"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.

Back to Basics

Have you noticed that sometimes even a good thing gets so far out that we must stop, take a deep breath and go back to the basics? Do you ever feel that Xmas is at this stage? Don't get me wrong, I am probably one of the biggest offenders (for lack of a better word). However, in the quiet of the morning while thinking back to why we are celebrating Xmas I can't help but wonder if this is what God had in mind when he sent his son.

That reflection raised these thoughts. For Jesus' birthday, there were no feasts, stacks of presents, lavish parties, etc. It was a very awesome day. Not even a bed to lay him in. Yet based on that day's event, we as Christians believe we were given the gift of eternal life. Think back to each of the gifts you received, did any of them give you such an awesome promise? It made me think that we should do further soul searching on how would Jesus want to celebrate his birthday? Would it be with overspending, overeating, jealousy that someone got more or better gifts than we did, partying to the point of drunkeness, just focusing on the entirely different concept than Jesus had in mind for "HIS" birthday party. Has it become "OUR" party? If so, can we give the same gifts he does? Can we give patience, charity, unselfishness, and all those other virtues he so generously bestows?

What if there was just one town in this world that chose to celebrate Jesus' birthday as he would choose? How would they do it? My thoughts are that they would spend their time and money celebrating family, orphans, elderly and those less fortunate. I don't think there would be drunken parties, credit cards maxed out, jealous confrontations, etc It made me stop and ask myself how would I feel if I were Jesus?

Do we need to go back to basics?

Do You Have a Title?

See, even the blog ask for a title! Are titles important to you? They are to most people. For instance, my title is "Executive Senior Research Associate in the Field of Child Development and Human Relations". I know your next question, how did you get that title? Well, I earned it by becoming a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Now if you will read the title carefully you will see how all this fits together. First, I am diversified and able to multitask which is extremely important in my field. I am willing to work long hours and seven days a week without asking for overtime or comp time. I work in the field (some call them playgrounds) as well as inside. I am not geared to get my reward through monetary compensation. I am a dedicated employee who will probably never retire. I will never file for workmen's comp or sue the company for sexual harassment. I do not require vacation time or sick leave. So now you know how I earned my title. "Just a Mom"

country girl or city boy

I have just had my amusement for the day. Can you believe it came from reading MSN's home page? Jon Katz wrote a very detailed story about his "steer" and how the steer named Elvis fell in love. I was practically rolling in the floor laughing. If Jon would look up the word "steer" in the dictionary he would find out why I found this so funny. Of course, I confess to being a country girl so I knew the impossibility of an occurrence such as this happening. Goes to show, "You can't believe everything you hear and not much of what you read", sorry for modifying this quotation a little.

Warty Frog

The warty frog is not pretentious. It does not berate its Maker for its lack of beauty. It lives and thrives in spite of its outward affectations.

Perhaps it is far wiser than mortals who would strive to cloak that which they truly are.

Lots of wisdom imparted by Mary Summer Rain in this quotation don't you think?

Elfdom

If some of you are wondering if there is such a word as Elfdom, I will answer that quickly. If there wasn't before, there is now. I like that word. Better still I like elves. No wonder Santa is always so happy. He has all those little elves helping him. What jolly little people they are. Now here comes the kicker!! If anyone asks you what I want for Xmas, tell them I want elves. Lots and lots of elves. The more the merrier!

Clan Update

Hopefully all the ailing members of the clan are up and over the sneaky little bug that caught them. Just a quick note from the cave to update what is happening here.

We totally enjoyed all the cubs and their families that made it here for the big day. I think all of us had more to eat than we needed. One neice has called me to remind me that I didn't fulfil my role in the making of a chocolate pie for this specific person. I promised two for Xmas. It seems she has appointed me to take her Grandmother's place in making these pies.

J came through her surgery today. It was quite lengthy, almost five hours but thankfully no report of any lingering problems. There were several of us there to give her moral support and it sure seemed like a long time to sit and wait.

Gerbeans and spouse will be leaving tomorrow. Boy their time here sure goes fast.

I have started another new project. Genealogy! Boy is it ever fascinating. I am about to decide that I may have too many projects going but sure enjoy both the land searches along with the "people" searches.

Will sign off for now -

"Latest Endeavor"

Grammy is into another search. I am now doing genealogy searches working on my family tree. How interesting!! I have gone back as far as several "greats" on certain family ancestors. When Xmas rolls around and the grandkids come and find Grammy glued to the computer on ancestry.com they may get a little irritated, lol.
Howver, I will try to make sure that we don't have to many "sad days". I have discovered that one of our distant relatives was married to the Gatlins of the Gatlin Gun inventors. Another one was captured in the civil war, one was witness to a lynching, etc.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving. Don't know for sure who all will be here but will just enjoy the time. I am trying out a new rocky road chocolate pie recipe. One of the cubettes asked her Mom to make sure that I didn't forget to make the broccoli/rice cassserole and the cherry cheese cake. And they think us "older" ones are the traditionalists, lol.

We had the energizer bunny all day Sunday. She went to Church with us. We then went out to eat and on to the Couches for a visit. She got to go with Papa G out into the pasture to see the longhorn cows. He couldn't get her on the four wheeler though, she said, "no, I too scared". She does not want to miss her bible class and since her Mom and her Nina were going to the city, I talked them into leaving her with us.

I have come to grips with the situation with the cub to the north. Still have some very sad thoughts but don't obsess about it. It is in God's hands.

Happy turkey day to all of you - as you know our family has our love -

New Experience

I had a new experience yesterday that I enjoyed immensely. My siblings and I are in the process of leasing some of our royalty that we inherited from our Mom. As is my usual inquisitive nature, I couldn't figure why the numbers of acres seemed to change each time a land company leased the royalty. I decided that I would try to find out how all this worked. That involved me going to the court house in Atoka County and doing research on two Sections of land. There was one lady that worked there that sort of took me under her wing and taught me the tricks to find information. That was so interesting. I was able to learn how to trace the history of ownership clear back to their beginning. I was able to find out that we were being "underpaid" for the number of acres. The siblings were encouraging but didn't participate in the hunt. I have two more court houses to visit. One in Pittsburg County and one in Cooks County, Texas. Oh yes, another visit to Atoka County for two more sections. That is so fascinating to see all these records. Fortunately, these parcels of land so far have not changed ownership too awfully many times. Each time any transaction takes place, it is notated in first the legal description book under the specific Section, then the deeds are in yet more books and if the mineral rights have been sold they are also kept in minerals deed books. The land in Texas in question that my Papa kept the mineral rights on was land owned by his Dad and it was purchased back in the 1800's. After his death, Papa bought his siblings share of the property. We have no idea how much royalty we may have there. So far, there has not been anyone attempting to lease it. Anyway, I am looking forward to that challenge. Should be very interesting to read about that great grand father on the D side.

