding to it. I think I will do both. I will just allude to it today and post an indepth post on it on Sunday.

I wish for everyone to watch and listen with their hearts. In this one thing, we, as a race of humans, need to pay careful attention and heed the messages, for there are many. I wish I could show you what I think and feel about this visually. Ah, but then, there is the movie.... so it is done.

Briefly, it is based on true events. It takes place on the front in WWI. It takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Okay, that's it for now.
♥Pam

I Went Skiing on the 25th

2006-12-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

of November. My early Christmas present from Bill was a season pass to Monarch Ski area. I went alone. I had a good day. Better than I expected. Here's a few shots of me, the area and the drive up and back. Click 'em to big 'em.

Taken on Hwy 50...just outside Howard Creek...I think.

Rocky Mountain Sheep

Close up. No rams in the group..just yearlings.

Me...of course.

The mountain and the lodge at the base, all from the top of "Romp".

Driving north on 285 towards Buena Vista. This is the Collegiate Range, taken between Poncha Springs and Nathrop.

And I saw this on the way home too.....

Nawww....but ain't he cute??
♥Pam

I Bake A Pie

2006-12-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Bill and I had our Thanksgiving the Sunday after, since both he and I worked on Thanksgiving.

I can bake. I like what I bake...usually. It's one of the few things no one can take away from me. So, since I'm a bit proud of my baking...here's a slideshow.

Others may have awesome recipes, whiz bang techniques or crusts that make their heart go pitter patter. I like my baking. I admit I might be a bit biased.....
here are two more pics that wouldn't fit on the slide show. (I guess I need to go 'pro').

I've got an Attitude

2006-12-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I used to have this same attitude, believe it or not. And, I believe this with every fiber of my being. I'm sure you've seen this in your email. Maybe if I post it...it'll come to fruition.

Attitude....

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good
mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask
him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would
be twins!"

He was a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the
employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up
and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do
it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have
two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you
can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood."

Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim
or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to
accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of
life. I choose the positive side of life.

Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut
away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you
react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line:
It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower
Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought
about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious
accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was
released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better,
I'd be twins..Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone
through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of
my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the
ground,
I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live
or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they
wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the
doctors and nurses, I got really scared In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead
man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,"
said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I
replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."

Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live.
Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because
of his amazing attitude.. I learned from him that every day we have the
choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.".
After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

I seem to have lost the choice....for though I try....it doesn't hold...the center doesn't hold.
♥Pam

I Eschew Obfuscation and Espouse Elucidation

2006-12-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

Eh?

Okay, I like big words and I cannot lie. Maybe that should have been one of my weird things. But if you want to know what the title means...go here.

I want so much to filet open my brain and pick it apart. Then my soul. I want to squat down with crime scene tweezers and vinyl gloves and accompanying intellect and photograph the workings of, or at least the components of, these structures. Maybe then, I would find some answers and some peace. Peace eludes me of late. I have no peace...no quiet. No certainty. No solace. I'm a whirling mass of misery. It started back here and probably a bit sooner. I've been putting on a front. Mostly to protect those around me. But now I cannot stop the seepage...the damage is rampant. Hate and anger and rage all flood my soul, my mind, daily. Am I heading for critical mass and a subsequent disintegration of self? Am I suffering hormonal and routine life events of those approaching the halfway point of their lives? Has the madness, so prevalent in my family, finally won? Must I surrender to the chemical 'governor'?

It is overwhelming and so must be put aside. Must be corralled up and locked away for another day for surely, if I scrutinize it in the light of day with scientific singularity, it will consume me. I will not come out the other side more whole, with peace and confidence. I will burn in a supernova of insanity and singe, nay, cremate those nearest to me.

♥Pam

I Present Our Version of Shoveling the Driveway

2006-12-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a little early for Youtubesday or however you spell it. But I couldn't wait anymore. Sorry no music accompaniment....long story...suffice it to say I've got software issues.

Enjoy.

Yes, we often use a broom or a leaf blower to clean snow off of our driveway. It is acutally cleaner...meaning it leaves less residue which could turn to ice. We can do this because our snow has very little moisture to it. I dunno...go google it. Or better yet, here's the wikipedia def. Case in point, Steamboat Springs Ski Resort..they patented the use of the word Champagne Powder® to describe their snow.
Unlike New England, where I grew up. That snow is HEAVY. What took Bill and I 8-10 mins would've taken over an hour.
Yes, it is good to live in CO.
♥Pam

I want to spread the word...

2006-12-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

You know how you are always getting emails from people, that have been forwarded a hundred times, about some lost child or someone dying from cancer or something else tragic and it either turns out to be a hoax or they've already been found or gotten better? Well, Janet C. over at Life in Westcliffe has a story that's sure to win your heart and break it at the same time.

In a nut shell, a sweet angel of a girl, Ariana, aged 4 years, was diagnosed with Brain Stem Glioma (click on it to read more about it) and you can visit her website here. Her cancer returned on November 15th and she is expected to only have 4-6 weeks left.

Do what feels right for you and your family, to help Ariana. Thank you Janet for sharing.
♥Pam

I Hunt Lights

2006-12-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Click it to big it

The Freemont Street Experience in Las Vegas.

