A LOSS

We all get so caught up in our lives....our routines, thinking that things will stay status quo. We generally do not accept change very well. There is a man who works for a drug store where I go for my prescriptions. The drug store offers free home delivery, which I use most of the time and this man is the regular driver on weekdays.


We know each other by first name, we wish each other happy holidays, we ask each other how we are feeling, we complain about the weather to each other, etc. If we see each other on the street or in a store, we acknowledge each other with a smile and small chit-chat. In reality, we have let the other person into our lives, even if only for a few moments at a time. In a sense we have become part of the other's lives as they have ours.


As we do with those people we allow into our lives, we become emotionally attached to some extent. Early this morning, there was a fire which destroyed 4 houses, one of which was my friendly delivery man's. I was so concerned that I called the drug store to see if he was ok. They told me his house was destroyed and that he survived the fire, but his grown son didn't survive...he died in the fire.


Oh My God!!!....I was stunned by this news. I still sit here trying to understand what happened.
My heart went out to this man and I can't even begin to understand his loss or pain, but I hurt for him nevertheless. There is a saddness upon me and a loss as what to do or say when I see him next, other than I am so sorry.


You read of this tragedy every day, but never think it will strike someone you know. Life changes suddently and oft times harshly. Things don't stay the same, happiness is invaded by sorrow, normalacy is shattered, but that IS Life.....that is how it goes. There is nothing we can do to change this. It is not fair, but we are not the balancers of this universe. All we can do is muddle through these changes the best we can and learn to accept them and maybe offer a smile or shoulder to cry on or just compassion for those who are effected by these changes in such a sorrowful way.


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the slang term, "Big tickle" mean? really funny
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who asked, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?"

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You know you are old if your whole day is full of "Senior Moments."

THE WEATHER MAN WHO CRIED WOLF!

I am sure we can all remember the story/fable from our childhood years of the little boy who cried wolf one too many times and no one believed him. The lesson was if you cried for help and were only joking too many times, no one would believe you.

We seem to have weathermen here in the western New York area who must have been absent the day that story/fable was read at school. A few years ago, we had an unexpected snow strom hit the area that left children stranded at school or en route home over night. We live in a snow area, so this kind of storm is not rare.....maybe unexpected at times, but not rare.

Now it seems as if the weatherman has taken the lesson of the little boy who cried wolf too seriously for most Buffaloians. It seems every time there is a chance a storm might hit the area, the weatherman pushes the panic button and emits reports that cause us to push the panic button. This has been happening ever since that one storm a few years ago. I guess the weatherman doesn't want to be caught with his pants down again.

Just this past Friday, the weathermnan reported that 2 major incidents were going to hit the area. First one: he predicted enough rain for most of us regreting not building an ark. Second one: he reported a major lake effect storm (for those not familar with that term, it is the worse and most destructive snow storm that can hit) to hit us by Monday morning. As is the custom of us here, that kind of storm means running out and buying up bread, milk, toilet paper, and beer.

Well, so far he has been wrong on the first count. While we had some rain off and on yesterday, it was not even close to what was predicted. The way it looks and feels now, I doubt very much if a lake effect storm will hit us. I doubt if we will even get enough snow to cover the ground if even that.

Some may say that predicting the weather is NOT a skill, but a game of chance. Some may say that there is no true way of prediciting what will happen 48 hours from now or even 24 hours. As for me, I will give the weatherman credit for not wanting us to go through what we did a few years ago. However, I tend to lean toward his crying wolf......one of these times we will not listen to him and WILL be hit with a major storm.

Well, if you do not hear from me in a week or so, it might be that the weatherman WAS right and we got hit with that lake effect storm and all the power lines are down. I think I am going to find my snow shovels just in case................


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Jergens Lotion was created by Andrew Jergens. What was his occupation before creating this hand and body lotion? He was a lumber jack.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the slang term, "Big tickle" mean?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Make yourself at home .....clean my kitchen

LOOSE ENDS

Did you ever have a mess of loose ends hanging around you and tripping you, pleading with you to finally tie them up? . Did you ever find yourself making excuses and finding "more important" things to do instead of tying up those loose ends? I am sure you did. I have.

