THE BEST CANDIDATE

SEE ACCOMPANING VIDEO ON RIGHT SIDE OF PAGE

No matter which way you look at it, this presidental elections will be historical....it already has been...a woman and a African American both seeking the presidential nomination.

The right to vote has cost many lives over the years. It is a privilege that many in this world do not have. The best voter is a well-informed voter. One who knows the candidates and seeks the answers from them. One who can be objective and vote according to the most qualified candidate, regardless of who it is.....a Republican, a Democrat, a dark horse.

So keep this in mind in November and watch the video to see who I will vote for. Please consider this candidate's qualifications and you will realize that THIS candidate is the best person to run this country.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What phenomena made popular in the 1950s allowed everyone to become an artist? Paint-by-Number sets
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1959 the Glen Raven Mills company introduced what revolutionary artice of woman’s clothing?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When does a proper lady say the word "bitch"? When the woman next to her calls "bingo"!……………………….Gary Gramling, San Diego, CA

DEFENSELESS ANIMALS

Yesterday I witnessed an all too common situation in my neighborhood. A woman down the street (I don't even want to refer to her as a neighbor as being a neighbor hints to the fact that that person is liked by the speaker) has 2 pit bulls that she abuses constantly.

Last night she had both of them in the car and was trying to get them out of the vehicle. The first one was on a leash and was scared to death to come out of the car. The woman yanked it out and began to drag it to where she wanted it to go by the choke collar it was wearing. She got it behind her fence and the dog was cowaring. The second one was even more terrified to come out...it manage to run out the opened door and ran past her.

She was screaming and swearing at the dog as it ran around the car trying to avoid her. It finally hopped back into the car perhaps feeliing safer there. She bolted into the opposite door and proceeded to beat the dog who was screaming in both pain and fear. She finally dragged the beaten dog out of the car and back onto her property behind a chain link fence. The dog was terrified.

First of all, let me explain, I am not a fan of pit bulls (another story another day) as another one from the neighborhood attacked Sheba twice. But I am not a fan of any animals being abused, pit bull or not. This woman thinks beating her dogs will bring them into submission. I am not sure if I would call it submission.............but rather fear. All she has succeeded in doing is to have broken their spirits. Sheba is totally obedient to me without ever having to be beaten or even hit. She minds me and just loves me because she knows she is loved by me and is protected by me.

All this was witnessed by the neighbors who were out on their porches enjoying the end of a beautiful summer day. Before I could make any phone calls, she had dragged the animals into her house. It would have done no good to have called the police as they would have needed to witness the situation before they could do anything. She has been reported before to the authorities, but they come out, look at the dogs, and she talks her way out of it by saying that the neighbors are out to get her. Unfortunately unless there is a visable injury, the authorities can't do anything.

I made the appropriate calls today to the SPCA and was told that they would come out and talk to her. I was also informed that this was the first complaint they received about this incident. I sit here and shake my head. At least 5 neighbors witnessed this act of cruelty and have said nothing. In my opinion, they are guilty of cruelty as well by not stepping up to the plate and reporting such incidents. I know that she will once again get away with this, but at least I know I made some effort to protect those poor dogs. I can still hear those pitiful yelps and know in my heart that I have done the right thing.

. The poem I left on my Sunday blog entry is only more real now. A dog will just tolerate just so many beatings before it turns on its owner. In this case, I wish the dogs would, but they would only be put down. But then is being put down worse that the existence they are forced to live in now?


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was a pompadour, flat top, and a DA? They were hair styles of teenage boys in the 1950's.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What phenomena made popular in the 1950s allowed everyone to become an artist?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Warning: never take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time

WHAT DID I SAY? WHAT DID I SAY?

When I was a little girl, my grandmother, being the Irishwoman she was, sent me to Catholic school. I was always in fear of the nuns.......they looked so strict, forboding and menacing. I liked going into the Catholic church for masses though. But at times, the larger-than-life statues would scare me if I stared at them too long.

I was at an young age and in first grade where my grandmother was trying to convince me that brushing my teeth on a daily basis was a GOOD habit. She prepared a chart that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Whenever I brushed my teeth, I would take out a gold star from the package, carefully lick it (too much spit made it fall to the floor) and place it on the day in question. At the end of the week, I would earn so many pennies for each gold star (if I was diligent, I actually had 3 stars in one day). I then could cash in my pennies at the store for a toy or trinket.