I've Been Tagged

2006-11-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

by Karamia
Here are the rules:Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Six Weird Things About Me

I say "Howdy girls" to herds of cows as I drive by...sometimes I roll down the window and shout it out to them. Yup...I do, ask Ellen.
I don't like going anywhere without my vehicle. I would rather drive myself than take a chance that I will be stuck somewhere. It has come in handy a few times when on a trip with people I don't know well.
I pull dead animals off the road. It absolutely hurts my soul to see an animal be run over repeatedly....pets, wildlife...you name it. I keep paper towels and hand cleanser and gloves in my car. I also have the numbers for animal removal, for the city, county and state preprogrammed in to my cell.
I can spit over 17 feet. I learned to do this after going thru the 'gas chamber' in basic training in the Army. After about 15 mins, I had used up my allotment of tissues and toilet paper (not good when you are on bivouac) and had to learn to suck it in and spit it out. Sometimes I used the ole farmer's hankie routine but mostly I spit. It grosses out my poor Bill...lol)
I sneeze and scare the shit out of anyone within 20-30 feet. It comes on fast and hard and I cannot control it for the most part....pissing off my poor Bill.
I can burp on command (this one is courtesy of Bill because I couldn't think of any more weird things) and I usually can say something at the same time.

Alright....I'm sure there are weirder people than me out there....let's see. I want to tag...Swampwitch, Ellen aka Redhead Editor, Maribeth, Janet C and Janet-Fond of Snape and Intergalactic Planet3rry aka P3 aka Terry (who's on vacation but I know he will do it at some point.) I'm sure you've probably all done this before but c'mon....be a sport.

♥Pam

I Announce and Answer...

2006-11-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

the winner and the questions...

Here is the winner for most 'Creative' answers:

Congrats ......Pamela from The Dust Will Wait fame. I must admit...I was leaning towards Janet at Fond of Snape but I always love a quick turn of the phrase, so to speak. And Janet, it took me a while to figure out what cfm shoes were...but then I did...LOL!!

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Here is the winner for most 'Right' answers....

Congrats.....Redhead Editor aka Ellen, with 19 correct responses. I don't know if it's an unfair advantage..having spent MANY long hours in the car with me, or not!! Hehehee.

Now, let me say that Honorable Mention goes to Janet C. from Life in Westcliffe for remembering her own list of things about me. Very much touched my heart. And Leesa Marie from Peace of my Mind was the only one to get my middle name correct, even if she spelled it wrong AS WELL AS, who I have a crush on....Impressed is what I am. Julie from Another Chance Ranch and Janet C. also impressed me by remembering that I have a company car. Brava! Swampy gets kudos for remembering I have stuffed animal mounts in my home. Last, but certainly not least, Michael from A Boy And His Bike, recieves my humble courtsey for nailing one of my worst habits...although, I wouldn't have picked it for myself, it has a ring of truth nonetheless.
Thank you ALL for playing.

Pamela and Janet C., I'll need your snail mail addy's to send you your prizes/swag. You can email it to me at motherearthpam at msn dot com. And actually, Ellen, I need your new addy honey.
Prizes will be sent forthwith and I would greatly appreciate it if you posted and maybe even took a pic of your prize. I would be most humbly grateful.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Now, here are the answers to the questions from my perspective, along with any links to posts I might have done about them.

What is my middle name? Anne

How tall am I? 5'8"

What kind of car do I drive? Red Toyota 4-Runner. Kudos to those of you that remembered I get to drive a company car!!! I'm impressed.

Am I left-handed or right-handed? Right handed.

Where did I go to school? I grew up in CT and went to school here and went to UCONN (see #40 in the UCONN link) for my nursing degree.

What am I afraid of? Bugs and you can read about it here (#30) and here (#11) and here (scroll down past the last photo for the story). Oh yeah...and here (#3) too.

Do I smoke? Absolutely NOT...hell I can barely breathe with my asthma. Read about it here, (#13) and here (under desert).

Do I drink? Contrary to popular opinion...I don't drink wine. I usually drink water or milk except occassionally...like two or three times a year...I drink 'Rita's.

Do I have any siblings? Yes, one sister Kathy...

How many? See above

What state was I born in? Plattsburgh NY. (Look down at the question about where I've been stationed.)

What year? 1962. I don't believe I've ever mentioned the year but if you look at my 'About Me' section over to the right...it says I'm 44.

Name a state I have lived in other than Connecticut and Colorado. I had to bust out laughing at all the folks that said I have lived in Washington. Sorry...it's not me. You can see I answered this question here.

How many piercings do I have? Two....one in each ear and despite Redhead Editor..aka Ellen's accusations...I do not have anything else pierced!!! Thankyouverymuch!

Am I shy or outgoing? I am actually very shy but have overcome it for the most part. I have said this a few times...here (#21, 22, & 23) and here.

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules? Yes, I am a rebel but I do follow the rules. Anytime I think I can get away with breaking them...I do.

What's my favorite color? Green or Plum

Name something I love? Shaklee, photography, scrapbooking, travel, my pets, animals in general. There are too many references on my blog to link them here. And Bill and me mum and sister of course.

Name a talent I have? I can decorate cakes. I posted a bunch here. I appreciate...truly, all the talent's you've afforded me...you all are too kind.

What kind of shoes do I wear? You can see them here. It's the pic of me and Brock on the porch steps. I have 3 pairs and am on my second pair. I have one pair in waiting. They are Bass leather cloglike shoes. I polish them to keep the leather looking nice. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. It really saddens me to know that I have one, unworn pair left.