Many have told me that I can be obsessive/compulsive when it comes to organizing things and putting them in a proper niche. I do have to agree with them. Sometimes I get so obsessed in filing things away that I often forget where I filed them when I needed them later. Every new system I create seems to be more effective and wise until I try to find something.

Today was one of those days. I had so many loose ends waving their little arms at me that I could not find any more places to hide from them. So I attacked them with a fervor and am sitting here hoping I will not forget where I put things. Maybe I should make a list of where they are now before I get confused later and forget them later. But then I probably would forget where I put the list.

I can actually see the top of my dining room table again. WOW...that is what it looks like. I wonder how long it will take to bury it again. Well, I am going to look at all my handiwork and try to make a mental note of where things are. Onto another task..............now where the heck did I put those papers?

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Sputnik II which carried a dog. What was its name? Laika
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Jergens Lotion was created by Andrew Jergens. What was his occupation before creating this hand and body lotion?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The fastest way to find something you've lost is to replace it

HOW TERRIFYING

Today a friend told me that an acquaintance that I had known many many years ago is in the hospital dying. She is in a drug-induced coma, is on a respirator, had both heart and kidney failure and the friend was told that she will not make it. The sad thing is is that she is only 67 years old.

The sadder part of this story is that she has no one to handle her arrangements after she is gone.
Oh my God how sad and terrifying is that? She does have family, but one of them is sickly herself and can't make the trip from California and the others have yet to come forth and probably won't. To think that someone has lived all those years and at the end, he/she will die alone.

Who will see to the funeral and burial arrangements? Will she be treated as some "Jane Doe" and left for the county to bury her? Will there be no eulogy, will there be no kind words of remembrance, will there be no tears at her passing? It almost seems surreal that this can happen to someone. How horribly sad it is to think that there is no one on this earth to complete her life cycle.

Even though my family and I have had our problems and had been estranged for a few years, I know that if I had died, one of them would have stepped up to the plate and taken care of things. Now that relationships have been reestablished, I could die peacefully in the knowledge that I would be properly taken care of after my death.

I can't think of anything sadder that what is happened to this woman. I am so grateful I have family who cares.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the “That frosty mug sensation”? a mug of A & W root beer
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Sputnik II which carried a dog. What was its name?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Do not disturb. Already disturbed

OOPS

I was experimenting with this site, which works with your blog site, and now I can't get it off. I just wanted to see how it looked and was going to remove it. So I guess you are stuck with this magazine cover.

It features my daughter and her family: Paula, Jay, and the kids, Danielle, and Anthony. Have to admit, they look pretty good on a cover of a magazine and in real life, they are all friends with each other.

It is times like this that I feel rather dumb (and frustrated) because a mechnical object took advantage of me. I consider myself pretty computer literate, but right now I feel I should run out and buy a copy of "Computers for Dummies".

Well I guess there is no need to get totally frustrated. After all it is just a slip-up on a computer and not the end of the world. I guess I can stop grinding my teeth and scouring my face up. So enjoy the magazine and wish me luck for the next time I try to experiment and it backfires.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What is Patricia McCormick’s claim to fame. She was the first woman bull fighter.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was the “That frosty mug sensation”?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The trouble with political jokes is that they get elected

best friends

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

I WONDER WHY.....

I am not sure if I have had too much time on my hands over the years or if I just have an inquisitive mind, but certain things cause me to ponder their purpose and origin over the years. Not deep topics such as "What is the meaning of life?" or "Why am I here?" or "How come a leopard has spots and an elephant doesn't?" or "Why is it that a man won't ask for directions when lost?" These topics would show that I was a deep thinker, one who ponders over the status of the universe.

I ponder over more trivial ideas. I wonder how some things got started and why they got started. How did one word come to mean something in our language..............who thought it up? What precipatated the creation of the bra or some other at-the-moment-seemingly unimportant item?

I can get lost in thought in things like trying to figure out why man decided to pick certain items and decide they should be eaten. Was man walking along the beach one day and saw a clam which I am sure must have looked like a rock and thought, "Hmmm, if I break this open, there will be something edible inside it."?

