December 29, 2017
8:38 p.m.
Well, the past few days have been wonderfully hectic. I had a house full of grandchildren, messes everywhere. noise, noise, noise. You know the drill.
It was great.
My daughter and her three children left today to return to Oklahoma, and we're down to two kids in the house. The noise level dropped dramatically.
I'm not sure that's an improvement. Ha ha!
Now I am just waiting for the phone call that tells me they have arrived home safely. That's the hardest part, second only to saying goodbye. My daughter told me that I have to keep watching until they turn the corner and drive out of sight, but I have never been able to do that. Once they're in the car and I say "Good-bye! I love you!" three or four times, I have to turn and walk away.
When we were kids, we would come to Denver to spend Easter with my father's parents. My grandmother would tell us goodbye and then go to her room. When we asked why she didn't ever walk out with us, Grandpa explained that it made her too sad to see us leave.
I totally get that now. Totally.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Naturally, I have contracted the end-of-the-year cold. Every year, man. It never fails. I'm sitting here all hot and cold. chest congested and nose stuffy. eyes too heavy to stay open and instead of being smart and hauling my big old butt off to bed, I'm writing.
Silly old woman!
I'm noticing a marked increase in typos. I guess it might be time to curl up under a big pile of blankets and watch a movie.
Oh yeah!! I just bought "Fiddler on the Roof!"
Hmm. I might actually fall asleep. I don't want to miss any of that movie.
I can wait. Can't sing along right now, anyway. *Cough, hack*
_________________________________________________________________________________
This turned into just a quick check-in, didn't it? But I'm out! Good-night!!
Friday, December 29, 2017
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Zombies vs Cheetos
December 26, 2017
12:01 a.m.
I have a particular holiday tradition that my family tolerates, rather than enjoys with me. I love the movie "A Christmas Story", and I like to watch it on Christmas Day while preparing the meal.
I didn't get to watch it. I started it, but then the room filled with people demanding to watch something else.
I tried to watch again this afternoon, and...NOPE.
So I'm trying again, but the kids are so noisy--yes, I know, it's past bedtime--I can't hear it!!
I WILL watch my movie, I WILL watch my movie, I WILL, I WILL, I WILL.
Hahaha! Maybe some time in June...
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 27, 2017
12:01 a.m.
I started talking about fear a while back, and for some reason got sidetracked and didn't continue. In light of the past eleven months' worth of country-wide hate and stupidity, I'm ready to go on to:
Fear Part Five
2017 has been a hellacious year.
Yes, on a personal level, many good things have happened. My son got married. I took grandchildren to Comic-Con. I attended two family reunions. All of my children are here for Christmas. Family members with health problems are doing better.
But this past year has been a disaster area for the good old USA.
Before we start a political party debate, let me be clear-- this isn't about parties. This is about people.
I never knew until this year how many hateful people there really are out there. A perfectly innocuous remark--say, "Merry Christmas"--can lead to some of the most vile remarks from random people that I have ever seen in my life.
If you don't find this scary, I envy you. The amount of hate being spewed by Americans at other Americans has led me to fear for the future of this country.
I'll tell you why.
Enemies of this country are more than happy to use our disagreements and debates against us. It gives them a lot less work to do in dividing our country against itself.
Random and senseless attacks are increasing month by month. School shootings, homicide by vehicle, you name it, we've seen far too much of it already, and I fear it will just get worse.
Seeds of distrust are being rapidly sewn throughout every possible arena--the workplace, the media, the film and television industry, and certainly the political arena.
When I was a kid, we swore never to trust anyone over thirty. Today, we should probably swear to trust no one at all.
I fear that in this present atmosphere, we are in serious danger of getting involved in war.
Then what? I barely scrape by paycheck to paycheck. I can't afford a bomb shelter. I can't afford to steal my family away to a remote location and live off the grid--which I would dearly love to be able to to, because--yeah, can't trust anyone anymore.
It's a sad, sad thing to realize that your biggest fear might be that the people in charge of your own country are the ones who are most likely to harm you, and the ones most likely to destroy the futures of your younger family members.
It's a sickening fear, and one I find harder and harder to shake.
I am generally a glass-half-full gal, but when discussing fear, you have to hit on those things that steal through your mind when you can't get to sleep at night.
I keep envisioning scenarios designed to protect my children and grandchildren when all hell breaks loose. How to build and stock an underground bunker. What books to hoard for the future education of the children. How to grow vegetables in less-than-ideal conditions. How to avoid radiation poisoning.
Believe me, I'd rather be planning a family trip to Disneyland. The above random thoughts don't do much to induce restful sleep.
And no, I did not just watch some apocalyptic feature film.
Nowhere in my youthful imaginings did I ever envision the end of the USA I know and love, and certainly never due to stupidity, but it now seems to be a valid fear.
Disheartening, isn't it?
In spite of all, I allow myself to hope. 2018 is coming very soon. Things can get better...
Right?
_________________________________________________________________________________
On a bit of a sillier note--what do you think? Would radiation exposure have anything to do with zombie evolution?
I don't want to become a zombie. I can't think of eating brains without feeling queasy. I don't want meat less than medium-well done, either, so....
Don't want to be a zombie, folks.
I also don't want to have to kill someone I love after they've become a zombie.
Oh, damn. In none of my off-the-grid life-in-a-bunker plans do I have a huge arsenal of weapons. Just vegetable seeds and books and canned goods. Fuel of some sort. Gardening tools.
I'm going to have to re-think the whole thing if there's going to be zombies.
Shoot.
I mean...
Yeah.
Well, whatever. With the present Senate and House--not to mention the Cheeto-in-Chief-- why would I be afraid of zombies? I've got enough to worry about.
(Why do I keep disparaging Cheetos? I LIKE Cheetos!)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Can I vent a bit about weapons? Please?
I have grandsons. I love them so much.
I hate their toys. Guns, swords, knives. Sooner or later, someone gets it with one or the other. As if they don't take every opportunity to push, poke and hit already! Not to mention the yelling and screaming and running. In the house!
No, no, and NO.
I never allowed those things in my house when my kids were growing up. After witnessing the chaos around here the past couple of days, I know I was absolutely right to ban them. I have confiscated them several times. I'm on the verge of hauling the lot right out to the dumpster.
And okay, that might be drastic, but at the very LEAST, they should only be outdoor toys. I'm too old to be subjected to that melee.
So I have three out of four grandsons who are from Oklahoma and wimps in the cold. Jeez! I can't even throw them outside. They whine if it's under 55 degrees.
They'd die in five minutes in Wyoming!
One more weapons attack, and the darned things are going to be in the top of my closet until summer.
Of all the great toys out there, why? Why??
This will probably piss off my daughters. Oh, well!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Why are we all still up?
Oh, yeah. It's vacation time.
It's so cold, and there's a puppy in training in the house. Brr. She's an Oklahoman, too, poor thing. I really hate putting animals out in the cold. Four degrees! Yikes!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, enough already. I'm turning everything off in hopes that the kiddos will fall out. They are still so excited over Christmas, and the fact that they're all together.
Good night!
12:01 a.m.
I have a particular holiday tradition that my family tolerates, rather than enjoys with me. I love the movie "A Christmas Story", and I like to watch it on Christmas Day while preparing the meal.
I didn't get to watch it. I started it, but then the room filled with people demanding to watch something else.
I tried to watch again this afternoon, and...NOPE.
So I'm trying again, but the kids are so noisy--yes, I know, it's past bedtime--I can't hear it!!
I WILL watch my movie, I WILL watch my movie, I WILL, I WILL, I WILL.
Hahaha! Maybe some time in June...
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 27, 2017
12:01 a.m.
I started talking about fear a while back, and for some reason got sidetracked and didn't continue. In light of the past eleven months' worth of country-wide hate and stupidity, I'm ready to go on to:
Fear Part Five
2017 has been a hellacious year.
Yes, on a personal level, many good things have happened. My son got married. I took grandchildren to Comic-Con. I attended two family reunions. All of my children are here for Christmas. Family members with health problems are doing better.
But this past year has been a disaster area for the good old USA.
Before we start a political party debate, let me be clear-- this isn't about parties. This is about people.
I never knew until this year how many hateful people there really are out there. A perfectly innocuous remark--say, "Merry Christmas"--can lead to some of the most vile remarks from random people that I have ever seen in my life.
If you don't find this scary, I envy you. The amount of hate being spewed by Americans at other Americans has led me to fear for the future of this country.
I'll tell you why.
Enemies of this country are more than happy to use our disagreements and debates against us. It gives them a lot less work to do in dividing our country against itself.
Random and senseless attacks are increasing month by month. School shootings, homicide by vehicle, you name it, we've seen far too much of it already, and I fear it will just get worse.
Seeds of distrust are being rapidly sewn throughout every possible arena--the workplace, the media, the film and television industry, and certainly the political arena.
When I was a kid, we swore never to trust anyone over thirty. Today, we should probably swear to trust no one at all.
I fear that in this present atmosphere, we are in serious danger of getting involved in war.
Then what? I barely scrape by paycheck to paycheck. I can't afford a bomb shelter. I can't afford to steal my family away to a remote location and live off the grid--which I would dearly love to be able to to, because--yeah, can't trust anyone anymore.
It's a sad, sad thing to realize that your biggest fear might be that the people in charge of your own country are the ones who are most likely to harm you, and the ones most likely to destroy the futures of your younger family members.
It's a sickening fear, and one I find harder and harder to shake.
I am generally a glass-half-full gal, but when discussing fear, you have to hit on those things that steal through your mind when you can't get to sleep at night.
I keep envisioning scenarios designed to protect my children and grandchildren when all hell breaks loose. How to build and stock an underground bunker. What books to hoard for the future education of the children. How to grow vegetables in less-than-ideal conditions. How to avoid radiation poisoning.
Believe me, I'd rather be planning a family trip to Disneyland. The above random thoughts don't do much to induce restful sleep.
And no, I did not just watch some apocalyptic feature film.
Nowhere in my youthful imaginings did I ever envision the end of the USA I know and love, and certainly never due to stupidity, but it now seems to be a valid fear.
Disheartening, isn't it?
In spite of all, I allow myself to hope. 2018 is coming very soon. Things can get better...
Right?
_________________________________________________________________________________
On a bit of a sillier note--what do you think? Would radiation exposure have anything to do with zombie evolution?
I don't want to become a zombie. I can't think of eating brains without feeling queasy. I don't want meat less than medium-well done, either, so....
Don't want to be a zombie, folks.
I also don't want to have to kill someone I love after they've become a zombie.
Oh, damn. In none of my off-the-grid life-in-a-bunker plans do I have a huge arsenal of weapons. Just vegetable seeds and books and canned goods. Fuel of some sort. Gardening tools.
I'm going to have to re-think the whole thing if there's going to be zombies.
Shoot.
I mean...
Yeah.
Well, whatever. With the present Senate and House--not to mention the Cheeto-in-Chief-- why would I be afraid of zombies? I've got enough to worry about.
(Why do I keep disparaging Cheetos? I LIKE Cheetos!)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Can I vent a bit about weapons? Please?
I have grandsons. I love them so much.
I hate their toys. Guns, swords, knives. Sooner or later, someone gets it with one or the other. As if they don't take every opportunity to push, poke and hit already! Not to mention the yelling and screaming and running. In the house!
No, no, and NO.
I never allowed those things in my house when my kids were growing up. After witnessing the chaos around here the past couple of days, I know I was absolutely right to ban them. I have confiscated them several times. I'm on the verge of hauling the lot right out to the dumpster.
And okay, that might be drastic, but at the very LEAST, they should only be outdoor toys. I'm too old to be subjected to that melee.
So I have three out of four grandsons who are from Oklahoma and wimps in the cold. Jeez! I can't even throw them outside. They whine if it's under 55 degrees.
They'd die in five minutes in Wyoming!
One more weapons attack, and the darned things are going to be in the top of my closet until summer.
Of all the great toys out there, why? Why??
This will probably piss off my daughters. Oh, well!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Why are we all still up?
Oh, yeah. It's vacation time.
It's so cold, and there's a puppy in training in the house. Brr. She's an Oklahoman, too, poor thing. I really hate putting animals out in the cold. Four degrees! Yikes!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, enough already. I'm turning everything off in hopes that the kiddos will fall out. They are still so excited over Christmas, and the fact that they're all together.
Good night!
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
December26, 2017
5:20 p.m.
Oh, my gosh! It's the day after Christmas! 2017 is almost over!
I have a pretty good list of friends on Facebook, and the last couple of days the posts have been just wonderful. Pictures of families. Well wishes for the upcoming year. Kids playing with presents.
Too bad it won't last. I know the politics and the arguing will resume shortly.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying myself!
_________________________________________________________________________________
6:08 p.m.
We shared a delicious meal with extended family/friends yesterday, and it was pretty amazing to find myself seated with all my children--quite by lucky chance.
For several years now it has been our custom to make a variety of Mexican foods, gather the families together and chow down. We were lucky enough to have decent weather and good roads so that there were no problems getting to our destination.
What a great time. Such good people to spend time with. How lucky am I?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Before the meal, a great deal of cooking was done, and I have to say--I need a double oven! Hahaha!
Somehow or other, I didn't ever get around to doing the baking I usually do this time of year. I'm going to blame it on our mixed up sleep patterns. (Instead of even considering admitting I just didn't wanna!) I will try to get some baking done soon, though. It is really winter here now, and I like to bake in the winter. Pumpkin muffins. Chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter cookies. The classics, you know.
_________________________________________________________________________________
And even before the cooking started, there was the onslaught of flying wrapping paper.
House is a mess. (We're trying!)
Today the house is full of people. It's really, really noisy in here.
The kids are wound up, playing with all their Christmas gifts.
The teen girls are playing UNO in the dining room and singing.
The Moms are running around like mad, trying to keep up with it all.
I have checked out for a moment to blog, in between cuddles and hugs and the occasional scolding. Kids be crazy!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Think I'm done for the night! Gotta chase toddlers!
Happy Holidays!
5:20 p.m.
Oh, my gosh! It's the day after Christmas! 2017 is almost over!
I have a pretty good list of friends on Facebook, and the last couple of days the posts have been just wonderful. Pictures of families. Well wishes for the upcoming year. Kids playing with presents.