Do I have any pets? LOL...besides being on my sidebar in the about me section, I can't even begin to link all the places I've talked about my pets.

What is my worst habit? Again, you were all so kind...I bite my nails, I cuss, I spit, I am sometimes not very forgiving..I criticize others too easily, too many more to mention here.

If I were stranded on a desert island, what would I bring? Sheet of plastic (for catching rainwater or making a solar still and for shelter if necessary...hey, it's a desert island!) A knife and sunscreen. If I could bring anything I wanted....a laptop and camera would be nice too but then I wouldn't be stranded for long if I had internet connections now would I???

What TV/Movie persona do I have a 'crush' on? MIKE ROWE!!! from Dirty Jobs.

To know more about me....read these posts:

A 100 Things About Me

Fifty odd questions...

One of my first Meme's

My Pet Peeves

and lastly...what's in a name?

Again, thanks everyone. I can't tell you how much this meant to me. Sorta like Sally Fields at the Oscars a few years back.

♥Pam

I Challenge You

2006-11-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Borrowed this from Leesa and Stacie:

WITHOUT going into my archives.... Can you answer these questions?

What is my middle name?
How tall am I?
What kind of car do I drive?
Am I left-handed or right-handed?
Where did I go to school?
What am I afraid of?
Do I smoke?
Do I drink?
Do I have any siblings?
How many?
What state was I born in?
What year?
Name a state I have lived in other than Connecticut and Colorado.
How many piercings do I have?
Am I shy or outgoing?
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?
What's my favorite color?
Name something I love?
Name a talent I have?
What kind of shoes do I wear?
Do I have any pets?
What is my worst habit?
If I were stranded on a desert island, what would I bring?
What TV/Movie persona do I have a 'crush' on?

Have fun...prize goes to the one with most 'right' answers and one with the most 'creative'.
♥Pam

I

2006-11-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Wish You Enough

I rec'd this in email and I'm sure you have at one time or another as well...but I like it so here it is:
Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said "I love you andI wish you enough". The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom". They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing thereI could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied."Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever goodbye?" "I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back will be for my funeral" she said. "When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means? She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough, we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory ---

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hello's to get you through the final good-bye.

She then began to cry and walked away. They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.
Send this to the people you will never forget and remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you.If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....To all my friends and loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH!!!
♥Pam

I Wish A

2006-11-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Janet C. from Life in Westcliffe fame. Happy 50th Janet...it looks wonderful on you!! Thought you might enjoy some cake that wasn't chocolate!!
So go wish her felicitations. over here...
♥Pam

I Hunt Time

2006-11-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland

The Round Tower dates to 1100 A.D.

"For time and the world do not stand still." JFK

But it does appear as if time has been relatively gentle with the Rock of Cashel.

I Hope You All...

2006-11-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

...Have a Lovely Thanksgiving, with all your favorite foods and all your favorite people. I Hope all your military family stays safe and sound and hopefully, is able to spend some time with you this Thanksgiving. I Hope all your 'thanks' are shared and honored. I Hope all trials and tribulations are set aside or better yet, forgiven.

♥Pam

I Am Infected...

2006-11-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

with a virus. So I've quarantined myself. I don't want to pass it on to anyone. I'm not taking any chances. Until this virus passes...I'm not posting anything. Oh, what virus? It's really bad and quite contagious. Be sure you wash your hands after you leave my site today. Now, I've forewarned you. To continue reading risks infection. It's called the IDGAS virus or "I don't give a shit" virus.

♥Pam

I Wish...

2006-11-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

A Happy Birthday

Maribeth, The Dackel Princess!!

I hope your day is Delightful, Delicious, Decadent and because it's you...it is...Deserved!

♥Pam

I Quote Dylan Thomas

2006-11-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Do not go gentle into that good night. Dylan Thomas

Probably one of the most misquoted quotes ever spoken. But I was reminded of this after my post the other day. The one where I said that people's gaits change as soon as they think they are getting older.

There's a fine line between fighting the inevitable and not going gently into the good night of old age. The former is... well, the cable channels are flush with shows about people having plastic surgery who just want to erase time and damage. You don't hear too much of the later. But, how about Jack Lalanne? Can you name other people, who by virtue of their own sheer willpower or force of personality have managed to stay young and fit?

Why? Why were they able to do it and most were not? What is the difference between fighting the inevitable and not going gently? What is the difference between covering up the ravages of time and tide versus beating time and tide? Why was a 50something patient of mine so debilitated he couldn't walk 20 feet and another patient was still working and driving and vacationing in Hawaii at age 94?

I think it's all in your attitude.

I will get wrinkles. I will get spider nevi (those spider looking burst blood vessels on your legs) I will get gray hair (hell, I already am white) and I will eventually get thinning hair and skin, and all manner of aging responses...but how I respond to them is the thing I can control. I can do precious alittle about the litany of aging responses I just listed, but I can only really control- me. My brain.

Dr Forrest C. Shaklee said it best..."What you think, you look; what you think, you do; what you think, you are."

♥Pam

I ROTFLMAO-**Updated 111706

2006-11-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

truly...I did! This cracked me up. I could have used this apparatus this past year. Thanks Silent One for letting me post this. I just had to share it.

Gather all your essential equipment...

Assemble as shown below...

And apply gingerly....

BWAHAHAAAHAHAAAA

See, I told ya!