What made man observe a lobster and say to himself, "This looks like it would be a delicacy with melted butter, so I am going to cook it." What could have possibly been going through man's mind when he saw a cow and scratched his head and uttered (no pun intended), "Hmm, I wonder if I squeeze those thingings hanging down, will I get something nourishing to drink?"

What was he thinking when he dug a hole and saw this root laying there under the surface and decided to pull it and cook it? Is this how our taste for carrots, potatoes, turnips, etc. came about? What ever gave man the idea to pull certain plants or parts of and use those parts as a seasoning or a healing herb?

How did man figure out what yeast was and then how to use it? Why did he take some seeds and decide to boil them to create coffee or use the seeds of the cocoa plant to make the delicious chocolate we all love and crave?

I am sure that necessity was partially responsible for man's experimenting in trying to find food sources. I am sure that just the fact that man had a mind with which to reason and think spurred him on to "discover" these strange things to be used for food. Or maybe man just had too much time on his hands and got bored and just decided to walk around and experiment with things he found just laying around.

Hmmmmmm, I think I will go for a walk and see if I can find the next food sensation to tickle our pallets.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Elvis Presley made only one television commercial, what was it? an ad for "Southern Maid Doughnuts" that ran in 1954.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What is Patricia McCormick’s claim to fame.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You read about terrorists; most of them came here legally, but they hung around on these expired visas, some as long as 10-15 years. Now, compare that to Blockbuster; you are two days late with a video and those people are all over you. I think we should put Blockbuster in charge of immigration.

BETTER MOUSE TRAP

Be sure to check out the jukebox section of my blog daily. The songs change. If you have a request, let me know and I will try to get it on the jukebox.

Since I live next to 2 vacant lots and it is fall, I have had mice in the house. For a few days there, I was catching maybe 5 or 6. It is not one of those things you get up in the morning and say, "Wow, today is another fine day to catch mice!", but it is reality.

My dog, Sheba, thinks she is a mouser/a cat. Sheba is part German Shepherd and lab. She weighs about 65 pounds, not exactly what would come to mind when you mention an animal that catches mice. Nevertheless, she thinks she is my protector and if it is mice she must conquer, then so be it!

If I see a mouse when I am not expecting it, I do scream. Sheba comes running and first thing she does is drop her head down and starts sniffing around the baseboards and floor, looking for her prey. God help me if I had to scream for another reason like someone was in the house...she would instinctively look downward!

There was a dead mouse in a trap. Sheba laid down, focused on the mouse, and patiently waited for an opportunity to pounce on it. I almost hated having to put the mouse in the garbage as she was so intent on protecting me from it.

I had been using those plastic traps (the wooden ones scare me when I put them down and they snap, just barely missing my fingers). They are great....work on the principle of a baggie clip....bait the trap, set it down, wait, catch your mouse, then just release the mouse into the garbage by pressing the clip.

I recently discovered a better mouse trap than the plastic ones and even Sheba....those ones you plug into an outlet and the vibrations it emits in the walls keeps the mice away. IT WORKS!!!!!I have not seen a mouse in over a week!!! The best part of it is that I do not have the distasteful job of setting the trap, disposing of the mouse, and even seeing a mouse.

I would give this "mouse trap" 2 thumbs up and plan on keeping mine plugged in all year round. That will show those little critters, but unfortunately will take away some of Sheba's fun and duties. Oh, well, I will just have to find something else for her to do around the house....hmmmmmm, wonder if you can train a dog to vacuum.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Who encouraged us “to reach out and touch somebody?" AT&T
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Elvis Presley made only one television commercial, what was it?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You know you are old if you have too much room in the house and not enough in the medicine cabinet.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

It is hard enough to see ourselves getting older and falling prey to all that that entails, but I think it is harder to see a life time acquaintance falling apart.

I have always said that I could tolerate the physical aspect of getting older (now, I wonder at the wisdon of that remark), but the mental aspect terrified and still does terrify me. There always seems to be a treatment or medication to help us seniors get through the physical aspects of getting old. But there is little one can do when one begins to fade away mentally.