It was so impressed upon me that I brush my teeth, that I thought it was what every other kid was doing/going through. It was foremost on my mind. One day in school, the nun was telling us that Jesus was a perfect child.....he never did a thing to cause Mary or Joseph any problems...he just did what was right the first time because he WAS Jesus. My little eyes popped out and I think my chin dropped. Imagine that.........never having to be told what to do like brush your teeth. Hey, this Jesus must be quite the kid.

Still not quite ready to accept what the nun was teaching us, I raised my little hand and in all sincerity asked her, "You mean Mary NEVER had to tell Jesus to brush his teeth?" All I can remember of that instant was the nun turning beet red and grabbing me by the waist and tucking me under her arm as she not-so-gently plopped me into the nearest corner. All I could say was, "What did I say? What did I say" in a very confused and shocked manner. I guess nuns just didn't have an open mind of a sense of humor.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was Dick Beals claim-to-fame? His was the voice of Speedy, the spoke person for Alka Seltzer
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was a pompadour, flat top, and a DA?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Having a perfect body isn’t difficult, it’s impossible.

EVEN GOD RESTED ON THE SABBATH

Even God rested on the Sabbath, so shall I. I will cheat and not enter something of my own. Instead I will leave a poem for you to ponder. By the way, these are my thoughts on the subject.

THE FAMILY DOG

The family’s dog was bought to guard, chained to a post in a chilly backyard.
Housed in a shed that was airless and dark, and every few weeks had a run in the back
When boredom set in with no fun and no work, once day it broke loose and went quietly berserk.
Pa couldn’t fathom just why it went wild, as it flattened his wife and then bit his child
The police were called in to sort out the mess, and the whole sorry tale went to the press
The rescue society was really annoyed, so the dog was re-homed and the owners destroyed.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1952 Richard Nixon made a speech known as the “Checkers“ speech in answer to allegations against him. Who or what was Checkers? His cocker spaniel
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was Dick Beals claim-to-fame?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I'm a walking storeroom of facts, but I've just lost the key to the storeroom door.

SPANKING OR TIME OUT???

When I was a child growing up in the 1950's, spanking (not abusive spanking )was the accepted means of punishing a child for doing something really bad. Usually a spanking was the last resort. Oft time, all a parent had to do was threaten a child with a spanking or Dad would threaten to remove his belt or Mom would go for the hair brush...that was enough warning to behave pronto.

In my particular case, all I had to do was be given a certain look by my grandmother (who raised me) and I knew it was time to retreat. No threats, no raised voice, just a look would bring me under control. I can only remember one time I was actually taken over her knees and spanked (with her hands), but I have no idea what I did. There were many times I can remember throwing temper tantrums and not getting a spanking. My grandmother would tell me that tantrums were a healthy was of venting frustration for a child.

Then Dr. Spock came out with his book which changed the way a parent punished a child forever. He encouraged rewards for good behavior, taking away certain privileges for bad behavior, time outs, reasoning with the child, etc. I don't necessarily agree with his alternatives.

Nor do I recommend spanking in this day and age. Adults seem to have a shorter fuse and often need a way to work off their frustrations. When a child is disciplined by spanking under thess conditions, ity can be abusive to the child to say the least.

Rewarding sometimes defeats the concept of being good/doing good just for the sake of being good. Taking away privileges for bad behavior may not succeed for a long period of time...a child will find some alternative to those things removed.

Time outs can be effective at times. I remember one time my 4 year old granddaughter did something she knew she was not supposed to do and when he dad brought it to her attention, she just merely looked at him as she walked to her time-out bench and said, "I know, I know!! Time for the bench." I am not so sure if time-outs were meaningful to her.....they were more like a pattern of behavior.

Reasoning with a small child or a child who is having a major temper outbreak is not the least bit effective and makes the parents look a little foolish standing there.

I agree that sometimes a child needs to be spanked.....actually deserves it. Personally I do not think a slight tap on the butt is all that wrong....it is attention getting and once the parent had that child's attention, whatever other forms of discipline the parent may chose to use can be effectively used.

Now I am speaking generally as I NEVER had to discipline my kids........they were always so well-behaved and were a sheer delight. Of course they were disciplined! I agree, sometimes with the wrong means, but they all turned out to be respecting and an asset to the world. It is a shame that parenthood does not come with a manual or a set of directions.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Whose image first appeared on the cover of TV Guide? Lucille Ball and her baby
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1952 Richard Nixon made a speech known as the “Checkers“ speech in answer to allegations against him. What or who was Checkers?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Remember...a layer of dust protects the Wood beneath it.

