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July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
For Andre the Blog Monkeys Banana Bar![Merit Badge in Anon-Y-Monkey's Badge
[Click For More Info]
Thank You For Participating In The March Musical Monkey Madness In [Link To Item #1985857] . I really enjoyed all your entries. This merit badge is for completing at least five of the ten prompts!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Anon=45Y=45Monkey=s_Badge-2241255_14.gif){kind=icon}  Week 2 / Category 3/ prompt: Have you ever gotten tipsy, inebriated or drunk? If you remember what happened tell us about it. If you don't remember make something up. If you never were tell us why you should not be banned from the banana bar? I'm confused. Do you Bann people from the Banana Bar? Does that mean if people don't drink alcohol, you are not friendly? As for the first part of the question Yes. I've been drunk once. Tipsy twice as I remember. It takes a great deal of Alcoholic drink to mess my system up. I like wine better than hard liquor, although probably Banana Daiquiri's would appeal to me if I still had an urge to imbibe. When I was first married, I was 18 with no experience with alcoholic drinks. My first husband was used to drinking and playing cards with friends. He was also unimpressed with my refusal to drink beer or other liquors. One time we went to his friend's house the other family suggested we play cards. Poker to be exact. Every time you lost a hand you had to have a shot of Tequila. I lost a lot. Richard had to lead me out the door and pour me into the car to get home. Truthfully, I always thought the group just wanted to see me get drunk for the sport of it. It was the only time the group ever drank alcohol when I was with them. Nothing much happened except we were living in an apartment over a farmhouse near the Air Force Base. Before, we entered the house Richard warned me not to make a scene since the family was entertaining guests. Of course, I had to yell Hi to everyone as soon as we entered the door and started up the staircase to our apartment. Yelling and waving as I was urge upward by my husband. I remember he said," I told you not to make a scene." Huh? Another time after we moved home, we delivered some Christmas cookies to my aunt and Uncle. Cookies which my uncle had delivered to our house earlier when I was not home. We had a Merry Christmas drink before we left home. Richard's idea, which I did not refuse. I was not really drunk but tipsy might describe it. My Aunt said with disgust. "They've both been drinking." The third and last time was the summer after Richard died. I went to visit a different Aunt. I had an aunt on my mother's side of the family that I liked. She took care of my brother and I summers when my dad was working. We would stay with her all week and go home for the weekends. She was a drinking person. After I had been in the house for about 10 minutes, she offered to mix me a drink. At first, I refused but, when she continued to press me, I said O.K. My uncle was by the counter where she was mixing the drink. I heard him as he leaned over and said, "Don't make it so strong." To which my aunt replied, "Mind your own business." Once again, I was not drunk but, the drink was strong enough to make me muddled. So, I left. And I never went back. I was careful to drive home slowly, it was all back country roads, so I never met anyone along the way. I stopped by the woods and cried for a while, because I felt my aunt was trying to get me drunk for some reason and I don't trust relatives on either side of my family. Since then, I have had a glass of wine or one mixed drink inside my home a few times, until I was about 30. The boys were growing up. I felt we should try to eliminate any kind of alcoholic problems before they finished growing. We had a wine dumping ceremony in the front yard and no alcohol in the house since. The grandparents of my two older sons were both recovering alcoholics at one time, Richard's parents. My mother-in-law told me they kept a beer in their refrigerator to remind them what alcohol was doing to their family. My first husband had stopped at a bar on his way home from work, before he died, when he fell asleep and hit a tree with my car. On my father's side of the family all the children were taught not to drink alcohol. However, at Christmases when families rotated to celebrate holidays; all my father's brother's homes had bottles of hard liquor, or wine stored under the beds in the master bedroom. Plus, there were always liquor bottles in the garbage when I stayed with my cousin over night for a school function. My dad did not drink but, once when he visited my aunt she offered him a beer, which he took and drank. I was not very old but, I asked him why he was drinking beer he said it was to be social. That social drinking was permissible. Every person has to choose in life. It isn't' up to me to tell you when or how much or what you should drink. I do wish it was that easy for some people to give up anything that can harm their life alcohol, or drugs, or any other problem of any kind. But it isn't. Blogging with the banana bar is fun. I have no criticizem about what others decide to do, but if you don't want me here to feel free to say so openly. I'll just go away. I also have coffee drinking relatives that don't believe in drinking tea. A hot cup of tea would be good right now. P.S. Cheers was one of my favorite programs at one time. The lyrics of the song mean more than the alcohol served at the bar. Sorry Andre' I know Banana Daiquiri are part of your health habits. Word Count:1011 all word counts are done on WDC blog |