Too bad it won't last. I know the politics and the arguing will resume shortly.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying myself!
_________________________________________________________________________________
6:08 p.m.
We shared a delicious meal with extended family/friends yesterday, and it was pretty amazing to find myself seated with all my children--quite by lucky chance.
For several years now it has been our custom to make a variety of Mexican foods, gather the families together and chow down. We were lucky enough to have decent weather and good roads so that there were no problems getting to our destination.
What a great time. Such good people to spend time with. How lucky am I?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Before the meal, a great deal of cooking was done, and I have to say--I need a double oven! Hahaha!
Somehow or other, I didn't ever get around to doing the baking I usually do this time of year. I'm going to blame it on our mixed up sleep patterns. (Instead of even considering admitting I just didn't wanna!) I will try to get some baking done soon, though. It is really winter here now, and I like to bake in the winter. Pumpkin muffins. Chocolate chip cookies. Peanut butter cookies. The classics, you know.
_________________________________________________________________________________
And even before the cooking started, there was the onslaught of flying wrapping paper.
House is a mess. (We're trying!)
Today the house is full of people. It's really, really noisy in here.
The kids are wound up, playing with all their Christmas gifts.
The teen girls are playing UNO in the dining room and singing.
The Moms are running around like mad, trying to keep up with it all.
I have checked out for a moment to blog, in between cuddles and hugs and the occasional scolding. Kids be crazy!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Think I'm done for the night! Gotta chase toddlers!
Happy Holidays!
Monday, December 25, 2017
December 25, 2017
1:34 a.m.
Merry Christmas!
I can't believe that people are still up in this house.
So much to do in just a few hours. Gotta cook, gotta go to our friends' house for dinner--whew, it should prove to be quite a day!
I am missing my Wyoming family, but I'm also feeling mighty blessed this Christmas, because I will be spending it with all four of my children and all nine of my grandchildren. So who's a lucky lady? That would be me!
Did I mention that I got professional photos for Christmas? I'm so thrilled.
Looking forward to a wonderful day.
I hope you all have the Happiest of Holidays!!
1:34 a.m.
Merry Christmas!
I can't believe that people are still up in this house.
So much to do in just a few hours. Gotta cook, gotta go to our friends' house for dinner--whew, it should prove to be quite a day!
I am missing my Wyoming family, but I'm also feeling mighty blessed this Christmas, because I will be spending it with all four of my children and all nine of my grandchildren. So who's a lucky lady? That would be me!
Did I mention that I got professional photos for Christmas? I'm so thrilled.
Looking forward to a wonderful day.
I hope you all have the Happiest of Holidays!!
Thursday, December 21, 2017
December 20, 2017
11:52 p.m.
"Oh, dear Lord. You made many, many poor people. I realize of course that it's no shame to be poor; but it's no great honor either. So what would have been so terrible it I had a small fortune? If I were a rich man..."
I really, really want to watch Fiddler on the Roof right now!!
You know, I am really fond of musicals, and I have many favorites, but this is probably my number one favorite forever.
And I don't own a copy! How did that even happen? I used to have the soundtrack, but...that damn fire. It has been over twenty years, and still, every now and then I go looking for something I know I owned and am reminded all over again of something that was lost.
Phooey.
Guess I'll put that on my wish list...
_________________________________________________________________________________
I've been noticing a lot of people debating the "Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays" greetings AGAIN.
Can we just stop? Telling me it's not "Happy Holidays", it's "Merry Christmas" is, to me, just like saying it's not "Hi", it's "Hello".
This is just petty and stupid and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It's a greeting, people. It's a way of acknowledging the season, it's a way of making contact in a friendly way, and it is in no way offensive to choose one greeting or the other. If someone takes offense when I offer them a nice greeting, that's their own issue.
Look, if I know for an absolute fact that the friend I am greeting is Jewish, I will say "Happy Hanukkah". If I know for an absolute fact that they are Christians who celebrate Christmas, I will say "Merry Christmas". But if I don't know, I'm sticking with "Happy Holidays". It covers everything.
And if someone should happen to wish me a Blessed Kwanzaa or whatever, I'm going to wish them the same with a smile on my face and with no thoughts whatsoever of being offended. They have wished me well, for crying out loud. What's offensive about that?
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 21, 2017
12:47 a.m.
Whoops! Really? Where did I go for the last hour?
Oh, yeah. Trying to get Christmas stuff done while there's no little girl in my lap. Ha ha! She's not interested in wrapping, she's ready to do some unwrapping. Waiting is so hard.
This house is full of boxes. Why can't I find the right size? Dang it.
I'm going to do some creative cardboard trimming. That'll work.
Or...I could sneak off right now and go to bed.
Yeah. Good idea.
Good night!
11:52 p.m.
"Oh, dear Lord. You made many, many poor people. I realize of course that it's no shame to be poor; but it's no great honor either. So what would have been so terrible it I had a small fortune? If I were a rich man..."
I really, really want to watch Fiddler on the Roof right now!!
You know, I am really fond of musicals, and I have many favorites, but this is probably my number one favorite forever.
And I don't own a copy! How did that even happen? I used to have the soundtrack, but...that damn fire. It has been over twenty years, and still, every now and then I go looking for something I know I owned and am reminded all over again of something that was lost.
Phooey.
Guess I'll put that on my wish list...
_________________________________________________________________________________
I've been noticing a lot of people debating the "Merry Christmas" vs "Happy Holidays" greetings AGAIN.
Can we just stop? Telling me it's not "Happy Holidays", it's "Merry Christmas" is, to me, just like saying it's not "Hi", it's "Hello".
This is just petty and stupid and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. It's a greeting, people. It's a way of acknowledging the season, it's a way of making contact in a friendly way, and it is in no way offensive to choose one greeting or the other. If someone takes offense when I offer them a nice greeting, that's their own issue.
Look, if I know for an absolute fact that the friend I am greeting is Jewish, I will say "Happy Hanukkah". If I know for an absolute fact that they are Christians who celebrate Christmas, I will say "Merry Christmas". But if I don't know, I'm sticking with "Happy Holidays". It covers everything.
And if someone should happen to wish me a Blessed Kwanzaa or whatever, I'm going to wish them the same with a smile on my face and with no thoughts whatsoever of being offended. They have wished me well, for crying out loud. What's offensive about that?
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 21, 2017
12:47 a.m.
Whoops! Really? Where did I go for the last hour?
Oh, yeah. Trying to get Christmas stuff done while there's no little girl in my lap. Ha ha! She's not interested in wrapping, she's ready to do some unwrapping. Waiting is so hard.
This house is full of boxes. Why can't I find the right size? Dang it.
I'm going to do some creative cardboard trimming. That'll work.
Or...I could sneak off right now and go to bed.
Yeah. Good idea.
Good night!
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
December 18, 2017
4:55 p.m.
Hello, there!
Remember me saying that half of us in this house are seriously off schedule? Yeah? Well, not getting any better yet.
I am tired. Considering an on-purpose awake-a-thon to try to get the kiddo sleeping through the night again, instead of her wanting to be asleep half the day with her mom.
Nah. That would be a miserable experiment.
This shall prove interesting.
_________________________________________________________________________________
6:14 p.m.
I'm so proud of myself right now. I dropped a card behind the fireplace, so I rigged up my grandson's sword with some tape and I fished that thing right out of there. Good for me!
Um...things that generally don't twist on me were twisted in the accomplishment of this enormously heroic feat. Hope I can move later!
Hahahaha!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:26 p.m.
I should know better than to try writing in the afternoons.
Toddler cut her finger and had to be bandaged. Her mother was all on board for those festivities, and all I had to do is supply the bandages. I'm so glad I had some stashed. The cool neon cartoon-character bandages are all gone--of course.
Then Mama went to get some sleep, and we had to have macaroni and cheese and a popsicle and a stroll through some photos on my computer. We ran across a photo of a room decorated with Minnie Mouse theme, and my precious baby said, "That my yoom! I seep in dat bed?" (That's my room! Can I sleep in that bed.)
Gosh, I wish I had the resources to give her that room.
"Is that your dream room?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said, nodding vigorously. "Fo sun day." (For someday.)
It's good to have goals...
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm so lucky. Not everyone gets to hang out with the grandbabies this often. It's a precious blessing. Any time I get worn out from trying to get us on a sleep schedule with some semblance of sanity, I remind myself of this.
My grandson just asked me if I was a fan of Bobby Vinton when I was a teenager. I wonder how old he thinks I am? Ha ha! He's been listening to the song "Blue Velvet" and learning the words. He was born in the wrong era. That boy is a fan of really GOOD music.
I had him look up the song "Twilight Time". That was a number one song in the late 1950's. I watched his face as he listened. Serious music appreciation in that expression, let me tell you. He's off in the bedroom learning the words.
These things make me happy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:55 p.m.
I like wandering through the posts on Facebook, seeing what my family and friends are up to. I especially enjoy seeing Holiday posts--decorations, shopping trips, opening presents, etc.
But today I have had a frustratingly hard time while browsing, because people are posting spoilers for the new Star Wars movie. I havent' made it to the theater yet. Knock it off, please, please!! I can't scroll fast enough past these posts! Aughhhhh!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
It has been well over a decade since I last put up a Christmas tree. I have to say, I am enjoying having it up, even if I did knock a card off of it earlier. There are gifts under there, and the pile keeps growing. If all goes according to plan, all nine of my grandchildren will be here to open presents and make a ton of messes in my house on Christmas, and that is so wonderful I can't even express it. I'm praying nothing comes up to change the plan.
_________________________________________________________________________________
It would appear that I'm not getting any more writing done today.
Ta ta for now!
4:55 p.m.
Hello, there!
Remember me saying that half of us in this house are seriously off schedule? Yeah? Well, not getting any better yet.
I am tired. Considering an on-purpose awake-a-thon to try to get the kiddo sleeping through the night again, instead of her wanting to be asleep half the day with her mom.
Nah. That would be a miserable experiment.
This shall prove interesting.
_________________________________________________________________________________
6:14 p.m.
I'm so proud of myself right now. I dropped a card behind the fireplace, so I rigged up my grandson's sword with some tape and I fished that thing right out of there. Good for me!
Um...things that generally don't twist on me were twisted in the accomplishment of this enormously heroic feat. Hope I can move later!
Hahahaha!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:26 p.m.
I should know better than to try writing in the afternoons.
Toddler cut her finger and had to be bandaged. Her mother was all on board for those festivities, and all I had to do is supply the bandages. I'm so glad I had some stashed. The cool neon cartoon-character bandages are all gone--of course.
Then Mama went to get some sleep, and we had to have macaroni and cheese and a popsicle and a stroll through some photos on my computer. We ran across a photo of a room decorated with Minnie Mouse theme, and my precious baby said, "That my yoom! I seep in dat bed?" (That's my room! Can I sleep in that bed.)
Gosh, I wish I had the resources to give her that room.
"Is that your dream room?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said, nodding vigorously. "Fo sun day." (For someday.)
It's good to have goals...
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm so lucky. Not everyone gets to hang out with the grandbabies this often. It's a precious blessing. Any time I get worn out from trying to get us on a sleep schedule with some semblance of sanity, I remind myself of this.
My grandson just asked me if I was a fan of Bobby Vinton when I was a teenager. I wonder how old he thinks I am? Ha ha! He's been listening to the song "Blue Velvet" and learning the words. He was born in the wrong era. That boy is a fan of really GOOD music.
I had him look up the song "Twilight Time". That was a number one song in the late 1950's. I watched his face as he listened. Serious music appreciation in that expression, let me tell you. He's off in the bedroom learning the words.
These things make me happy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:55 p.m.
I like wandering through the posts on Facebook, seeing what my family and friends are up to. I especially enjoy seeing Holiday posts--decorations, shopping trips, opening presents, etc.
But today I have had a frustratingly hard time while browsing, because people are posting spoilers for the new Star Wars movie. I havent' made it to the theater yet. Knock it off, please, please!! I can't scroll fast enough past these posts! Aughhhhh!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
It has been well over a decade since I last put up a Christmas tree. I have to say, I am enjoying having it up, even if I did knock a card off of it earlier. There are gifts under there, and the pile keeps growing. If all goes according to plan, all nine of my grandchildren will be here to open presents and make a ton of messes in my house on Christmas, and that is so wonderful I can't even express it. I'm praying nothing comes up to change the plan.
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It would appear that I'm not getting any more writing done today.
Ta ta for now!
Saturday, December 16, 2017
December 16, 2017
5:03 p.m.
Got myself a nap and a shower and the toddler and I have been enjoying an afternoon of "Mickey Mouse Playhouse".
The grandson took advantage of nice weather and played outside all afternoon, and now the kiddos are filling up on fresh fruit and good stuff like that.
At some point their mom should be waking up, and then we'll figure out dinner.
Like I said yesterday, our schedules are a little weird around here.
Son and daughter-in-law are off to a holiday party. I kind of miss doing things like that.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm going to vent a little now.
How many of you have Messenger from Facebook? Do you get a lot of "chain mail" type messages? I sure do! And, dang, I hate that stuff! My old phone went bananas whenever I would get one, recalling every photo and message I had ever deleted--ever--and bringing it back, filling up the memory and screwing everything up.
I have never even installed it on my new phone. Who needs that happy crappy?
It is, however, on my PC and on my laptop, because my kids frequently use it to send me messages and pictures--you know, they use it as it should be used: for messages.
I have asked numerous times on my feed that people not send me flashing lights and sparkling bouquets of flowers and "pass this on or suffer a horrible death" messages, but no one ever pays attention, and so now I am once again deleting and deleting when I should be busy writing.
I don't want to get rid of messenger. I want those personal messages from family and friends. I just don't want the "junk mail".
What can I do? Is there a way to block that stuff? Someone help me out here!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I think I touched on the "#MeToo movement the other day... did I? I meant to. Whether I did or not, I'm going to talk a little about it today.
I often begin my day looking over news stories, as I'm sure many of you do as well. And these sexual misconduct accusations seem to be flying in faster and faster as each day passes.
Along with accusations and allegations, I'm seeing a lot of posts from men and also from women claiming disbelief. The victims are lying because they waited for decades to come forward. The victims are lying because real victims don't want to be identified in public.
