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Musings on anything. |
 My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| This afternoon, while I was blowing leaves off my patio and front entrance, I saw snow flurries. I kept blowing in the cold wind. By the time I got to the front, the patio was dotted with rain drops, and the white stuff had stopped. Then I noticed the sun was shining in the west. We can get it all in one day. I didn't stay out long. I have constant sinus trouble and it was windy. My leaf blower is battery operated, which meant the battery was going to die soon anyway. I tried to wind up my garden hose, but it was too stiff in the cold. I undid the knots and looped what I could on the hanger. When I went in, I looked out the patio doors (opposite my front door) to see the wind scurrying dead leaves across my clean patio. Oh, well. Good for now. |
| Just reporting back. The woman I know who has spent the last month sleeping in her car minus a few days in the hospital. She finally checked into the Salvation /army when a bottom bunk was available. The Army has very strict rules and practice "tough love", which we knew about at church, but didn't feel we had the right to direct her life. Normally, they allow someone to stay three weeks, but will allow an extension if the person is cooperating with the program. She can't work, so there is no job in line, but they do have a place for her which will require over 90% of her income. Of course, she qualifies for food stamps and clothing at other sources. She has Medicare. In the meantime, she has a comfortable place to sleep, she is safe, she gets three meals a a day which she claims is "not bad". And she is warm all day. I predict that in a few weeks, she will even look healthier and rested. One item that surprised me, but I am glad for it. They take all the person's money and direct their spending. They get budget counseling. Her soon to be ex-husband is also sheltered there. They've put him to work already. He is quite intelligent but never grew up. He's been sponging off his wife. So now that will be one less burden to her. He will be on his own program and get his own place. If you know someone who is down and out, urge them to go to the local Salvation Army. And make a generous donation. |
| There are so many traditions of various origins. I don't really follow any these days (years). When I was young, we had a neighbor who said it was bad luck for a woman to visit your home on New Year's Day. It made me wonder why she brought us back luck by coming into our house. My mother claimed that you had to take down the Christmas decorations on New Year's Day or you would have sickness in the household. Now I know people who don't take them down until Epiphany which is January 6 (observed the second Sunday after Christmas in church). I have known two women who had spectacular trees that stayed up all year long! Everything else came down, but not the trees. Some people can't wait to take them down, maybe as early as the day after. All my relatives had oyster stew for Christmas breakfast. For the first day, it was black eyed peas, cornbread, stewed tomatoes, and cornbread and any kind of meat (leftovers?). Today the younger ones prefer pizza or gyros. I stick with beans and tomatoes. It's a vegetarian day for me. I take down the decorations after the first, a little at a time, because I'm lazy and because I didn't get to enjoy them enough while they were up. When I was much younger and generally feeling better, I would sing every Christmas song I knew. I don't sing that much any more, and I didn't get saturated with seasonal songs this year. I never once heard the hippopotamus song or Alvin sing he wants a hula hoop. Traditions don't mean as much without a family. So I can go with the flow or not. I don reminisce quite a bit early on about my parents and brothers, even my late ex-husband. But we can't live in the past. And we don't need to make new traditions. Just live in the moment. |
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These days I just have houseplants and one lonely portulaca that came up by seed and has bloomed this past week. I've been "home" for three months and the plants have responded well. But, I long for Thailand.
. Isn't it funny how we take things like electricity and plumbing for granted... until we don't have them. Happy for you!