Casper had his beauty shop appt today and got his yearly vaccinations. He was really glad to see us when we picked him up.

Thanks for visiting!

"True Family Sagas"

There was this family who lived in a small rural community. They were extremely poor in material things but very blessed with what matters most - family - This family consisted of a mother, father and three girls. Two of the girls were much older than the third one. They were surrounded by grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and too many cousins to count. This family lived in a three room house without running water and had an outside outhouse. The birthdays were not always celebrated with gifts, parties or even cakes. Yet each family member knew they were loved. Christmas also was very lean. Not always even a Christmas tree. Yet each member knew they were loved.

Now when future stories are written about this family, you have the setting.

The episode that I am writing about today took place when the two older siblings were quite young (around ages 11 & 13). Their parents had to go to the Northwest to pick up the patriarch's brother(who was going through mid-life crisis). Anyway, the parents left the two girls with a great-grandmother and great-grandfather hereafter called Pa and Grannie. Pa and Grannie lived one block over in a fairly large house. Grannie was not to keen on cleaning and had many cats that lived inside. Unfortunately the cats got their food from the dining room table also. Now the second night there, the siblings were in bed trying to go to sleep and the wind was whistling through the windows and the house seemed to be creaking. They decided then and there that they would go home and spend the rest of the time there. Which is exactly what they did the very next day.

Now before the parents returned the youngest sibling decided to clean the house and do the laundry. The older sibling refused to help so this created a large confrontation that resulted in a rather spirited fight with feather pillows. Much to their dismay, one of the pillows came apart and those pesky feathers went everywhere. The youngest sibling thought by sweeping them outside, they would go un-noticed. Afterall, they had chickens so feathers were common place. However, piles of feathers are different from a few scattered around or at least that is what the parents said.

Stay tuned!

And Life Goes On!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, with the election behind us what oh what will the networks find to blast away to the unsuspecting watchers! Of course, we could always push the "off" button, heaven forbid. I realize that I am probably in the minority but I actually enjoy politics. Could that be because my Dad had me handing out candidates cards at a very young age? Or calling people to see if they needed for my Dad to give them a ride to the polls? Or maybe it was just the "lively" debates between my Dad and his Dad. One a staunch democrat and the other just as staunch in his republican view. Oh well, my one attempt in running for an office (School Board) was interesting. Even though I came close enough for a run-off, I didn't win. You know those incumbents are hard to beat, lol.

Our cub is currently suffering with "pink" eye. She is sure that this is the disaster of the year. I don't think she minds missing school but does mind missing the academic trip to a nearby town tomorrow afternoon.

The Alien is sure enjoying his new truck. His brother-in-law is very worried that the Alien is going to wash the paint off if he doesn't quit washing it so often.

Our little energizer bunny is sure blooming these days. At Church Sunday, she sat in my lap and immediately she said, "Grammy, where is your purse?" She has already learned where the goodies are.

Earlier Halloweens Remembered

With the recent celebrations going on for this Halloween, it brought back memories of "many" Halloweens ago. There was not the huge attention paid to it in the small rural area where I grew up. Although, the most dire thing done back then was to turn over people's outhouses. For all you young whippersnappers that don't know, there were times when we actually had an "outside" toilet. Come to think of it, there are good sides to everything. You sure didn't have complaints of someone "hogging" the bathroom. It was sweltering hot in the summer and icy cold in the winter. Anyway, there was this one guy in our town who was also the janitor at our school. He was extremely "cranky" so the kids that were inclined to be mischievous seemed to always accomplish turning over his outhouse. That was pretty amazing since he would sit out by it with his shotgun most of the night. In retrospect, the crankiness could have come from him having to put up with all of us everyday, ya think?

My Dad was very involved with young people and had some curious ways of making us think. For instance, one Halloween, he loaded up his pickup (with a camper shell on it) with kids and took us to a town about 35 miles away. His brother-in-law was the deputy sheriff. This uncle took us down in the basement where the jail was located and gave us a tour. To this day, I remember the prisoners yelling and screaming at us. Valuable exposure to that side of life given to us in a purely unassuming way. We all thought at the time that it was just a scary thing to do.

Another time, he suggested that a bunch of us go walk through the cemetery. He recommended a certain route to take. Off we went, it was getting dark with just enough light to make out outlines of things. When we got to the cemetery, we were already worked up in frenzy thinking about all the ghosts that "might" be there. Sure enough, all of a sudden, we heard this "ohhhhhh" noise and looked over to see this ghost just gliding through the graves. Talk about run, anyone of us could have qualified for the Olympics. We beat Dad back to the house and we were excitedly telling Mom about the ghost. About that time, Dad walked up so we told him the story. Before we got to the "ohhhhh" noise Dad said, "Did it sound like this and he made the sound". Needless to say, he was in big trouble. More from laughing too hard than our pommelling him I think.

We had a few trick or treaters last night, not many though. Our Cub worked at the Fall Festival at our Church. She made a "cute" cat.

Never could stand misspelled words

Two men were walking home after a Halloween party and decided to take a shortcut through the cemetery just for laughs. Right in the middle of the cemetery, they were startled by a tap-tap-tapping noise coming from the misty shadows.

Trembling with fear, they found an old woman with a hammer and chisel, chipping away at one of the headstones. "Holy cow, Madam" one of them said after catching his breath, "You scared us half to death -- we thought you were a ghost! What are you doing working here so late at night?" "Those fools!" the old woman grumbled. "They misspelled my name."

"WATCH WHAT YOU SAY"

A man staggered into a hospital with a concussion, multiple bruises, two black eyes, and a five-iron wrapped tightly around his throat.
Naturally, the doctor asked him, "What happened to you?""Well, I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a difficult hole, we both sliced our balls into a cow pasture. We went to look for them and while I was looking around, I noticed one of the cows had something white at its rear end.""I walked over, lifted its tail, and sure enough, there was a golf ball with my wife's monogram on it stuck right in the middle of the cow's butt.""Still holding the cow's tail up, I yelled to my wife, 'Hey, this looks like yours!'""I don't remember much after that..."