Even if you take 100 pills a day and are confined to a wheelchair and still have your sight and hearing, you can survive. But what do you do when you mind begins to go? We all have moments (more than we like) when we forget things or forget a word or rattle on or tell the same story 10 times. Where is the quality of life when the mind leaves us?

I have an acquaintnace whom I have know for 43 years. schools. She has always been an alert person. Over the past few months I have noticed that she is having problems remembering things and is becoming argumentative at times.

We can chat on the phone and within 10 minutes she has forgotten what I had said and asks me the same questions. When I tell her I just told you, she denies it and acts confused. This happens almost evey conversation with her. She seems to get confused over the simpliest things. I can see the mental confusion seeping into her life and there is nothing I can do about it, just as there would be nothing I could do if it were happening to me.

It is sad...sadder maybe in knowing that this could be happening to me, that I may reach this stage of my life. It is a sad and rude reminder that we all get old, that we all have fralities, that all must face our own mortality. It is like going to a class reunion and looking around at your classmates and thinking, "Oh, my God, did they get old!!! When did that happen?" Yet at the same time, you do not see yourself as getting older along with them. When it comes to ourselves, we generally deny what is obvious in others.

As far as my acquaintance goes, what do you do? There is little you can do, but remain friends and hope that you will have the patience to keep looking at HER and not at her mental state and deal with it accordingly.



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Marlon Brando as Terry uttered “You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been someone Charley, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. I'm a bum. It was you, Charley.” in this 1954 film. What was the film? "On the Waterfront"
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who encouraged us “to reach out and touch somebody?"
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A good day is when the shit hits the fan and I have time to duck

WHAT'S THERE TO TALK ABOUT?

It is interesting how our topics of converstaion change as we grow older. There is a quote from scripture that says, "When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." (1 Corinthians 13:11 New American Standard Bible)

Then it is only normal that as we grow from childhood through adolescence, to adulthood that our topics of conversation change. When we were babies/toddlers, we spoke what we heard. We mimiced what we heard adults speak, at times not even knowing what we were talking about. This was a means of learning our language.

As school age children, we began to speak of those things that affected our lives....we wanted to share, to show off, to be heard. We talked about our friends, the teacher who didn't like us, what we were going to play after school, etc. We still mimiced our adults to an extend, but for the most part our choice of topics was our own.

As we were nearing our teens years and even once there, our topics of conversations WERE the only ones we wanted to hear. We often stopped creating topics to talk about with our parents or other adults. But we could find enough topics to share with our friends to last an entire day. We chatted about our friends, what so and so wore to school, how dreamy the boy in math class was. etc. Today, teen conversations are in the form of a text message, but the topics remain the same.

In our early adult years, we spoke of our jobs, our spouse, our children, of our plans to retire etc. Our conversations began to focus on the future as much as the present. We became aware that there was more to life than the present. We needed to move on in our lives and thus our topics of conversation.

As we approach or are in the senior years, our topics of conversation have changed radically. We discuss our grandchildren, the condition of the next generation, and mostly of our physical conditions. Put 2 or more seniors together and they will end up by talking about their surgeries, their medications, their doctors, their doctor appointments, who just died, etc.

I guess maybe at this age, others may think this morbid talk, but I guess over all the years of our existence, we maybe we have already discussed most of everything, so all that is left now is our medical concerns. It IS funny to hear seniors in conversation.......try listening to a group of seniors. It will make you glad you are young and everything still works!



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Fill in the blank in this song "Please turn on your magic beam, _____ _____ bring me a dream." Mr. Sandman
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Marlon Brando as Terry uttered “You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been someone Charley, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. I'm a bum. It was you, Charley.” in this 1954 film. What was the film?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground

A LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS

I take aquatic classes at the local YMCA Monday-Fridays. I have been doing this for over 3 years and have been in the same group of woman, give or take a couple. Our classes can go as high as 20 people and as low as 6 people. But the one steadfast factor in our classes is that they consist of basically the same women.

Generally when you put that many women together in a setting or even a few women in a setting, feathers can fly. Not to betray my gender, but I will be the first to admit that women have a tendancy to get petty and tend to gossip or belittle or backbite in such a group. I can honestly say in all the time I have spent with these women, none of the typical female pettiness has reared its ugly head.