ASK MISS MANNERS

When I was in junior high school, we all had to take a Miss Manners class in our homemaking class. Miss Manners was a book on etiquette. She dealt with situations from which fork to use at a dinner party to solutions as to how to handle life's little problems politely. It was the hope of our homemaking teacher that we would become polite and proper young ladies.

There are certain siutations which require a polite response from us and we know how to do so without discomfort. Someone gives you something, you say "thank you"; someone sneezes, you say "God bless you", someone has a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth and you quietly bring that to his/her attention; etc. But sometimes something comes up that is not listed in Miss Manner's book, something that is awkward or embarassing to handle, but it has to be dealt with. Some times we are trapped in the situation and are forced to figure out an appropriate and least conspicious response.

Well, today I found myself in one of these situation. There is one gentleman who takes aquatics with me. He has a moustache and a beard, is well groomed and is also a very sharp dresser even when is "just hanging out". It is obvious that his appearance is very important him. He was standing next to me when he let out one of the loudest sneezes I had ever heard. Now this is the point where you imagination must take control of this story. I turned to say "God bless you" to him and there it was!!!...one of those uncomfortable and awkward situations that Miss Manners never put in her book.

I was in the midst of a dilemma...do I look away?, do I tell him and embarass him? do I ignore it and let him go about his way and have more people being drawn to his Faux Pas and embarrass him even further? In the midst of my trying to figure out the most tactful way to handle this problem, I looked back at him, trying not to focus on his mustache, and to my relief he had taken care of it. Whew!!!

Miss Manners, you never told us how to handle a situation like this!!!! I learned a lot from your book, but was at a loss in this situation. In the overall picture of Life, I think I would have preferred a solution to my above problem over how to sit in a chair balancing a tea cup and saucer on my lap and still look lady-like. Well, regardless, I was off the hook this time!!!

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What does LSMFT stand for? Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco...a cigerette jingle

TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Whose image appeared on the first cover of TV Guide? THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

VISITING TOMATO PLANTS?

I have 9 tomato plants in my back yard. I am been faithfully nurturing them......giving them Miracle Grow, spraying to repel squirrels and rabbits and watering when Mother Nature has not. I have several little green tomatoes sprouting out and I realized my efforts were paying off. With all the rain we have been having, the plants are growing quickly and were reaching nearly 4' tall. The problelm is that the tomato cages are only 33" high.

Yesterday, I looked out and 2 of my most promising plants had fallen and pulled the metal cages right out of the ground from their weight!!!! "OMG.....there goes my crop", I cried out to myself. I ran outside to see how I could save them.

At that moment, I was racking my brain to figure out what I could use to stake them back up until I could get permanent stakes today. As I stood there, looking at my fallen plants, I scanned the back yard to see what I could use. There it was! An old wooden pole from an old push broom that had been propped up side the house since last summer.

The ground was relatively soft as it had rained earlier in the day. So with one hand, I was struggling to hold up the cage and plant so that it would not snap off and with the other hand, I was trying to push that wooden handle into the soil.

Then it happened! That old broom handle snapped in half with my efforts to place it into the ground and of course, I was still exerting pressure to push it down. The next thing I knew was that I was rolling on the ground and mud. I looked up, totally confused as to what I was doing sitting on the ground. My first reaction was to look around to see if anyone had seen me and then my next reaction was to jump to my feet before anyone could see what had happened.

We all do that when we fall....look around to make sure no one saw us make a fool of ourselves as we were sent flying to the grounds for whatever reason. And we all have laughed when we see someone fall or trip. That is what much of slapstick comedy consists of. I have no idea why we do that, but we do. It just seems to be part of our make-up. In any event, I am glad no one saw ME!!!!

Oh yeah........what happened to my fallen plants? I propped them up on 2 lawn chairs as if they were a welcome visitor to my yard and were offered a seat.

ANSWER TO YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the full name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show? Princess Summerfallwinterspring
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What does LSMFT stand for?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Motto for my kitchen: A messy kitchen is a happy one and mine one is delirious.

MENTAL ATTICS

I am currently working on a book of my life, my memoirs to leave for my family. One of my greatest fears is getting Alzheimers and not being able to remember. We all are mortal and the written word and pictures may just keep us alive for the future generations. This data may well answer some questions as to why certain things are predominent in others lives. The past, as presented in such a way, can enlighten those reading it, whether it be the next generation of several generations later.