Acts of Love

When we allow ourselves to understand the impact our actions have not only on ourselves but the planet we live on, we realize the necessity to take loving action. We each have the power to correct conditions within as well as to affect the world we live in.

There are so many ways to apply love in our everyday lives. Yet, if we do not take care of ourselves, it is virtually impossible to feel and share love with the world around us. As an act of self-love, we can begin to educate ourselves and learn to take care of our physical bodies as well as keep our thoughts and feelings positive and loving. Nurturing ourselves also teaches us how to nurture life around us.

Practice constant acts of kindness and you bring kindness upon this planet. Forgiveness is the easiest and most powerful act of kindness you can make. Both for yourself and for others, this activity promotes unity, harmony and oneness that transmutes the old into the new.

This magnificent planet is filled with opportunities to experience love, tolerance, peace and joy. When we, as individuals, realize our potential to love unconditionally, we transform ourselves and the planet at the same time. Such is the power we wield every moment of every day. The choice is ours to create a world of joy and happiness, love and goodwill.

Every moment of every day is a new beginning. This can be a powerful mantra or affirmation. The meaning held in these words opens us to a new way of living and experiencing life. Each moment holds a new beginning of possibility and an opportunity to create without limitation. We can let go of what we perceive or believe is before us and allow our personal potential to shine through. Start each day as a new journey of self discovery. Let go of yesterday and tomorrow and embrace the power of now. Remind yourself daily of the newness of life in the moment.

Mixing Oil and Water

Oil and water do not mix - the mantra is familiar to every schoolchild.
Now teachers may want to rewrite their lessons. If you first remove any gas that is dissolved in the water, it will mix spontaneously and even stay that way indefinitely, according to chemist Ric Pashley ix. newscientist.com

However, I doubted that theory even then because I saw first hand how they did mix. I will attemp to explain why I believed that they could mix.

First, I have to give you some background on some history of my grandparents (from both sides). I will begin with my mother's parents.

They were of German and Dutch heritage and were very hard working. They were somewhat reserved but we never doubted their love and dedication to family. However, when we visited their home, at mealtime, everyone ate at the table and it was very quiet. No loud laughter, elbows on the table (you get the picture). Their home was very organized. There were very few idle moments. Papa was a rancher by trade and a very prosperous one. They owned a great deal of land, had cattle, sheep, etc They were also very thrifty. Even though the children were expected to do their share of the work, they also lived a pretty privileged life for those times. Piano lessons, nice clothes, etc Granny D was one of those people you never seemed to see working but her house was always clean, food was always cooked and she always had large gardens and put up food for the winter. When we made the beds in the morning, they were not touched until you got into them at night. If you have never made a feather bed, you are truly deprived. It takes swatting them with a broom to make them nice and smooth. While this might sound like a "stiff" environment, it really wasn't. We grandkids loved to go there in the summer.

Now for the other side of the family. These grandparents were of Irish, English and native American heritage. My dad's parents were totally the opposite. They were farmers and hard workers but never had much but what they did have they would give to others less blessed. An overnight stay at Granny M's house could very well include the kids playing music at night and Granny getting up in her long flannel gown with braids hanging loose and doing the polka with us. As she was a rather large woman, this was truly a sight to behold. Granny M's house was one step ahead of the health department. When there were two or three M's together, they made more noise than 50 of the D's. Mealtime was choatic. Everybody talking at once, don't ask for someone to pass food if you could reach it, (you get this picture also?) Granny M had a reputation as the place on Hwy 99 for transients to stop to get a meal. She didn't invite them in but she did sit them on the porch and fed anyone who came to her door. If you visit with people who relocated to CA in the 50's, at least 50% or them will tell you that they stayed with the M's (free of course) until they found a job.

Now that you have a short synopsis of the background, you see why I grew up thinking oil and water could mix. My mother was a D and my father a M.

One interesting tidbit is that while I enjoyed going to the M's, I chose to go to the D's more often. My older sibling chose the M's. I guess that would give a clue to a shrink on our personalities huh?

Does this remind you of Grandpa J?

The duck and the lawyer

A big city lawyer went duck hunting in rural
Tennessee. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell
into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As
the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly farmer
drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing

The litigator responded, "I shot a duck and it fell
in this field, and now I'm going to retrieve it."
The old farmer replied, "This is my property, and you

are not coming over here."

The indignant lawyer said, "I am one of the best
trial attorneys in the United States and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you and take everything
you own.

The old farmer smiled and said, "Apparently, you
don't know how we settle disputes in Tennessee. We
settle small disagreements like this with the "Three
Kick Rule."The lawyer asked, "What is the Three Kick Rule?"

The Farmer replied, "Well, because the dispute occurs
on my land, first I kick you three times and then you
kick me three times and so on back and forth until
someone gives up."

The attorney quickly thought about the proposed
contest and decided that he could easily take the old
codger. He agreed to abide by the local custom.

The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor
and walked up to the attorney. His first kick planted
the toe of his heavy steel toed work boot into the
lawyer's groin and dropped him to his knees. His
second kick to the midriff sent the lawyer's last meal
gushing from his mouth.

The lawyer was on all fours when the farmer's third
kick to his rear end sent him face-first into a fresh
cow pie . The lawyer summoned every bit of his will
and managed to get to his feet.. Wiping his face with
the arm of his jacket, he said, "Okay, you old fart.

Now it's my turn."
[I love this part....]

The old farmer smiled and said, "Naw, I give up. You
can have the duck.

This is so like someone we all know and loved don't you think?

Things are not always as they appear

One day a small lizard was walking through the forest. He smelled pot and looked up to find a koala bear sitting in a tree.The little lizard looked up and said, "Hey koala bear, what are you doing up there?"The bear replied, "I'm getting high, come on up." So the lizard joined the bear in the tree.They continued to smoke joint after joint until finally the little lizard said, "My mouth is dry like cotton."The koala bear agreed and told the lizard to go down to the river and get a drink and in the meantime he would roll another joint.

The little lizard attempted to lean over to drink water from the river and was so stoned, he fell right in and started splashing around.A crocodile saw this and swam over to help the lizard to shore. He said, "Lizard what is wrong with you?" The lizard replied, "I've been getting stoned with the koala bear. I needed water and fell in the river."The crocodile said, "I don't believe this. Take me to the tree you were in."