We not only spend time together in the pool, but also on a social basis. We go out for lunch once a month, visit each other in our homes, make contact over the phone, etc. When a spouse dies, the others are there for the widow or widower to lend support and love. When someone is dealing with a problem, the others are there to help if they can or at least listen. When something good happens to a member of the group, the others rejoice. In my own personal experience with this group, I had 2 friends come to help with my dog when I was in the hospital, one even spending the nights here until I was discharged.

So what separates this group of women from other groups? I am not really sure...I guess you could say we are just blessed. The personalities click, we all seem to have common ground, we all feel comfortable with each other, etc. I guess we feel free to just be ourselves without fear of critism or ridicule. If you doubt that last remark, join us one day in the pool and see how silly we can get....how we can be kids again, everyone joins in, and no one laughs us.

It is a good group, one of which has become an extended family for all those involved. One that we look forward to being with. One that makes us want to be on our best behavior as women and leave all the typical feminine pettiness behind. Of all the things that have come into my life, this group is one of the biggest blessings. I have never been involved with any group where you could just enjoy being with it and just enjoy being silly when the opportunity arises.

So as the old song goes, ".....what a lovely bunch of coconuts". (play today's jukebox pick to hear the full song) Would any of the group be offended by me referring to them as a coconut? Heck no! That's because we are who we are and have no shame in admitting it!

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: If you ordered a "cluck and grunt" at a 1950's diner, what would you have ordered? Egg and bacon
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Fill in the blank in this song "Please turn on your magic beam, _____ _____ bring me a dream."
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

TAG.....YOU'RE IT!!!

There is a big push now days for children to get outside and play or join some form of physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. As kids, our parents never had to worry about that with our generation, but now the whole concept is being pushed on TV.

We generally hit the door running after we got home from school to get outside and play our favorite games. We didn't have all the electronic toys that keep us anchored to a seat. We had TV, but playing outside was generally more fun. There were only 2 TV shows that kept me from wanting to be outside and they were "The Mickey Mouse Club" and later "American Bandstand".

Who can forget such games as Tag, Kick the Can, What Time is it Mr. Fox, Freeze Tag, Dodge Ball, Hide and Seek, Red Light/Green Light, Jumping Rope, Hop Scotch, Giant Steps, Mr. Pie Man, or roller skating or riding your bike or scooter,etc? I know I can't. Kids were always on the move and generally had to be called in for supper time and then went back outside until the street lights came on (on non-school nights).

Since I had a heart murmur, I wasn't allowed to play the real strenous games, but did join in on several of the "tamer" games. Also being outside playing meant some special treats.............the ice cream man, the pop corn man, the little merry-go-round ride, and the take-your-picture on a pony treat....all of which came to your block periodically if not daily.

The best part of all this is that we never considered any of our activities as being something physical that we had to do. It was fun, it was our time, and it was a chance to just be a kid. We used our imaginations as well as our bodies to keep us in shape. There are so many things a child is offered today...sophisticated toys and activites. I am glad that all we needed to play and be happy was a can, a ball, a jump rope, a bike or scooter, a piece of chalk, or just imagination. Tag, you're it!!!!


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In the Everly Brothers song, "Wake up Little Suzie", what time was it when they realized they were in trouble? 4:00
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: If you ordered a "cluck and grunt" what would you have ordered?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.

GO TO THE TOP

A couple of blog entries ago, I referred to my grandmother teaching me to go to the top if those at the bottom won't help you. Well I will tell you the full story now.


Years ago, when I was about 10 years old......let me rephrase that.........many, many years ago when I was 10, I wanted to buy a book of paper dolls. We lived across the street from a Woolworth's store. For those of you who might be too young to know what a Woolworth store was, let me explain.


Woolworth, along with Grants and Neisners, were better known as 5 and 10 cents stores. They carried a little of everything and when they first began, most of the items cost 5 or 10 cents. If you have ever gone to Viddler's in East Aurora, NY., you will see the concept of such stores.