**Updated: But here is a pic of me in said apparatus:

♥Pam

I Randomly Observe

2006-11-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

An interesting fact which I’d like to share, that as people grow older and start to fear aging…their gait changes. They no longer walk confidently and with energy. Instead, they begin to mince their steps which, interestingly enough, only makes them less stable in their gait, thereby increasing their risk for falling. I have seen it in people as young as 47.

As soon as you tell a group that they can’t do “something”, automatically, a certain percentage of that group, who previously had never entertained the thought of doing that “something”, will now insist on going out and doing that “something”, since now, they are prohibited from doing it.

Turn signals are obsolete. Well, at least in my state. No one uses them and when you use them, everyone else ignores your turn signal except for those few who feel they that they must take immediate action to interfere with whatever you were signaling about e.g. they speed up so you cannot change lanes.

i.e. is an abbreviation for the Latin term id est meaning “that is”.

While e.g. is an abbreviation for the Latin, exempli gratia meaning “for the sake of example”.

How many times have I used them incorrectly? *shakes head in bewilderment* More importantly, will I continue to use them incorrectly??

"No good deed goes unpunished." Clare Boothe Luce

My ‘motto’ for this winter is…if I feel cold, I need to get my carcass up and do something…clean, exercise, play with the dogs, cook, go for a walk, do a chore…something. We are keeping our house temp at 66º. Because if we don’t, it gets too warm in the bedroom to be able to sleep well. Turning up the heat will be a last resort. Adding clothing will only be an option if I am working on paperwork or working at the computer and must complete the task. If I’m watching T.V., I need to move. If you don’t use it, you will surely lose it.
♥Pam

I Tell A Tale

2006-11-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

O'Brian staggered home very late after another evening with his old
drinking pal, Murphy. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife. He tiptoed quietly
toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom
step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around
and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket
broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing not to yell, O'Brian sprung up, pulled down his pants, and
looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He
managed to quietly find a full box of band-aids and began putting a
band-aid as best he could on each place he saw blood. He then hid the now
almost empty box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed.

In the morning, O'Brian woke up with searing pain in his head and butt
and his wife staring at him from across the room. She said, "You were
drunk again last night weren't you?"

O'Brian said, "Why are you sayin' a mean thing like that?"
"Well," she said, "it could be the open front door, it could be the
broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood
trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but
mostly.... it's all those band-aids stuck on the downstairs mirror."

I don't care who ya are...that right there is funny.
♥Pam

I Am Both...thank goodness

2006-11-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well, having 4 dogs and 3 cats....I wouldn't want to be totally in one camp or the other. Know what I mean???

You Are: 60% Dog, 40% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog.

You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful.

And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Speaking of cats....here's a few shots of a couple of ours. Of course....'Click it to big it'.

Mouse gets a back scratch from Bill.

Then Mouse gets his chin rubbed...
Then Mouse decides he's had enough and bites the backscratcher.
While Yum Yum hangs out.

♥Pam

I Announce the Winner

2006-11-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

of my hostess rewards....

drum roll please........

click it to big it
SWAMPWITCH!!!

I don't have the show totals yet, but when Joyce left yesterday we were somewhere around $600 dollars. So that means you get upwards of $115 to spend on Pampered Chef products.

Then Sharon, a great gal from work, won the Percent Off rewards and based on the total dollar amount, that should be 25% off anything she wants.

Neighbor Becky won the 50% off item!!

And Friend Pennie won the choice of one of three items for 60% off.

I also had a wonderful surprise guest from blogland. Janet C. from Life in Westcliffe, stopped in for the party on her way up to Denver. We got to meet and talk and giggle and eat. Here's a pic of us. We all had lots of fun and enjoyed some food. I really wish you all would have been able to be a part of it. Maybe soon, they will have streaming webcasts for us meer mortals.

Click it to big it
Speaking of food....Michael, at A Boy and His Bike, was talking about comfort foods for the winter and mentioned toasted PB & J. I mentioned my fav...A Fluffanutter. And that's all it took.So, when I was shopping for the items for the party...I bought some marshmello fluff and white bread. And made me a sandwhich. Which, with a big ol glass of milk...really hits the spot. I usually only do this once a year as it is totally well, unhealthy. The peanut butter is organic but there ain't nothing 'natural or organic' about marshmello fluff and fortified bread. Ooooo, but it tastes so good.

Click it to big it

However......however........looking at the above photos means I am heading out for a run as soon as I am done posting this. Sheesh. But it's good to be frequently reminded of what I don't want to look like. Keeps me motivated. And that was certainly enough comfort food. Back on the plan again today.

I won't be playing Green Thumb Sunday at least until next season. Nothing new to post and not inspired. Sorry folks.

So Congrats to all who won, and Thank You to all who played/ordered. Have a fab Sunday.

♥Pam

I Bark

2006-11-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

For Fish on a Mispelled Bycicle, aka Colin's pup Charlie. He is either 6 or 7 years old (human years) today!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!

I must say, Charlie couldn't have a better father. Here's hoping Charlie has a fab day. Unfortunately, Charlie and his brother Toffee are in a kennel as of last evening as Colin is in Norway this week on business.

I Like Surveys

2006-11-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Take a survey here.... and help out a fellow blogger with her research.