So they walked through the forest and they come to the tree where the koala bear was sitting. The crocodile looked up and said, "Hey koala bear, what are you doing up there?"

The koala bear looked down and said, "Holy crap dude, how much water did you drink?"

POSITIVE VIEW OF LIFE - After birthdays

As all of you know, there have been several birthdays going on these past few weeks and in the weeks to come. It started me to thinking about all the things that were positive in my life as it pertains to "another" birthday. I will share a few of these things with you:

I am happy and blessed to have another year as I am not through being a "thorn" in my cubs' flesh yet. I figure that is the least I can do.

If there is a little too much dust in the house, instead of saying something tacky, the cubs say,"you know its hard to see all the dust when your eyes begin to age".

If I put on a little (okay maybe a lot) weight instead of saying, "Boy is she letting herself go, they say, "you know, for her age, she looks pretty good.

The days that I am just plain out of sorts instead of taking it personal, they say, "poor thing, her arthritis must be acting up".

The cashiers no longer have to be reminded that I am a senior citizen, they just automatically give the discount.

Even the IRS gives extra deductions.

Another plus is it doesn't matter if I get off the track, its kind of nice not to have to outrun the train.

So as I count my many blessings, I will gracefully welcome my upcoming special day with a thankful heart.

Rain, Rain don't go away

We are receiving some very much needed rain. It rained most of the day yesterday in a slow soaking manner that does so much good.

Hope all had a cheerful weekend. The Alien and I took off Friday and just goofed around. We drove to a nearby town and ate at the Crackerbarrel, my most favorite place. Then on to Lowes where we checked out every aisle. Deliver me from the malls, just take me to a home improvement store and its like Xmas.

The little great cubette was in true form yesterday at Church. She had to sit in Grammy's lap during Church. She was so good and quiet "until" she put her finger close to my mouth and I just barely touched it with my teeth and in this very clear distinct voice she said, "Grammy don't bite me". Needless to say, Grammy just cracked up. We didn't cause much of a disturbance, hee hee

So far, this appears to be a fairly routine week. I hope to get back on track with my neck adjustments, Casper goes to the beauty shop, Alien's big play day at work is over, Cub's games are finished so MAYBE - what is that old saying, "the best laid plans of mice and men".

Have a happy and peaceful week.

Update

Short note to update you on Ztuffy. He is much improved and has gone home. Still has some recuperation ahead but is on the way.

Back and Forth; Up and Down; Around and Around

This pretty much describes our activities these days. We are experiencing sadness as my older sibling's husband has lost both of his sisters in the past week. The last funeral is tomorrow. She was just 72 while the other was a little older, 82. These two troopers are handling it in their usual heroic manner. They are simply amazing people.

We are missing our Gerbeans and Mrs. Gerbeans. I never realized just how much comfort it was in knowing they were close. I imagine that is one thing that makes them appreciate being out on the open road, lol.

Well Ztuffy is having some difficult days right now. It seems he is in the VA hospital detoxing and is very ill this time. He has been very incoherent and they have had him on a heart monitor. I had my airline tickets to go up today and his significant other convinced me that he was probably going home today. Needless to say, I was more than a little frustrated when in talking with his head nurse today I hear that he is too ill to even consider being discharged. The situation with the miscommunication with this significant other is getting to be a problem. I am not sure what is going on. We plan to drive up this weekend if he is still in the hospital. I have called him several times but he doesn't usually make any sense. I asked the nurse if he was medicated and she said, "no it is just that he is very sick and is inconherent most of the time". Just remember him in your prayers.

Our cub is finishing up her softball season this week. They have been playing several games a week and were in a tournament last weekend. We enjoy the games. We take our folding chairs and sit in the shade and cheer for the home team and visit the concession stand, lol.

My Alien's big day at work is tomorrow. He is in charge of the big employee appreciation day again this year. His theme is the old west and he has mock building fronts depicting Dodge City, has some gun fighters that will stage a gun fight around lunch time. He remembered to tell the police that it wouldn't be real so they wouldn't come and shoot I know it will be very successful. They have thousands of dollars in prizes, free food and entertainment for the employees and he has coordinated all of it.

I have to get back on track with my neck adjustments. Hope I have not lost all the progress I had made.

Casper is doing fine and has a beauty appt on Monday. He has decided that his favorite place on our bed to sleep is on my feet or up against my back.

Well on to bed for me. See you

!!!!!!BIRTHDAYS!!!!!!

Birthdays, who needs them? Stupid question huh? Isn't it strange how the cycle works. When we are young, birthdays mean lots of toys, cake, ice cream and parties. As we reach the teenage years, it means being able to drive, acne, and scores of other things. By the time my age is reached it means "Hey, I get discounts " as a senior citizen. Unfortunately, we also get the aches and pains that go along with that discount.

As is my usual nosy nature, I did some reading on just how all this hoopla got started and will share a little with you. So sit back, get you a cup of coffee and come along.

Traditions from Around the World:

How Birthdays Came About

Thousands of years ago birthdays were considered a time when the bad spirits as opposed to the good spirits were able to harm you as this day changed a person's life. It was believed that the only way to keep the bad spirits at bay was to have your friends and family around you so that their good wishes and present giving would keep them at bay.

Also noisemakers are thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.

The custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky and by lighting candles and torches they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods so they they could be answered. When you blow out the candles and make a wish this is another way of sending a signal and a message.

The birthday Bible story that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem. For nearly 2,000 years since that day, the Christian world has honored this birth. The day we all celebrate, is of course, Christmas.

There are other biblical references to birthday party's. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4,000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee.

Since I am aware that the mind can't absorb more than the booty can endure, I will finish this rhetoric next year at birthday time.

"Sad Life"

Did you ever read the life of Robert Frost? He seemed to be a restless one with lots of relocating and changing of employment. There was obviously mental illness in his maternal family as well as Frost himself experiencing hearing voices, etc. He went on to bear children who also had emotional issues with one son committing suicide. I wonder if any of these influences were responsible for some of his poetry. It is interesting to me to see other people's lives and how the routine act of living and being affect what they do with their future. I am sharing one of his poems with you:

RELUCTANCE

by: Robert Frost

Out through the fields and the woods

And over the walls I have wended;

I have climbed the hills of view

And looked at the world, and descended;

I have come by the highway home,

And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground, Save those that the oak is keeping

To ravel them one by one

And let them go scraping and creeping

Out over the crusted snow, When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,

No longer blown hither and thither;

The last lone aster is gone;

The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;

The heart is still aching to seek,

but the feet question 'Whither?' Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end Of a love or a season?

