%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| It's time again to remember those who gave up their lives believing they were doing the right thing, defending their country. We have the freedom of speech, the freedom to vote and to argue because people thought this nation and its principles were worth defending with their lives. It is so easy to take our rights and freedoms for granted. It's easy for us to criticize our history. But the life we enjoy came at great cost and continues to cost in human life and injury. We owe our gratitude to those individuals and their families.They died or suffer now in vain only if we do not honor our country and continue the struggle to protect it. We must take up their cause and stand for them. We can not all take up arms or fly a plane or one of the myriad tasks they do. Yet in our small way, we can honor them and take a stand for our homeland. |
| That phrase is open to interpretation. I didn't give it much thought until the controversy arose over a hat worn to work with the slogan "America was never that great." The lady explained she didn't hate America, she just didn't like that campaign slogan. As I read it, I realized she was confusing the word "great" with "perfect". They are not the same. (Very few businesses would allow slogans on shirts or hats during work, especially if facing the public.) America has never been perfect. Maybe it would have stayed a constant if it had been perfect. But it has been constantly evolving. One of the things that made it 'great' has been that the voice of the people could make changes within its framework. We could culturally adapt without force from without. What has made it not so great is the financial debt of the nation, the decreasing opportunity for work, increasing dependency on the government for daily existence, and the intrusion of federal government into the states. Some would add increasing violence, terrorism, drug use, moral decay, the decline of the family. Maybe. I think those things have always been there, but with the rapidly increasing population, they're in our face more. And the Internet and TV keep us very in tune with what's outside our own little spheres. That may be frightening. In so many ways we have improved. We have done away with slavery, while many countries have not. We have in our life times stopped calling people from other races or countries names. Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Irish, Germans, as well as blacks and Indians, have had their share of name calling. It's not that most people meant to hurt them. They just grew up where those names were used. Redneck and cracker are names commonly used as well. They are just names that may or may not have carried bad intent with them, but people grew up thinking they were just labels for other people. I have heard a lot of people confess that they grew out of that. They worked on it and stopped labeling people like that, but now find themselves the victims of actual racism, not just a label. Making America great again is not about going back to some mythical Utopian status. It's about getting back on track, reducing our debt, securing our house (our country) just like you would your own home, letting people feel safe on the streets in daylight, having work available for able-bodied people, encouraging free enterprise, having politicians who serve "the people" and not their own pocketbooks, and re-establishing ideals and standards for people to follow. It's about trying to get better instead of spiraling downward. It's not about being perfect in anybody's book. |
| Hillsdale College is advertising a free online course on The U.S. Constitution. Sounds like a great idea, and a very good year to do it. But for me the timing is bad. I've already undertaken too many responsibilities to take a course. I highly encourage others to take it. Coursera offers free courses throughout the year. Most are business courses from major universities, but there are others as well. I took the one on Jefferson, and it was a lot of work, but worth the effort. You have to respond on time, and participate in the forums. The latter was intimidating to me, because so many of the others were history professors or other experts. That one was offered by UVA. I see they have one on JFK, but I can't remember which university. I did not take that one, but I'm sure it's good quality. The community college has inexpensive, non-credit courses in practical matters, including writing and gardening. But no time for that either. I;m going to knuckle down on some other things, and hopefully I'll learn a little in other ways. |
