"Gonna Be a Bear"

GONNA BE A BEAR

In this life, I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, gonna be a bear!

"Crying Wolf"

I am sure all of you are very familiar with the story about the little boy that "cried wolf". If you are not, then don't read this blog as it probably won't make sense to you.

While you may have heard that story about the little boy, have you ever heard of a dog that "cried wolf"? I didn't think so. Well, it was a first for me too. I have to admit that I wouldn't have believed it either if I had not been a witness to this fiasco.

Our little Frosty is notorious for getting under our feet when we are trying to walk. Our daughter swears he is possessed and I am about to become a believer. Anyway, yesterday I came in from shopping with an arm load of bags. I could not see that he was under my feet so I stepped on his foot (did not put all my weight on him thank goodness). After I sat the bags on the table, I came into the living to sit down to rest a minute. He chose this minute to get right in the floor in front of me and began to cry. Then he rolled onto his back and wailed and wailed all the while holding the little paw in the air. He acted like he was about to go into a convulsion. I thought I had broken his leg for sure. I called the Alien and had him meet me at the Vets. They were waiting for us. When we got there, the doctor took Frosty and held him and carried him around a little then she got a leash and put him down to see if he could walk. About this time, a cat came out into the room. Frosty ran over to play and was walking on the paw as if nothing was wrong. After about five minutes of being the center of attention and playing with the cat, I brought him home. $56 poorer and totally humiliated by the dog that "cried wolf".

Run Turkey Run

Do you suppose the unsuspecting turkey is aware that their time may be limited. Do you suppose they would change anything if they knew? I often wonder that about people. Would we change anything if we had warning that our days were almost up? I bet there are not many "thanks" being circulated at the turkey farm. Hopefully there will be many at the people places.

All these morbid thoughts are caused by my persistent dreams lately that involve people close to me that are deceased. The weird thing is that memories come with the dreams that I had not thought about in many years. For instance, last night, I was visiting with my Pa and Granny Mc and for some reason Pa sent me into the house to get Granny's shoes. On the way in I kept thinking how will I know which shoes are hers since there was a house full of people. When I got inside, I went to this pile of shoes and immediately spotted Granny's shoes. You see, she ran over her shoes on her right foot badly and the first shoes I saw were in this condition. Now I had not thought of what her shoes looked like in 50 years at least. That is just too weird.

I have decided that all this medication for this respiratory infection is affecting my mind more than my body, lol.

Speaking of turkeys, we are looking forward to Thanksgiving. Don't know for sure how many will be here but it doesn't matter as we will have plenty of food.

Sending much love and good wishes to all the cubs, spouses and cubettes for the holiday.

Commercialism or Spiritualism

Can we have one and not the other? Can we have both? Do some have neither? Thank goodness I don't have to judge!

It is amazing the transitions that take place both in the mind and physical body as we add to our experiences, knowledge base, and just plain old "living". Hopefully, these transitions result in the growth of wisdom. It is these transitions that inspired me to share this blog with you.

I am not going to try to address anything except how MY concept and the the part that I have played in making Christmas a commercial or spiritual experience. I could try to justify my actions but they are what they are. Right or Wrong, well intended or not, they are what they are. All I am doing here is simply writing down my thought process in doing what I have done and am preparing to do.

At this point, I want to share a memory about my youngest boy cub. He and I were alone one Christmas as his siblings were either in the service or out of state. There was a Vietnam vet with a wife and two children and he had experienced Agent Orange and was in bad shape but they had no financial help at that time from the government. Cub and I went to the grocery store and bought food for Xmas dinner, Cub had two "almost" new toys still in the box and he wrapped them for the two children. We delivered that to the family and chose not to give our names to them but just that we came as Christians. Later at Xmas time, the Cub said, "I think this is the most meaningful Xmas I have ever had".

I love Christmas with all my heart and at the core is because I love Jesus and it is his birthday. However, over the years, I have allowed myself to get caught up in the commercial aspect and therefore, have pushed the spiritual aspect to a second place level. This year is my attempt to try to put it back in the prospective that my heart tells me it should be in. I sometimes wonder if my physical limitations have finally made me realize what is truly important. If so, I am truly thankful for them.

Maybe to help clarify my thought process, I should share these feelings with you. First, I love my Jesus and without him I would never have made it this far. Second, I love my children, their spouses, grandchildren and great grandchild more than live itself. That love has often encouraged me to want to make them have the best Xmas that I could. The big problem was that I so focused on the commercial aspect, the physical aspect (cooking, etc etc) that often there was not enough energy left over to truly enjoy the celebration of Christ's birth and the wonderful special time with family. I did that with the best of intentions, however, that does not alter the fact that that energy could have been spent in a much better way. Please don't think this is a "pity party" I would not change one iota of my life since it has brought me to where I am today and with the most wonderful family anyone could hope for. Its just my way of explaining why I am suggesting making the changes we have talked about. One thing I have not mentioned to this point is financial as to me it is the least important in the three priorities. Nonetheless, it is a realistic part. As we prepare for the Alien's retirement, we are trying to get our house prepared for the reduced income that will come. Last but not least, my stubbornness doesn't override my physical limitations anymore. Having said all of this, it is my heart felt belief that spiritual and family are going to be my main focus.

I think the changing of the seasons has caused me to recognize how fleeting time really is. It seems we just opened the pool and now we are closing it. I remember my Dad saying, "Boy time goes so much faster now" - does it really or do we just slow down as our physical bodies go through lots of changing of the seasons?

In closing, we are looking forward to this Xmas season more than ever and truly treasure all the effort the cubs make in sharing it with us. We do realize it is sometimes a hardship for them.

Where has the summer gone?

Is time speeding up or is it that I am slowing down? I cannot remember a summer going by so quickly. Even though Autumn is a beautiful time, I am not ready to give up the warmth that long summer days bring. It is sad to see the Alien closing the pool for the season.