I've also seen a few "she had it coming" posts and even a couple of "he should have finished the job" posts that I find reprehensible. Where does that kind of hate come from?!
I don't care much for this subject, but I could probably write a book and name names myself, and truthfully, most every other woman I know could do the same.
I mean, let's be honest here. It starts early and goes on forever. The first time I was sexually harassed, I was in second grade. Yes, for crying out loud, I was probably eight years old!
A neighborhood boy, a classmate, was always grabbing and trying to steal a kiss. He finally coerced me into giving that kiss by stealing my little brother's favorite Tonka truck and holding it hostage. I love my brother, okay? So I gave Bobby the damned kiss. Ugh! Repulsive! I took the truck home to my brother, and then I washed my face and brushed my teeth and sulked.
The next day, I punched the kid in the face. At school. Mrs. Fox made me stand in the corner and told me she was disappointed in me.
I'll say this for Mrs. Fox, though. The next year I told her why I punched Bobby, and she apologized for punishing me. She said I should have told her why right then, and she could have taken some sort of action. It was too late now, though-- he and his family had moved away.
My introduction to the idea of statutes of limitation.
She was right, or course; you should always tell. Tell an adult. Tell someone you trust.
But you know what? You don't.
Why?
Because even at the age of eight, there was this nagging thought in the back of my mind: What did I do or say to make him think he could get away with that?
And doggone it, down through the years I had many an occasion to have those thoughts again.
Many an occasion.
Many.
The arrival of the girls heralded in an era of behaviors by boys that I came to dismiss as just par for the course. A "boys will be boys" sort of thing.
Pokes and pinches. Questions like "When it rains, do your feet get wet?" Invitations to play tag or touch football that leads to being held too long, "accidental" chest gropes, etc.
You get the picture.
And that was sixth grade.
Whee!
So, did I run to the nearest adult and tattle? Nope. I learned how to use my elbows to good advantage and stamped on a foot or two, but mostly I just squirmed away and chalked it up to "stupid boys".
Some of those "stupid boys" could be reading this right now. Um, guys? You sucked. Big time. And the saddest part of it all is that because of the times and because it was "boys being boys" or whatever, you were too stupid to know you were stupid. You made me and a lot of other girls feel bad about our own bodies. Like we could do anything but grow up. Sheesh.
See, as I matured, I got comfortable with the girls. They fed my babies. I really pretty attached to them now; I hope to always keep them.
But at age 12? Age 15? Even 18? Not so much. They were at times a source of embarrassment, even shame. Certainly they gained me some unwanted attention.
Being a girl gained me unwanted attention, okay? From boys. From men.
Now, I was blessed with an intelligent and progressive-for-her-time mother and an even-more-progressive-for-her-time grandmother, so I was educated in the ways of "stupid boys" fairly early on, or things could have fared much more poorly for me than they did. I was smart enough and precocious enough to get myself out of situations that might have ended up so much worse than they did.
Even so, I was not a tattle tale. I let that nagging voice ask me over and over, what did I say or do? Why did this happen? What am I doing wrong?
And at the same time all this was going on, I knew damned well that I was not the pretty girl or the popular girl or the sexy girl, so...what the hell? Why the attention? What?
I didn't date a lot. The guys I crushed on didn't even know I was alive.
I didn't have a clue how to get the attention from the ones I liked and how to deflect the attention of the ones I wanted to leave me alone.
I was awash in self-doubt all the time.
I could go on, but I'm still not willing to be a public tattle tale. To this day, if I feel that some guy might be a problem in real life, I tell the people who I think need to be careful of being with them, but I've never taken it further than that.
Why? Well, like many women before me, I feared not being believed. You hear the horror stories--they're not new. "She was asking for it." "She's a tease." "She wanted it." Yada yada yada.
There were times when I knew it wasn't just me, and warnings were issued. Some girls ignored me, for whatever reason, and later returned with their own tales of woe. We commiserated. We said, "Stupid boys. Stupid men."
I will say this much: It is really no fun walking home from south hill in the middle of the night because you've been pushed out of the car for refusing to "put out". This happened before the days of cell phones. It was cold. It was really dark. It was scary.
But I was more scared of him coming back, still angry.
Not a fun night. Everytime I saw headlights, I hid. Yeah, it would have been nice to get a ride, but...just in case.
That was over forty years ago. Stupid guy.
(For the record, I told whoever I felt might need to know, if I knew they might end up alone on that same road. So there, stupid guy. But I didn't tell an adult, and I didn't call the cops. I just walked home, took a hot bath and went to bed and sulked.)
All that said, those were decisions I made at the time. If I found out now that that particular person was still in the area and that he might be continuing his nefarious ways, I could be prompted to change my mind. If he was now in the Senate, or the President, or a famous actor or director and I knew that he was still behaving like a notorious ass-hat, I would be motivated to speak up.
I lost track of him, though. Period.
That doesn't mean that I haven't regretted my law-related silence on the matter. I've regretted it plenty. I mean, there was yelling. There was shoving. There was desertion. I felt stupid and humiliated and pissed off. I got the buttons popped off my blouse, and when I landed on the ground, I got my clothes dirty. Other than that, I escaped relatively unscathed.
But what if he got more agressive with the passage of time? What if he started hitting? What if he ended up raping someone?
So I warned some girls when I found out they were planning to go out with him. Big la-dee-dah deal.
Because I was a chicken-shit, I didn't report him to anyone with authority.
Yeah, I've regretted it a lot. But it I'm honest, I don't think anyone would have done a thing. As far as it went, he didn't actually do much. At least as far as the law in that town at that time would have been concerned. And in the meantime, I probably would have gotten dragged through the mud, blamed for the assault, told to suck it up and deal, because "boys will be boys".
Damn it.
It plagues me. It has left me with a guilty feeling of having let some unknown someone down.
And that leads me to the women who have spoken out in recent weeks.
I believe them.
Here's the thing: They know where their offender is. They know where he's working, and whether or not he has continued to be a problem.
They have had time to wrestle with occurances. They may now have daughters of their own. The perspective of a mother vs the perspective of a young woman can be profoundly different. Things they justified in their own minds may no longer work when they ask themselves, "But what if this happened to my child?"
Those are good reasons to stop holding their tongues and speak out.
I think the reason so many people are willing to call these women liars is because they think the victims are seeking publicity. I'll go out on a limb and say that publicity is likely the very last thing they want. If attention to themselves was all they were after, they would have reported it when it happened. Believe me, that attention is never positive. Who in their right mind would want to be placed under a microscope and examined for every flaw, be it mode of dress, make-up choices, drinking or drug habits, sexual histories or what church they may or may not attend?
(For the record: No, I had not been drinking. No make-up. Grey flannel pants and a white blouse with a blue cardigan that was NOT heavy enough for the weather--if you're walking. Clogs. Also not great for walking. Catholic. Zero sexual history.)
(But who would have believed me?)
Also, who wants to go up against someone who already has the "power" position? Some of these allegations were teenaged girls abused by a thirty-something businessman. He's got money. He knows people. He is likely a master manipulator. He knows just what to say to assure a girl that he'll be believed and she won't.
Fear and intimidation are powerful things.
These women are not lying. They have no reason to. They are already being dragged through the mud, being put under that microscope. They have nothing to gain but their own peace of mind for finally stepping out and standing up. In the process they will lose their privacy and possibly their dignity. Because they are not the ones in positions of power.
I believe them. I believe they no longer want to feel guilty about possibly letting some unknown someone down.
Now, on the other side of this spectrum, you have allegations of harassment by men making off-colored jokes and maybe patting a backside or two, and I'm not sure how I feel about men losing jobs over things like that. These are guys who grew up in the "boys will be boys" era, and while these things are offensive, I've been assaulted by this behavior my whole life and never felt guilty about not reporting it.
I find a good many of today's so-called comedies more offensive, frankly.
So where do we draw the line? What is a punishable offense? I mean, sexual innuendo that's clearly targeting you vs a traveling salesman joke? People are all very different from one another, and what cracks one person up might send another to sob in the restroom.
Ah, the world is a crazy, messed up place, folks.
For me, the line is here: if a person tells you they don't want to be touched, then keep your hands to yourself. It doesn't matter if all you wanted was a hug. The other person didn't want it, so respect their bounderies. I don't care if said person is two, or twelve or twenty or ninety. I don't care if they are male or female. Hands off if you're not invited to touch. Period.
And you know what? This includes your children. If they don't want a kiss good-night, let it go. They'll probably want one tomorrow. If they don't want to be tickled right now, wait for a better time. Sure, they're laughing--until they cry. That's not fun. I've found that kids are very good at letting you know when they are in the mood for tickling, for a hug, for a good-night kiss. Forcing it on them when they're not in the mood for it sends a message to them that what they want isn't important, and that they have no control over what happens to their own bodies.
(For the record: I ALWAYS hated being tickled. No time was the right time. And I always ended up crying. It was not fun.)
I always ask my grandchildren for a hug or kiss. If they say no, I don't freak out about it. In the end, they come to me and I get plenty. But it's up to them to say yes or no. I ask before tickling. If they want to play, we do, and when they say stop, I stop. Because it can go from fun to torture really dang quick.
I guess, bottom line for me is, I don't think you should get fired if you tell me a dirty joke. But if you push me into a corner and try to shove your tongue down my throat or your hand up my skirt, you should be packing up your desk.
"Boys will be boys" my Aunt Fanny.
To end this, I want to very clearly state that although I had some ugly encounters with "stupid boys", I had FAR more positive encounters with some really great boys and men all my life. These were the ones who helped pick up the books the bully just swatted out of your arms, the ones who walked you home when it was getting dark, the ones who spent that extra minute or ten listening to you chat when they really wanted to play kickball.
My overall experience of men has been great. One bad apple--or a few bad apples-- never spoiled the whole batch, not for me, at least.
And I'm really, really glad that I know so many good apples.
#MeToo.
5:03 p.m.
Got myself a nap and a shower and the toddler and I have been enjoying an afternoon of "Mickey Mouse Playhouse".
The grandson took advantage of nice weather and played outside all afternoon, and now the kiddos are filling up on fresh fruit and good stuff like that.
At some point their mom should be waking up, and then we'll figure out dinner.
Like I said yesterday, our schedules are a little weird around here.
Son and daughter-in-law are off to a holiday party. I kind of miss doing things like that.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm going to vent a little now.
How many of you have Messenger from Facebook? Do you get a lot of "chain mail" type messages? I sure do! And, dang, I hate that stuff! My old phone went bananas whenever I would get one, recalling every photo and message I had ever deleted--ever--and bringing it back, filling up the memory and screwing everything up.
I have never even installed it on my new phone. Who needs that happy crappy?
It is, however, on my PC and on my laptop, because my kids frequently use it to send me messages and pictures--you know, they use it as it should be used: for messages.
I have asked numerous times on my feed that people not send me flashing lights and sparkling bouquets of flowers and "pass this on or suffer a horrible death" messages, but no one ever pays attention, and so now I am once again deleting and deleting when I should be busy writing.
I don't want to get rid of messenger. I want those personal messages from family and friends. I just don't want the "junk mail".
What can I do? Is there a way to block that stuff? Someone help me out here!
_________________________________________________________________________________
I think I touched on the "#MeToo movement the other day... did I? I meant to. Whether I did or not, I'm going to talk a little about it today.
I often begin my day looking over news stories, as I'm sure many of you do as well. And these sexual misconduct accusations seem to be flying in faster and faster as each day passes.
Along with accusations and allegations, I'm seeing a lot of posts from men and also from women claiming disbelief. The victims are lying because they waited for decades to come forward. The victims are lying because real victims don't want to be identified in public.
I've also seen a few "she had it coming" posts and even a couple of "he should have finished the job" posts that I find reprehensible. Where does that kind of hate come from?!
I don't care much for this subject, but I could probably write a book and name names myself, and truthfully, most every other woman I know could do the same.
I mean, let's be honest here. It starts early and goes on forever. The first time I was sexually harassed, I was in second grade. Yes, for crying out loud, I was probably eight years old!
A neighborhood boy, a classmate, was always grabbing and trying to steal a kiss. He finally coerced me into giving that kiss by stealing my little brother's favorite Tonka truck and holding it hostage. I love my brother, okay? So I gave Bobby the damned kiss. Ugh! Repulsive! I took the truck home to my brother, and then I washed my face and brushed my teeth and sulked.
The next day, I punched the kid in the face. At school. Mrs. Fox made me stand in the corner and told me she was disappointed in me.
I'll say this for Mrs. Fox, though. The next year I told her why I punched Bobby, and she apologized for punishing me. She said I should have told her why right then, and she could have taken some sort of action. It was too late now, though-- he and his family had moved away.
My introduction to the idea of statutes of limitation.
She was right, or course; you should always tell. Tell an adult. Tell someone you trust.
But you know what? You don't.
Why?
Because even at the age of eight, there was this nagging thought in the back of my mind: What did I do or say to make him think he could get away with that?
And doggone it, down through the years I had many an occasion to have those thoughts again.
Many an occasion.
Many.
The arrival of the girls heralded in an era of behaviors by boys that I came to dismiss as just par for the course. A "boys will be boys" sort of thing.
Pokes and pinches. Questions like "When it rains, do your feet get wet?" Invitations to play tag or touch football that leads to being held too long, "accidental" chest gropes, etc.
You get the picture.
And that was sixth grade.
Whee!
So, did I run to the nearest adult and tattle? Nope. I learned how to use my elbows to good advantage and stamped on a foot or two, but mostly I just squirmed away and chalked it up to "stupid boys".
Some of those "stupid boys" could be reading this right now. Um, guys? You sucked. Big time. And the saddest part of it all is that because of the times and because it was "boys being boys" or whatever, you were too stupid to know you were stupid. You made me and a lot of other girls feel bad about our own bodies. Like we could do anything but grow up. Sheesh.
See, as I matured, I got comfortable with the girls. They fed my babies. I really pretty attached to them now; I hope to always keep them.
But at age 12? Age 15? Even 18? Not so much. They were at times a source of embarrassment, even shame. Certainly they gained me some unwanted attention.
Being a girl gained me unwanted attention, okay? From boys. From men.