This particular Woolworth store had wooden floors that creaked, had 2 floors with large wooden steps (no such thing as an elevator or escalator), had salespeople to help you in every department, and had a floor walker (a person who just walked around the store to make sure things were ok....kinda like the boss). The salesgirls wore dresses, some with a lace hanky in the top pocket, high heels, and were groomed to the ninth.


Well, I had earned a little money doing some chore or another and had enough money (probably 10 cents) to buy some paper dolls, which I loved. I wanted to add to my collection a bride and groom paper doll set. I had been eyeing the set at Woolworth's for a long time, so once I had some money in my hot little hands, I bolted across the street and through the doors of Woolworths.


Now keep in mind that I was short....even shorter than I am now if you can believe that. My chin came to about to the top of the counters. I found my treasure and went to pay the salesclerk for it. I tried to get her attention on one side of the counter, but she just turned and walked to the other side. I tried this several times and yet she didn't see me and therefore could not take my money.


Discouraged and disappointed, I put the paper dolls back and went back home in tears without them. I explained the situation (between sobs) to my grandmother, who proceeded to grab my hands and walk out the door, across the street, and into Woolworths. As we were crossing the street, she told me in situations like this, I was to go to the lower person on the ladder and if they didn't help, keep climbing the rungs until I reached the top, if need be.


She marched me into Woolworths, back to the paper doll section, took my purchase to the floor walker and explained the situation of how I tried to pay for my purchase, but the salesperson couldn't see me over the counter. The floor walker knelt down beside me and told me that we had done the right thing coming to him. Then he took me by my hand and lead me to the counter where I had tried to pay for the paper dolls.


He then explained the situation to the salesclerk who apologized for not seeing me. As I tried to once again pay for my purchase, the floor walker put the money back into the palm of my hand and closed my hand around it. With a smile and a twinkle in his eye, he said, "This one is one me."


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Jim Anderson on Father's Knows Best called his oldest daughter Betty, "Princess". What did he call his youngest daughter? Kitten
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In the Everly Brothers song, "Wake up Little Suzie", what time was it when they realized they were in trouble?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice Doggie!"--until you can find a tree to climb

A MAN OR A MOUSE??

Lately I have been catching mice. There are empty lots on either side of me and with the old furnace being removed and the cooler weather approaching, this is bound to happen. So I have been forced to set traps to free my house of any possible rodent invasion.

Last night one little mouse was caught in a trap while trying to remove the peanut butter I had used as bait. I started thinking.....food caused its death. At first I thought how primal and stupid this was. But eating is a must if one is to survive, whether it be a man or a mouse. But alas, man is not as gullible as a mouse is reaching for that dab of peanut butter. Man would never be stupid enough to risk his life in such a manner.

Think again!!! But that is exactly what man does and is doing at an alarming rate in today's age. Oh, man is not reaching his hand up inside a rigged trap to scoop out a miter of food. Man is reaching out into more long-term traps that will be sure to kill him.

Think about all the people you know. Then think about all the people in that group who are falling prey to the food trap. We turn to food for more than survival..............we all over indulge. Sit and watch people go by and about 99% of them are overweight. We are trapped.....high cholestrol, obesity, diabetes are only part of how the trap snaps down on us and kills us. Food is enticing us to our deaths, just as the peanut butter is enticing the little mice in my house to their deaths in a trap.

So the saying "Are you a man or a mouse?" might have a different meaning than what it was originally meant......"are you a man or a coward?" In reality, man is no different that a mouse that falls for the trap of food. But man has a choice. Survival does not mean making the wrong choices when it comes to our health and our food choices. Survival does not mean having to risk your life to eat, as it does a little mouse. Wise food choices, moderation, and will power separate us from that little bitty gray mouse heading for that peanut butter that is enticing him to his death. So the question posed here is "Are you a man or a mouse?"

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What product told us that “It never rains, but it pours”? Morton Salt
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Jim Anderson on Father's Knows Best called his oldest daughter Betty, "Princess". What did he call his youngest daughter?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Sign of menopause: you sell your home heating system at a yard sale.

BE HAPPY FOR ME

Last Christmas, my furnace broke in the middle of sub zero temps. I was without heat for 3 weeks. It was pure hell (without the heat). Because of my low income status and disability, I was able to turn to HEAP for help. They repaired it.