I am sure that all of you remember the story of me taking my Mom and her friends to Arkansas a few years ago to see the color of the leaves in their magnificant splendor. This time of year always brings back that precious memory of those three special little ladies, my Mom and two of her best friends. Little did I know that this would be Mom's last chance to see this awesome sight. They kept thanking me for the trip and I could never convince them that I was the lucky one. From their utter delight at the foliage to the laughter we all shared as we played cards until 2:oo a.m. in the morning. The Lodge where we stayed furnished us with a card table and chairs and I had just sneaked in the cards in case we got the chance to play.

We are looking forward to tomorrow. We are going to the state fair. We are taking our cub and Gerbean"s littlest cub. We plan to get there around 10 a.m. in the morning and take in the rides, and of course, all of the food booths. Then around 4 p.m. we will go to our motel (Hampton Inn) where we will surprise the granddaughter cub with her princess birthday cake complete with candles. After a brief rest, we will all go back to the ice capades to see "Disney on Ice". I think the Alien and I are more excited than the cubs.

Well, for an update on the Alien's cardiologist's visit today. I think I have told most of you about the "not so good" report on his recent calcium scan. If not, here goes. With 2,000 being the worse score, he scored 1800. His doctor has ordered an EKG and carotid artery scan while he waits for a copy of the bypass surgery done in 2000. When he gets that, he will do a cardiac cath to see the extent of the blockage and then based on what it shows, we will go from there.

Also, an update on my youngest sibling's son and family. The son's wife just had a kidney transplant. She has had problems for several years and has been on dialysis for a while. Her mother donated one of her kidneys. My sibling called today to tell me her daughter-in-law was home from the hospital and doing pretty well. S & M have a little boy that is just three years old. He is adorable and he and our great granddaughter are in the same class at daycare and know each other. Our little one gets frustrated because he is shy and believe me she is not!!

The little furry boys are busy as usual. Frosty is quite a trip. He is so totally different from Casper. We didn't know there could be such a difference, lol.

Be safe and happy -

Sit, Stand or Lay?

That is the question!! In case that doesn't make sense to any of you that is okay. It sure makes sense to me. Without going into the gory details, I will just share with you that I had a certain procedure Wednesday that makes any one of these three options a challenge. I had jokingly boasted that I had no spare parts left but the colonoscopy found a couple that I didn't know about so onto the surgeon for more whacking. All will be great (in a few days) and in the mean time believe it or not I am popping pain pills. Too heck with the bravado act of being tough. Anyway, I have a good book to read. It was referred to my by #2 Cub and is entitled "Manhunt" about the 12 day hunt for John Wilkes Boothe after Lincoln's assassination. Now if I can just decide whether to SS or L.

I took the Cub to get her hair streaked yesterday. Her school starts next week. It is sure an interesting experience to shop for clothes with a teenage girl. I have mellowed considerably. As long as it meets the dress code at school, I can stand to look at it I guess!! Speaking of this Cub, she just cracked her Dad and I up the other day. We got a bushel of fresh corn and was cleaning it for the freezer and she helped. Corn on the cob has always been one of her favorite veggies. So a few days later, I took some of the corn out and cooked it and when I offered her a piece she stated, "No thank you, I never eat corn that has touched the stalk". Dad and I were both rolling in the floor laughing.

This is a very interesting group that I live with. The other day I started to town to get dog food. The Alien said, "I will drive you, where do you want to go?" I stated, "Orschleins" they carry Science Diet. He said okay so off we went. When we started down main street I kind of wondered why we were taking this route but didn't say anything. Then he turned to me and said, "Oh, you wanted to go to Orschleins". Again, I said yes. This time we headed a different direction. I figured he had a new route to try so I kept quiet. We drove up in front of Tractor Supply, he parked the truck and we got out. (Again, I am quiet). Just as we got to the door, he turned to me and said, "Oh no, I am at the wrong store aren't I?" I grinned and said yeah but they probably have the right kind here. Sure enough they did.

Life is always an adventure around here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until next time.

FREEDOM

The other day, a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Growing older, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body ... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the cellulite. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family, for less gray hair or a flatter belly.


As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant-garde on my patio. I am entitled to be messy, to be extravagant, to smell the flowers. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m. and then sleep until -- ? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50s and 60s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old (if they're lucky). I know I am sometimes forgetful. But then again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes" and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day... (if I want).

Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles. Love simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

LIVE WELL -- LAUGH OFTEN -- LOVE MUCH. "And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

Have a great day!

GOOD MORNING

Ayla is sending lots of love to all those of the clan. She realizes just how blessed she is on a daily basis. What a diversified group in this clan with each one having their own attributes to contribute.

Activities around the cave are very busy. The Cub just had her dental appt (no cavities), has her school physical this next week, enrolls for school, shopping for school clothes, etc etc

The Alien and I are cleaning out the attic, storage room and closets of all unused items (covering the last five years) and getting them ready for the garage sale the Valley View employees are having this next weekend. It will be held in an air conditioned building. We will each have a booth with tables, can take our stuff the night before and set up as the bldg will be locked. I had said I would never have another garage sale, guess that just teaches me to never say "never".

Yesterday, I helped the Alien make the last batch (I hope) of peach jam this season. For some reason he has got the bug this year and we have enough jam and jelly to last for a while (probably a long while).

Well, our oldest "furry boy" is in the dog house, so far back it may take a while to see daylight. Last week he and R were playing in the other room and he bit her. Regardless of what she did or didn't do, he will not be allowed to bite. His only excuse might be he has severe allergies and doesn't feel well at all. He has to get allergy shots about every five weeks.

The youngest furry one stays in lots of trouble. He does things Casper never dreamed of doing such as chewing the wall paper off the wall in the foyer, chewing up the area rugs, chewing up shoes, and on and on. He is so adorable though it is hard to get to upset!! Our golden years have turned into white fur ball years.