"ANTIQUATED LAWS?"

One thing I find very interesting is all the antiquated laws that are still on the books. Often I wonder why there isn't somebody that periodically goes through and recommends an update of our laws.

For instance, in Oklahoma, did you know that it is against the law to wrestle a bear, duel, trip a horse, eavesdrop with intention to do harm, use obscene language in front of women ,and children under the age of 10, purchase a dead body (now that one is really wild) and too many others to list.

We Okies are not alone though as lots of other states have similar outdated laws. In Washington, it is against the law for a salesperson to X-ray a foot and another one is if a motorist enters town with criminal intentions, they must call the police chief as they enter town.

North Caroline allows lawsuits if one spouse is lured away from another person. It is called allienation of affection.

Wyoming does not allow you to shoot a fish. Now that bothers me, sometimes that might be the only way to get one if they won't bite my hook.

It might be interesting just to know about the different states and what they allow or don't allow. I should say enforce or don't enforce.

Hey at least I am not on the Pluto bandwagon today, hehe

So I Lied

Pluto remains a planet for Myanmar's leading astrologers and Aylaoftheclan. Who would have thought we would be so involved in Pluto?

The Associated PressMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2006-->Published: September 4, 2006

YANGON, Myanmar Myanmar's leading astrologers say they still consider Pluto a planet, despite what scientists elsewhere in the world have decided, a newsweekly said Monday.
"Pluto has been traditionally defined as a planet in astrology, and it will retain that status," U Tiun Lin, president of the Myanmar Astrologers Association was quoted as saying in the Myanmar Times.
Scientists at the International Astronomical Union met in Prague last week and voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet, saying that a planet must orbit the sun and be large enough to assume a nearly round shape. The decision downsized the solar system to eight planets from the traditional nine.

"Those scientists can decide what they like, but we will continue to recognize Pluto's important role in the solar system and we will continue to consider it in our calculations as we always have," U Tun Lin said. "It is far from Earth and has a very wide orbit, which means it is too weak to influence predictions for individuals but does have the power to influence long-term predictions about bigger events."

Astrology is widely followed in Myanmar, as it is in many Asian countries, and people regularly consult astrologers.

The news report quoted other well-known astrologers saying they too will continue to call Pluto a planet.

"Pluto plays an important role in predicting the future of nations, so it has a powerful status. We can't erase the traditional ways, just as we can't change the essence of religious teachings whenever we like," said Than Htay, vice president of the Myanmar Astrology Research Bureau.

Myanmar astrologers classify planets according to their color, size, number of rings, orbit period and axial tilt to determine how they influence the future of individuals or institutions, the Myanmar Times said.

YANGON, Myanmar Myanmar's leading astrologers say they still consider Pluto a planet, despite what scientists elsewhere in the world have decided, a newsweekly said Monday.

"Pluto has been traditionally defined as a planet in astrology, and it will retain that status," U Tiun Lin, president of the Myanmar Astrologers Association was quoted as saying in the Myanmar Times.

Scientists at the International Astronomical Union met in Prague last week and voted to strip Pluto of its status as a planet, saying that a planet must orbit the sun and be large enough to assume a nearly round shape. The decision downsized the solar system to eight planets from the traditional nine.

"Those scientists can decide what they like, but we will continue to recognize Pluto's important role in the solar system and we will continue to consider it in our calculations as we always have," U Tun Lin said. "It is far from Earth and has a very wide orbit, which means it is too weak to influence predictions for individuals but does have the power to influence long-term predictions about bigger events."

Frivolous Ramblings

Nothing intellectual going on here today just lots and lots of the ordinary stuff. I have an adjustment on my neck this morning in Holdenville (43 miles away). Good news on that front. When I started these adjustments (four adjustments ago) my neck was 90% out of alignment. Last visit it was only 50% out so we are definitely making progress.

The cub's ballgame was rained out this week. If the game had been at Latta we would have gladly welcomed the rain; however, it was in Tupelo and as usual the rain missed us. Papa bear took the cub to the batting cage last weekend and also spent considerable time playing catch in the back yard.

Speaking of the cub, it is amazing what losing TV for a spell when a bad grade is brought home in science can do. Suddenly, this grade shot up to a B. Poor cub, Mama bear has Edline on the computer and she can access the grades on a daily basis if need be.

Hope all have plans or plans to have no plans for this upcoming holiday. We plan to put a partition around Papa bears work (junk) area in the play room thus eliminating the need for the curtains and allowing us a more defined area.

I was amused at my older sibling's frustration yesterday. She told me that she complained to her doctor (she was there for a routine ck up) about getting tired so much. When I asked her if she told him that she worked cattle all day, helped with great grandkids, plus being 69 years old that might contribute to this, she seemed shocked. That shouldn't matter.

Well guess what! I started my Xmas shopping this week. Don't know why though since we are making such drastic cuts in our expenditures this year. Bottom line is I just like to think about that special time. I am already thinking of good things to cook. Did you know its only 115 days til Xmas?

See you later - Casper sends his regards.

Words of Wisdom

If you happen to be of the male species just change woman to man since it could apply to both.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

One friend who always makes her laugh... And one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

Eight matching plates,wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...

A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

How to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

How to quit a job; break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

When to try harder ... and when to walk away...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

That her childhood may not have been perfect..but; it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

How to live alone... even if she doesn't like it.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

Whom she can trust, whom she can't, And why she shouldn't take it personally.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

Where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table, or a charming inn in the woods...when her soul needs soothing..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...

What she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...

Riddle of the Day

You are on a horse, galloping at a constant speed. On your right side is a sharp drop off, and on your left side is an elephant traveling at the same speed as you. Directly in front of you is a galloping kangaroo and your horse is unable to overtake it. Behind you is a lion running at the same speed as you and the Kangaroo. What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?

See answer below.

















Get off the merry-go-round

A Back to Basics Kind of Guy Don't You Think?

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER:

Could these be some of the reasons why?

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona) created the "tent city jail": He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. Cut off all but "G" movies.He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV ! until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again only let in the Disney channel and the weather channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied, so they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.

He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."

He bought Newt Gingrich' lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails.When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

More on the Arizona Sheriff: With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks. "It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 year . "It's inhumane."

Joe Arpaio who long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!"

Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.

