Autumn Part 2

I am really not sad to say it but summer will end soon now when the leaves change color here in Indiana, I start having an insane love affair with all things fall...

~Homemade soups & stews

~Decorating my house and yard with ghosts & goblins

~My favorite television shows come back

~My 3 son's birthday’s!

~Carving pumpkins
Autumn is I think my favorite time of year. Mother Nature puts on a beautiful show for us. There is a nip in the air and a warm cozy feeling of being inside. The scent of wood smoke in a fireplace on a chilly evening can stir fond memories of times spent with family and friends sharing stories and laughter around a bonfire or hearth. Autumn is the time of the Equinox, the 'equal night' when dark and light share the earth in equal times. It's a time of balance. Perhaps a good time for us to reflect on the state of balance in our own lives. Autumn gives the Earth a chance to flaunt her special beauty as she brings us the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes, I love Autumn, no matter what part of the country you happen to live in, it's a great time to be alive. Enjoy!

Old Glory

The eighth anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in American history is coming up very soon on Friday, September 11Th, 2009, and I think an American flag should be
displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the
United States.
Every individual should make it their duty to display an American
flag on this anniversary.
We should do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their
families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain,
and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our
cherished freedoms.
In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed
in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and
stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism.
Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled
us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to
galvanize us in solidarity.
Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can
prevail over terrorism of all kinds.
Fly your flag proudly.

Head's Up New Virus

I want to give my readers a heads up about a nasty virus my computer has caught. It is pc antispyware 2010. I was not paying attention when an update popped up and I clicked on it. Well let me tell you. It has blocked my system restore. shutdown my Norton's, my adaware, my spybot. and my ability to download a fix for it. I have a man coming Monday to see what he can salvage for me. So folks be very careful there are a$$holes out there just waiting to mess up your computer. I hope this can save you from seeing the dreaded blue screen.

Manners

I have good manners. Truly. I say please, thank you, excuse me, in all the right places. I don't litter, I hold doors open for who ever is behind me. I greet store clerks cordially and I don't snap at wait-staff, even when they suck. I even, heaven help me, say "have a nice day" on a regular basis. That's all good, right? Sometimes, I cringe at my own finely tuned social graces and tidy manners. Whenever I find myself engaging in small talk - or worse, when I initiate small talk - there's a part of me that's screaming or gagging. But on the outside all you see is a perfunctory smile nailed to my face, and possibly my head bobbing stupidly up and down.

It's not that I want to be mean or unfriendly - I just hate small talk and the banality inherent to presenting a civilized demeanor. As Elaine said on Seinfeld, "Why does everything have to have a social component?" then she pretended to be deaf in order to not have to make small talk with a car service driver. I totally get that. I'm sure I'd go to hell for pretending to be deaf - not that I would do such a thing (ummm, I probably wouldn't do it), but I get it.

Dawg Days of Summer

We turn the corner of Summer and head into the tail end or as it is

called the Dawg Days of Summer.

The dictionary defines “Dog Days” as: 1: the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere.

Now that we have made it through another summer it’s time to get back to work and/or school. Remember that first day back to school when everyone stood up, introduced themselves and told about their summer vacations?

So for some reason this set me off on a search about just how much we use dogs in our language and all the phrases and terms that have been alluded to them or because of them here are a few I have collected:

· Gone to the dogs--taken a severe turn for the worse either in health, business or social habits.

· That dog won’t hunt--that’s a bad idea or a damned lie.

· Hair of the dog that bit you--the drink you drink the morning after to get over the drinks you drank the night before. Supposedly this will cure your hangover or at least put you in a condition so you’ll no longer notice it.

· Dog tired--very tired. Have you ever noticed how tired an old dog is after hunting or working cows all day?

· Sick as a dog--I think this is supposed to mean very sick, but most sick dogs I’ve seen don’t show it too much, in fact they don’t seem to get any sicker than other animals like horses, cows and pigs.

· Dog and pony show--this is an old salesman term, which means putting on a “fancy” presentation for clients, almost like the dog and pony act in a circus.

· My dogs are barking--this has several meanings. 1. My feet are hurting. 2. My feet are stinking. 3. I suspect that this person might just be lying.

· In the doghouse--in big trouble

· A barking dog never bites--you hear this quite often around beer joints when some good ol’ boy gets a belly full of beer and starts thinking he’s 6’5” and bullet proof and starts running his mouth about how bad he is. Generally it’s the barking dog that gets bit.