♥Pam
P.S. this will stay on top for a few days

I Hunt Growth

2006-11-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Before I get started...it's not too late to put your order in for my PC party and you can read about it here and here. Don't forget....I'm giving away my hostess rewards and you have until 2pm today (mountain time) to put your order in by shopping on-line here. I'm trying to get to Janet's show amount of $600, at least.... *wink* and that could mean $115 in Hostess dollars for you to spend. COOL!! Another person could win the two half price items. And 3rd prize will the the percent-off an item...see.... three chances to win. What's not to love about this!!??

Okay...okay today's PSH is Growth..

Me at 17... I'm on the left

Click it to big it.

and me at 44...

Click it to big it.

I think that shows some growth...in so many ways. Besides the obvious, ya know upwards of 70 pounds, I have grown in spirit, in mind and soul and love and well....just lots of ways. Without growth you have atrophy. So it's been my policy, all my life- to grow. (insert snide comment about weight gain here...heheheeee)

Atrophy is just not conducive to fun though....know what I mean?

Have a geat Saturday Everbuddy!

♥Pam

I Celebrate a Year!

2006-11-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Of Blogging. Today is a year since my first post.

Happy Blogiversary to Me.

I took this about two weeks ago and then ah....well...I.... Oh heckfire and dalmations, I might as well fess up....I photoshopped my teeth to make 'em look whiter and then sent the pic to the office so they could make me a new name tag. Yes, I am that vain. *sigh* I still have plenty of chins...I just have gotten very good at self photography because, lawd knows no one else cares how many chins I have!

Click it to big it!
So, I am surviving...

I had a rough morning yesterday and cried and called my old job and set up an interview today and cried so more and talked with my best buds....Love you GALS. Then, I kicked my old quivering, nervous wreck of a self esteem in the can and said....I ain't done nothing wrong...let 'em give me some crap and I will lay it on them and if they don't back down, I have my resignation in my pocket...typed, signed and sealed. Basically, I said to myself...

And, the more I thought about what I would be doing if I quit. What some of the perks are here....car, good salary....car....good salary.. ahem, and compared it to what I would have at the other place....complete hands off, I couldn't turn down the car and good salary, at least not now.

So, I think it also helped that I upped my B complex and I also ran yesterday. WOOT!

But I totally couldn't have done it without the support of my Gals...you know who you are, and my Boy, Bill. Thanks, I really needed it.

And...for some of you, this will be HYSTERICAL...for others you may scratch your head and raise your eyebrows and say..."whatever"

Click it to big it!

Cartoon courtesy of Redheadeditor. Thank you Ellen!!! You Rock.

So, onward and upward...
♥Pam

I Am Whipped

2006-11-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

emotionally and mentally. Just whipped. My supervisory visit is done. Normally, an admission takes 1 to 1.5 hrs and if you throw in a wound or an IV it takes longer. So my new supervisor picked a wound care patient so she could observe a 'skill' and not just an assessment visit.
I was incredibly DISCOMBOBULAED. I haven't' done patient visit in about 6 months. I haven't done an admission in a year. I wasn't fluent with the flow of the assessment because I was looking for the rhythm from my old job's (18 months ago) paperwork. They have a load of fecal matter worth of forms that I wasn't used to signing. The patient and her husband had a ton of questions about the consent form...so that took three times as long as normal. Don't get me wrong...you are signing a legal document...I want you to be an informed patient but....man it adds to the visit length. And patients don't want you in the house for 2.5 hours. Yes, that is how long it took me to do this visit. I also didn't plan on the patient wanting to take a shower after I removed her dressing. Granted, I got to assess her functional ability....but that added to the visit. Then...well, anyway. I walked out of there and immediately apologized to my supervisor saying...I'm sorry I'm so DISCOMBOBULATED . She said she understood that it takes time to get back in the rhythm of the business. She didn't ding me on infection control and as a matter of fact said I washed my hands and changed my gloves too many times...well, if I'd been more calm and less DISCOMBOBULATED I would have been more prepared and not have to go back in the supply bag and that means remove my gloves, wash my hands, go into the bag and get supplies and put on new gloves and carry on. Sheesh.
So, I'm not normally so flustered either.
And it didn't help that someone close to me chided me earlier in the day and threw me off and one of the office workers...well, let me tell you that story here in a sec.
Not excuses...but...I just dunno what is wrong with me. Is it the changes from coming off of eight plus years of antidepressant? Is it PMS? Is it perimenopause? I cried when I got chided. I cry at stoopid commercials. I got angry at the office worker....I am just a mess. I haven't been consistent with my Shaklee vitamins. I have been consistent with my exercise. The one nice thing about being on antidepressants...at least for me is I was consistent. At least for the first 6-7 years. I had no serious lows and no significant highs....I was oookkkaaayyy. I'm not oooookkkkaaayyyy anymore. I feel stuff. Alot more.

Let me tell you about this coworker. Loud, obnoxious, sometimes funny and irreverent. Hardworking and honest. Occasionally, volatile. But while we were setting up for the potluck, I was joking around with her and another person and said..."I have to quality control check these potatoes before they get put out". *wink* I took one of those little plastic spoons, opened the lid and took a scoop. Maybe two teaspoons worth on this plastic spoon. She turns and looks at me with revulsion and says...."that's gluttony Pam".
Yeah, that's why I am going out to the field.
This person had cried tears, albeit small ones and said how sad and that she felt that I had been railroaded out of my job, just two days previous and now I am one of the seven deadly sins.