The Computer Swallowed Grammy

The computer swallowed Grammy
Yes, honestly it’s true.
She pressed 'control' and 'enter'
And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely;
The thought just makes me squirm.
She must have caught a virus
or been eaten by a worm.

I've searched through the recycle bin
and files of every kind;
I've even used the Internet,
But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Jeeves
My searches to refine.
The reply from him was negative,
not a thing was found 'online.'

So, if inside your 'Inbox,'
My Grammy you should see,
Please 'Copy,’ Scan' and 'Paste' her
and send her back to me

AAAAH the good old days!!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when werode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because , WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING ! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day,And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride downthe hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!

Mind Boggles

Thought you might find these interesting.

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
----------------------------------------
PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER
----------------------------------------
ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
----------------------------------------
DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT
----------------------------------------
THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
----------------------------------------
GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE
----------------------------------------
THE MORSE CODE :
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS
- ---------------------------------------
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
----------------------------------------
ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY
----------------------------------------
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
----------------------------------------
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
----------------------------------------
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE
----------------------------------------
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
----------------------------------------
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
-------------------------------- - -------
AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:
MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER
----------------------------------------
Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay
too much time on their hands! (Probably a son-in-law)

Madder than a wet hen

Well, they did it! I really didn't think they would have the nerve to demote Pluto. I may never look at the planets again. I can assure you that Pluto is NOT a dwarf planet to me. I am mad, so damned mad that I could bite a penny nail in half. Just because Pluto was so slow that he had not completed his orbit since his discovery in 1930, the powers that be decided that he was not to be called a planet but a dwarf planet. Mr. Tombaugh would be very sad today. Especially since this is the only planet that was discovered by someone in our country. The finishing touch was the comment that "its not personal, its just business" well I certainly took it personal. Evidently a precious few made this monumental decision as out of the 2,500 astronomers attending the meeting, only 300 actually showed up to vote.

I would like to suggest that when these 300 astronomers slow down to the point that they can no longer perform as a "celestrial vacuum" that their title be changed to "dwarf astronomer".

I shall not address this subject again. Arent' you proud?

Miracles never Cease

In a past blog, I mentioned our cub was playing softball. Well I have an update on this situation. The team had only practiced for three days and remember most of these kids have played for two or three years while our cub had never picked up a bat. Anyway, we drove to the ballpark in a small town close and got our lawn chairs out and fortunately found a small shade under a tree next to the dugout. The team played two games and our cub played the last game. She went out into left field and the anxious parents were praying that the ball went anywhere except left field. Sure enough we were lucky in that respect. Then up to the plate walking proudly was our cub. Our mouths fell open when she positioned herself as a left handed batter. No she isn't left handed. We were already bracing for her to have a less than ideal experience with her first bat and added to that she was batting left handed. The first ball she swung and missed and here comes the second pitch. She swings the bat and hits the ball and knocks the winning run in. Needless to say we were in total shock. On the way home after congratulating her on her "good game and hit" we asked her why she batted left handed. She stated, "my favorite ball player (Mark Tiexiera, Texas Rangers, remember she was in his fan club last year and met him) bats left handed so I decided to bat left handed also. " We were speechless and must have sat there with our mouths gaping open for at least 10 minutes.

She is already excited about the two games this next week. We are keeping our mouths shut as to giving any advice about which side of the base to hit from as we feel that will work itself out.

Stay tuned to find out what happens next!

"Don't Mess with Mother Nature"

I am on my soap box again! One of my pet peeves is how the terminology keeps changing for instance, in the "olden" days when somebody stole money they were called a thief. Now for some reason its been changed to an embezzler i.e. A Planet is a planet not a pluton. Webster defines a pluton as any body of igneous rock that solidified FAR BELOW the earth's surface. The only connection is that is was named after Pluto.

Well they have gone to far now that they are messing with the planets!! It seems the leading astronomers have decided to relabel some of our planets and at the same time to redefine others as set forth in a draft resolution to be presented to the International Astronomical Union (the arbiter of what is and what isn't a planet) . The new planetary lineup would include 2003 UB313 (nicknamed Xena), farthest-known object in the solar system; Pluto's largest moon, Charon; the asteroid Ceres, which was considered a planet in the 1800s.

The panel has proposed a new category of planets called "plutons", referring to Pluto-like objects in the Kuiper Belt, a disc-shaped zone beyond Neptune containing thousands of comets and planetary objects. Pluto itself and two of the potential newcomers Charon and 2003 UB313 would be plutons.

Would this mean all of our school books used to teach astronomy would then be outdated?

I am going on record this minute and telling Pluto not to worry, he will always be a planet to me!!

Bright Eyes may have to re-learn astrology to know what to call each of these new fangled objects.

Hot, Tired, Hungry and Sore

Yep, that pretty much covers the condition of the cub when she came home from her first day of Junior High and her first day of softball practice. After she hit the showers, our ears were kept busy hearing all about the day. In spite of two large bruises on her leg (that caught the ball for her) she seemed to really enjoy playing ball.

The sibling and spouse had a wonderful fishing trip and caught their limit of strippers in a pretty short time. I think they are ready to go again but want us to go next time. We are agreeable to that if we can work it in.

When I heard this strange but familiar large noise last night, I emerged from the cave to investigate. Sure enough, it was thunder. It had been so long!! I think it was just a teaser though since we just got a little more than a sprinkle. However, we are encouraged that it has found us again.

The energizer bunny is not real happy at daycare. It seems she misses her Grammy. Since Grammy is on the list of people that can take her out of the center, Grammy is plotting. She is going to do just that on Thursday after her doctor's appt and she and the cubette will get into all kinds of mischief.

Well, I am off to town to finish shopping for school supplies and athletic items that the cub needs. Do you think I would win any prizes for making Medicare and PTA at the same time? Just my luck though with the number of grandparents raising their grandchildren these days that I would not be the first. Oh well just a thought!! Have to get my claim to fame somewhere else I guess. Be kind

First Day of Alone Time - I meant School -

Even though I love this cub dearly and she is very low maintenance, I have to admit that it is wonderful to be all alone in this house except for Casper and he doesn't talk (yet). It is so overwhelming that I can't decide what to do or not do first. Do I sound delirious? I plead guilty. She was a mighty proud little cub this morning in her South Pole jeans, new shoes, shirt and of all things wearing makeup. This is her first day of Junior High and how excited she is.