My youngest sibling's daughter is getting married this October. She and her new husband will live in Kansas City. The Alien had told her years ago that she had to wait until she was 25 and she was 25 in May so she told him he couldn't complain. Her brother's wife has a kidney transplant in September. M's Mom is donating one of her kidneys.

Our Cub went with our Church group to Texas this last week. They went to watch the Ranger's play on Monday night then spent the night and went to Six Flags on Tuesday. They got home around midnight on Tuesday. She had a good time.

It just occurred to me that we have traded in our knitting and checkers for dog shows and softball games. Time will tell what kind of trade we made!!!

Oh by the way, on my tombstone, I want to be able to say "She was to simplistic to please anyone but God".

Used vehicles vs used bodies

Have you ever noticed the similarity between how much maintenance it requires to keep a vehicle with high mileage and a human body also with high mileage? Although there are always exceptions. Some older vehicles seem to be taken to the repair shop more often than others even though they have been properly serviced over the years. Some vehicles can be grossly abused and may require a lot less repair. Have you ever wondered why that can be? I have been doing lots of comparison lately between used vehicles with high mileage and human bodies also with high mileage. Some of these people can abuse their bodies with everything from overeating, drugs, sleep deprivation, etc etc and yet they continue to be relatively healthy. While others seem to be constantly having to be repaired even though they may have led a rather mundane type life. Just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to explain this.



Speaking of repairs and high mileage, I recently went to the hospital for a one day procedure that required me to be sedated. Now for those of you that may not know it, I have had lots of trouble sleeping over the last several weeks. Well, I am here to tell you, I found the cure. If they would have given me a pint of the Versed like I asked!!! I was taken to the "holding" pen and hooked up to an IV, given a skimpy gown and then covered with two very warm blankets. About that time, the nurse gave me a shot of Versed in my IV. Out like a light I went and enjoyed such blissful sleep until I heard the doctor call my name. I was really irritated to be awakened but soon forgave them as right after they wheeled me into the "room" they gave me a "big" shot of Versed this time. Again, what wonderful sleep. Don't know what happened after that as I was definitely in La La land. And stayed that way for most of the day. Things I thought were dreams were actually things happening so the Alien told me. I kept seeing this big skillet and finally was awake enough to tell the Alien about it and he said, "I just got a skillet from Amazon and UPS delivered it". Sure enough, this morning there sat that big skillet on the stove. Nothing life threatening showed up just some minor tune up needed. Hopefully, they will give me more Versed, ya think?

Earlies Memories

A question posed several days ago asked if we remembered our very first memory. I have been giving this considerable thought. I think I have finally narrowed it down to two and to be honest, I don't know which was the first event. However due to the mode of transportation at the time, I will predict it was the wagon ride. Not just any wagon ride! This one had a special treat. We lived out in the country and rode into the small town nearby for groceries and feed for the livestock. This particular trip, my older sibling and I rode with our Dad. We felt so big sitting up on the seat right beside him. I was two and she was four. Anyway, when we got into town, Dad got the essentials and then he bought we girls a piece of coconut candy. This little square was about the size of a dice and they come in different colors. Some were yellow, some pink and some green. This day, ours were yellow. Inside these little gems of sugar was another special treat. There was a tiny ring in each piece. Now for those of you who know me, you know my past fondness for rings. So I contribute that desire for rings clear back to that fateful wagon ride. Our Dad had cautioned us to nibble them very slowly and when we saw the rings, it was the most special surprise that I have ever had to this day!

Now for the second memory. It involved a severe storm while living at this same place. I remember being in the storm cellar and Dad had the door open. We watched the hail, lightening and wind destroy our house, kill several head of livestock and ruin our car. Now the question, if we had a car then did we just take the wagon to haul the feed? Guess I will never know. Guess it doesn't make much difference anyway. I never realized the tremendous source of information available that is now lost for the time being.

Anyway, the Alien and I made blackberry jelly yesterday. Boy is it good!!!!!! We found the berries right here in Ada at our Farmer's market. Goes to show that sometimes the pastures might not be greener elsewhere.

Til next time!

Amusing Nothings

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger.
Then it hit me.-----------------------------------------------------


Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest. --------------------


------------------------------------------------------ The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.


------------------------------------------------------ To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

------------------------------------------------------ When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.


------------------------------------------------------ The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.------------------------------------------------------


A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. -----------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------- A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------He became a hardened criminal.-------------------------------------------------------


Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.


-------------------------------------------------------- We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.


-------------------------------------------------------- When the smog lifts in Los Angeles , U.C.L.A.


-------------------------------------------------------- The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.


---------------------------------------------------------- The dead batteries were given out free of charge.-----------------------------------------------------------



If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory. ---------------------


----------------------------------------------------------- A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.


A will---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
is a dead giveaway.


------------------------------------------------------------- A backward poet writes inverse.


------------------------------------------------------------- In a democracy it's your vote that counts;
in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.--------------------------------------------------------



-------------------------------------If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.

--------------------------------------------------------------- When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.


--------------------------------------------------------------- The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was full recovered---------------------------------------------------------



-------Local Area Network in Australia : ------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------The LAN down under.

------------------------------------------------------------------ A calendar's days are numbered.


------------------------------------------------------------------ A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------A boiled egg,
is hard to beat.
------------------------------------------------------------------ He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.


------------------------------------------------------------------- When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.


-------------------------------------------------------------------- When she saw her first strands of gray hair, ----------------------------------------------------------------------
she thought she'd dye.

"Blackberry Festival"

Several times lately, we had seen an advertisement for a blackberry festival in the town of McLoud (about 65 miles away). Last Friday we decided to take a drive up there and get some blackberries to finish out our jelly making adventure. We got there and looked and looked and looked some more and believe it or not there was not a blackberry in sight. They did have a small town carnival set up, booths with different food items that did not in the wildest imagination look, smell or taste like a berry. I have spent the last three days trying to figure this out. Maybe once upon a time they used to have berries in that area. Or maybe just maybe with the surrounding towns having watermelon festivals, peach festivals, kolache festivals, and yes even rattle snake festivals, they just got the idea to have a blackberry festival. Come to think of it we couldn't find a kolache either. Don't know about the rattlesnake festival, we weren't dumb enough to go to that one. Just be our luck that they would actually have the blasted snakes! Don't think they would make very good jelly.