I kinda want that calm person back. Maybe I need to up my B-complex. I know I need to increase my exercise and I will do that tomorrow. I ain't going back on antidepressants people. I just better get this figured out...and soon.

♥Pam

I Tremble

2006-11-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

well, maybe that is a bit strong. But I am nervous. My last day of orientation at the Branch and that means a supervisory visit. My supervisor has to accompany me on a patient visit. Looking at everything I do. Infection control being the biggest issue (well, since state dinged us pretty badly last year...well, frankly we sucked. Not me....but the rest of the staff managed a bang up job showing the state what a bunch of stoopid nurses we are.) Then charting will be the other big thing. The rest I think I got it covered.

I've been thinking about why it is so important for me to do so well. I have lot's of theories. Besides the obvious of course. It seems to run a bit deeper than the obvious. But...enough of that.

I made a Chocolate Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Roll last night for our 'holiday meal' at work today. I guess you can't call it Thanksgiving anymore! I dunno....don't ask me. They are providing the turkey's, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. We are potlucking the rest. And because my last name startes with a 'B', I got to chose a desert...well, I couldn't stop at one. I wanted to make a lemon meringue and a spice cake but I then realized...I'm not the only one with the last name that starts with A-D. D'uh. I don't know why I thought I had to provide all the deserts. Och, my brain is just buzzing. But, I still wanted to make two deserts. I also made a lemon meringue for Bill and I.
I was experimenting with whole wheat flour. While it makes a tasty and hearty crust....it won't hold together. Dangit. It cracked and separated while baking. Well, you can't poor lemon pudding in a crust that is cracked. And I was afraid to have it not taste good, so I made regular crust for the potluck items. I'll have to work on that a bit.

Other than that...and my upcoming PC party, that's all I got on my plate...ya...sorry for the pun.
Have a fab day.
♥Pam

I Wrap It Up

2006-11-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

Started my new job on Wednesday. But...heaven forbid the 'powers that be' have it planned so that I can roll things off properly. Oh no, I am STILL working on a project for my old boss. Yes, today. I am going in to the office to wrap up what I can in two hours. Why? well that's what my boss says I owe her.
See, my work week had been four, ten hour days. I had Monday's off with me boy. Well, this past week, I had Monday off, worked my last ten hours for corporate on Tuesday and started my new job, working eight hour days on Wednesday. But my boss says.....you will get paid for forty hours so you need to 'give me' the remaining six hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Well, I had a hair appt on Wednesday pm so that is why I am going in today to give the last two hours. And I will say....hallefrickin'luiah!! I shoulda just said....so short me six hours...I don't frickin' care.

But again....it's so ingrained in me to 'please' people. *big protracted sigh*
I have no one to 'blame' but myself. Truly.

That being said.....I've been most stressed about going into my new position. I have been waking up between 2 am and 4 am for the last week. Restless. See, as the On-call Evening Nurse I have two roles (well three if you count the remote vital sign monitoring program-'rvsmp'). Role Number One-I have to answer the phone...THE phone for the branch after 5 pm, until 8 am the next day. That involves handling any problems, visits or emergencies that arise. All calls means "help, my mother's catheter fell out" to "tell my therapist I want to sleep in tomorrow." or "I haven't pooped in 5 days". The latter usually occurs at 2 am. [I used to do this for the last homecare agency I worked for one day a week. Which by most standards...is a lot of 'on-call' time.] It can be very rewarding occasionally, and it can be quite the PITA...mostly. But it's part and parcel of the job I accepted. Role Number Two- is that of the evening nurse. That means I will see or visit patients that have IV's or dressing changes that occur more frequently than daily. And....patients that HAVE to be admitted that evening, usually for IV's or med administration. The admitting process is quite laborious. The volume of paperwork is phenomenal. Ever had or one of your parents or other older relative have homecare in the US??
Then you will know of what I speak. But I will also need to see a few of my 'own' patients. That is to say, to carry a caseload. This is the part I don't mind. But the caveat to this is...since I will be starting my day at 2 pm or 1400 hrs and have to do the 'rvsmp', I won't start seeing patients until after say...3:30pm or 1530. By the time I've driven to the patients home and completed the visit...and it's time for the next patient's visit...it's dark outside. And will be for at least 4-5 more months. *sigh*

I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill....but it's my molehill thankyouverymuch and yes, I know I accepted this position. I'm just stating the obvious.

Productivity wise...if I admit one patient a day and do the 'rvsmp' daily, I will have met my productivity. I have to do 15 visits/week. The 'rvsmp' counts as one visit and an admit counts as two visits because it takes so frickin' long.

There will be plenty of times that the agency will get busy and the regular staff will only be able to handle so much and I will start to get the overflow.

I guess I should stop being 'Eyeore' and take my own advice.

First off, I am extremely delighted to be out of the corporate environment. I am extremely delighted to be out on my own again. Driving around town in the car....free as a bird. No coworkers to gossip about me or watch my every movement and hear my every comment. No boss sitting across the hall from me. Yeah, I'm doing the happy dance here.....

Speaking of driving around town...did I tell you part of the deal was a company car? I may try to post a pic but the side of it is emblazoned with our logo so....

But I spent several hours yesterday setting up the car.

I bought some organizing things...