As I started to organize the data and memories, it was relatively easy. Marriages, births, special moments came to mind. Then it became difficult. The more I work on the book, the more of my life that returns to me through memories. Memories that even I had forgotten become alive.......memories tucked away in the deep recesses of my mind.

You know how it is when it is time to move from one place to another. You realize how much junk you have collected and need to determine what is to go and what is to be given away or sold in a yard sale. You sit and look at all the possessions and ask yourself, "How did I accumulate all this stuff?"

Well I am finding the same situation with memories and stories I want to pass down to my children and grandchildren. How did I accumulate so many memrories in 63 years? Which do I record, which do I toss away, which do I keep private? I am finding that the more I remember and write about, the more that keeps coming to the surface.

It is as if I am in a mental attic and keep finding boxes stacked on boxes and more boxes tucked away in the corners and the more I open them, the more I remember. I know I will never be able to finish the book at this rate.........there has to be a cut-off. But what do I exclude, what if it is of importance, what will help my family to know me better, what if I don't include it and questions will arise that I no longer am able to answer?

Sometimes this amazes me when I can't remember where I put something just 10 minutes ago, but can remember something that occured 59 years ago. Want to try an experiment? Start writing down your memories (just the titles) and see how fast you fill up a page, no matter what your age.

I guess the sad thing would be NOT to have so many memories because an abundance of memories means you have lived your life and have filled up your space on the earth with something meaningful and have not wasted the short precious time we have here.

Well I go to run...............I just found another box in my mental attic that needs to be sorted out.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What are curb whiskers? Curb Whiskers or Feelers are springy projections mounted on a car to let a driver know he/she is getting close to the curb. Important in the days of whitewall tires.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the full name of the Indian Princess on the Howdy Doody show?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg

IT COSTS HOW MUCH??!!!!!

I went to my favorite pet supply store where I always purchase Sheba's (my dog) food and such, I went to put her usual 15.5 pound bag of dry dog food in the cart when I looked up and saw the price. I approached a sales person and told her I thought there was a mistake in the pricing. She followed me back to the aisle and looked and said, "No Mam, that is the price."

Last month I paid $13.88 for the dog food and this new purchase cost me $20.88 plus tax. A $7.00 increase!!!!! The clerk told me the price went up due to gas prices. "You've got to be kidding" was all I could say. I understand that everything is going up due to the gas situation, but this was out of control.

Being a former accountant, my mind started calculating . Let's see..................Let's say there is 12 bags in a bundle...that would be an additional $84.00. Let's say there are a 100 bundles on the delivery truck.....that would be an additional $8,400! There is no way a delivery truck would only be carrying 100 bundles as a full load. There is no way a truck and the manufacture would use $8,400 in extra gas money!!!!

I am willing to pay maybe an extra 10-12% on a product. I understand the need to off set the rising gas, but this a 50% increase!!! This makes no sense other that the manufacture has seen an opportunity to gouge the public and stuff their pockets with more money. It amounts to greed. The sad thing about all this is that there is no governing force to watch over increases like this......there is no one to whom the manufacture has to answer for this unbreasonable price increase. The sadder thing is that we need these products and will pay the price and the manufacture knows this.

I told Sheba that we will have to figure out a way to beat the system. She just looked up at me and then back to her food dish as if to say, "I sympathize, but this ain't MY problem!!!". It seems she knows I will pay the price for her food regardless and she is right.

It is a good thing I am old and don't have a car because I might be tempted to rob something, but I know I can't out run the police!! Oh well. When you love something or someone, what is $7.00 in the realm of things and they are worth the sacrifice.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What were the singing siblings, Kathy, Diane, Peggy and Janet known as? They were the Lennon Sisters of the Lawrence Welk Show fame. Note picture on right side column of the Lennon Sisters.

TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What are Curb Whiskers?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

My son is currently teaching children in Greenland on a special program from Georgetown University. The areas are remote to say the least. Many times it is difficult to find food there. Often as soon as the boat comes in with supplies, they are gone in a flash. There are no grocery stores as we know them. He is a vegatarian, which limits his food sources there even more so. Most of the innuits there live off the land.....killing seals, reindeer, and an occasional polar bear.