Now, I was blessed with an intelligent and progressive-for-her-time mother and an even-more-progressive-for-her-time grandmother, so I was educated in the ways of "stupid boys" fairly early on, or things could have fared much more poorly for me than they did. I was smart enough and precocious enough to get myself out of situations that might have ended up so much worse than they did.
Even so, I was not a tattle tale. I let that nagging voice ask me over and over, what did I say or do? Why did this happen? What am I doing wrong?
And at the same time all this was going on, I knew damned well that I was not the pretty girl or the popular girl or the sexy girl, so...what the hell? Why the attention? What?
I didn't date a lot. The guys I crushed on didn't even know I was alive.
I didn't have a clue how to get the attention from the ones I liked and how to deflect the attention of the ones I wanted to leave me alone.
I was awash in self-doubt all the time.
I could go on, but I'm still not willing to be a public tattle tale. To this day, if I feel that some guy might be a problem in real life, I tell the people who I think need to be careful of being with them, but I've never taken it further than that.
Why? Well, like many women before me, I feared not being believed. You hear the horror stories--they're not new. "She was asking for it." "She's a tease." "She wanted it." Yada yada yada.
There were times when I knew it wasn't just me, and warnings were issued. Some girls ignored me, for whatever reason, and later returned with their own tales of woe. We commiserated. We said, "Stupid boys. Stupid men."
I will say this much: It is really no fun walking home from south hill in the middle of the night because you've been pushed out of the car for refusing to "put out". This happened before the days of cell phones. It was cold. It was really dark. It was scary.
But I was more scared of him coming back, still angry.
Not a fun night. Everytime I saw headlights, I hid. Yeah, it would have been nice to get a ride, but...just in case.
That was over forty years ago. Stupid guy.
(For the record, I told whoever I felt might need to know, if I knew they might end up alone on that same road. So there, stupid guy. But I didn't tell an adult, and I didn't call the cops. I just walked home, took a hot bath and went to bed and sulked.)
All that said, those were decisions I made at the time. If I found out now that that particular person was still in the area and that he might be continuing his nefarious ways, I could be prompted to change my mind. If he was now in the Senate, or the President, or a famous actor or director and I knew that he was still behaving like a notorious ass-hat, I would be motivated to speak up.
I lost track of him, though. Period.
That doesn't mean that I haven't regretted my law-related silence on the matter. I've regretted it plenty. I mean, there was yelling. There was shoving. There was desertion. I felt stupid and humiliated and pissed off. I got the buttons popped off my blouse, and when I landed on the ground, I got my clothes dirty. Other than that, I escaped relatively unscathed.
But what if he got more agressive with the passage of time? What if he started hitting? What if he ended up raping someone?
So I warned some girls when I found out they were planning to go out with him. Big la-dee-dah deal.
Because I was a chicken-shit, I didn't report him to anyone with authority.
Yeah, I've regretted it a lot. But it I'm honest, I don't think anyone would have done a thing. As far as it went, he didn't actually do much. At least as far as the law in that town at that time would have been concerned. And in the meantime, I probably would have gotten dragged through the mud, blamed for the assault, told to suck it up and deal, because "boys will be boys".
Damn it.
It plagues me. It has left me with a guilty feeling of having let some unknown someone down.
And that leads me to the women who have spoken out in recent weeks.
I believe them.
Here's the thing: They know where their offender is. They know where he's working, and whether or not he has continued to be a problem.
They have had time to wrestle with occurances. They may now have daughters of their own. The perspective of a mother vs the perspective of a young woman can be profoundly different. Things they justified in their own minds may no longer work when they ask themselves, "But what if this happened to my child?"
Those are good reasons to stop holding their tongues and speak out.
I think the reason so many people are willing to call these women liars is because they think the victims are seeking publicity. I'll go out on a limb and say that publicity is likely the very last thing they want. If attention to themselves was all they were after, they would have reported it when it happened. Believe me, that attention is never positive. Who in their right mind would want to be placed under a microscope and examined for every flaw, be it mode of dress, make-up choices, drinking or drug habits, sexual histories or what church they may or may not attend?
(For the record: No, I had not been drinking. No make-up. Grey flannel pants and a white blouse with a blue cardigan that was NOT heavy enough for the weather--if you're walking. Clogs. Also not great for walking. Catholic. Zero sexual history.)
(But who would have believed me?)
Also, who wants to go up against someone who already has the "power" position? Some of these allegations were teenaged girls abused by a thirty-something businessman. He's got money. He knows people. He is likely a master manipulator. He knows just what to say to assure a girl that he'll be believed and she won't.
Fear and intimidation are powerful things.
These women are not lying. They have no reason to. They are already being dragged through the mud, being put under that microscope. They have nothing to gain but their own peace of mind for finally stepping out and standing up. In the process they will lose their privacy and possibly their dignity. Because they are not the ones in positions of power.
I believe them. I believe they no longer want to feel guilty about possibly letting some unknown someone down.
Now, on the other side of this spectrum, you have allegations of harassment by men making off-colored jokes and maybe patting a backside or two, and I'm not sure how I feel about men losing jobs over things like that. These are guys who grew up in the "boys will be boys" era, and while these things are offensive, I've been assaulted by this behavior my whole life and never felt guilty about not reporting it.
I find a good many of today's so-called comedies more offensive, frankly.
So where do we draw the line? What is a punishable offense? I mean, sexual innuendo that's clearly targeting you vs a traveling salesman joke? People are all very different from one another, and what cracks one person up might send another to sob in the restroom.
Ah, the world is a crazy, messed up place, folks.
For me, the line is here: if a person tells you they don't want to be touched, then keep your hands to yourself. It doesn't matter if all you wanted was a hug. The other person didn't want it, so respect their bounderies. I don't care if said person is two, or twelve or twenty or ninety. I don't care if they are male or female. Hands off if you're not invited to touch. Period.
And you know what? This includes your children. If they don't want a kiss good-night, let it go. They'll probably want one tomorrow. If they don't want to be tickled right now, wait for a better time. Sure, they're laughing--until they cry. That's not fun. I've found that kids are very good at letting you know when they are in the mood for tickling, for a hug, for a good-night kiss. Forcing it on them when they're not in the mood for it sends a message to them that what they want isn't important, and that they have no control over what happens to their own bodies.
(For the record: I ALWAYS hated being tickled. No time was the right time. And I always ended up crying. It was not fun.)
I always ask my grandchildren for a hug or kiss. If they say no, I don't freak out about it. In the end, they come to me and I get plenty. But it's up to them to say yes or no. I ask before tickling. If they want to play, we do, and when they say stop, I stop. Because it can go from fun to torture really dang quick.
I guess, bottom line for me is, I don't think you should get fired if you tell me a dirty joke. But if you push me into a corner and try to shove your tongue down my throat or your hand up my skirt, you should be packing up your desk.
"Boys will be boys" my Aunt Fanny.
To end this, I want to very clearly state that although I had some ugly encounters with "stupid boys", I had FAR more positive encounters with some really great boys and men all my life. These were the ones who helped pick up the books the bully just swatted out of your arms, the ones who walked you home when it was getting dark, the ones who spent that extra minute or ten listening to you chat when they really wanted to play kickball.
My overall experience of men has been great. One bad apple--or a few bad apples-- never spoiled the whole batch, not for me, at least.
And I'm really, really glad that I know so many good apples.
#MeToo.
December 15, 2017
11:46 p.m.
Well, it's official: half the people in this house are seriously off schedule.
My daughter took a night position at a local WalMart store. She's been working there for awhile now.
(You may recall my panic upon learning that there had been an active shooting incident there while I was still in Wyoming. I was seriously grateful she wasn't shopping or something at the time, and was not scheduled to work for several more hours when the shooting took place, so she was home and safe. The world has become a terribly frightening place!)
Anyway, since I've been home, we have been trying to make sure, somehow, that my daughter gets some sleep. At the same time, her toddler has been stubbornly launched a campaign to make sure she gets to spend time with her mom, awake or asleep.
This has resulted in her crawling in to sleep with her mother for late-in-the-day naps, which has led to her staying up later and later at night--not a huge issue for me, since I'm up anyway, but now she's sleeping later and later, I'm getting to sleep well after my daughter gets home from work--after seven a.m. on her work days--and then I might sleep three to four hours while she tries to stay awake and engage with the toddler until at least noon before she goes to sleep and I take over chasing and engaging.
We're tired.
Well, not the toddler--she's all good, except for trying not to be noisy at midnight when the other adults and her brother are sleeping.
So my plan for tonight is to try to get her to sleep before three in the morning. It's midnight, she's playing and watching "My Little Ponies" and trying to be quiet, and I'm writing. I suppose what I should be doing is turning off all the lights and making her lie down. Except I am busy, because this is my time of day to be writing and such.
________________________________________________________________________________
December 16, 2017
1:57 a.m.
Well, that only took two hours.
Gosh, it's fun explaining why we don't go to the beach or eat ice cream cones at one in the morning.
I'm not about to complain, though. This is the earliest she's gone to sleep all week.
Crap. Spoke too soon.
_________________________________________________________________________________
3:47 a.m.
And here we are. I decided to stay nearby for awhile this time. Sheesh!
It has been at this point where I have just decided to wait for the girl to get home before going to bed, because, why not? The house is quiet. I might get some work done.
But I'm not as good at the four-hours-of-sleep shifts as I used to be. I must be getting old. So I'm going to sneak off to bed now and hope she stays asleep.
Wish me luck!
Good Night!
11:46 p.m.
Well, it's official: half the people in this house are seriously off schedule.
My daughter took a night position at a local WalMart store. She's been working there for awhile now.
(You may recall my panic upon learning that there had been an active shooting incident there while I was still in Wyoming. I was seriously grateful she wasn't shopping or something at the time, and was not scheduled to work for several more hours when the shooting took place, so she was home and safe. The world has become a terribly frightening place!)
Anyway, since I've been home, we have been trying to make sure, somehow, that my daughter gets some sleep. At the same time, her toddler has been stubbornly launched a campaign to make sure she gets to spend time with her mom, awake or asleep.
This has resulted in her crawling in to sleep with her mother for late-in-the-day naps, which has led to her staying up later and later at night--not a huge issue for me, since I'm up anyway, but now she's sleeping later and later, I'm getting to sleep well after my daughter gets home from work--after seven a.m. on her work days--and then I might sleep three to four hours while she tries to stay awake and engage with the toddler until at least noon before she goes to sleep and I take over chasing and engaging.
We're tired.
Well, not the toddler--she's all good, except for trying not to be noisy at midnight when the other adults and her brother are sleeping.
So my plan for tonight is to try to get her to sleep before three in the morning. It's midnight, she's playing and watching "My Little Ponies" and trying to be quiet, and I'm writing. I suppose what I should be doing is turning off all the lights and making her lie down. Except I am busy, because this is my time of day to be writing and such.
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December 16, 2017
1:57 a.m.
Well, that only took two hours.
Gosh, it's fun explaining why we don't go to the beach or eat ice cream cones at one in the morning.
I'm not about to complain, though. This is the earliest she's gone to sleep all week.
Crap. Spoke too soon.
_________________________________________________________________________________
3:47 a.m.
And here we are. I decided to stay nearby for awhile this time. Sheesh!
It has been at this point where I have just decided to wait for the girl to get home before going to bed, because, why not? The house is quiet. I might get some work done.
But I'm not as good at the four-hours-of-sleep shifts as I used to be. I must be getting old. So I'm going to sneak off to bed now and hope she stays asleep.
Wish me luck!
Good Night!
Sunday, December 10, 2017
December 10, 2017
3:35 p.m.
I have no idea what I am doing today.
I have been trying to watch a new series on Netflix, one made in Germany and overdubbed in English, called "Dark". It is quite compelling, but I keep getting interrupted and now I'm confused. Normally I would wait until everyone else is asleep, but with my daughter's night work schedule, no one is asleep at the same time in this house anymore.
Oh, well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I'll figure it out.
I'm also working my way through Hulu's "Marvel's Runaways". This series I started because I am a big fan of James Marsters.
3:35 p.m.
I have no idea what I am doing today.
I have been trying to watch a new series on Netflix, one made in Germany and overdubbed in English, called "Dark". It is quite compelling, but I keep getting interrupted and now I'm confused. Normally I would wait until everyone else is asleep, but with my daughter's night work schedule, no one is asleep at the same time in this house anymore.
Oh, well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. I'll figure it out.
I'm also working my way through Hulu's "Marvel's Runaways". This series I started because I am a big fan of James Marsters.
As such, I give the things he's doing a try. I'm sticking with this one, because it's a really good series. It focuses more on the teen cast, who have discovered that their parents are not the people they'd believed them to be. I'm having fun with it.
In recent years I've gotten a lot of amusement over the fact that when I was growing up, nerdiness was a bad thing, and admitting to being a comic book fan-- other than Mad Magazine-- was likely to get you laughed out of the room. Now being a nerd is cool, and some of the best movies and series out there are based on comics. Ah, the irony.
_________________________________________________________________________________
5:09 p.m.
Distracted again. My granddaughter asked me to help her find her "bute" (boot).
Toddlers. Man, I love them, even if they sometimes exhaust me. Up until recently, I was "gampa" to her, and now she's moved on to "gama". I don't know why, but I sure miss being "gampa". All the cute things they say--it's a little heartbreaking when they figure it out.
My niece, as a toddler, said "sninky" instead of "stinky". My parents still say "sninky". Some of those mispronunciations just stick in families. We still have "spusghetti" to eat at my house, thanks to one of my kids.
What words have stuck in your family vocabularies thanks to your kids or grandkids?
_________________________________________________________________________________
I am so not ready for Christmas. I have to go over a particular order I placed recently, because I got a delivery yesterday for something I swear I didn't order. Weird.
I'm also out of touch a bit this year. It was a freaky busy year. I'm not sure what any of the kids are reading this year, so I haven't gotten their books. I've gotten other things... but this feels strange, so I better get cracking.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm a little upset with myself over Thanksgiving. I made a good dinner and we had a good time, but I didn't take any pictures! That's pretty unlike me. I wasn't feeling well, so I basically made of myself an observer once dinner was done. (I did enjoy leftovers the next day, however!)