The Alien returned to work today. He is doing well and seems to be on the mend. The only complaint that I have heard from him lately is the mower is getting stuck in our yard! It has to be those cubettes that just visited. I think they did a rain dance before they got here!! I may have to snip their feathers.

Our Church is taking several people to Alabama on a mission trip to help some of the people still trying to recover from Katrina. We really thought about going and know that we would love it but there are just too many things going on right now. Gerbeans' cub is going. He is looking forward to it. They leave in two weeks and will be gone for five days.

Our cub is in summer softball league. They had to cancel today's game due to, of all things, rain. Hopefully the ones next week won't be rained out.

Today was cater to Marbella day. She got her hair done and a massage. Wow, what a treat.

Thanks for the visit.

Rain, Rain, Rain and more Rain

I promised last summer that if it would just rain that I would never complain about it being to wet. I am hereby confessing that after more days than I can count of constant rain that I am on the verge of complaining. The streets in town have been closed at different times these past few days due to high water. Our grass is quite tall because it is so wet we would lose the mower if we tried to mow. We are about to have to drain some water out of the swimming pool, the dogs are growing webbed feet, get the picture? If so, maybe you will be tolerant when I "gripe".

We just spent three weeks with a cub and his cubettes from up north. I tell you these cubettes can grow faster than the weeds in our yard. What is even more amazing than their physical growth is their intellectual growth. Our family has been richly blessed with exceptional cubettes. They are so entertaining!! We have been lucky to have summers with different cubettes here and to see and enjoy the variety of their personalities is absolutely priceless.

The Alien is on the jelly making wagon this summer. He helped the cubettes make some plum jelly then he designed a cute personalized label for their jars. He and D went to a friend's house and picked the plums. What was so funny was that when told to prepare their things to go home, they got the jelly first before the X-Box and all the other electronic toys. They made it home safely.

We miss them dearly but have to confess that getting back to a normal routine is not all bad. I guess God made it this way to keep grandparents from being too sad when the little ones leave.

The furry boys are lost. They had constant attention while the kids were here. Even the furry ones have slept for the better part of two days now lol.

We have a birthday party to go to this afternoon. Its hard to believe the great grand daughter is soon to be three. How time flies.

Has anyone done research to see if the brain can really shrink? On that note, I will say goodbye.

Pleasing People - Not

THE DONKEY STORY

I believe there is a lesson here for us all!

An old man, a boy & a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey & the old man walked.

As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking & the boy was riding. The man & boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.

Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk." They then decided they both would walk!

Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey.

Next they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy & man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal & he fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, you might as well... Kiss your ass goodbye! Have A Nice Day & Be Careful With Your Donkey.

Grammy goes High Tech

Good Morning! Hope all you readers are happy and contented. To be in that state is truly a blessing.

At the expense of sounding uninformed, I want to share an experience I had last week. My favorite gas station is forever changed. For some reason their supplier decided to outsource and since I can't go to China for service it required me to change my habits regarding gassing up my car. You see I had used this same station for about 10 years and even though it wasn't full service, Kenneth, manager, would always come fill my tank for me. So I am not versed on the modern gadgets that involve pushing all these buttons, knowing which slot (and believe you me there are lots to choose from) to put the card into etc.

Well, the other day, my red light came on flashing at me telling me that I was real close to the walking stage. Let me digress for a moment, I had this cub that ran out of gas more times in a week than most do in a lifetime. But since he is too far away to return the favor to bring me gas and besides I don't think he would appreciate pink furry houseshoes (private joke), I wheeled into this station with utmost confidence that I could master a little chore like getting gas.

My first challenge was opening the gas tank lid. You know they don't even put knobs or anything to help on those things. After a bit I got it open and was feeling pretty good. The next challenge was to choose which credit card. Boy now I am on a roll. I select the Visa and put my card into the slot above the pictures of the cards. Well the first time I put it in, it spits it back so hard it lands on the ground. I pick it up and this time I shove it in pretty good. Next I push lots of other buttons and still nothing happens. So setting pride aside, I push the button labeled Help. I wait a good long while and finally a voice comes out of nowhere and says, "Could I help you" now don't you think this is a stupid question for someone who had just pushed the help button. Anyway, I say, "Yes, there seems to be a problem with this pump, I put my card in but it still won't work." Since she is overworked and the store understaffed, I have to wait a while longer.

Then this very pleasant young lady comes bouncing out to the pump. When I show her where I put my card, I could see her hiding a smile. She replied, "Don't worry, you put your card in the wrong slot (it happens all the time, yeah right) but I will have to go get the key". After another wait of several minutes she comes bouncing back with a key. She finally dug my card out and gave me a brief lesson on what to do next. I finished filling my car with gas and was feeling better about it when low and behold a light comes on and asked me if I want a receipt. I push the yes button and stand and wait at the slot where I first put my card. You see that was really the receipt slot. Well nothing came out so I just decided they could keep the receipt and started to get in my car to leave. Here comes this sweet young lady again waving my receipt and telling me that somehow the receipt printer wasn't working on that pump at the moment. Duh, some grammy had just crammed her card into the printer slot. This young lady's bright smile and happy attitude just made my day!

"Whoa"

FACTS TO PONDER:


(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. Is 700,000

(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Now think about this:

Guns:

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. Is 80,000,000.