· Mean as a junkyard dog--pretty darn mean.

· Three dog night--this phrase comes from our Australian friends where the degree of cold during a winter night is measured by how many dogs it takes in your sleeping bag to sleep warm.

· If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas--if you associate with bad people, you’ll acquire their bad habits. (Don’t mention this to the Aussies.)

· Dogleg left or right--a fairly sharp turn to the left or right.

· Dogs don’t eat dogs--disreputable folks will not harm other disreputable folks, kind of like honor among thieves.

· It’s a dog eat dog world out there--it’s a vicious world, ruthless competition or self-interest.

· It’s a dog’s life--it’s an easy life. (Don’t ask me how a dog’s life can be easy after running around in a dog eat dog world all day.)

· It’s a dog’s life--it’s a wretched existence. (I suppose it depends on which dog we’re talking about.)

· A dog’s chance--not very good odds.

· Every dog has his day--each of us in his turn will get his just rewards, good or bad.

· Call off the dogs--stop some objectionable line of conduct or actions or questions. This comes from hunting when dogs following the wrong scent or having treed the quarry are called off.

· Quick as a dog can lick his dish/ balls/ass (depending on who’s doing the describing)--pretty darn quick.

· Big dog--important person.

· Top dog--boss, leader, head honcho.

· If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch--don’t try to participate in activities that your ass pocket won’t carry. (Don’t try to do things you can’t afford.)

· Fighting like cats and dogs--having a very rowdy quarrel or some pretty good fisticuffs.

· Bird dog--to follow someone around.

· Let sleeping dogs lie--don’t bring up topics that have been sources of disagreement in the past.

· You can’t teach an old dog new tricks--old farts like me are used to doing things in a certain way and can’t or won’t change.

· Raining cats and dogs--raining hard.

· Dogged me--followed me around, bothered me.

· Dogged my ass--the supervisor paid close attention to my work.

· Dog it or doggin’ it--to be lazy, not working, sitting in the shade or leaning on a shovel while others work.

· Dog-faced liar--a person who is known to deal in falsehoods.

· Tail wagging the dog--folks not suited to make decisions dictating policy, which causes things to go awry.

As you see, our friend and companion, and protector, the dog has made our language far richer by his presence. I’d tell you more, but right now I’ve got to go see a man about a dog.

People

In my years of People watching I have come up with the following different types of People. These are just my definition, there are many more that I have saved for another day. But these are the main ones who have been or are in my life. *sigh*

(1) The Instigator: starts a fight to intentionally pi$$ others off then leaves, or stands back and eggs everyone on.
(2) The Debate Club Student: Has a rational well thought out rebuttal on any given topic.
(3) The A$$hole: The a$$hole always flies off the handle at any opportunity. He loves when someone disagrees with him so he can have a chance to insult, intimidate, agitate or just plain degrade someone. Sometimes the A$$hole plays the role of instigator. He is an expert on sports.
(4) The Bitch: She is the female version of the A$$hole but more, well, bitchy. She generally hates and disagrees with everything anyone else has to say.
(5) The Complete Dumba$$: This guy does not know how to spell or write a coherent sentence and I can just picture him poking and pecking the oddly placed letters in front of him while he scratches his head or his a$$. He provides some of the better entertainment without even realizing it.
(6) Mr. /Mrs.Know it All: Has an answer to everything and is an authority on almost anything. He/She believes that he/she will make a difference in the world some day. He/She is very much on the straight and narrow and takes life a little too seriously sometimes. ( This is the worst kind IMHO)
(7) Actual Person in Distress: This person ACTUALLY needs help or guidance hoping that someone will be there to help them with some major situation in their life. They are usually disappointed when Mr. A$$hole, Mrs. Bitch and Mr. Sarcastic laugh at their poor fortune. However, they can always find an answer and sympathy from Mr./Mrs. Know it All.
(8) Mr./Mrs. Sarcasm: Lives solely to provide sarcastic responses to everyone mentioned above and provide a good laugh for everyone.
(9) Mr./Mrs. Sensitive: Takes life WAY too seriously. Gets very easily agitated and Mr. A$$hole LOVES to pick on this person.

Comfortable

So I got this in an email from a very dear friend, and I thought it would be fun to put on here and see how many people remember these things. Ah being young is beautiful but being old is comfortable.

ENJOY!

Someone asked me the other day, 'What was your favorite fast
food when you were growing up?'