My son in law took this and shared it with me:
There may be others, but no one has shared them with me. Hint, hint!
_________________________________________________________________________________
6:05 p.m.
Okay, I'm going to say you should probably watch "Dark" on Netflix. Bizarre. I'm weirded out. I will never be able to talk my son into watching this.
Weird.
Can't stop watching.
This is one of those shows that require a 2nd go round once you're done. Or at least, once I am done.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, I'm hungry. It just struck me out of the blue. So I'm out for now!
What to eat? What to eat? It's a conundrum.
Cheers!
Monday, December 4, 2017
December 4, 2017
9:16 p.m.
Well, doggone it, I promised I wasn't going to get into any more political debates, but I just have to ask this question: Is it just me, or does anyone else have a hard time taking an argument seriously when the person arguing cannot be bothered to check his spelling, punctuation and grammar? I mean, how smart can they be, and why should I think they know what they're talking about?
Yes, yes, I'm a bit of a snob. Oh, well! I cannot believe in the rantings of a person who writes "are children" instead of "our children". If you don't know the difference between to, two and too, there, their and they're, here and hear, lo and low, etc., I have no trust in your ability to differentiate between truth and "fake news".
By the way, I do indeed know the difference between a personal tax, a small business tax and a corporate tax. I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. I'm also quite adept at reading more than one report--and not a meme--about various topics before deciding which ideas are more suited to my needs and those of my children. I can certainly recognize when the futures of my grandchildren are imperiled by greedy, self-serving ass-hats.
The current majority administration has, at this point, no redeeming qualities. Even if Trump and Pence should be impeached, the next-in-line party members are every bit as corrupt. We are doomed to fall face first into a sewer of their creation, and I can't envision a workable escape route.
It's depressing, distressing and demeaning.
This past week has been a nightmare. Tax bill passed without being read--or even legibly written; Trump in Utah reducing the areas of Native monuments; plea-bargains; and nonsensical tweets by someone who should REALLY keep his thoughts to himself. It's insane.
If the USA is now an international laughing stock--and it is--shouldn't we be doing something sensible to get back on track? Like NOT endorsing accused child-molesters for public office? Like making sure that public education is completely funded, and offering teachers more incentives to continue educating our children? You know, useful things.
Billionaires and corporations have more than enough money and tax breaks already. Trickle down economics do not work.
I'm so tired of these guys. Why can we not just fire everyone and start from scratch?
How sad that we came to a point where everyone figured they had to choose whoever they felt was the "lesser of two evils".
Damn.
Okay, rant over.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'd like to follow up with something jolly and clever, but it doesn't seem fitting after that.
I would post a puppy picture, but then no one would take me seriously, even if I spelled everything correctly.
I'm just going to say goodnight.
Goodnight.
9:16 p.m.
Well, doggone it, I promised I wasn't going to get into any more political debates, but I just have to ask this question: Is it just me, or does anyone else have a hard time taking an argument seriously when the person arguing cannot be bothered to check his spelling, punctuation and grammar? I mean, how smart can they be, and why should I think they know what they're talking about?
Yes, yes, I'm a bit of a snob. Oh, well! I cannot believe in the rantings of a person who writes "are children" instead of "our children". If you don't know the difference between to, two and too, there, their and they're, here and hear, lo and low, etc., I have no trust in your ability to differentiate between truth and "fake news".
By the way, I do indeed know the difference between a personal tax, a small business tax and a corporate tax. I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. I'm also quite adept at reading more than one report--and not a meme--about various topics before deciding which ideas are more suited to my needs and those of my children. I can certainly recognize when the futures of my grandchildren are imperiled by greedy, self-serving ass-hats.
The current majority administration has, at this point, no redeeming qualities. Even if Trump and Pence should be impeached, the next-in-line party members are every bit as corrupt. We are doomed to fall face first into a sewer of their creation, and I can't envision a workable escape route.
It's depressing, distressing and demeaning.
This past week has been a nightmare. Tax bill passed without being read--or even legibly written; Trump in Utah reducing the areas of Native monuments; plea-bargains; and nonsensical tweets by someone who should REALLY keep his thoughts to himself. It's insane.
If the USA is now an international laughing stock--and it is--shouldn't we be doing something sensible to get back on track? Like NOT endorsing accused child-molesters for public office? Like making sure that public education is completely funded, and offering teachers more incentives to continue educating our children? You know, useful things.
Billionaires and corporations have more than enough money and tax breaks already. Trickle down economics do not work.
I'm so tired of these guys. Why can we not just fire everyone and start from scratch?
How sad that we came to a point where everyone figured they had to choose whoever they felt was the "lesser of two evils".
Damn.
Okay, rant over.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'd like to follow up with something jolly and clever, but it doesn't seem fitting after that.
I would post a puppy picture, but then no one would take me seriously, even if I spelled everything correctly.
I'm just going to say goodnight.
Goodnight.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
December 2, 2017
11:46 p.m.
Well, this is more like my usual posting time, isn't it?
My granddaughter and I are up and watching Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Okay, neither of us are paying much attention, but it's on.
Don't get me wrong; I love this movie. But watching a nearly-three-year-old enacting a conversation between a duck and a frog is really entertaining.
Babysitting tonight. The parents have gone to a work Christmas party. Fun stuff.
Oh, whoops! The television just shut itself off. Uh...darn! Oh well, here comes a toddler to sit in my lap and make me draw puppies.
Life is rough, boy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 3, 2017
12:31 a.m.
Okay, it's a new day, the kids are all wound up because they get to see their mom, who sleeps days and works nights, and I am getting pretty excited because I get to sleep without a bed full of baby and dog tonight!
Or, at least, I get to TRY to sleep.
But the whole bed is MINE! Whee!
_________________________________________________________________________________
The holiday movie season is here. Watching "Home Alone". Go, Kevin. Get those bad guys.
So far, I have not watched "A Christmas Story". I love that movie. My whole family groans when I put it on. But my son bought it for me last year, so I guess he doesn't hate it that much. I couldn't explain the appeal that movie has for me, but I love it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I think I'm headed to Target later to take advantage of a one-day sale. If I do, I may be done shopping! Hurray!
I know I admitted to putting up a tree this year, and that's big. But I'm not fussed about Christmas shopping. The little girls were easy, but I don't see the little boys often enough to know what they're into these days, so all I can do is hope. The pre-teen boys didn't pose too much of a challenge--they spend a lot of time here, so I observe. I think I managed their stuff okay. But now--the teen girls! Yikes!!!! So...gift cards? Ugh, I hate resorting to that...
However, I do love receiving gift cards...
Hmm....
_________________________________________________________________________________
My living room has turned into a place of chaos. Too many people yacking, I can't think. So I guess I will say goodnight and go yack, too.
Goodnight!
11:46 p.m.
Well, this is more like my usual posting time, isn't it?
My granddaughter and I are up and watching Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Okay, neither of us are paying much attention, but it's on.
Don't get me wrong; I love this movie. But watching a nearly-three-year-old enacting a conversation between a duck and a frog is really entertaining.
Babysitting tonight. The parents have gone to a work Christmas party. Fun stuff.
Oh, whoops! The television just shut itself off. Uh...darn! Oh well, here comes a toddler to sit in my lap and make me draw puppies.
Life is rough, boy.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 3, 2017
12:31 a.m.
Okay, it's a new day, the kids are all wound up because they get to see their mom, who sleeps days and works nights, and I am getting pretty excited because I get to sleep without a bed full of baby and dog tonight!
Or, at least, I get to TRY to sleep.
But the whole bed is MINE! Whee!
_________________________________________________________________________________
The holiday movie season is here. Watching "Home Alone". Go, Kevin. Get those bad guys.
So far, I have not watched "A Christmas Story". I love that movie. My whole family groans when I put it on. But my son bought it for me last year, so I guess he doesn't hate it that much. I couldn't explain the appeal that movie has for me, but I love it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I think I'm headed to Target later to take advantage of a one-day sale. If I do, I may be done shopping! Hurray!
I know I admitted to putting up a tree this year, and that's big. But I'm not fussed about Christmas shopping. The little girls were easy, but I don't see the little boys often enough to know what they're into these days, so all I can do is hope. The pre-teen boys didn't pose too much of a challenge--they spend a lot of time here, so I observe. I think I managed their stuff okay. But now--the teen girls! Yikes!!!! So...gift cards? Ugh, I hate resorting to that...
However, I do love receiving gift cards...
Hmm....
_________________________________________________________________________________
My living room has turned into a place of chaos. Too many people yacking, I can't think. So I guess I will say goodnight and go yack, too.
Goodnight!
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Happy December!
December 1, 2017
6:08 p.m.
I demand to know where the time goes!
2017 seems to have passed by ridiculously fast. What happened?
I have been back in Colorado for a few weeks now, and winter hasn't yet reared its ugly head. I'm not complaining. I'm not ready for it.
I'm also not ready for Christmas, and I think I will complain about that. It feels like I just did it. I'm not as good at early shopping as I used to be--you know, back in the day when my kids were little and I had a job.
Of course, not having a job is no excuse, really, because that basically means I have more time than ever to get it done, whether that means shopping or making gifts.
What is wrong with me?
You can cut me a little slack, though. I actually put up a tree for the first time in over a decade. Grandchildren are living here now, so kids in the house made me up my game a bit.
I didn't up it much, though. It's about three feet tall. Ha ha.
_________________________________________________________________________________
My last post was Thanksgiving Day, in the morning. By evening I was getting sick. Went to bed early. Didn't take a single picture all day. Didn't want to eat. What a dang bummer, man.
Next day, I was hungry and enjoyed leftovers. I don't know what the heck that was, not wanting to eat the delicious dinner I prepared. Probably a pre-curser to the lovely cold I've been living with pretty much ever since. Hack, cough and sniffle. So fun. But it hasn't affected my appetite too much since the first day. Hmm...
_________________________________________________________________________________
Even though I've been home for awhile, I just barely hooked my computer back up and quit using my laptop for everything. So now I can't type. Ha ha! I had forgotten that a couple of the keys on my keyboard are tight, and I don't hit them hard enough. Makes for some interesting typos.
More annoying, though, is the fact that I haven't yet downloaded all the photos I took while I was gone this past summer, and I keep looking for them today so I can share or use them. Since I am about to undertake the task of making calendars, I guess I'd better get to work on that.
Speaking of photos--good grief, do I ever need to delete some from my phone. It's a wonder I can do anything at all on it. And I've only had it for 6 months! What a hoarder I am.
_________________________________________________________________________________
11:02 p.m.
Oh boy, I got this little message on my Ancestry site and just couldn't stop myself from researching! You know, this stuff is what got me started on my book. Family histories are fascinating. My father's various lines go back quite a bit further than the Pilgrims. I would love to do the DNA testing and see what turns up. However, I haven't seen any indication that once those tests identify Native American bloodlines, they can further identify various tribes. And based on my research, there are probably more than a couple of tribes, anyway.
We are what my Dad calls "Heinz-57s". Hahaha.
At any rate, I was given the link to a manuscript of a many-times-removed uncle who was an accidental explorer in the new world, and ended up reading quite a bit, and forgot I was writing a blog!
My bad!
In my defense--it's really interesting.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 2, 2017
12:01 a.m.
I really, really tried not to comment on politics, but-- DAMN! That so-called tax bill just passed?!
What has happened to this country?
Nope. I'm done. Not saying anything more tonight about it.
Tonight.
Damn.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I was better off reading. Think I'll lay in bed with a good graphic novel and try not to think too much.
Good night, all!
6:08 p.m.
I demand to know where the time goes!
2017 seems to have passed by ridiculously fast. What happened?
I have been back in Colorado for a few weeks now, and winter hasn't yet reared its ugly head. I'm not complaining. I'm not ready for it.
I'm also not ready for Christmas, and I think I will complain about that. It feels like I just did it. I'm not as good at early shopping as I used to be--you know, back in the day when my kids were little and I had a job.
Of course, not having a job is no excuse, really, because that basically means I have more time than ever to get it done, whether that means shopping or making gifts.
What is wrong with me?
You can cut me a little slack, though. I actually put up a tree for the first time in over a decade. Grandchildren are living here now, so kids in the house made me up my game a bit.
I didn't up it much, though. It's about three feet tall. Ha ha.
_________________________________________________________________________________
My last post was Thanksgiving Day, in the morning. By evening I was getting sick. Went to bed early. Didn't take a single picture all day. Didn't want to eat. What a dang bummer, man.
Next day, I was hungry and enjoyed leftovers. I don't know what the heck that was, not wanting to eat the delicious dinner I prepared. Probably a pre-curser to the lovely cold I've been living with pretty much ever since. Hack, cough and sniffle. So fun. But it hasn't affected my appetite too much since the first day. Hmm...
_________________________________________________________________________________
Even though I've been home for awhile, I just barely hooked my computer back up and quit using my laptop for everything. So now I can't type. Ha ha! I had forgotten that a couple of the keys on my keyboard are tight, and I don't hit them hard enough. Makes for some interesting typos.
More annoying, though, is the fact that I haven't yet downloaded all the photos I took while I was gone this past summer, and I keep looking for them today so I can share or use them. Since I am about to undertake the task of making calendars, I guess I'd better get to work on that.
Speaking of photos--good grief, do I ever need to delete some from my phone. It's a wonder I can do anything at all on it. And I've only had it for 6 months! What a hoarder I am.
_________________________________________________________________________________
11:02 p.m.
Oh boy, I got this little message on my Ancestry site and just couldn't stop myself from researching! You know, this stuff is what got me started on my book. Family histories are fascinating. My father's various lines go back quite a bit further than the Pilgrims. I would love to do the DNA testing and see what turns up. However, I haven't seen any indication that once those tests identify Native American bloodlines, they can further identify various tribes. And based on my research, there are probably more than a couple of tribes, anyway.
We are what my Dad calls "Heinz-57s". Hahaha.
At any rate, I was given the link to a manuscript of a many-times-removed uncle who was an accidental explorer in the new world, and ended up reading quite a bit, and forgot I was writing a blog!
My bad!
In my defense--it's really interesting.
_________________________________________________________________________________
December 2, 2017
12:01 a.m.
I really, really tried not to comment on politics, but-- DAMN! That so-called tax bill just passed?!