If you are able to find the food you want, it is extremely expensive. Examples: an apple-$1.00 each, eggs-$12.00 for three, a candy bar-$1.00, etc. My son does a lot of baking....his own bread and pastries, but is lacking in the staples needed to survive there. So we have devised a system where he can "shop" in the USA so to speak. This is his second year/rotation there and now has the system down pat. He sends me the money, I purchase the items, and ship them to him and this arrangement is actually cheaper that trying to buy food and supplies there.

Today I went shopping for his supplies, armed with his "grocery list". I hit the Dollar Store and had a ball!! What fun it was to go up and down the aisles and just throw things into the cart at random. Every time I picked up some trinket or teaching aid, all I could think of was what the reaction would be on the children's faces when my son gave these to them.

I bought tons of school aids and small gifts and then headed for a grocery store. Once there, I was going up and down the aisles like I was on some game show, picking things up and tossing them into the cart. WOW! Just like Christmas time. In both stores, people were looking at me like I was some kind of hoader and were rolling their eyes when they were behind me in the checkout as the sales clerk was looking to hide when she saw my full carts. I didn't care.........I was having a great time.

My son has told me that when he receives the packages, it is like Christmas...........he has an idea what the contents might be, but, like a kid, he rummages through the package, looking for some special treat I might have sent him. With the arrival of each package, it is Christmas over and over for him. For me, it was like Christmas today...I love to shop and felt like I was some kid running through the candy store with no restrictions.

So Ho Ho Ho............now I know what Santa must feel like!!!


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the name of Carolyn Kenndy's pony? Macaroni
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What were the singing siblings, Kathy, Diane, Peggy and Janet known as?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: With old age comes wisdom and a senior discount.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION

We are always hearing that anything is ok, as long as it is in moderation. Here in the states we are guilty of not knowing what moderation is. We are given so many choices and live in an "indulge yourself" society where over indulgence is a sign of status, just as it was in the Rueben period when being chubby or overweight was the saught-after look.

We had an exchange student from Israel when my kids were in high school. One of the things that impressed him about the United States was our grocery stores. He was amazed to see aisle after aisle of products and whole aisles dedicated to one particular item such as cereal. In Israel they might have 3 or 4 cereal choices to pick from.

My son has been in Greenland and he will attest to the fact that there are very little selections in the grocery stores there. He has had to deprive himself of the abundance he has grown up with, but that is his choice. But what about us? What about our choice to live over and above moderation? I, for one, am as much guilty as that as is the next person. What about us if the abundance was taken from us......could we live without complaining?

Why do we have to have 50 choices in cereals when we generally always buy the same product each shopping trip. Why do we have to go into debt for more "toys", just because they are offered to us? Why do we have to work and play beyond what is considered in moderation? Why do we have to eat so much that we have become a nation of obese people? Do we HAVE to have all this to survive?

The answer lies in the fact that we DO have so many choices, that we DO have so much offered to us, that we DO want to indulge. I wonder if it is because we are seeking something that these things offer a temporary high for, that we take just because it is offered to us, that is has become a status symbol here in the states to have over and above what is needed for a comfortable survival.

The key word is here is "moderation? What exactly is moderation? The dictionary defines moderation as: a moderating, or bringing within bounds; avoidance of excesses or extremes
absence of violence; calmness; restraint; temperance; lenity; balance. Interpretations of the word "moderation" are relative. What one person may think is in moderation, the next person might find it to be excessive or a denial of what is due us.

The secret here is to live in balance. The sin here is to live in the United States, where there is so much offered us on a daily basis, and not appreciate what IS offered to us. The sin is to expect this kind of wealth as something that is expected in our world and what is owed to us. If you think this way, then take a look around you....at the real world and be thankful we live in our little piece of the world.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Whose twin sister was "Dear Abby"? Ann Landers
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the name of Caroline Kennedy's pet pony? THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU

The scarab bracelet was very popular in the 1950's and early 1960's. Just a brief history of the significance of the Scarab Bracelet: a scarab is a beetle which the Egyptians held in reverance as it represented rebirth and regeneration and is one of the most recognized symbols of ancient Egypt. Carved scarabs were worn as jewelry and wrapped into the linen bandages of mummies. Myth told of the scarab god, Khepri pushing the sun across the sky.