For the front seat. When we go to computerized 'bedside' charting, this will have room for the notebook/laptop and has a securing device should I need it. For now, it will hold manila file folders. Has a great pocket for holding other 'stuff' that zips shut. Most importantly, it has holders that keep it from flying off the seat if, for some strange reason, I might have to slam on the brakes....this is an important safety feature!

This second one goes in the trunk and is important because I must, by insurance, agency and standards of practice rules, keep dirty things separate from clean things in my trunk. Dirty things being a sharps container etc...

I have a Mag® flashlight for finding addresses in the dark and as a substantial weapon should I need it. I have emergency equipment....a whole kit, as a matter of fact, with flares and markers, jumper cables etc. I have a very large gallon container of water, emergency food, and my nursing visit bag has all manner of dressing stuff, condiment container...hey-I'll be on the road eating here!! and a gal has to have utensils and ketchup/salt/pepper/soy sauce.... Hmmm, lets see, what else did I do? Oh, yeah, I went thru my large tub container of medical supplies and pulled out expired items and organized it, made a list of missing items and cleaned the tubs. They sat in the garage for the last 18 months and have become dusty/dirty. I have two tubs. Well, one is a tub and one is a tackle box. The tackle box has clean needles and IV stuff, small dressing items that would get lost in the big tub or my visit bag. The large tub has bottles of wound cleanser, saline for irrigation, foley catheter insertion kits...extra barriers and paper towels. Large packages of gauze and other dressing supplies. IV tubing and sterile change kits. Oh yeah, I bought my own hand sanitizer as the brand our agency uses has a rather overpowering 'fragrance'. So it's sitting in an outside pocket of my visit bag and it's a pump version as opposed to a flip top version. I totally stole that idea from one of my coworkers...

Can you tell that I like to organize? Well, you wouldn't know it from my office at the moment. I have stacks of 'stuff' everywhere. But I really need to stop writing and get my hiney to the office and put in my "two hours" (channeling the kid, Johnny from "Better Off Dead").

So, I'm excited for next Saturday and my Pampered Chef Party. I found out Janet, over at Fond of Snape had a blog PC party and her show total was $600. So, I want to beat that....

Don't forget...I'm giving my hostess rewards away. YOU could be the lucky winner, but only if you 'play'. I soooo want to give stuff away!!

Have a good Sunday Everbuddy.

♥Pam

I Am a High Priestess

2006-11-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well...that's what the card said!!!

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

test

2006-11-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

2006-11-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

I Hunt Windows

2006-11-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is taken at a 'place' in Beulah, Colorado called Bishop Castle. This guy, Bishop, is just a bit off the bubble. And interestingly enough....there is a name for it. Dementia Concretia! Man, ya learn sumpin' new every day!
We've been there and it is strange and beautiful....and a bit scary. He's got no 'plans' and builds as it suits him so...I just have to wonder how safe the structure is to go traipsing around in.
Anyway, lots of people have sent him sections of stained glass that they have handcrafted and he adds it to the window. 'Course, I don't think he's adding any more at the moment. ;0]

Want to play PSH??? Click on my side bar that says-PhotoHunters.

♥Pam

I Only Got This to Say...

2006-11-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

♥Pam

I Have the Most Scathingly Brilliant IDEA!

2006-11-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

Yes....scathingly!! (channeling Hayley Mills here...) Okay....okay...ya ready for this???

At my Pampered Chef Party on the 11th.....if ya spend $25, you get your name put in the hat, right??? Well, for every $25 you get your name put in the hat!!! So, if you spend $75...it's THREE times in the hat. And if there's only 5 people ordering....whaddya think your chances will be??? WOOOOHOOO. If ya spend $100...it's four times. You could get HUGE amounts of FREE money to spend on Pampered Chef stuff!!! IS that not a BRILLIANT IDEA???

So, go get all your friends.....and go shopping! (Cause trust me,...IRL...only a handful of folks will show or order!) You could knock out all your Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. And let me just add one more thing to sweeten the pot.....If you order more than $250, not only will I ship it to you, but if they are to be gifts....I'll ship it to the giftee and ....I'll gift wrap them for you!!

OMG, think of how cool that will be!

Okay....since I'm so excited for ya'll....my Thursday Thirteen will be about Pampered Chef

Thirteen Things I Use Everyday and ♥Love♥ from Pampered Chef.

or almost everyday

Microcooker-This thing rocks and that's why it's numero uno on my list. Wicked easy to clean, steams your microwaveable foods without spattering everywhere and....no worries about getting 'stuff' from heating things with plastic wrap.
Cookware-I earned the Professional Cookware about 4 or 5 years ago. As a hostess, I got it for half price. I just can't tell ya how frickin' cool these are. NO SCRUBBING pots but most importantly, they are tough little pots and pans baby!! I've had the square griddle for almost 8 years...and not scratch one on it.
Stoneware-I have the round one and I use it for rolls, cookies, meatballs/wings, and occasionally pizza. It is excellent. Once it's seasoned....it's the best thing to bake on.
Apple Wedger- Yup...every day. Not only for my apple, but for pineapple and other big stuff I want wedged...like cukes, carrots....cheese.
Food Chopper-I use it for nuts, celery, green pepper, ONIONS...beats pulling out the food processor....and so easy to clean. Four or five plunges on the handle and your stuff is chopped nicely. Not diced into smithereens either.
Kitchen Shears- not a single day goes by that I don't use these bad boys. Sometimes it's to cut open packaging...sometimes to cut green onions...
Quikcut Paring Knife- let me tell ya these bad boys...ya can never have too many of them.
Flour/Sugar Shaker- okay...maybe I don't use it everyday but this thing is so much better than the plastic holed ones you get at your local department store. I have two...one for powdered sugar and one for flour.
Pie Crust Shield- makes it SO much nicer to protect my pie edges than pieced together tinfoil.
Mix-N-Scraper® -I have quite a few of these fella's. They have stayed soft unlike rubber ones that dry out. They don't stain and they don't come apart and get gross in the handles like other types.
Mini Serving Spatula- I need more of this thing 'cause it's always in the dishwasher when I need it.
Measure-All ® Cup- I need more of this thing too... it is so versatile when it comes to measuring stuff....wet or dry or solids....
Small Scoop-is EXCELLENT for making mini muffins or cookies. Gives you even sized cookies every time, which makes for even cooking temps....and for those of you that like to compete in cookie contests....*wink* this might be an added bonus, eh??