Older sibling and her spouse are out on the lake stripper fishing today. The man that videos their cattle gave them a night in a motel and a fishing trip today with a guide. They deserve it, those two are simply amazing at how they persevere.

Well, I am off to the coffee pot for more caffeine and have decided that making the bed, doing laundry and anything else can wait while I play a few games of Euchre. Be happy

Lazy Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend. Don't have lots of material accomplishments to show for it but did have lots of good family times. Older sibling and spouse came by and we all went out to eat at our favorite place (Golden Corral) Saturday night.

Then later, one cub brought his spouse and little one over to swim and we sure enjoyed getting to spend time with little Grace Kelly. She is so unique.

Believe it or not, we finally watched a movie. We saw "Flight Plan" with Jodie Foster and I would highly recommend it. I didn't even get up once and wander around doing something else. It does indeed take some strange twists. We have had the movie since last winter and just had not taken the time to watch it.

Our girl cub invited her older sibling (19 years old) over to swim, eat hamburgers and then they watched "Flight Plan" on Sunday night. We encourage her to stay in touch with her bio siblings.

Casper is gone to the beauty shop today. Hopefully, he will get a haircut, nails trimmed etc.

Our Energizer bunny is going to a regular day care now that her Mom has changed jobs and works eight hours a day, five days a week. Grammy can't keep up with the little one that long. She got really mad this past Friday. It seems a little boy bit her. When her Mom came to pick her up, she said, "Mommie, I cried today at the daycare, cause I got bit". It didn't break the skin but Mother and Child were both traumatized I think.

Our cub starts school tomorrow and has her first softball practice immediately after school. Their first game is Friday and that should be very interesting since some of these kids have never played before.

I won't be bored being left "ALL ALONE" (yippee) since I have cds to catch up on and many games of Euchre to win. Nap time - see you -

Where's the Summer Gone?

I find myself asking that question often but still have not gotten an acceptable answer.

The Cub and I had a wonderful day yesterday. First the doctors for the athletic physical and acne medication check and then on to buy school clothes and supplies. We really had fun and got everything she needed. Even some stuff she didn't (makeup). I had promised that when she got in Junior High that she could start wearing powder (lightly) and also a light shade of lipstick so on to Merle Norman we went where she picked out what was appropriate for her age. How excited she was and never a problem with the "older" shades of makeup. Staples provided us with all the needed school supplies. Might have saved a penny or two at Wally World but couldn't face the pushing and shoving going on there this time of year. We hit a really big sale at Stage and ended up with over $300 in clothes and shoes for $200. We get a very small adoption stipend each month and while it is not very much, by watching carefully it covers her expenses ie school clothes, school lunches, school project costs etc. I opened an account in her name and the stipend goes into it and that makes it easy to keep track of the amount spent.

After we finished, I suggested we go out for lunch. She said, "Mom, know you are tired, lets go home and I will fix you lunch". That is what we did. On the way home we were talking about when she got grown and got her own house etc. She was quiet for a minute and then said, "Mom, I am going to be a foster parent like you and Dad and then adopt because there are so many kids without homes". Needless to say, tears were close!

Well enough of that, I am getting ready for my nap - see you -

The White Flag is Waving

Marbella's alter ego has taken over today. She has stated that she doesn't give a hoot about being politically correct, slim and trim as a teenager, having the reputation of being a good housekeeper or the best cook around. Instead she is going to indulge herself this week with chocolates, sodas, playing on Pogo and whatever else suits her fancy. Sometimes when something comes out of the closet it is hard to get it back in.

She can be quite ugly at times. For instance she boasted to M. that she remembered her 10th birthday. She was at her uncle's house and she and her family had picked cotton all day. Her uncle decided he wanted her to have a birthday cake so he went to town and bought her a white cake with coconut frosting and a yellow t-shirt with superman on the front.

Next she bragged about how many lbs of cotton she picked a day. Then she asked M. what she did with her first paycheck from the cotton and when M. told her she bought a black taffeta skirt, a green gathered skirt for school and a red pair of Indian moccasins for her little 3 year old sister she thought M. was lying. Nobody would spend their hard earned money that way.

Alter Egos can be a real pain in the neck. This one caused Marbella a lot of trouble when Marbella had her first out of body experience. This happened when Marbella first become ill and was in tremendous pain. Marbella was experiencing some relief with the out of body method but all of a sudden the alter ego decides to stay out of the body permanently and boy you talk about the fight that ensued.

Anyway, thus the reason for the title, Marbella is waving the white flag for the day and giving the alter ego free rein. This could be quite an ordeal. Only time will tell.

Laziness Could Become a Habit

Over the past several days, we have been exploring different character traits (or lack thereof). Now I haven't seen one on laziness so maybe some wise cub will address this. All my life I have been warned about "idle hands". Well I am confessing that they must not be all bad because for the past two days I have done nothing but eat, sleep, play on computer and of course see to nature's business. I am here to tell you that it ain't half bad! Matter of fact, it has felt down right delicious. I could get use to this real fast. It took three naps yesterday to get me through the day, hee hee.

The Alien hasn't been so blessed. He spent a few hours yesterday helping a friend with plumbing problems. He is gone now to give water to the turtles his boss collects. The boss is out playing somewhere. I encourage him by reminding him of the "idle hands" theory. The looks I receive as I spout all this good advice (while sitting in my chair eating chocolates one cub brought) are good warning signals, they are like a blinking red light. I better stop!!!!

Next week is pretty well planned. I am taking Monday off since it is a holiday in Canada and just in case I have some Canadian heritage somewhere along the line, I sure want to be respectful. Especially since it is a "Civic Holiday". Tuesday, the cub enrolls in school much to her chagrin. She tries to get me to home school but she really does not know how fortunate she is that I will not do that!! Wednesday, the cub goes to the doctor for a checkup. Then Thursday, we go shopping for school clothes. I probably have all this backwards. I should take her shopping first and then if I don't wring her neck we will do the rest of the stuff. She is happiest when looking like a rag muffin with hair pulled severely back and tied up. No way, I waited too long for a girl to dress. Like it or not, she will be dressed as fashionable as her peers!!!!! Not sure just when school starts but must confess that I am "almost" ready. Although to the cub's credit, she is probably one of the lowest maintenance critters you could have.

The Alien and I entertained ourselves several hours last night looking up cruises. Knowing full well that we will probably never take one, it was still fun. The cost is probably not as prohibitive a factor as leaving our little fur ball.

My Rangers are getting ready to play ball and they would be deeply hurt if I am not in my favorite chair watching and cheering them on and yelling at the umpires.