(Yes, that's 80 million..)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is
1,500.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is

.000188

Statistics courtesy of the FBI

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So, statistically, doctors are approximately

9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Truly a "Mother's Day"

Well what a day! What a life! What a family! Who could ask for more, certainly not me. My cubs all called, sent flowers, cards, gifts and best of all told me "they love me". If I die and go to heaven tonight I will certainly be one happy Mother!!! My Alien took me out to eat and pretty much catered to me all weekend. Even the little westies seemed to know I was having a special day and believe it or not there were no puddles, yukies, etc to surprise me.

To the cubs who are scared that Marbela has misplaced her marbles, they will have it confirmed when the "rest of the story" of the shopping trip evolves. The hospital is sponsoring a dog show this coming Saturday. They are doing this to raise money for the "Relay for Life" a big fund raiser all businesses participate in and it goes to cancer research. Well, since we know that our westies will be the cutest there, we decided to deck them out a little. So yesterday, we came home with of all things Harley Davidson Jackets, Harley Davidson Caps, and Harley Davidson collars for them to wear. We had to dress them up since we knew there was no way they could win the categories of the best mannered and surely not the best trained so we will do it the American way and depend on "LOOKS". Pictures will be shared.

The Alien got our new canopy up today on the deck. Hopefully we will get the pool opened within the next two weeks.

Busy week coming up, the cub is now in softball practice, plus the final few days of school. I think she will be exempted from finals as her grades are As and Bs. She also has riding lessons this week. Add to that my hair appointment, Frosty's third shot and George's department is having their annual hamburger cook (also to raise money for cancer).

Thanks for sharing your time.

"Does Money Talk"

One day a man called the church office. He said, "Can I speak to the head hog at the trough?

"The secretary thought she heard what he said, but said, "I'm sorry, who?" The caller repeated, "Can I speak to the head hog at thetrough?" She said, "Well, if you mean the preacher, then you may refer to him as 'Pastor,' or 'Brother,' but I prefer that you not refer to him as the 'head hog at the trough'!"

To this the man replied, "Well, I was planning on giving$100,000 to the building fund...."To this the secretary quickly responded "Hang on, I think the big fat pig just walked in!"

Where there is a will there is a way

We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the "seniors' special" was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $1.99. "Sounds good," I said. "But I don't want the eggs.""

Then I'll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte," the waitress warned me. "You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?" I asked incredulously."YES!!" stated the waitress.

"I'll take the special then." I said. "How do you want your eggs?" the waitress asked."Raw and in the shell," I replied. I took the two eggs home. DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!!! We've been around the block more than once.

Scientific Phenomenon

Well, I have done it again, messed with Mother Nature by becoming a mother at age 68 . This time to a little white fur ball that moves about 35 miles per hour and is not potty trained (yet). What must I have been thinking. Ahh there is the key, not enough thinking!!!! I have to admit this little critter is a ton of fun and maybe just maybe enough fun to make up for the utter choas he has thrown this household into.

A lot may be said about our home, ie not clean enough, not big enough, not fancy enough but I guarantee you one thing they cannot say and that it is too quiet and boring. While you may hear me long for "quiet and boring", it is obvious by my actions that I truly don't desire q&b.

In spite of all the cubs efforts to keep my marbles in tact (even to the point of buying a t-shirt), I just keep finding ways to scatter them. There is a strategy in all of this. You see, it keeps them on their toes to try to keep the marbles in one place. Since they are goal oriented cubs, I make sure that I have a goal available in case they run out of their own. Now you know my secret.

We have a fun weekend planned. We are having a surprise birthday party for BD. We will be cooking hamburgers outside, eating cowboy beans and having a carrot cake. Vand R will be here and maybe R's new lady friend. R is doing much better and seems to be improving gradually. My sibling was a little hesitant about his new friend until I convinced her that God intended for us to be "fishers of men not inspectors of fish". She actually started relaxing a little and being a little more flexible. See if you young whippersnappers just give us time, we get it on the right track (or else lose the track completely).

We did lots of work in our back yard last week. Hopefully, A will get the new canopy put on the deck tonight. I love to sit out there and drink my coffee early in the mornings. The Alien water proofed the deck and I sanded and did part of the painting for the yard swing and park bench. Had to quit as the paint fumes were getting to me (or so I told them, lol) You know there is good in everything, I even find good uses for the COPD, Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis. Just don't tell anyone.

I must get busy, have one more day to clean in the Cub's room. Have worked on it for three days so far. She is having to use the guest bedroom so I must hurry or she will have it destroyed too.

My flowers are looking pretty good. The hot weather isn't here yet though.

Thanks for the visit.

Grief - "A Reality of Life"

As most of you are aware, Memorial Day is just around the corner. I made a trip to the cemetery today to check on Mom and Dad's grave. While I know their souls are not there, it is still a bit of comfort to visit the graveside and a token of respect to see that it is decorated with flowers for Memorial Day. This is not done for me but for them since this was an important event for them and they saw to it that this was done for their parents' graves. This is what has prompted me to think about grief and the different ways it has affected my life. Whether it is a loss from a death, divorce, etc the way we deal with grief is extremely important to our well being.

I truly feel if I had learned early in life how to properly go through the grieving experience my emotional growth would have been deeply enhanced.

A wise grief counselor named Doug Manning is responsible for any benefit that you might gain from these (his) words of wisdom that have helped me immensely.

With Memorial Day on the horizon, it is a time for remembrance of loved ones that have departed from our lives, however, I hope it will also serve as a reminder for us to cherish the loved ones that are still with us. It seems to me that I never realized how much I loved my parents and grandparents until they were no longer here with me. I think I took them for granted and maybe that happens to most of us.

Mr. Manning states that the onion analogy fits the gradual grieving experience. It is done in layers. The Layer that I am sharing today is "Layer-Two Reality". It fits this time of year for me. Most of the questions, why, etc have come and gone. Reality comes and sits on my chest. I wake up at night with the awful reality that I will never see Mom and Dad again {on this earth).
Then the pain comes and it is hard to breath. This for me is the toughest part of grief and Doug is right, there is no short cut. I can't go around it - I must go through it. I know that there is growth in the pain. When I hurt the most is when I am growing the most. I know that when I am hurting, I am working through feelings. Occasionally the pain will subside for a time to give me a much needed break. Without the break, I could not have handled the pain. I realize that the tough times are ultimately motivating me to reconstruct my life without my parents.