What has happened to this country?
Nope. I'm done. Not saying anything more tonight about it.
Tonight.
Damn.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I was better off reading. Think I'll lay in bed with a good graphic novel and try not to think too much.
Good night, all!
Thursday, November 23, 2017
November 23, 2017
9:39 a.m.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
It is highly unusual for me to be blogging before noon on ANY day of the year, but it's Thanksgiving, and I have already been a busy bee this morning.
I did salads last night. Check. The turkey is in the oven. Check. Soon I will put rolls in the oven, and then I will make a green bean casserole. The very last thing I will do today is make gravy. I generally have very good luck with my gravy, but it causes me anxiety every time, because I want it to be GREAT.
In the midst of all preparation, I am taking a break to have a cup of coffee and reflect on the many reasons I am thankful this year.
My number one reason for thankfulness is the fact that my mother is still among us. We had a very scary ordeal with her this past summer--if you read my blog, you know the whole story. Recovery was not overnight, and because of my personal circumstances, I was able to be with her through all of it.
I will add now that my father is also still with us, and happily had no health scares this year.
Parents are such a blessing to us throughout our lives, and anyone who has lived as long as I have and still enjoys the blessing of living parents is indeed a lucky person. I am grateful every single day that my parents are here, living in their own home and enjoying life. They do pretty much whatever they want, travel when the care to, and are able to take care of business as usual. That is awesome.
Ah, 2017. There were a lot of good things going on this year.
I got to take three of my grandchildren to Denver ComicCon. We had a great time. I met James Marsters. The boys were amazed by gigantic Lego displays. My granddaughter met Napoleon Dynamite, and he liked her costume. Three days of good, crazy fun, and I only got lost once! (I knew where I was, but everyone else had taken a wrong turn. Haha!)
I traveled with my parents to southern Colorado and to Idaho for reunions on both sides of the family. It is always wonderful to sit with aunts and uncles and listen to them all tell stories of their childhoods and early adulthood, the days where I had yet to make my debut into the world. That history is priceless to me. I also enjoy spending time with my cousins and learning first hand what they have going on in their lives.
We had weddings to attend this year. My son married his love, and we enjoyed quite a lovely celebration. All my children were together for that, which was wonderful. I am always grateful to have them all in one place. My baby lives too far away.
My niece married her love, and that wedding and reception were also lovely. It took place in Wyoming, and two of my daughters and their families were able to come. They got to spend time with aunts and uncles they don't get to see often, and also spent some time with their younger half-siblings. I'm very grateful for that; there have been many sleepless nights when I have despaired of that ever happening. I have always wanted them to have that relationship.
I spent a great deal of time in Wyoming with my parents this year. Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to have that opportunity.
I took a couple of fun trips to the casino with my sisters and we didn't lose our shirts. In fact, we had pretty good luck.
I ran into friends here and there. What wonderful chance encounters!
I published my second book.
And now, I am home and making a turkey for Thanksgiving, and soon enough the house will be full of noisy people.
I have a lot to be thankful for!
I may rant about 2017 in the future, but for today I'm going to say that there were some great things thrown in there.
Happy Thanksgiving!! Eat, laugh. love. (That's how it goes, right?) Spend quality time with your families. Enjoy.
Hope you find some great Black Friday deals. Tomorrow. Today, eat and take a nap!
I'm grateful for you all.
9:39 a.m.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
It is highly unusual for me to be blogging before noon on ANY day of the year, but it's Thanksgiving, and I have already been a busy bee this morning.
I did salads last night. Check. The turkey is in the oven. Check. Soon I will put rolls in the oven, and then I will make a green bean casserole. The very last thing I will do today is make gravy. I generally have very good luck with my gravy, but it causes me anxiety every time, because I want it to be GREAT.
In the midst of all preparation, I am taking a break to have a cup of coffee and reflect on the many reasons I am thankful this year.
My number one reason for thankfulness is the fact that my mother is still among us. We had a very scary ordeal with her this past summer--if you read my blog, you know the whole story. Recovery was not overnight, and because of my personal circumstances, I was able to be with her through all of it.
I will add now that my father is also still with us, and happily had no health scares this year.
Parents are such a blessing to us throughout our lives, and anyone who has lived as long as I have and still enjoys the blessing of living parents is indeed a lucky person. I am grateful every single day that my parents are here, living in their own home and enjoying life. They do pretty much whatever they want, travel when the care to, and are able to take care of business as usual. That is awesome.
Ah, 2017. There were a lot of good things going on this year.
I got to take three of my grandchildren to Denver ComicCon. We had a great time. I met James Marsters. The boys were amazed by gigantic Lego displays. My granddaughter met Napoleon Dynamite, and he liked her costume. Three days of good, crazy fun, and I only got lost once! (I knew where I was, but everyone else had taken a wrong turn. Haha!)
I traveled with my parents to southern Colorado and to Idaho for reunions on both sides of the family. It is always wonderful to sit with aunts and uncles and listen to them all tell stories of their childhoods and early adulthood, the days where I had yet to make my debut into the world. That history is priceless to me. I also enjoy spending time with my cousins and learning first hand what they have going on in their lives.
We had weddings to attend this year. My son married his love, and we enjoyed quite a lovely celebration. All my children were together for that, which was wonderful. I am always grateful to have them all in one place. My baby lives too far away.
My niece married her love, and that wedding and reception were also lovely. It took place in Wyoming, and two of my daughters and their families were able to come. They got to spend time with aunts and uncles they don't get to see often, and also spent some time with their younger half-siblings. I'm very grateful for that; there have been many sleepless nights when I have despaired of that ever happening. I have always wanted them to have that relationship.
I spent a great deal of time in Wyoming with my parents this year. Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to have that opportunity.
I took a couple of fun trips to the casino with my sisters and we didn't lose our shirts. In fact, we had pretty good luck.
I ran into friends here and there. What wonderful chance encounters!
I published my second book.
And now, I am home and making a turkey for Thanksgiving, and soon enough the house will be full of noisy people.
I have a lot to be thankful for!
I may rant about 2017 in the future, but for today I'm going to say that there were some great things thrown in there.
Happy Thanksgiving!! Eat, laugh. love. (That's how it goes, right?) Spend quality time with your families. Enjoy.
Hope you find some great Black Friday deals. Tomorrow. Today, eat and take a nap!
I'm grateful for you all.
Monday, November 20, 2017
November 20, 2017
3:52 p.m.
I have been a really bad girl of late.
I came back to Colorado on November 9th. My beautiful niece Kayla brought me, since she was already coming to attend a wedding.
Since coming home, I have been so busy chasing my granddaughter around that I haven't blogged, and I have done very little work on my new novel.
I signed up to do NaNoWriMo to get a good start, and I am not nearly to 50,000 words. Last year I reached my goal pretty easily, and I suppose I MIGHT make it this year, but only if I really step up my game.
BAD girl.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In the meantime, how cute are these girls?
3:52 p.m.
I have been a really bad girl of late.
I came back to Colorado on November 9th. My beautiful niece Kayla brought me, since she was already coming to attend a wedding.
Since coming home, I have been so busy chasing my granddaughter around that I haven't blogged, and I have done very little work on my new novel.
I signed up to do NaNoWriMo to get a good start, and I am not nearly to 50,000 words. Last year I reached my goal pretty easily, and I suppose I MIGHT make it this year, but only if I really step up my game.
BAD girl.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In the meantime, how cute are these girls?
It's so fun when I get a chance to babysit. But, wow! I'm getting old. They really run me ragged! So much energy!
_________________________________________________________________________________
For the moment, I am just checking in. Thanksgiving is coming and I need to make a shopping list. Yuck! Shopping!
Take it easy. I promise I will think of something soon.
Sunday, November 5, 2017
November 5, 2017
8:55 p.m.
Okay, spoiler alert: This post is likely to piss some people off. If this means you, I'm going to nicely suggest you stuff a sock in it for now, because I, too, am entitled to my free speech rights, and I'm about to do some speaking.
We need gun control. We need reasonable regulations. We need to STOP offering thoughts and prayers in the wake of tragedy and DO something effective to make sure that these senseless killings don't continue.
Deer hunters--I don't want to hear it. This is not about you. I don't honestly think you are out there with assault weapons and handguns looking for a 30 point buck. I don't want anyone to take your .22 or your 30.06.
Of course, if you ARE out there hunting with a machine gun--Pu-Leeze! Why???
This has become personal for me.
Just a few days ago, I was having a basically ordinary day. I turned on my computer and was confronted with a breaking news story about a shooting with multiple people down at a Wal-Mart store in Thornton, Colorado.
My daughter works in that store.
It wasn't time for her shift, but people in my family shop there. I'm in Wyoming at the moment. I immediately called home. "Is everyone there?" I demanded when my son answered the phone.
"What?"
"Is everyone at the house? No one went shopping? Where is everyone?"
"Mom---WHAT is going on?"
Oh, son of mine. Ye of little patience and zero mind-reading capability. I had to explain things to him in order to get a straight answer. Yes, everyone was home or otherwise accounted for. No, my daughter had not gone to work yet.
But--oh! She had a message on her phone. Don't go to work. Please check in.
It absolutely was her place of employment. Three people were dead, shot by a man who just walked in the door and started firing.
There followed several hours of police presence, and an arrest the following morning. If you live in this country and you watch the news. you probably know the whole story by now.
What you don't know is that it took two days for people to get back to work. Wal-Mart will be following up with anyone who might need grief or PTSD counselling, and good for them.
My daughter was a wreck her first day back. Yes, the shooter had been arrested, but--things happened far too close to home, and it's hard not to be nervous walking back into a place where a mass-murder took place.
Last month over fifty people were murdered while attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. A concert, for crying out loud.
And now...this morning, a little church in a small Texas community was the scene of slaughter. Twenty-six confirmed dead, at least twenty injured. Some of these dead and injured are children.
In the wake of all this, government officials offer "thoughts and prayers". "Thoughts and prayers"!
That's effective. Right?
If thoughts and prayers actually did any good, these things would not be happening!
I'm over it.
Oh, get off your "I'm offended" bandwagons. I'm not challenging your faith. I'm not challenging the need for solace and comfort for the victims and survivors.
By all means, offer prayer to those injured, to those suffering loss. Certainly. It's comforting to know that people care, that they take the time to ask for peace and understanding and love for all concerned. So pray, spare a thought.
But for God's sweet sake, offer up some practical solutions while you're at it. Call your representatives and demand some action.
Then pray some more. Why not? If nothing else, it will make you feel better.
This has got to stop.
I don't care how much money the NRA offers to donate to the politicians, enough is enough. There needs to be careful consideration given to regulating the sale and possession of firearms.
And it needs to be done now.
Let the hateful comments begin. I know a lot of you are thinking that you'll give up your guns when they are pried from your cold, dead fingers. That it's your God given right to bear firearms.
I'd like to remind you that the firearms the constitution gave Americans the right to bear were single shot rifles.
You are welcome to keep those forever.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In other news, Daylight Savings time has ended. It will now be dark by 5:00 p.m. Sooner, as the season passes from Fall to Winter.
Once again, I protest time change. Once again, I will be ignored.
Have a nice night.
8:55 p.m.
Okay, spoiler alert: This post is likely to piss some people off. If this means you, I'm going to nicely suggest you stuff a sock in it for now, because I, too, am entitled to my free speech rights, and I'm about to do some speaking.
We need gun control. We need reasonable regulations. We need to STOP offering thoughts and prayers in the wake of tragedy and DO something effective to make sure that these senseless killings don't continue.
Deer hunters--I don't want to hear it. This is not about you. I don't honestly think you are out there with assault weapons and handguns looking for a 30 point buck. I don't want anyone to take your .22 or your 30.06.
Of course, if you ARE out there hunting with a machine gun--Pu-Leeze! Why???
This has become personal for me.
Just a few days ago, I was having a basically ordinary day. I turned on my computer and was confronted with a breaking news story about a shooting with multiple people down at a Wal-Mart store in Thornton, Colorado.
My daughter works in that store.
It wasn't time for her shift, but people in my family shop there. I'm in Wyoming at the moment. I immediately called home. "Is everyone there?" I demanded when my son answered the phone.
"What?"
"Is everyone at the house? No one went shopping? Where is everyone?"
"Mom---WHAT is going on?"
Oh, son of mine. Ye of little patience and zero mind-reading capability. I had to explain things to him in order to get a straight answer. Yes, everyone was home or otherwise accounted for. No, my daughter had not gone to work yet.
But--oh! She had a message on her phone. Don't go to work. Please check in.
It absolutely was her place of employment. Three people were dead, shot by a man who just walked in the door and started firing.
There followed several hours of police presence, and an arrest the following morning. If you live in this country and you watch the news. you probably know the whole story by now.
What you don't know is that it took two days for people to get back to work. Wal-Mart will be following up with anyone who might need grief or PTSD counselling, and good for them.
My daughter was a wreck her first day back. Yes, the shooter had been arrested, but--things happened far too close to home, and it's hard not to be nervous walking back into a place where a mass-murder took place.
Last month over fifty people were murdered while attending an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. A concert, for crying out loud.
And now...this morning, a little church in a small Texas community was the scene of slaughter. Twenty-six confirmed dead, at least twenty injured. Some of these dead and injured are children.
In the wake of all this, government officials offer "thoughts and prayers". "Thoughts and prayers"!
That's effective. Right?
If thoughts and prayers actually did any good, these things would not be happening!
I'm over it.
Oh, get off your "I'm offended" bandwagons. I'm not challenging your faith. I'm not challenging the need for solace and comfort for the victims and survivors.
By all means, offer prayer to those injured, to those suffering loss. Certainly. It's comforting to know that people care, that they take the time to ask for peace and understanding and love for all concerned. So pray, spare a thought.
But for God's sweet sake, offer up some practical solutions while you're at it. Call your representatives and demand some action.
Then pray some more. Why not? If nothing else, it will make you feel better.
This has got to stop.
I don't care how much money the NRA offers to donate to the politicians, enough is enough. There needs to be careful consideration given to regulating the sale and possession of firearms.
And it needs to be done now.
Let the hateful comments begin. I know a lot of you are thinking that you'll give up your guns when they are pried from your cold, dead fingers. That it's your God given right to bear firearms.