When I was a junior in high school, I was asked to tutor a senior girl who had just moved to Nunda from the south. Tali was the sweetest girl, but needed help with her Latin classes, so I was approached to help her. She had the greatest southern accent, always wore a scarab bracelet which I admired every time I saw her, and always added "The south shall rise again" under her signature. Well, since I was a true die-hard fan of Gone with the Wind and since she was a year ahead of me, I jumped at the chance to hang around with her, even if it were for scholastical reasons.

We shared one free period where I helped bring her up to date on Latin. We grew to become friends and looked forward to our sessions. We laughed and talked as much as we did study. In those days, the word "crazy" referred to something as being fun as opposed to the proverbal meaning of "insane".

Our yearbooks came out and we all spend a lot of time signing each others books. Tali approached me and asked me to sign her book. I thought and thought and finally came up with, "Good luck in the future and don't forget our crazy Latin classes" (referring to our private sessions as opposed to the whole class sesson). I signed her book during the first period class.

By the time the last period rolled around, I had been informed that old lady Kelly (the Latin teacher) was on the war path for me and be careful when I got to class. I had no more than sat down when Mrs. Kelly remarked to the whole class angrily, "Well, if some people in this class this is is insane, they can just leave!!!" Then it hit me!!! Mrs Kelly had seen Tali's yearbook and thought that by me using the word "crazy" in reference to the private tutoring sessions, she thought I referring to her class as being insane!!!

I did leave the class and marched myself down to the principal's office wnd refused to return to class until I had an apology in front of the whole class. She finally apologized and I returned to class, only to quit Latin at the end of the school year.

I do not know whether it was because of the "crazy" incident or whether Tali had intended to give me it all the while, but she gave me her scarab bracelet at the end of the tutoring sessions as a thank you gift. I have had this bracelet in my possession for the past 46 years and it remains a treasured piece of my past.

I wonder if Tali ever thinks about our sessions and remembers the "crazy" time we had.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Who were the 2 presidents in the 1950's decade? Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Whose twin sister wrote “Dear Abby“?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer.

LIVING IN FEAR

Things have changed drastically since my hospitalization last month for heart failure and pulmonary edema. Let me explain both conditions. My heart failed to operate properly and was not able to handle the fluids in my system. The fluids backed up in my chest and had no place to go, but to my lungs, filling them and robbing them of oxygen. It is a horrible feeling, like drowning in your own fluids or being smothered.

In all of my past hospitalizations and illness, I have been able to return to my normal routine without fear, but not this time. I wake up every day and ask myself if this will be the day I will have to go to the hospital again. I am afraid to eat (sodium content which holds the fluids), I am afraid to go very far from home in case it happens again, I am afraid to get into my normal activities for that same reason. When I go with someone (like shopping, the pool, etc.), I wonder what they would do if I had another "Attack" while with them.

I function thinking, "What if if happens now and is this how people will find me?" I don't make any long range plans if I can help it. The slighest sign of being short of breath sends me in a panic attack. I am monitored daily with a machine that records my stats over the phone, I have to take breathing treatments 3 times a day, so I actually have more backup than I ever had in the past, but the fear is there.

Before this episode, most people never even knew I had a heart problem and even my cardiologist said I was "Not cardiac crippled", but now I feel as if it is a daily fight to keep from going back into the hospital and that others (and more important, I) know I have a serious medical condition.

This is something over which I have no control....my body is the dictator here and no matter what I do or don't do, I have lost control. Maybe that is where my fears lie...in losing control and not being able to handle my life as I once did. I just wish I could go back to the way it was before my last hospitalization...........I just wish I could conquer this fear so I had my life back!!!

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was George Jorgenson's claim to fame? He had the 1st sex change operation in 1952 in Copenhagen and changed his name to Christine Jorgenson
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who were the 2 presidents in the 1950's decade?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When you're old and fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.

CAN WE EVER LEAVE THE PAST?

I was one of the fortunate people who grew up in the 1950's, an era of innocence despite the threat of a cold war with Russia and of bomb shelters and air raid drills. It was an era where the good guy wore white and the bad guy wore black. There was no need to second guees who an enemy was. It was an era of security and one of prosperity and dreams come true.

I couldn't wait to move on with my life when I was 18 and in the peak of the 1950's and 1960's and now I find myself going back often. Maybe because of today's uncertainities and constant threats of destruction.

I am not sure I would want to be a child coming up nowdays and even more sure I would not want to be raising children in this era. God, the worse thing we had to worry about was getting caught with a cigerette or not being able to go to a sock hop. The kids today are living in a daily possibility of terrorism, germ warfare, etc.