Why is it with all the high tech information available, there is still a lack of people preparing their children in the much needed art of dealing with grief? Maybe it is because we don't want to face it ourselves. I plead guilty to this omission with my children, my only excuse is I didn't know better.

So as we go through yet another day of remembrance, give your loved ones an extra hug, set aside a time to reminisce about the ones departed and stop to smell the roses.

"CLICHE'S"

These days, there are lots of discussions occurring regarding marbles....so with that in mind... I have invented a substitution for "That is how the cookie crumbles" to "That is just how the marbles roll". Now if you are a student of the game of marbles, you can understand how they could get lost so easily.

Back in the "olden days", grown men used to play marbles. My father was one of them. On Sundays, after Church, several guys would get together and play behind our grocery store. It was very competitive. My Dad dug the holes and they had to be so far apart, so deep, so round, etc. He had a special marble called a Taw. This shooting marble was a little larger than an ordinary marble. His was white with black specks. He treasured this Taw immensely.

My Dad was very sports minded. He played baseball (before his illness) and we loved to go to the games. My Mom was expecting my younger sister and she said, "If she is born on Sunday, it had better rain so I don't miss a ballgame". Sure enough, the little one was born on a Sunday and it rained. What a fiasco, the entire team decided to come to the hospital to share in this new arrival.

We were died in the wool Yankee fans so when the Yankees played in the finals for the world series one year, my Dad talked our school principal into giving excused absences to the kids that wanted to come to our house to see the game. One of my best friends could tell you the batting averages of all the players in the American League.

Maybe I will compose a song instead of "rambling rose" it will be about rambling marbles. Or again, maybe not. Thanks for the visit

"Enough Already"

Okay, enough already! To further enlighten you I will explain. Yesterday, I went to get a follow-up X-ray from the pneumonia and when the "young" lady came to take me in for the film she looked at my hospital bracelet then at me and asked, "When is your birthdate?" I replied, "September 28, 1939" She looked at me when an astonished look on her face and said, "1939, wow you don't look that" when she realized mouth was engaged, she clasp her hand on her mouth. I finished her sentence, "that old?" Her face was beet red and the guy taking the film and I were both just cracking up.

Next, gerbeans called to check to see if I was home so they could come for a visit. When they got here, Ger handed me a sack with a beautiful t-shirt in it. The only drawback was what the t-shirt had written on it. "Lost Marbles" I guess I must evaluate this situation for deeper meaning lol.

Confession time: Casper does not like our new addition, Frosty. He is very depressed and won't eat. Frosty is a precious rambunctious little ball of energy!!! However, we are ALL going to be relieved when his new adoptive family is selected. This has been a very enlightening experience for all of us. First to see Casper's reaction and next to remind us of how much time and energy it takes to take care of a lively puppy.

If you haven't visited Sonic's Oven, it is worth the time.

Have a wonderful day and weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Spring, it is a comin"

We were blessed with such a beautiful weekend. The trees are all budding out and the weather is so wonderful. The Alien worked in the yard getting the first mowing and clean up started. Today, after work, we went to the garden center and picked up geraniums and a hanging basket of petunias. The spring fever is hitting and believe it or not, I actually feel like participating in the sprucing up (on a limited basis).

We are totally enjoying our new addition. Frosty has such a delightful personality that he keeps us laughing most of the time. He loves to be rocked so hopefully when he is adopted, his new family will rock him to sleep (you think?)

Our Cub is taking horse back riding lessons. She goes every other week. Hopefully, this will be a good outlet for her. She tired of the guitar lessons quickly.

Thanks for the visit!!

Newest Family Addition

Last Sunday, we traveled to Oklahoma City and picked up our very first "foster" westie. He is about seven weeks old and came from a puppy mill which is not a good environment! He is doing real well here and seems to be adjusting quickly. He is very spirited and drives Casper nuts. He literally runs circles around Casper and nips at him. His favorite thing to chew on is my foot! It will be real nice when he begins to sleep all night. It usually takes one to two trips outside in the wee hours. We have him in a playpen in the dining room for sleeping. He is available for adoption unless we decide to keep him (don't tell George).

Oh by the way, I am doing really well. Can even talk (if I don't do much giggling) without too much coughing. Checkup again next week so don't anticipate any problems. Just don't have time for this sickly business.

Will visit more later. Bye all

"I Plead Guility"

The Coach

At one point during a game, the coach called one of his 9-year-old baseball players aside and asked, "Do you understand what cooperation is? And what the word team means?" The little boy nodded in the affirmative.

"And do you understand that what matters is whether we win or lose together, as a team?" The little boy nodded. "So," the coach continued, "I'm sure you know, when an out is called, you shouldn't argue, curse, attack the umpire, or call him a pecker-head. Do you understand all that?" Once again the little boy nodded.

He continued, "And when I take you out of the game so another boy gets a chance to play, it's not good sportsmanship to call your coach a 'dumb ass' is it?" Again the little boy nodded.

"Good," said the coach. "Now you go on over there and explain all that to your "Grandmother".

Happy Tears, Sad Tears, or Just plain old tears

I read in a response to a blog the other day about happy tears. Well, yesterday, I think I experienced every kind of tear available. You see one of my cubettes loaded his car and headed out to the rest of his life. How excited he must have felt. I wonder if his cycle of emotions were as complicated as mine thinking about how his life is evolving. First there was sheer happiness knowing how he must be feeling. Next came total selfishness on my part thinking about the changes being made and how we could never go back to our original relationship with Mew. It was temporary despair! Our little critter leaving the cave. All these past Christmases forever changed. All the summer experiences forever changed. All the crystal hunting, frog shooting, boating forever replaced with his grown up life. Yes, Mew, it was indeed a sad day at Grammy's and couldn't be fixed by her making another chocolate pie. One thing that will never change is my love for Mew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goooooood Morning

Hopefully everone had a nice weekend. We certainly did although the best part was that it was totally unproductive!! We have a beautiful day today. The sun is shining and believe it or not, the wind is not blowing. How much luckier can we be?