'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed
him. 'All the food was slow.'

C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'

'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained. 'Mom cooked
every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the
dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was
allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was
going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part
about how I had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my
childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis, set foot
on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card.

In their later years they had something called a revolving
charge card the card was good only at Sears Roebuck. Or maybe it was
Sears & Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he
died.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly
because we never had heard of soccer. I had a bicycle that weighed
probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 6. It
was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at
midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza; it was called 'pizza
pie.' When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese
slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that,
too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

We didn't have a car until I was 4. It was an old black Dodge.

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone in the house
was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could
dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know
weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered
newspapers --my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. It cost
7 cents a paper, of which he got to keep 2 cents. He had to get up at
6AM every morning. On Saturday, he had to collect the 42 cents from his
customers. His favorite customers were the one s who gave him 50 cents
and told him to keep the change. His least favorite customers were the
ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in
the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were
responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or
violence or most anything offensive.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you
may want to share some of these memories with your children or
grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?

MEMORIES from a friend:

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house, he brought me an
old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a
bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter
had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or
something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing
board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons Man,
I am old.

Public Restrooms a Guide for Women

I wish I had written this. It is true

When you have to visit a public restroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't-so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance".

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance".

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday-the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backwards against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lost your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper-not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet papet trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms. It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

Worry

I worry

I worry a lot.

If you ever met me face to face you may not get that I am a worrier.

I am VERY good at coming across as a glass half full sort of lady.

Luckily you don’t have to see me face to face and lucky for me

I can come here and unload all my dirty dark secrets.

And the fact that I worry is one of them.

I worry about everything, mostly about things over which I have no control, which makes my worrying even dumber.

So how do I stop? So what do I do?

I know it is a waste of energy, I know it is stupid.

But my heart does not control my brain and my brain just keeps worrying away.

How do I turn the worry off?

I lose sleep to worry.

I remember the phrase “Let go and Let God” from Al-anon.

I am willing to do that. But how do I do that?

How do I shut the worry off?

Pet Peeves

1. People who blame anything but themselves for THEIR failure.
2. Noisy eaters.
3. When people take 20 napkins, use one, and then throw them all away.
4. Through the drive thru, then have to go back when they screw your order up.
5. People walking around in ridiculous 'fashionable' shoes that are clearly hurting their feet.
6. Roadmaps that aren't folded correctly.
7. When a person makes a sucking noise with a straw when the cup becomes almost empty.
8. People with bad table manners.
9. Drivers who won't turn right on red.
10. Conspiracy theories.
11. Being asked my telephone number/account number AFTER I already entered in using the keypad on my phone. I thought I was supposed enter that info to "better assist me".
12. People who push alcohol at social functions.
13. People who butter their toast and leave crumbs on the butter.. Ewwwww
14. Celebrities claiming to be environmentalists.

15. When you're wearing a hat, after a while it feels like it's not there. When you take it off, it feels like its still there.

1955

In 1955 they said....

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2000 will only buy a used one."

"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous."

"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?"

"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store."

"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage."

"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls."

"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The Wind,' it seems every new movie has either "hell" or "damn" in it.

"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."

"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the president."

"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."

"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet."

"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work."

"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."

"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business."

"Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress."

"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on."

"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."

"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital is too rich for my blood."

"If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it."

People Watching

I’m a people watcher. I like just watching what people are wearing how they are reacting to things and people around them. What they are eating, drinking whatever. I could probably entertain myself for hours if I went and sat in the middle of the mall somewhere and just watched people. Now what I’m about to say I truly do not mean it to sound mean and I hope no one takes offense to it. But have you ever seen someone that is wearing something that you just can't for the life of you figure out how they thought that looked good????? That one kills me every time. People wearing horizontal stripes with vertical stripes or colors that totally clash, or something that is 3 times too big for them, uuugh guys with their butts hanging out of their pants instead of inside of them where they are suppose to be!!!!!!! Or someone wearing something that is 2 times too small for them and we are blessed with seeing every single flaw known to man (I have flaws too I’m a chunky monkey but I just don’t go showing it off for the world to see!!!). I think I've seen it all. And every time I see the way some dress I honestly stop and wonder.....so did they put it on and say" hell yeah I look good!!!!" Because then it brings me to the question...what about me??? When I got dressed today I looked at myself in the mirror and thought this looks pretty good, ok some days I think I look better than other days, but still I have never put something on and thought wow this doesn’t match, or its way too big, or too small, and still left it on and went about my day. So what if in my mind I think I am looking good but honestly I’m one of those people others are looking at and thinking what the hell was she thinking???? Hehehe just something to think about *smile