Often I settle into the memories of a happier time, I time where I had my whole life ahead of me not behind me. I put on the oldies, pull out my 1950's memorabilia tote or my memory box where I still have my class rings and the script from my senior play, "Arsenic and Old Lace" and take myself out of 2008. I smile as each object I touch evokes a memory, a good time, even a bitter sweet time in my younger years.

I guess I have always had one foot in the past. My 23 year granddaughter told me she knows all the trivia questions I put on my blogs. When I asked how she did that, she replied, "Because Gram you always told us about the 1950's and we grew up listening to the oldies and the stories of your youth."

If this were just some kind of effort on my part of trying to be young again, I would understand, but it goes beyond that for me. I really have no good answer for this except that the mind is confortable in the peaceful things, the things once done, the things where we forget there might have been a cloud here and there and idolize what once was.

So I guess I will close for now, put on some oldies and drag out my memoriabilia box because in writing this entry, I hear the past calling me to come back again and enjoy.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Where did the headlight dimmer switch used to be located on a car? On the floor just left of the clutch pedal.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was George Jorgenson’s claim-to-fame?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up.

FRIENDSHIPS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSLtDEymd8

Into our lives come many people....some end up to be enemies, some acquaintances, and if we are lucky, some end up by being friends.

During my recent illness, I had the opportunity to have my true friends revealed to me. I have my dog and obviously could not care for her when I was hospitalized. I had 2 friends come and take turns caring for her and one even stayed at my house until I came home. I had friends send me get well cards. Then there were those who I classified as friends, turn away when I needed their friendship the most. I do not hold this against them. I am not owed anything by anyone.

I have a friend who asks me to go grocery shopping with her on a weekly basis. She will not take any money for the cost of gas. Well today, I will be having a chance to repay her for her kindness. She needs someone to go to the doctor's with her and asked me and without missing a beat, I told her yes. It feels good to be able to repay a friend's kindness. After all, isn't that what friendship is all about.............helping others when needed.

But I think the greatest of all friendships are those that are timeless. We all have had friends, we have not been able to keep in touch with for a period of time for whatever reasons. Then we make contact with that person after awhile and you both pick up where you left off.....as if no time had lasped, as if nothing had been there to bridge a gap in the friendship.

Yesterday, I had a chance to be there for one of the timeless friendships and it felt great. We talked on the phone for quite awhile. We talked about everything and nothing. We embraced the bonds that once existed, maybe stronger this time. It was a warm, glowing feeling. Despite the absence of over 4 years, we chatted as if we had just talked the day before. As one gets older, we see different things as blessings. Well, this simple phone call was a blessing to me.

The Bible tells us that God's love for us is eternal and that we were created in God's image. Therefore one could conclude that the love we feel is also eternal. When we conjour up emotions that come with friendships, we think of loving that person. So logically, love we feel for our friends is eternal and is timeless and that is why good friends can pick up right where they off no matter if it were a few hours, a few weeks, a few months, or a few years between phyical contact.

Final word on the subject of friendship: make friends, enbrace those friendships, but don't forget to be one.

ANSWER TO PREVIUS TRIVIA QUESTION: What did all really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school? Immediately sniffed the purple ink, as this was believed to get you "high"
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Where did headlight dimmer switches used to be located?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When I get real, real bored I like to go downtown and get a good parking spot, then sit in my car and count how many people ask me if I'm leaving.

see right side panel for corresponding video

MATERIAL GLUTTONY

I attended a 3 year old's birthday party yesterday and was struck by the material gluttony that was bestowed on this child. Society now encourages parents not to overfeed their child and are made aware of the dangers of being an overweight child. Yet parents have a tendancy to overfeed our children with material food.

She had so many gifts that she didn't even open them after an hour..............gifts like a tricycle, an art desk, dolls, Dora stuff of all kind. Her cake alone cost $50.00! Her parents are not well to do....they are struggling like the rest of us. It was as if all involved in this child's life were competing to give the most or give the best. In the long run, this kind of indulgence will only do harm to a child.

I think of the children my son teaches in Greenland and how little they have and how contented they are with little things that most kids here toss aside. Things like glow in the dark bracelets, $1.00 dvd's of old fairy tales, balsam airplanes, candy canes, stickers, Dollar Store junk/trinkets, etc. When you don't have, you appreciate what is given to you, no matter what the amount. To these children, it is not what is given or how much is given, it is the fact that someone cares enough to give in the first place.