A few nights ago, it was getting cold inside and the dampness was going right through me. I decided to turn on my furnace to take the chill off. Yep, you guessed it!!!...no heat, it was down again. I managed to get through the night by using a little portable heater. I had called a "friend" to share this with and she proceeded to tell me she was going to turn on her furnace and she did. She then went onto to tell me how nice and warm and cozy SHE was. My first thoughts were "Nothing like kicking a person when she is down."

The next morning I called the department I had called before and was told it would take about 3 weeks to get it repaired or replaced. Years ago, when I was about 10 or 11, my grandmother taught me a lesson (another time another story): if you can't get help on the lower end, go to the top. So I found a supervisor at HEAP and explained my situtation and she acted upon it immediately My new furnace was installed yesterday.

I was relieved to have heat again and so relieved that I would not have to worry about my old furnace (over 40 years old) breaking down this winter again. I called my "friend" again to tell her of my good fortune. She acted like I had told her I had just found a penny on the ground...no enthusiasm, no excitement, and no signs of being happy for me. She jist poo-poo'ed it and went on to tell me what she had fixed for dinner. It is not like I just was given a hand-out. I worked for years and contributed into the system.

Why do some people seem to thrive on another's misfortunes and bad luck? Why can't a "friend" be happy for another friend when things are going well for them? Is it because in someone else's misfortunates, their lives seem better? Is it because they are so discontented in their own lives, that when someone else's life is going well, they feel jealous or feel threatened in some way? Is it because they want to feel superior? We all face hard times, mostly because it is all a part of life. It does not mean we are second class citizens or that others, in their good times, are better than us.

Whatever the reason, they are not really a friend......I had an email sent to me that, in part, went something like this, "When you are happy, I will laugh with you; when you are sad, I will lend you my shoulder; when you are in trouble, I will come to visit you in jail, etc" It is a humorous statement, but in essence it states that a friend will be there for you all the time...good times or bad times, that a friend will feel what you feel and will act accordingly, etc.

So in all this, I gained a furnace and peace of mind and lost a "friend" who would now be an acquaintance. My TRUE friends are those that share my happiness and sympathize my misfortunes and would never never laugh at me when I fall.



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What military distinction does Eisenhower hold?
Eisenhower was the only president to serve in both World War I & World War II.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What product told us that “It never rains, but it pours”?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison?

THOSE OLDIES BUT GOODIES

We all know that as seniors, we begin to lose some of our short-term memory, while our long-term memory remains stable. There are a lot of medical reasons for this, but I like to think that some of the stuff we are supposed to remember now as in short-term memory are just not that important. I mean, really, who cares what we had for breakfast this morning? We have more important short-term memory to dwell on, like "where the hell did I put my glasses?!"

But there is one thing I have noticed about my own memory. No matter when it has been in my adult life, I can always hear about 5 notes from a 1950's/1960's song and I can not only remember the melody and every word, but I could tell you where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard it.

Now why is that? Probably because we were happier and more carefree in those days. Maybe is is because we sang them over and over or heard them over and over on our transistor radios, or the jukebox, or on our record players. We were "in love" with those artists who sang them.

The lyrics were "deep" and had real maning to us. Example: Splish Splash (writer shakes her head and raises her eybrows at that one). Maybe we remember them because Rock 'n Roll was our form of rebellion. Maybe we remember them because for the first time we had access to them on TV....American Bandstand. Maybe we remember them because we could understand the lyrics. Maybe we can remember them because they (the songs) were so much part of our lives.

The featured song on today's jukebox selection is one of those oldies but goddies I can tell you all the details. I first heard it on the school bus coming home high school. My friend Joan and I were huddled in a whispered converstaion. We were asking each other if we had ever French kissed and how did it feel and with whom. Ahhhhh...........the good old days. Whatever the reason for remembering, I can not only name that tune in 5 notes, I can sing every word of it in tune, and tell you the artist and the year it was released.


TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the slang term "Cast an eyeball" mean? To look at.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What military distinction does Eisenhower hold?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I wish the buck stopped here, I could use a few