| For Andre the Blog Monkey's Banana Bar Week 2 / Category 2 prompt: If you won the lottery, raffle or a gamble (e.g, slot machine) what percentage would you give to Charity, if any what type of Charity would it be?  }As a child I was taught that I should give 10 percent. This was a teaching in the church I grew up in, I think. Pretty much as a teenager I earned some money baby-sitting once in a while and cleaned house and worked in the garden at my aunt's home. I lived almost all weekends and some weekdays with my aunt and uncle. They paid me for the work I did. My uncle tried to teach me the value of earning. They often took me roller skating and I wanted my own skates and skate box. My earnings from them went to the project of buying my own skates. With other earnings from a few babysitting jobs, I tried to give my tithe. In my wanderings through research for Journalism classes, I came across a statement, that a lot of wealthy people give 1 percent of their earnings to charity. One percent of one million is ten thousand. In any event at the time, I thought the percentage for a millionaire or billionaire was kind of stingy. During my first marriage. My husband gave from his salary through the Air force. Whatever the percentage was it was taken out when checks were issued. I only had one job at that time, and it lasted one week. When he died, I tried to tithe his life insurance money. I was criticized for the donations. I stopped going to church during a period of time burdened down with raising children on small salaries and running a farm without income. I forgot about tithing, just gave as I found places to give, which were the salvation Army Kettle on the street at Christmas, a dollar to a child collecting for a sport in school, just small amounts here and there. When we went to church again, I gave as the plate was passed during Sunday service and still the small places where people were asking for donations for some project. Some years ago, the local rural electric company started a program for people who get behind in their electric bills. It is rounding up. If your bill is 94. 15 dollars and you pay 95, the extra is put into the fund to help others who are having trouble paying. This happens at Walmart once in a while, when there is a drive for the food banks. If 50 people round up by 50 cents, you have collected 25.00 dollars for charity. Sometimes the post office collects canned goods for the local food bank. I put out some canned goods. I really like to use the rounding up programs. A small amount goes out without notice. It ends up in a bigger pot of contributions. One of the reasons I stopped giving was because of small salaries that did not reach our needs as a family. I gave the children growing up very small allowances. They did chores after school and always helped me with farm work. They never earned what, that help was worth in dollars. We struggled with home heating costs. I canned and froze supplies all summer to keep us eating healthy food. One of the reasons I quit giving out money because money coming in never changes and the needs inside of my family were never easy to meet. For a while If it meant us or them, I chose us. Now if I won a lottery or other monies, it would depend on how much after taxes I would get, and what my needs are. I am presently hoping before January to start a giving program in a very small way. I give at Christmas to St. Jude Children's research hospital. They don't seem to resent the small gifts I send. I am trying to start before the end of January to give small amounts to them 6 months of the year, and to the Anna Shelter. No guarantee I will be able to follow through on this plan. Anna Shelter is a no kill animal shelter. They have given care to several animals I took into my home. a large percentage of animals, cats, dogs, and birds I have taken in different times are someone else's cast offs. Two other places make me wish I could just give are the Wounded Warriors Project. Also, there is a group who collect money to drill wells in Africa. So, villages will have fresh water supplies. Giving is an interesting subject. Over the years I have watched news about big donations to different needs. Also, about the donations to large organizations being used improperly sometimes. When government has to step in to reorganize it is a shame. I believe by paying my bills and keeping us off the welfare rolls it is a help to society. Even if it means I am left with not enough to give a large amount. Our television is inundated with commercials about people collecting money for their organizations. Sometimes it is so impersonal. Word count: 872 |
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