I'd like to remind you that the firearms the constitution gave Americans the right to bear were single shot rifles.
You are welcome to keep those forever.
_________________________________________________________________________________
In other news, Daylight Savings time has ended. It will now be dark by 5:00 p.m. Sooner, as the season passes from Fall to Winter.
Once again, I protest time change. Once again, I will be ignored.
Have a nice night.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
October 31, 2017
10:03 p.m.
One year ago tonight I sat down with a lot of handwritten notes, genealogy stories from my own family, an outline of sorts and a plan to write 50,000 words of manuscript in the next 30 days.
You may or may not have heard about something called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Somehow or other I caught wind of this group made up of both aspiring and seasoned successful writers who challenge themselves to complete 50,000 in the month of November each year. You accept the challenge and begin your journey with lots of other writers who are there not just to write, but to cheer you on as well.
I had tossed this idea around for awhile, hemmed and hawed, fidgeted and delayed...you get the picture. NaNoWriMo was a way to kick myself into gear. But I never quit. I re-wrote, and re-worked scenes and I researched like a mad woman.
I spent time thoroughly disgusted with religious bigotry, racial bigotry and warmongering. This was actually made much worse for me in light of the last year in the good old USA. It is appalling to me that we've come so far in so many ways but remain steadfastly ignorant in so many others even though three centuries have passed by.
No, no, no. No politics tonight.
Anyway, I looked up tribal customs and Catholicism in the 1600s and LDS migration from Britain to Boston, and all sorts of good historical data, and by the time I was finished with the first draft and all that it entailed. several months had gone by.
Then it was time to edit. Anyone who has ever read my blog knows that I love editing other people's writing and hate doing my own. Thank goodness for first readers--they catch all the silly things I overlook after having read my work so many times.
It's done! It has been a year, and the book is live on Amazon tonight. And I can hardly believe it--a year, man! A whole year!
And tomorrow it's November again. Guess what? Emma, book 2. 50,000 by November 30th.
Yikes!
amazon.com/author/paulashablo
Here's a link to my author page and book listings. I sure hope you'll check it out!
_________________________________________________________________________________
10:50 p.m.
Tonight I got to give out candy to trick-or-treaters. Haven't done that for years! I never get any kids coming to my house in Colorado. I guess I need to do Halloweens in Wyoming.
It's funny that I enjoy kids coming to my door all dressed up in costumes, because when I was a kid, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I would rather stay home and watch horror movies. I couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for it even knowing that there would be an abundance of candy at the end of the night! (And I LOVE candy!)
And nowadays? I dress up as Annie Wilkes and parade around Comic Con. Hmm. What's up with that?
Anyway, it was fun to see all the little ones dressed up and excited, and it was even better that the weather was cooperative. I remember hauling my kids out in snowstorms. Yuck.
Happy Halloween, everyone.
_________________________________________________________________________________
And to all a good night!
10:03 p.m.
One year ago tonight I sat down with a lot of handwritten notes, genealogy stories from my own family, an outline of sorts and a plan to write 50,000 words of manuscript in the next 30 days.
You may or may not have heard about something called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Somehow or other I caught wind of this group made up of both aspiring and seasoned successful writers who challenge themselves to complete 50,000 in the month of November each year. You accept the challenge and begin your journey with lots of other writers who are there not just to write, but to cheer you on as well.
I had tossed this idea around for awhile, hemmed and hawed, fidgeted and delayed...you get the picture. NaNoWriMo was a way to kick myself into gear. But I never quit. I re-wrote, and re-worked scenes and I researched like a mad woman.
I spent time thoroughly disgusted with religious bigotry, racial bigotry and warmongering. This was actually made much worse for me in light of the last year in the good old USA. It is appalling to me that we've come so far in so many ways but remain steadfastly ignorant in so many others even though three centuries have passed by.
No, no, no. No politics tonight.
Anyway, I looked up tribal customs and Catholicism in the 1600s and LDS migration from Britain to Boston, and all sorts of good historical data, and by the time I was finished with the first draft and all that it entailed. several months had gone by.
Then it was time to edit. Anyone who has ever read my blog knows that I love editing other people's writing and hate doing my own. Thank goodness for first readers--they catch all the silly things I overlook after having read my work so many times.
It's done! It has been a year, and the book is live on Amazon tonight. And I can hardly believe it--a year, man! A whole year!
And tomorrow it's November again. Guess what? Emma, book 2. 50,000 by November 30th.
Yikes!
amazon.com/author/paulashablo
Here's a link to my author page and book listings. I sure hope you'll check it out!
_________________________________________________________________________________
10:50 p.m.
Tonight I got to give out candy to trick-or-treaters. Haven't done that for years! I never get any kids coming to my house in Colorado. I guess I need to do Halloweens in Wyoming.
It's funny that I enjoy kids coming to my door all dressed up in costumes, because when I was a kid, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I would rather stay home and watch horror movies. I couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for it even knowing that there would be an abundance of candy at the end of the night! (And I LOVE candy!)
And nowadays? I dress up as Annie Wilkes and parade around Comic Con. Hmm. What's up with that?
Anyway, it was fun to see all the little ones dressed up and excited, and it was even better that the weather was cooperative. I remember hauling my kids out in snowstorms. Yuck.
Happy Halloween, everyone.
_________________________________________________________________________________
And to all a good night!
Monday, October 30, 2017
October 29, 2017
11:55 p.m.
I guess I could have waited until midnight and posted October 30th, huh?
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my good golly. I can't believe I haven't posted anything for over a week. Where does the time go, anyway? It's all zooming by entirely too fast.
I got a copy of the book into my hot little hands, the proof for final edits, and tonight, I finished those last edits. Now all I can do is pray that I didn't miss anything.
Work, work. How I love it.
11:55 p.m.
I guess I could have waited until midnight and posted October 30th, huh?
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my good golly. I can't believe I haven't posted anything for over a week. Where does the time go, anyway? It's all zooming by entirely too fast.
I got a copy of the book into my hot little hands, the proof for final edits, and tonight, I finished those last edits. Now all I can do is pray that I didn't miss anything.
Work, work. How I love it.
Since I was a little girl, I have loved reading. I can't honestly remember not being able to read. I do remember asking lots of questions about words and meanings, and I clearly remember learning the difference between to, two and too. I remember being fascinated that there could be different meanings based on spelling variations. I found it rather magical.
Once I got the hang of being told stories, and reading stories, I wanted desperately to tell stories of my own. And I have written lots of them over the years. But until these past couple of years, I didn't do much with them.
Oh, many have been lost. Dozens were consumed in the flames of my house fire in 1993, including a full novel that I've never had the heart to re-write, even though I quite clearly remember the story. These days that story feels like it was something written by a stranger, and that's not entirely untrue. The Paula who wrote that book was repressed, depressed and disillusioned. I left her behind a couple of years before the fire, and I try not to think about her. The story was not a bad one, but it no longer feels like one I want to tell; hence, no re-write is forthcoming.
Other stories that were lost I wish I could have the chance to read again and think about, but that's never going to happen, so I try not to worry about them. A lot of time has passed, and the Paula who wrote those stories, some from as long ago as Junior High School, is also long gone. Hopefully this present day Paula has learned from her and can move forward in her story-telling.
That said, I find it funny that this book delves so much into the past. Mine, my family's, my hometown's. Not that the story is true, mind you. It is a work of fiction. But it would be a lie to claim that my past had nothing to do with the formation of the story.
I took a writing class once, and the main thing I was told to do was to write what you know. I know the feelings I had when I was a little girl moving to a new town. I know what it's like to have to deal with a bully. I know about having babies. I know about having a wonderful, interesting and often amusing family. I know about loving and being loved.
And, oddly enough, I know about ghostly encounters.
Unfortunately, my encounters never answer any questions or explain anything. No one tells me anything. They just leave my cupboard doors open and turn on the television. One of them has a delightful perfume, there and gone. I have no idea what it is. All I know is it doesn't ever make me sneeze or wheeze.
One has on several occasions protected me from harm. I'll withhold the details in case I want to use them in a future story. Needless to say, I'm grateful for the interventions.
This book may come off as autobiographical to some of the people who know me personally. It's not about me. It's a story.
But some of me is in there, and I can't deny it. Hopefully, it's the best part of me.
I want it to be.
The book is coming very soon. I hope you'll consider giving me a chance to tell you a story.
By the way, I kind of dig the cover. I took the photograph this past summer while road-tripping with my parents. I like the tree, the branches. It symbolizes for me that family tree thing that the story embodies. It seemed like a good choice to me.
_________________________________________________________________________________
October 30, 2017
12:35 a.m.
Yep it's a brand new day. Am I working? Nope. I'm watching "Lost in Space" and headed for bed.
We should probably talk about "Lost in Space" sometime soon. So many things about that show shaped the present-day Paula. In good ways, honestly.
But we're going to have to do it later, because I'm ready to lie my old bones down even if I can't necessarily go to sleep.
Good night!
Friday, October 20, 2017
October 20, 2017
7:55 p.m.
Wow, this month has been passing fast.
Over the past year, I have been working on a new book, and it's about time for it to be released. It's kind of nerve wracking.
The first publication was fun. It was rather a case of "Why not?" with a gentle nudge from my son.
This one is more personal. There was a lot of me in this. Which is not to say that it's a true story; it is fiction. But it has elements of truth, and people who know me, the town I grew up in, and any of the family history will recognize some of those truths.
So it's scary, okay?
But it's coming. And I'm really hoping people will read and enjoy it. So, just to give you all a friendly nudge, here is a preview:
https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1233112
I hope you'll take a look and provide me with any feedback you think of. Thanks in advance!
_________________________________________________________________________________
8:23 p.m.
Dad and I have colds, and we're both hoping Mom gets to skip it. Yesterday was rough on us, today we're feeling a bit better.
Cold season. Yippee.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Having spent several weeks with my parents over the last year, I am getting a lot of exposure to westerns. My folks--especially my mother--love those old westerns. On weekdays, there's a lineup of shows that they watch almost every day on Starz Encore Westerns: Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Laramie, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Virginian. The Virginian replaced The Young Riders, and that made me kind of sad. I liked that one.
I don't always watch these, even though if they are home, I am home. I write, I do chores. Sometimes I watch stuff on Netflix or Hulu. But I've certainly viewed a lot of them, and I've made a few amusing observations.
For example: Did you ever notice how ridiculously well dressed and made up these western women are? Hairstyles so elaborate you can't imagine the time they must have taken; eyelashes OUT. TO. THERE. Dresses in colors that were likely unheard of in that era and in those locations. These gals are out on the dusty trails in Wagon Train and never seem to get dirty.
I'm sure if I had been 57 years old in 1967 and watching these shows, these things might never have occurred to me. But in 2017 it sure tickles my funny bone.
Did you ever notice that gut-shot cowboys in 1967 fare didn't bleed? They clutched their "wounds", made a pained face and fell to the ground, but...no blood! This actually is something I noticed even at age 7. Mom said the networks didn't want to unnecessarily alarm their audiences when I asked her about it.
Too bad that never crosses anyone's mind these days.
Cheesy as some of those old shows are, there's something comforting about watching them. Who doesn't want to watch Steve McQueen get into trouble everyday as Josh in Wanted Dead or Alive? My dad gets such a kick out of this show.
Who doesn't want to see Edgar Buchanan guest star on practically every one of these shows with amazing regularity? I loved that guy. You remember him--Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres:
Did you know that he was a dentist? So was his wife, and he turned the business over to her when he went into acting full time. (I love trivia.)
Anyway, we watch a lot of westerns in this house, and it's a refreshing change of pace from the things I watch on my own.
This is not to say that everything I watch is new and up to date. Just now I am binge watching "Lost in Space". Nostalgia has me firmly in its grip.
Later on, though, I will probably watch something like "The Walking Dead". Because blood.
Hahaha!
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:52 p.m.
Don't you just hate it when you're playing a game, you have a wild card and nothing--NOTHING!!--matches? Ugh!
Well, that has nothing to do with anything I am supposed to be doing. But I deserve a little break, right?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Actually, I think I'll take a long break. You know, like overnight.
Until we meet again!
Ta!
7:55 p.m.
Wow, this month has been passing fast.
Over the past year, I have been working on a new book, and it's about time for it to be released. It's kind of nerve wracking.
The first publication was fun. It was rather a case of "Why not?" with a gentle nudge from my son.
This one is more personal. There was a lot of me in this. Which is not to say that it's a true story; it is fiction. But it has elements of truth, and people who know me, the town I grew up in, and any of the family history will recognize some of those truths.
So it's scary, okay?
But it's coming. And I'm really hoping people will read and enjoy it. So, just to give you all a friendly nudge, here is a preview:
https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1233112
I hope you'll take a look and provide me with any feedback you think of. Thanks in advance!
_________________________________________________________________________________
8:23 p.m.
Dad and I have colds, and we're both hoping Mom gets to skip it. Yesterday was rough on us, today we're feeling a bit better.
Cold season. Yippee.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Having spent several weeks with my parents over the last year, I am getting a lot of exposure to westerns. My folks--especially my mother--love those old westerns. On weekdays, there's a lineup of shows that they watch almost every day on Starz Encore Westerns: Wagon Train, Cheyenne, Laramie, Tales of Wells Fargo, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Virginian. The Virginian replaced The Young Riders, and that made me kind of sad. I liked that one.
I don't always watch these, even though if they are home, I am home. I write, I do chores. Sometimes I watch stuff on Netflix or Hulu. But I've certainly viewed a lot of them, and I've made a few amusing observations.
For example: Did you ever notice how ridiculously well dressed and made up these western women are? Hairstyles so elaborate you can't imagine the time they must have taken; eyelashes OUT. TO. THERE. Dresses in colors that were likely unheard of in that era and in those locations. These gals are out on the dusty trails in Wagon Train and never seem to get dirty.
I'm sure if I had been 57 years old in 1967 and watching these shows, these things might never have occurred to me. But in 2017 it sure tickles my funny bone.
Did you ever notice that gut-shot cowboys in 1967 fare didn't bleed? They clutched their "wounds", made a pained face and fell to the ground, but...no blood! This actually is something I noticed even at age 7. Mom said the networks didn't want to unnecessarily alarm their audiences when I asked her about it.