Life is Short

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO:

1. Put up with stupid People.
2. Put up with inconsiderate People.
3. Eat food you don’t like.
4. Go places and do things you don’t like.
5. Listen to Rap.
6. To hold grudges.
7. To blend in.
8. Think of what might have been.
9. Worry
10. Iron
11. Be Bored.
12. To let it pass you by.
13. To be afraid.
14. To have regrets.
15. To not be curious.

Gallup Pole Lists Top Ten Things That Scare People

It is interesting to note that DEATH didn't even make the Top Ten List of things that scare people, according to the Gallup Pole as reported in 2009.

And reviewing this list, I really wondered WHY some of these things are on the list. Do people REALLY let their minds just get the better of their emotions and so they are paralyzed with fear?

For whatever the reason, here are the Top Ten:

Fear Number 10 - Water - ok, maybe death really IS on this list, but it's masked by things people fear will kill them.

Fear Number 9 - Storms - lightning, wind, flooding

Fear Number 8 - Public Transportation - Planes, trains, buses. It can't be the pick pockets, so it again must be the fear of dying on one of these, though most of these are safer (statistically) than taking a shower in your own bathroom.

Fear Number 7 - Crowds. Well, maybe the pick pockets are part of THIS fear, but more so it's the fear of the unknown where people lose control. Pushing, trampling, the mob mentality (where the crowd just goes along for the sake of going along).

Fear Number 6 - Tunnels and bridges. Well, with the infrastructure crumbling around us, I understand this one. But I've never had my heart pick up even ONE beat per minute when going over the bridge or through a tunnel. Again, this must deal with loss of control, an unreasoned fear that something can go wrong (like water crushing the tunnel or a bridge falling down). Gee… didn't we get rid of monsters in our beds years ago?

Fear Number 5 - Spiders. Alfred Hitchcock would be so pleased! I was always the one to kill them in my house when one of the boys got anxious when there was a spider around.

Fear Number 4 - Heights. OK… so the bridge folks get two birds with one stone for this one. I do admit that going up to the fire tower in the state park as a kid seemed really scary and my stomach and heart leap just thinking about it. And it's not even so much because consciously I fear I will fall… by body just wants to react to this one.

Fear Number 3 - Confined spaces. Elevators don't bother me. And I've never feared being closed into a coffin. Sometimes the thought of one of those old MRI or CAT scan machines creeps me a bit. No rational reason - I certainly don't think it will crush me, but my heart races just a bit.

Fear Number 2 - Snakes. OK so THIS one is REAL! Too many movies, too much venom dripping from their fangs, too many stories of Harrison Ford filming Raiders of the Lost Arc. They just creep me out.

Fear Number 1 - And I totally do NOT get this one (especially since my family has been in the same local theater for FIVE generations: Public Speaking. Does this come from kindergarten when you got up to speak and someone laughed at you? Do you REALLY think you will forget everything and bullies will come to scream at you? PUBLIC SPEAKING as the number one fear? More than SNAKES or FALLING, of LIGHTNING? I don't get it.

Hope you enjoyed this list. I'm sure it got you thinking.

Woodstock

I feel old. It is the end of an era for anyone over 50. It is the 40th anniversary of the greatest live concert in history, Woodstock. Bob Dylan got stopped by police for being a "suspicious character" and the cops don't even know who he is. I think about all we have lost as a young generation gone gray. The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly are just a few who gave us our first real taste of music. Gone but not forgotten, for their music lives on. Who remembers these great songs?


The Lion Sleeps Tonight The Tokens-1961
Please Mr Postman The Marvelettes-1961
Return To Sender Elvis Presley-1962
She Loves You The Beatles-1963
I Want To Hold Your Hand The Beatles-1963
Baby Love The Supremes-1964
The House Of The Rising Sun The Animals-1964
I'm Into Something Good Herman's Hermits-1964
I Got You Babe Sonny & Cher-1965
Wild Thing The Troggs-1966
Good Vibrations The Beach Boys-1966
These Boots Are Made For Walking Nancy Sinatra-1966
A Whiter Shade Of Pale Procol Harem-1967
I Heard It Through The Grapevine Marvin Gaye-1969
In The Year 2525 Zager &Evans-1969
Bad Moon Rising Creedence Clearwater Revival-1969

The Least of Us

Who exactly are the least of us?