I am getting ready to make cookies for the Compassion Outreach Center that our Church sponsors. We have volunteer doctors, nurses, etc staffing it one night each month and people who need it are given services and free medicines. We also provide a meal. Yes, First born cub, my cookies will be home made. For those of you unfamiliar with this story, my oldest cub kept volunteering me for cookies everytime they had a school party. One day his teacher called me and she was laughing until she had trouble talking. She said, "When I asked for cookies and K raised his hand, I said, your Mom does them all the time" and to this he replied, "Oh but she doesn't care and besides hers are always home made".

I have a confession of weakness to share. You know we are told in the Bible to be content in whatever state we are in and usually I don't have a problem with this. However, right now I am struggling. I need strength. You see, last week I went to my regular beautician for a haircut and perm. To emphasize how bad the cut is when the Alien looked at me, he said, "How come your hair is lots longer on one side than the other?" Now you know it must be bad for him to notice as usually I can get two haircuts before he notices it the first time. Then my older sibling and spouse came yesterday and when they saw it, they tried hard to hide their faces and were pretty successful until I turned around and they saw the back. My sibling said, "You should have gone with Casper and let them do your hair". I may be like Mrs. Beans and have to get a wig until it grows out. The Alien might be surprised when he comes home and all the mirrors are off the walls.

I have a funny story to share with you. The Alien's library is his bathroom. When he orders books from Amazon, he orders several. I though he was keeping the new ones in the rack in his Bathroom. When I got in the house cleaning mode (which isn't too often anymore) and cleaned our bedroom thoroughly I would take the stack of books off his dresser and put them in the book cases. Sure enough some time later, here would come a new supply of books. Finally, I said, how are you reading so many books? He said, "I am not, I think I have lots of new books on my dresser and then when I go to get one, they are gone so I just think I am out again so I order more". I said, "Well, all those on your dresser have been moved to the book case". He found many new books there that he had not read. Now I know not to move the "stack" lol

Thanks for letting me visit - you are in my prayers -

"Boring, boring, final update"

Don't you get tired of people going on and on about what all is wrong with them? Well, I do even if you don't so with that in mind I am sending my final update on the medical condition that has been irritating me for several weeks.

First, the specialist stated that I was not having mini strokes. Yippee!! He said it was my heart. Yippee again. I would rather make a quick exit than hang around drooling so celebrate with me!! I am now taking another heart medication and have not had a "spell" since that medicine got built up. The problem with the heart is in the wiring and surgery is not an option. It is all in my ballpark and I just have to manage the stress since it is the main contributing factor. I plan to be around long enough to be a thorn in my cubs' flesh so while I love your concern please don't worry okay?

Now enough said on that subject.

The cub has two more guitar lessons left (in the beginners' class) and when I asked her if she was interested in the advanced lessons, she gave me a definite "no".

Those memories of the soft drinks were entertaining. I remember before the last boy cub left home, he drank an IBC rootbeer somewhere and when we couldn't find one in our town, he somehow talked me into driving about 60 miles to another town to get them.

My older sibling has been experiencing some really heart wrenching times these days with one of her cubs. The other night they were up visiting and I was telling her that I had made appointments that day for Casper and me to get our hair cut. To this she stated, "Do you'll go to the same place?" Her spouse and I were ROFL and bless her heart she could not figure out why.

Well its naptime so thanks for letting me visit.

Grapette

Recently, I read a blog concerning grapettes. Just for the record, they were created the same year of my birth. Also, that was the very first soda that I can remember drinking. Won't drink the new versions since they are not in the original bottle. Set in my ways or just don't want to spoil good memories!!

Persimmons, Head Feed and Storms - #2

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we were two young siblings helping our Dad clear some land for planting "head feed". He was cutting the persimmon sprouts and we were dragging them over to a pile. Some of these sprouts had some orangey looking fruit on them. After much nagging about what they tasted like and Dad telling us they weren't ripe yet, he finally said, "Well go ahead and eat one". Now if you have ever eaten a green persimmon you will be totally sympathetic with us. Your mouth puckers until you can't get a straw in it. Strangely enough, we didn't complain but I assure you that we never nagged again about eating those orangey things.

Now if you have never experienced the joy of harvesting head feed, you are surely deprived. It puts off a fine dust that gets all over you. Down your collar, in your socks, hair - well you get the picture. Anyway, it stings just like you had walked through stinging nettles. We would cut off the tops and throw them in the wagon for hauling to the barn. Did a bath ever feel good!!!

It was during this time that Dad was working at the ammunition depot (during the war) and trying to keep things running at home. This was during the time of rationing. My parents would trade some of their sugar rations for coffee rations. On Fridays, when Dad got paid, he would be given four milky ways with his check. Chocolate was very hard to come by. I can still remember how good that milky way tasted. During this time frame, Dad took in a homeless person (they knew him well) and he lived with us until he got back on his feet. Now the good part of this was that he would also get five candy bars since he lived with us and he would share them with us.

This will be the last memory of the ranch shared as this final episode necessitated us moving into town.

We have violent storms in this part of the country. Mom was so scared of storms that Dad always said if it clouded over, she made us go to the storm cellar. This one day she had done just that. As my Dad watched from the cellar door, he watched the wind blow the roof off the house, the lightening kill livestock and the hail beat the car up pretty bad. Then and there the decision was made to move.

Thanks for visiting!!!

Recounted Memories - 1st of ?

In the past several days, I have had occasion to use my "memory bank" for certain things. I am discovering that it might be necessary for me to write down a few things (not that I am getting forgetful) lol.