Too bad that never crosses anyone's mind these days.
Cheesy as some of those old shows are, there's something comforting about watching them. Who doesn't want to watch Steve McQueen get into trouble everyday as Josh in Wanted Dead or Alive? My dad gets such a kick out of this show.
Who doesn't want to see Edgar Buchanan guest star on practically every one of these shows with amazing regularity? I loved that guy. You remember him--Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres:
Did you know that he was a dentist? So was his wife, and he turned the business over to her when he went into acting full time. (I love trivia.)
Anyway, we watch a lot of westerns in this house, and it's a refreshing change of pace from the things I watch on my own.
This is not to say that everything I watch is new and up to date. Just now I am binge watching "Lost in Space". Nostalgia has me firmly in its grip.
Later on, though, I will probably watch something like "The Walking Dead". Because blood.
Hahaha!
_________________________________________________________________________________
9:52 p.m.
Don't you just hate it when you're playing a game, you have a wild card and nothing--NOTHING!!--matches? Ugh!
Well, that has nothing to do with anything I am supposed to be doing. But I deserve a little break, right?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Actually, I think I'll take a long break. You know, like overnight.
Until we meet again!
Ta!
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
October 18, 2017
7:56 p.m.
Ah, fall!
I love fall. It's my favorite season. I love the changing colors in nature. I love the cooler weather. I love getting to wear fall clothes, because, let's face it--I am not a summer clothes girl.
And let us not forget all things pumpkin.
Sadly, this is also my season for the year's worst allergies. I sneeze, I wheeze. I'm at least three times more likely to deal with asthma attacks.
The irony is not lost on me.
This is some BS, man!
Well, it's off to the store for me tomorrow. Gotta stock up on that Zyrtec.
_________________________________________________________________________________
You know, I need to vent a little bit. It's the store thing. I grew up in this town a century or two ago, right? And I have been here since July for reasons. I like to come and visit, see my parents, family, friends.
Even though I love it here, there are reasons I could never come back. And one of those reasons is the fact that this town has allowed itself to be sold out to Kroger to the exclusion of any competitive markets.
There were stores here when I was a kid, and there was a lower population then, so you can't tell me that it's not possible to make a profit if there are competing markets. The prices are outrageous, and if you want to save a dime or two, you have to drive to the next town.
That can't be healthy for the profits of the "company store", the fact that locals would rather take their commerce to a whole other town rather than pay through the nose.
Back in the day I could take a ten minute walk from my parents' house and shop for groceries (City Market) or clothes (Pamida) or drugs (Hillcrest Drug). Those places are all gone. There is one grocery store. It's overpriced. People tell me living in Denver is too expensive, but let me tell you, I do not pay this much for groceries there, even with the sales tax. And if we want hamburger? Out of town we go.
Competition is a good thing. It keeps prices at a more reasonable level. I think someone needs to fix this situation and open another grocery store.
The other reason I could never come back is more complicated. I have good insurance in Colorado. It's not available here. Again, no competitive market. No options at all for me. Take this one or go without. Insurance shouldn't be so inaccessible. I feel sorry for people here, trying to get a reasonably priced policy. No wonder I see so many people complaining about costs--but the state has given you no choices!
I can't change to anything here that would give me the coverage I have, so I guess I will stay a Coloradan. I cannot be without coverage--I have issues that require frequent care. So....dang!
And it makes me sad, you know? I would like to be able to make a choice about where to live based on something else. I would really like to be here all the time for my parents. But I can't help anyone if I give up my health care options and get sick, so...
I guess I'll remain the yo-yo, and go back and forth.
Frustrating. As. Hell.
But don't ever think that I would be unwilling to come and stay for awhile, because I always will. Just holler!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, I'll quit griping now.
Let's talk about--
Nope!
I was going to say movies.
Oh, okay. Carry on.
Tuesday movie night was "The Mountain Between Us" starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Edge of your seat entertainment, this one. I would like to think that I'd be that brave and persistent in similar circumstances, but realistically? I'd be DRT. (Dead Right There).
I cannot imagine the work that went into the making of this movie. Both actors are amazing. I would strongly recommend a trip to the theater for this one, folks!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, I have a LOVELY sinus headache due to allergies, so I am not MeThinking very straight at this point. So before I say something completely ridiculous, I'll just say goodnight.
Goodnight!
7:56 p.m.
Ah, fall!
I love fall. It's my favorite season. I love the changing colors in nature. I love the cooler weather. I love getting to wear fall clothes, because, let's face it--I am not a summer clothes girl.
And let us not forget all things pumpkin.
Sadly, this is also my season for the year's worst allergies. I sneeze, I wheeze. I'm at least three times more likely to deal with asthma attacks.
The irony is not lost on me.
This is some BS, man!
Well, it's off to the store for me tomorrow. Gotta stock up on that Zyrtec.
_________________________________________________________________________________
You know, I need to vent a little bit. It's the store thing. I grew up in this town a century or two ago, right? And I have been here since July for reasons. I like to come and visit, see my parents, family, friends.
Even though I love it here, there are reasons I could never come back. And one of those reasons is the fact that this town has allowed itself to be sold out to Kroger to the exclusion of any competitive markets.
There were stores here when I was a kid, and there was a lower population then, so you can't tell me that it's not possible to make a profit if there are competing markets. The prices are outrageous, and if you want to save a dime or two, you have to drive to the next town.
That can't be healthy for the profits of the "company store", the fact that locals would rather take their commerce to a whole other town rather than pay through the nose.
Back in the day I could take a ten minute walk from my parents' house and shop for groceries (City Market) or clothes (Pamida) or drugs (Hillcrest Drug). Those places are all gone. There is one grocery store. It's overpriced. People tell me living in Denver is too expensive, but let me tell you, I do not pay this much for groceries there, even with the sales tax. And if we want hamburger? Out of town we go.
Competition is a good thing. It keeps prices at a more reasonable level. I think someone needs to fix this situation and open another grocery store.
The other reason I could never come back is more complicated. I have good insurance in Colorado. It's not available here. Again, no competitive market. No options at all for me. Take this one or go without. Insurance shouldn't be so inaccessible. I feel sorry for people here, trying to get a reasonably priced policy. No wonder I see so many people complaining about costs--but the state has given you no choices!
I can't change to anything here that would give me the coverage I have, so I guess I will stay a Coloradan. I cannot be without coverage--I have issues that require frequent care. So....dang!
And it makes me sad, you know? I would like to be able to make a choice about where to live based on something else. I would really like to be here all the time for my parents. But I can't help anyone if I give up my health care options and get sick, so...
I guess I'll remain the yo-yo, and go back and forth.
Frustrating. As. Hell.
But don't ever think that I would be unwilling to come and stay for awhile, because I always will. Just holler!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Okay, I'll quit griping now.
Let's talk about--
Nope!
I was going to say movies.
Oh, okay. Carry on.
Tuesday movie night was "The Mountain Between Us" starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Edge of your seat entertainment, this one. I would like to think that I'd be that brave and persistent in similar circumstances, but realistically? I'd be DRT. (Dead Right There).
I cannot imagine the work that went into the making of this movie. Both actors are amazing. I would strongly recommend a trip to the theater for this one, folks!
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Okay, I have a LOVELY sinus headache due to allergies, so I am not MeThinking very straight at this point. So before I say something completely ridiculous, I'll just say goodnight.
Goodnight!
Friday, October 13, 2017
You CAN write a story!
October 13, 2017
4:58 p.m.
Every once in awhile someone will say something to me that gets me thinking.
Yeah, dangerous. Ha ha.
Anyway, what was recently said to me was this: "It's all well and good for you--you know how to write a story. But I can't."
So, I offered the usual platitudes, the "Sure you can!" and the "You can do anything you set your mind to" and etc.
But here's the thing. You really can. You really can do whatever you set your mind to, including write. Because you do it every day.
Okay, maybe not on paper, or on a computer or a word processor. But you do it. Every day. All day long.
We are all the script writers of our lives.
Don't believe me?
Does this sound familiar?
"Okay, tomorrow in art class I am just going to walk right up to Tony and tell him how much I like his painting. Then he'll tell me he totally gets the concept behind my abstract, and we'll discuss art and various styles for the rest of class. And then, he'll be so into the conversation that he'll invite me to sit with him at lunch! Oh, this is gonna be great!"
So the next day you go to art class. There's Tony. You're so nervous! The butterflies in your stomach feel like bats! But you march right up to him.
"Hi, Tony," you say. "I really like your painting."
"Yeah, yeah, thanks a lot," says Tony. Then he turns around and starts talking to Penelope! You might as well be a fly on the wall.
And you think: "That's not the way it's supposed to go!"
Because you had a script, damn it! You wrote it, you rehearsed it, and the jerk didn't say his lines right! Oh, and to top things off? He just asked that cheerleader to sit with him at lunch! Great!
Or how about this?
"Our anniversary is on two days and he has not said one single word about getting a sitter or going out or anything at all! Does he think it's easy to make plans at the last minute?
"I'll bet he forgot! That's it, he forgot. How could he? I've given him the best *insert number of years or months here* of my life!"
You work yourself into a righteous state of grief or rage or whatever, and the poor, unsuspecting fellow comes in. Before you can blast him, he says: "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, but guess what?"
"What?" you growl.
"I was totally able to snag tickets to the ballet you've been wanting to see!!"
Shocked silence from you. How could you have been such a...you know.
"I could only get seats two days after our anniversary though," he adds. That darling man!! "Dinner?"
"I will make you the best dinner ever!" You say. Great ad-lib, by the way. "Maybe Mom can take the kids to a movie."
Now, this story has a better ending than the first one, and in both cases, no one ever knew the original script but you.
Even though the story didn't turn out the way you thought it would, you still told a story.
You see?
Now, the reason I know that we all do this--not just me--is because of all the times I have heard someone say, "That sounded better in my head!" Or "That didn't go the way I planned it."
Writing is just taking that scripting skill and moving it along into a more "what if?" zone. If we can make up whole conversations, situations, arguments and day to day plans, what can stop us from moving on from there and writing some things down?
You'll never know unless you try!
And so, kiddos, the next time you're faced with a writing assignment, know this: It's already in you. You can do it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
On another note, today I deliberately involved my parents in my snack-attack tom-foolery.
It's hard to feel guilty while feeling so completely satisfied.
Into all lives, a little salt must pour.
Yeah, potato chips. Jalapeno flavored. Yum!
By the way, neither of them complained a bit.
Tee hee hee!
_________________________________________________________________________________
So far today, I have no Friday the 13th horror stories. Six and a half hours to go. Hopefully there will be nothing to report.
(I'm not saying a word about politics. It's all a horror fest.)
I'll get back to you if I stub my toe or something.
________________________________________________________________________________
Be careful out there!!
Bye!
4:58 p.m.
Every once in awhile someone will say something to me that gets me thinking.
Yeah, dangerous. Ha ha.
Anyway, what was recently said to me was this: "It's all well and good for you--you know how to write a story. But I can't."
So, I offered the usual platitudes, the "Sure you can!" and the "You can do anything you set your mind to" and etc.
But here's the thing. You really can. You really can do whatever you set your mind to, including write. Because you do it every day.
Okay, maybe not on paper, or on a computer or a word processor. But you do it. Every day. All day long.
We are all the script writers of our lives.
Don't believe me?
Does this sound familiar?
"Okay, tomorrow in art class I am just going to walk right up to Tony and tell him how much I like his painting. Then he'll tell me he totally gets the concept behind my abstract, and we'll discuss art and various styles for the rest of class. And then, he'll be so into the conversation that he'll invite me to sit with him at lunch! Oh, this is gonna be great!"
So the next day you go to art class. There's Tony. You're so nervous! The butterflies in your stomach feel like bats! But you march right up to him.
"Hi, Tony," you say. "I really like your painting."
"Yeah, yeah, thanks a lot," says Tony. Then he turns around and starts talking to Penelope! You might as well be a fly on the wall.
And you think: "That's not the way it's supposed to go!"
Because you had a script, damn it! You wrote it, you rehearsed it, and the jerk didn't say his lines right! Oh, and to top things off? He just asked that cheerleader to sit with him at lunch! Great!
Or how about this?
"Our anniversary is on two days and he has not said one single word about getting a sitter or going out or anything at all! Does he think it's easy to make plans at the last minute?
"I'll bet he forgot! That's it, he forgot. How could he? I've given him the best *insert number of years or months here* of my life!"
You work yourself into a righteous state of grief or rage or whatever, and the poor, unsuspecting fellow comes in. Before you can blast him, he says: "I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, but guess what?"
"What?" you growl.
"I was totally able to snag tickets to the ballet you've been wanting to see!!"
Shocked silence from you. How could you have been such a...you know.
"I could only get seats two days after our anniversary though," he adds. That darling man!! "Dinner?"
"I will make you the best dinner ever!" You say. Great ad-lib, by the way. "Maybe Mom can take the kids to a movie."
Now, this story has a better ending than the first one, and in both cases, no one ever knew the original script but you.
Even though the story didn't turn out the way you thought it would, you still told a story.
You see?
Now, the reason I know that we all do this--not just me--is because of all the times I have heard someone say, "That sounded better in my head!" Or "That didn't go the way I planned it."
Writing is just taking that scripting skill and moving it along into a more "what if?" zone. If we can make up whole conversations, situations, arguments and day to day plans, what can stop us from moving on from there and writing some things down?
You'll never know unless you try!
And so, kiddos, the next time you're faced with a writing assignment, know this: It's already in you. You can do it.
_________________________________________________________________________________
On another note, today I deliberately involved my parents in my snack-attack tom-foolery.
It's hard to feel guilty while feeling so completely satisfied.
Into all lives, a little salt must pour.
Yeah, potato chips. Jalapeno flavored. Yum!
By the way, neither of them complained a bit.
Tee hee hee!
_________________________________________________________________________________
So far today, I have no Friday the 13th horror stories. Six and a half hours to go. Hopefully there will be nothing to report.
(I'm not saying a word about politics. It's all a horror fest.)
I'll get back to you if I stub my toe or something.
________________________________________________________________________________
Be careful out there!!
Bye!
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