There are so many more.....The Handy Scraper, Twixit's, Prep Bowl Set of which you can never have enough of BTW, the best Ice Cream Dipper on the planet.. and let's not forget the Adjustable Measuring Spoons which are WAY better than anything you can get in any store. The Jar Opener is a great stocking stuffer for those folks with arthritis!! My mum has two that I gave her. Not that she has arthritis but that she lives alone and has no one to get those lids off for her.

Man, I could go on and on....just go peruse the website. If ya got questions...ask me or Joyce.

Well, I've got to toddle off to work. Catch ya later....

♥Pam

I Am Having

2006-11-01T05:49:00.001-07:00

a Party!!!

A Pampered Chef Party on November 11th for any body that wants to come. But here's the best part.

I am giving away my hostess rewards.

Yes, you read that right. For anyone, be you present or not, who puts in a $25 order, your name will go into a hat and be drawn by my consultant.
All my hostess rewards.
Hostess rewards are the following:

Free product based on sales which looks like this....

and add the hospitality bonus of $15!! Also, the half priced item and the discounted item.

If you won't be attending in person, you just need to place your order by 2pm MDT on Saturday November 11th via Joyce's, my consultant's, website. By the end of my party I will have calculated everything and closed the show so that I can announce the winner.

I tried really hard to find a way for you all to be a part of the show. I looked into streaming video...webcast all that stuff. Not really doable in a way I could either afford or would want you to be able to participate. Did learn alot about webcasting and such though!

You may be asking yourself....Why???

Why am I having a Pampered Chef Party? I love their stuff man! I have over half the items in their catalog. I will rave about my favorite items tomorrow. I would LOVE to hear your favorite items.

Why am I inviting all of my blog friends? Aren't these kinds of parties mostly for IRL friends and neighbors? Well, you are my real friends, in addition to the ones I see and hear every day. I really wanted you to see and hear Joyce, my consultant. She's a hoot and the show is called Power Cooking. She's going to show us how to make and freeze 3 full size meals (that would be 6, for Bill and I) in 2 hours!! And let me tell ya sisters and brothers...I am all about the making meals ahead thing.

Why am I giving away my hostess rewards? I like to share, I have over half the items to begin with so what would I use the rewards for anyway except to give as gifts...and wouldn't you rather choose your own gift then get something you may not want from me for Christmas??? And to boost sales too, to help out my consultant earn a trip for her and her family this year.

Why or rather how are we going to get our products? Goooood question. I will mail them to you of course. Unless you buy the cookware or stoneware and then we'll have to talk splitting the shipping, okay?

So go check out Joyce's website...here. Or you can contact her at this info...Joyce Crawford
(719) 495-4679. She's been doing this a long time. Is very good at her job and loves it. I went thru countless consultants until Joyce. She's been my consultant since....oh, 2000 or 2001? I count her as a friend as well.

I sure wish you all could come in person....but shopping's the next best thing!!! And think of all the Christmas shopping you can get done!!! Woohooo.

Let me know if you've got questions about the products...I've got a bunch and I'll give you the skinny...and actually, so will Joyce.

Later,
♥Pam

I Understand...

2006-10-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

that with all the pics I posted from Vegas, that folks are having a hard time opening my blog. I am diligently (well, not at the moment because I'm on a lunch break from work) looking to fix that problem.

TWO DAYS POST at a time is my current temporary solution until I can figure out how to do in Photobucket what alot of you do in Flickr. If I can't do it in Photobucket, I will try Flickr.

SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR OTHER DAYS.....YOU'LL HAVE TO CHECK MY SIDEBAR AND LOOK AT ARCHIVES.

P.S. This will stay up until I have the solution....so look in archives for anything older than two days worth...
♥Pam

I Say...

2006-10-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS

to Gary aka GKW of Gary's Memories fame. He and Pilot Mom submitted answers to my quiz in the post below. Gary made it in with 21 minutes to spare and Pilot Mom with 11 minutes. "Sorry" to those of you that submitted after the cutoff. Both of you had partial answers and your names were put in a hat and drawn by one of the neighbor kids.
Gary, you have WON a GC to Chili's Restaurant. Might get you a drink or an appetizer some night out with the wife!! I checked to make sure they have them in 'Bama...one is listed in Birmingham and the other in Homewood. I don't know where you live, so I hope it's convenient! If not, I do have an alternate. Let me know

Thank you SO much for playing.