While Life is good and in abundance, what does a child expect out of Life if indulged in such a way? Will the child expect a free ticket throughout Life just because they occupy a space on this earth? Will they expect that Life owns them something and there is no need to strive for things on their own? More importantly what would that child do if they were denied this material abundance? Could they find happiness in getting less?

Reflecting back on my own child raising years, I look back at what my kids had and didn't have. due to situations beyond my control. Money was not easy to come by for me. They always had presents at Christmas and birthdays, had the special parties other kids had, had new clothes, etc. but they did not receive in abundance. I am sure they wanted more, but the accepted what they had and were happy. My kids knew what it was to take responsibility for their own beings at an early age. They learned that while certain things are owed to them by a parent, other things needed their efforts to succeed.

They learned the satisfaction one derives from working toward a goal and achieving it, whether it be for a more expensive pair of sneakers or some Life accomplishment. Did they turn out to be whinny adults who resented not having in abundance? No, they learned the value of living within their means and the acceptance of Life as it was. They gained pride in hard work and in striving to become involved in their own materialistic gains. They are generous and giving people.

While giving to your child is accepted, material gluttony isn't. Part of the responsibility of being a parent is to teach your child to stand on his/her own feet and take responsibility for oneself.

So would this little 3 year old have been less happy if she had only gotten a tricycle, some dolls, some clothes? I doubt it. The overindulgence seemed to overwhelm her and she never had time to just sit and appreciate what she had and enjoy it for what it was worth. What will the parents have to do in the years to come to "top" this birthday? Continue to fatten their child til it becomes so martialistically obese that she can't even stand on her own in years to come?

PREVIOUS TRIVIA QUESTION: What is duck and cover? A drill for school children in the 1950's, for use in case of atomic attack. When you heard the siren, you were to have ducked down and find cover, usually your desk.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What did all really savvy students do when mimeographed tests were handed out in school?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Women over 50 don't have babies because they would put them down and forget where they put them

FESTIVALS

As you know, Buffalo's summer are far too short. Therefore we must make the most of everyday, especially the weekends. So we try to cram everything into about 12 weekends. There is a festival for everything: chicken wing festival, Greek festival, Irish festival, Italian festival, etc.

This weekend is the 25th annual The Taste of Buffalo. 1/2 million people are expected to treat their pallets to some Buffalo favorites such as beef on weck and chicken wings, as well as a chance to try something new. There will be over 150 culinary specialities with about 60 restaurants being represented. Ours is the 2nd largest food festival in the United States. In addition to the usual and generally unhealthy (but delicious) selections, each vendor will be offering 1 healthy item on their menus.

So if you are planning on attending, wear loose fitting clothing and be prepared to pig out and delight your pallets. If you are not from Buffalo, then this is one incident where I can honestly say, "I am glad I am a Buffaloian and wish you were here."

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS TRIVIA: Where was Butch wax used? On your head to stiffen hair cut into a flattop so it stood up
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was duck and cover?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Bumper sticker of the year: "If you can read this, thank a teacher; since it's in English, thank a soldier."

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

I have been very neglectful in keeping up with this blog. So much has happened since my last entry........so many things have changed. I began thinking of all the changes................so many movie personalities have passed away, I was seriously ill and recovered, new people have come into my life, people once removed from my life have returned, people have gone out of my life, etc.
I realize there is change every second of our lives...some good changes and some bad ones. Every second, we move one step closer to our own mortality...our bodies begin to change and betray us even when our minds struggle to remain the same. People come into our lives and leave...we generally have no control over that. We find a comfortable niche in life and don't want to leave it, but change evicts us from our safe haven. We want certain things to change, but we have little control over most change, whether it be good or bad.
While we become elated with some changes, others terrify us and we fight so hard to protect ourselves from those kind of changes. We need to understand that we can't waste our lives away being terrified of changes. We can't stop the change, we can't keep things status quo. We either live with change or let it destroy us. The human mind, spirit, and soul are very resilent....maybe that is what keeps us from falling apart on a daily basis when change comes our ways.
A special acknowledgement of one very special change in my life since I last wrote in this blog..................HELLO DANIELLE AND ANTHONY!!

TRIVIA FOR THE DAY: Where was Butch Wax used?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When I was young we used to go "skinny dipping," now I just "chunky dunk."