| I hate house cleaning. Now it's time for SPRING CLEANING! My mom would move the furniture, wash the windows, wash the walls, scrub the floors, wax the furniture, clean out the closets and cabinets,and remove the switch plates and light globes to clean them. There would be fresh curtains, rugs, etc. I'm so NOT MY MOTHER. I felt 'done in' just vacuuming the lower level, sweeping and mopping the upper level, except for carpeted rooms, washing the outside of cabinets, doing two loads of laundry and changing one bed. How did Mom manage? Of course, she didn't surf the Internet or read email, but she did love to read and devoured books. And she cooked more than me, and didn't retire until she was a year older than me from a full-time job. And her health wasn't as good as mine. I did empty one shelf of a cabinet, clean it, and put the good stuff back. I'm only going to do one section at a time. I might finish by August. With my dad and his grandchildren, I have to sweep and mop just about every day all year round. I bought a new shower curtain, but haven't gotten around to installing it yet. There's just too many books, too many great websites, too many reviews to do. And errands! Aren't they a good excuse for not overhauling the house? Oh, well, tomorrow's another day. |
| I watched a 1977 film called Green Eyes. It was about American orphans left behind in Viet Nam. I remember hearing a lot about these children at one time, but had forgotten. The film reminded us at the end that the doors to Viet Nam closed in 1979, so vets couldn't go back to find their kids. The story follows one man's return from the war. Jobs were scarce. Attitudes towards GI's were not good. His longing for his child grew deeper. His family wanted him to go back to school and take care of himself, but he had to go look for his baby. What he found there was heart-breaking. Orphanages were worse than animal shelters here. At some point, I couldn't take it any more and burst out crying. I wanted him to find his baby. I wanted to pick up the children hungry for affection. He volunteered in the orphanage while he searched for his baby mama. There the GI found his purpose; he found that being needed was a good thing, a happy thing. Those children, if they survived, would be parents, even grandparents now. I couldn't stop crying even after it was over. It was a touching film. Humanity, tenderness, and caring can endure even the hell of war and its aftermath. |
| This was not your typical wedding I attended today. The bride was 79 and the groom was 80.They have been friends since they got out of college. The two women were best friends in nursing school, so when they were married, their circle of close friends expanded. Then their children became their friends. Thirteen years ago when my friend's husband died, her best friend and spouse were there to comfort her. When the second woman died more recently, my friend was there to extend her sympathies. They had a lifetime of memories to share. Unplanned, and unintended by either of them, their friendship deepened. They began to depend on each other emotionally. Once they recognized this, it ran away with them. He sold his house because it was decorated by his late wife and filled with her memories. He got new furniture and moved into an apartment. Jan had 13 years of dining alone and adjusting her living space to make it exclusively her own. They found they wanted to devote themselves to each other for the time they have left. So the bride wore pants with a pretty top. The choir gave her a silver necklace which she wore for the ceremony. Family had come in from several states. Church members, local Elks members and other friends arrived for a brief religious ceremony. Our female pastor presided in a lovely celebration of their previous lives and the new one they are beginning together. We all cried tears of happiness. They are not married in the eyes of the state, but in the eyes of God and the community they are in a committed relationship. (How did the government get involved in family and religious matters anyway?) It kind of made me want to find somebody, but then weddings do give people hope, don't they? |
| One of my least favorite things is ironing. And summer clothes need it the most.Fortunately on my current job, we all wear matching tee shirts. Who cares about wrinkles as long as you don't look disheveled. We choose our own pants, and I chose permanent press which I hang up right out of the dryer. What I wear to other places depends on whether I have time or the inclination to iron. Which means I own a few things I almost never wear. I don't like to look like I pulled things out of a crumpled up drawer, but I hate to set up the ironing board and heat up the iron. Then you have to put everything away before the kids come or an elderly person gets to it. I have known women who won't wear anything without ironing it, including tee shirts. But their houses are probably nicer than mine, and their nails are manicured properly, instead of just filed off. I have finally learned when shopping, study all tags. Don't just buy something that fits and looks okay for the occasion, but make sure it doesn't need dry cleaning or ironing. I have tried ironing a lot in advance, so they'll be ready, but they get wrinkled hanging in the closet, pressed against other things. I thought as I got older, I might wear jeans less. No, I use them more than ever. No ironing. And because I sing in the choir, I'm limited in what I can wear to church. Nothing that will be too warm under a choir robe, no chunky jewelry, no turtlenecks or high collars. I gave to keep everything simple on Sunday morning. |