Now before I get into my memories, I want to share something funny that happened prior to my birth. In those days, there were no pampers so you used cloth diapers. There were also no washers and dryers so you did laundry by hand. Okay on to the story, my Mom had hung out my sibling's diapers on the clothes line and Dad's dogs had been pulling at the bottom of them. My Mom gave my Dad a fair warning and assured him that if they did it again she would shoot them. Well, they did and then she did. The only problem she put the shotgun up to her face like a rifle so she had a very black and blue face.

So, with that in mind, I am starting at my earliest memories which was about age 3. I was the second born daughter to this Christian hard working (poor materially) couple. We lived out in the country on a small farm /ranch. We had cows, pigs, chickens, horses and dogs.

It was about this time that the infamous saying originated. My Dad called out to me to bring him the milk bucket so he could milk the cows. I was never very far from his heels when he was at home. It was just about dark as I started out with the bucket and since I was so short the bucket hit the ground often. On the way, I heard this owl hooting. To my young ears it was saying, "Whooo are you?" To this I answered, "I Barba Ann and I goin to the house as fast as I can". With that, I threw the bucket down and ran like a quail. I can still hear my Dad laughing and no matter how hard he tried, I would not come back out. This saying has followed me through my entire life.

Dad took me with him everywhere he could and one day we were going into town in the wagon to get some feed for the animals. He always found a penny or two for candy and this day was no different. That day, the candy he bought me was a green, yellow and pink striped coconut square. As I was savoring each tiny nibble, I saw something shiny and sure enough there was a little ring in the candy. What a treat!! As you can see from some early pictures, I have always loved jewelry.

In that day and age, the men all got together when the weather turned cold and killed hogs. They would go from one house to the other helping each other. Well, I had one of the pigs named and was very distraught when the slaughter took place. Afterwards when Mom cooked the pork, I would ask if it was my pig and each time Dad would say no. It never occurred to me that when the pork was all gone so was my pig.

I don't know if we went every Saturday night or not but I remember many times that on Saturday afternoon Mom would give us baths, curl our hair and put us down for a nap. That night we would go into the next big town and go to Gene Bell's cafe. We would get hamburgers and then go to the Okla Theatre and watch a movie. The movies were mostly all westerns. First they showed the cartoons, then the serial, each week they had what we now call soaps so they would show an episode and leave you hanging until the next week. Then came the main feature. Those were the days of Roy Rogers, Lash Larue, etc. Those were clear times, the good guys always won. You could tell the good from the bad as the good ones wore white hats while the bad ones wore black.

"Senility" Only Alternative?

I am suddenly being bombarded with little quips regarding age. For instance, one cub gave me a plaque that reads "I am just an Old Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World". Then the reference to the elderly during my recent hospital visit, and to top that off, the Alien's secretary sent me the following little prayer:

--- THE SENILITY PRAYER : Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.

I know what is happening! Its all this dreary weather! Yep, that must be it. I have one thing to say to the clever mouth of the wayward cub, "Raggedy Ann's will be around when Miss Barbie bites the dust".

With the recent eye surgery, I have ensured my ability to recognize the "correct" people and those that don't know about the surgery, well they will just think I am getting "Senile". Hee hee, I have it covered!

Food for Thought

Just a humorous thought to my present "physical" dilemma. Remember the doctor's explanation was "you can't put 7 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket". Well, duh, I will just buy a bigger bucket. Just kidding!!!!!!

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand:

A lady went to a beauty shop to have her hair cut and her nails painted and trimmed. As the lady began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the beautician said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked Sheryl, who has MS.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."Then Sheryl thought for a moment, but didn't respond because she didn't want to start an argument. The beautician finished her job and the customer left the shop.

Just after she left the beauty shop, she saw a woman in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and not groomed at all. She looked dirty and unkempt. Then Sheryl turned back and entered the beauty shop again and she said to the beautician: "You know what? Beauticians do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised beautician. "I am here, and I am a beautician. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" Sheryl exclaimed. "Beauticians don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and be very unkempt, like that woman outside."

"Ah, but beauticians DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed Sheryl. "That 's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Best Made Plans of Mice and Men

Sometimes no matter how hard you have tried to be organized it just doesn't work out that way. Today was one of those days for both me and the Alien. After a trip to the doctor yesterday to explore these weird "episodes" that have been occurring about once a week, she diagnosed the problem as Mini Strokes or TIA's. Being the cautious one she is, I was scheduled for an MRI, Ultrasound and blood work today to make sure there were no blockages. Well, this morning I hopped out of bed to get the cub off to school. She even talked me into taking her too school so she wouldn't have to ride the bus. About that time, one of the episodes hit again. When these hit, my vision is so blurred that driving is impossible, balance is gone, weakness is severe and usually there is nausea. At this point, I called the Alien to come get me to take me to the hospital. I was thinking for the tests but with my medical history, he assumed that I was having a heart attack so he called the ambulance so I got chauffeured to the hospital in style. Needless to say, my limo was closely followed by a red ford pickup. Now the fun really starts, yeah right.

I have to insert something humorous here. As they were wheeling me to Xray, a new tech in training was assisting the usual technician. The new tech had asked me my name and I told him. The seasoned tech said, "You must always check the bracelet as sometimes the elderly may not understand the question". If I had just had the energy, I could have had some fun with that. I knew that day could come but wish I could have been in a position to enjoy it.

Anyway to make a long story short, all the tests were run and no blockages. The ER physician came in and told me that he had discussed all this with my own physician and they both agreed that the mini strokes were being caused by stress. As the ER doc said, you can take a 5 gallon bucket and try to put in 7 gallon and something has to give. Where we go from here is a big question.

Don't worry, the Alien is like a mother hen and takes such good care of me and oh yes, Casper too, he won't leave my side when I am ill.

Need a Giggle?

The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?" She was a probation officer in Wichita, Kansas.