Meet you here on another day - thanks for the visit -

EXCUSES - EXCUSES - EXCUSES - EXCUSES

MY PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSECLEANING!

I don't do windows because ... I love birds and don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt.

I don't wax floors because ... I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt then I'll feel terrible( plus they may sue me.)

I don't mind the dust bunnies because ... They are very good company, I have named most of them, and they agree with everything I say.

I don't disturb cobwebs because ... I want every creature to have a home of their own.

I don't Spring Clean because . I love all the seasons and don't want the others to get jealous.

I don't pull weeds in the garden because .. I don't want to get in God's way, HE is an excellent designer!

I don't put things away because ... My husband will never be able to find them again.

I don't do gourmet meals when I entertain because . I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over for dinner.

I don't iron because ... I choose to believe them when they say "Permanent Press".

I don't stress much on anything because ..... "A Type" personalities die young and I want to stick around and become a wrinkled up crusty ol' woman!!!!

Today is the day for a good laugh! I thought this might be a good "provoker" - Have a fun day

Knowledge vs Wisdom

Do you ponder the difference between knowledge and wisdom? I have for many years. I remember hearing my Dad say, "He is an educated fool" and thinking how can that be. In my young years, I thought if you were educated that meant you are wise. As in lots of areas of my life, I have found that to be inaccurate. While some who seek knowledge will awaken wisdom in their search others will become the "educated fool".

Karen Follett states that we read to gain knowledge but we have to seek wisdom.

However, I find Ardriana Cahill's rendition somewhat more suited to my taste. So with that in mind I will use some of her writings mixed with my own conclusions.

Knowledge is but the messenger that calls us to wisdom, but it is not wisdom. Knowledge puts us in the way of wisdom, but wisdom is experiential; it is a truth one recognizes in the external world that already exists in the internal one. One doesn't "learn" wisdom, one must awaken it. Knowledge gives us the tools but we must never mistake the tools for the treasure. Unfortunately there are no fast-food outlets for wisdom.

Knowledge is intellectual - wisdom is divine. The more you seek knowledge (all knowledge) the more wisdom you will experience (hopefully).

Supposedly knowledge and wisdom use two completely different organs to communicate with us. One is known the other felt. The divine speaks to us through spirit not the mind. Knowledge is only the doorway to wisdom.

Wisdom reveals itself to you - it does not explain itself- it reveals itself fully blown like manna from heaven. It awakens us with an all encompassing flood of warm illumination. This is why the sages call it enlightenment. Wisdom does not need digesting, deliberating, debating or dissecting by doubt or reason. It breathes within you as calm surety and perfect peace.

In summation, there is wisdom in Nature and knowledge in Scholarship. Nature teaches us what works and doesn't work. Knowledge teaches us how to use our senses, how to observe nature, how to evaluate, it, how to record life lessons and how others before us did the same. We first develop wisdom in life by experience, (usually painful experience) and then as we grow, we recognize wisdom in life by example. Through knowledge and wisdom, we eliminate fear. We begin to understand who we are and why we are here. We recognize with generosity, others stumbling while seeking their way and develop a keen awareness and love for the mirace that is all Life - and that includes oneself. Now for the hard part, hopefully we will have enough generosity to be loving and forgiving when others hurt us. Maybe instead of consuming energy being upset and hurt that we use that energy to seek more compassion and understanding. Easier said than done, right?

Home in the Clouds

No I don't mean heaven and will go even further - some days it might have been the home from the other direction. I will share just a few incidents that were new experiences for me and my cubs.

The first occurred the first ten days of residence there. One night our dog started barking and I went to the window and saw two guys walking from the ranger station down the drive to our home. Since there were forest fires going and I knew none of the patron's crew, I just figured they were reporting in to see if they were needed. About this time our dog stopped barking (guess you would to if you had just been hit in the head with a pistol) Another reason for me to think they were workers. It was about 10 pm so the cubs were in bed. I opened the door and since there was no storm or screen door they were right there in my face. Imagine my surprise when one said as he aimed the gun at me, "Just step back lady". I did but slammed the door in the process (right in their face). I swear to this day that my angel locked the door, anyway, I stood watching the knob turn but to no avail. I had gotten a pistol out of the hall closet and had it aimed straight at the door and surprisingly to me I was totally ready to use it if they had gotten the door open.

The next episode involved the cubs and a wounded bear. Now these cubs were "forest smart" and that is probably what saved them. We had been told to watch out for a wounded bear but never thought they meant in our back yard. Anyway, I am standing at the kitchen window looking out to check on the cubs and see them backing down the mountain and sure enough a few feet behind them is a bear. If they had started to run the bear would have caught them. Anyway, I yelled for their Dad to get his rifle and when he got outside with the gun, he stood on the picnic table and shot the bear. When the bear fell it landed on the retaining wall just a few feet from our back door.

One day the cubs were playing on the mountain behind the house and one of them came in with a hurt foot. If they had told me that they jumped off the roof of a summer home I would have known that there was the possibility of a broken foot!!! Anyway, several hours went by before we took the cub to the ER and sure enough his heel was broken.

Another occurrence happened during dinner one night when we had guests. All of a sudden our front door opened and in ran this hysterical lady carrying an unconscious baby that was already turning blue. She could not speak English. The Patron and his assistant immediately started CPR while I called the fire department to bring oxygen. We had to physically hold the lady while they revived the baby. Don't remember if we ever finished eating but the baby was okay.

About 2 am one morning our door bell rang and when I opened the door I encountered a very irate man with his wife and kids in the car behind him and they were all very angry and "vocal". He proceeded to tell me that he would never be back to camp again. It seems the bears had come into their tent while they were sleeping to get their food. Now there are very large signs up everywhere warning campers not to put food in their tents. Duh

Another day, this man came to the door covered in grease (he had been working on his car). He demanded the use of the bathroom to wash up. I showed him the ranger station and said they have a public restroom. He angrily stated, "This is a government house and I pay taxes" NOT a smart move on his part. I replied, "Yes and I pay rent, if you want your filthy hands washed go over to the station" and firmly shut the door.

During the winter months our back yard was covered so deep with snow that we could barely get out the back door. One of the cubs and I discovered a valuable use for that snow. It covered up items kicked out of the house like dryers that you have to kick to start. It didn't show the white mice either.

Well, I have borrowed your eyes long enough. Have a great day (if you want to).