| We have this cool place called The Green Valley Book Fair, about an hour from where I live. It's not open all the time. It's open a few weeks each month or almost that much. In between, they clean and stock new books and take Christmas vacation. It's two huge buildings with a connecting walkway. Prices are phenomenal. A book that would cost me $16 on Amazon is $4 there, brand new. They also have a large selection of audio books and educational toys. It's an oasis for readers! No, it's not like going into Barnes & Noble, or some book shop with a coffee bar. They have a lot of John Grisham, but not his latest releases. There are a lot of history books, art books, religion, Christian fiction, New Age, self-help, and sci-fi. While there is no porn or soft porn, there is a large section of LGBT books. Coffee table books that you see on clearance at the mall for $10, they have for $4 or under. And cookbooks! I have never seen so many cookbooks in one place. I'm into westerns now, and that section was negligible. They did not have any old titles I was looking for; yet I managed to get two big bags of books. The main problem I have is that it's set in the middle of the country, between dairy farms. Somehow I get mixed up every visit. I get in okay, but forget when going out after so many turns at the signs, that I turn left instead of right and end up at a totally different exit from the Interstate. Instead of back-tracking this time, I used Sirius. Now I'm ready to dig in. Good excuses not to get any other work done. |
| It's that time of year when people want to bear their skin for the rest of the world to see. That means I start my tirade about knowing when, where and how to dress. Today (it was very cool here) in a conservative department store, a young adult woman walked in with short jogging shorts, split up the side.She wore sneakers without socks and a tank shirt at least one size too small. Her muffin top was begging for a size larger. It was a little low cut, but not the worst. I wouldn't complain about that if she just put on a shirt that fit! Nothing was left to the imagination. Now that outfit is fine for the park, a campground, or jogging around the neighborhood. But when you go shopping. have a little dignity. The blue collar comedians joke about the way Wal-Mart shoppers dress. But, hey, they're everywhere. If you're sitting around the pool in a bikini and decide you need to go to the grocery store to get something for the grill, don't put on cut-off shorts over your thong bottom and think you're ready. People are shopping for food; they don't want to look at your butt cheeks hanging out or your belly or cleavage hanging over your too tight top. Then there are the women on the bus, you know the extra-large top heavy women with sleeveless low-cut blouses or tanks. The bottoms may be covered, but the tops are hanging out all over. No matter how you try not to look, it's assaulting your vision. Or they're on the city streets. Not the suburbs, not their own neighborhoods, but in the business section of town. They couldn't get dressed to go out! No self respect. The way you dress shows how you feel about yourself and others. You don't have to dress expensively or be a fashionista. Every day is not date night, and everyone you meet doesn't need a close acquaintance with your cleavage or your upper thighs. I'm just asking people to think about where they're going and to look in a mirror from all angles. |
| Apparently, I'm pretty easy to impress. I bought a pineapple corer from Avon. I was afraid it was just another kitchen gadget to waste my money. But I love it. You cut the top off the pineapple, put this steel tube over the center and start twisting the handle. I was expecting to apply a lot of force, but I was not thinking about how soft the fruit is. It only cuts the fruit, not the hard core. I ended up with one long spiral slice that just lifted out of the beautiful unscared shell. The core still has to be cut out, but you could fill it with mixed fruit, or if you didn't cut the shell, you could put a drink with a straw in it. I cut too far down, so my Sprite leaked out a little cut. There is still some fruit along the shell and the core. I hate to waste things, so that was my first serving, scraping the shell and the core. The rest I cut and mixed with banana slices, fresh cherries, halved and seeded, and grapes. Throw in a spoon of coconut and you have a tasty treat! You could probably use any fruit you have on hand. I liked the combination so much better than just one fruit. And it looks festive and makes a meal a party. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
. Isn't it funny how we take things like electricity and plumbing for granted... until we don't have them. Happy for you!