How society treats the least of us, tells a lot about that society.

Unfortunately, the elderly, the young, the physically and mentally disabled are often not treated with the respect they deserve (We all deserve at least a minimal amount of respect). These three parts of our culture are relegated to the back burner because they are not seen by some as viable members of society.
All three groups are viable and all have valuable lessons to teach the rest.

Our culture tends to view the elderly and disabled as a burden and an inconvenience! The family unit in general is not as solid as it is in say, Asian cultures. The strong streak of independence that runs through our thinking is definitely an influencing factor. We tend to encourage the break up of the family as part of the natural course of life, whereas the Asians will tend to work to keep it together as long as possible. Where we will be more likely to bundle our elderly and disabled off to rest homes, group homes and retirement villages, Asians would live with them under the same roof, sometimes three or even four generations together. As civilized people, it is our duty to take care of this precious population. They have given us so much and ask for so little in return. All they want is to be treated with love and respect befitting their age. That’s certainly not too much to ask. Is it?

The question then is how do we treat the least of us?

The answer is simple

WITH RESPECT.

Negativity

What do you do when you are surrounded by negativity, and it is draining the life's blood out of you? How do you deal with people who are motivated by anger and look for only the negative and never the positive? We have all had to deal with that at some point in our lives, and it can wreak havoc on our confidence and sense of self-worth. And it has sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy effect -- the harder you try to do something right, the more you know you are going to do it wrong. More negativity, more lack of confidence, and around and around it goes. Oh, you can do something good such as teach people a new skill, or volunteer to take on some project that no one else wants to do -- or whatever. Those are positive things, but it's not as much fun to point out the positives. The negatives are so much more exciting. I think there are people who tend to look for the negatives in other people, in order to make their selves feel better. "Oh my goodness, will you look at that. I'm glad it's him and not me."
Or perhaps it's to detract from what they may perceive as their own shortcomings. I think the flip side of negativity may be fear. In my opinion, the best we can do is to try to be kind to each other. You never know what is going on in someone else's life, and in such cases, a little positively goes a very long way. We're all only human, and none of us gets out of here alive.

Life is too short for being miserable whatever your circumstances. I learned a while back to just side step negative people. Friends who bring me down I've just let fall by the wayside. Too many good folk out there to fill my life with.

Rattling around in my Head today.

Rattling around in my head:

1. I don’t know what a ponzi scheme is.
2. I think Big Brother is an awesome show.
3. A pregnant Goldfish is called a “twit” who knew?
4. I am one of those people who “tweets”
5. I am older than Obama.
6. What exactly is the swing of things?
7. If I eat eggs I have to have hash browns with them.
8. Waking up at 5 am is never a good idea.
9. I don’t like the word stimulus
10. I wish AARP would leave me the hell alone.

Happiness

A happy life (whatever that means), I think has little to do with my accomplishments, how much money I have, where I live, the status of my love life, how much I weigh or with my talent, wit or beauty. I've known people who have had serious bouts of cancer who are just as happy as those who are perfectly healthy; plain looking folks who are as happy as those who are gorgeous and under-achievers who are as happy as super-achievers. So, clearly then, to me the key to happiness has nothing to do with externals. My life is full of every kind of experience from the beautiful to the painful and to the ridiculous. A happy life comes from believing that even during the darkest of dark, that I’m going to be OK, from believing I'll come out of whatever it is that I am going through and that I am a good and worthwhile person.

The real secret is in recognizing the fact that in order to be truly happy one must live a balanced lifestyle. That's not easily done. One of the most difficult things to do is to train yourself to be constantly aware of the 'balance'. For every plus there is a negative. For every good there is an evil, etc. Once you learn to recognize this fact and watch for it, then you can learn to mitigate the effects that the inevitable change will bring to your life. After awhile, it becomes second nature. By the way, this isn't something that you can or can't choose to do. Nature demands it in all things. It will happen whether you realize it or not. You are simply much better off learning to expect it and deal with it accordingly.

Monday Fact

One word

Some one sent this to me and I cannot remember where this came from, but it is fun. And telling. Come on and play along. One word answers only. I double dog dare you.

• Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
• Where is your significant other? N/A
• Your hair color? Blonde
• Your mother? Winamac
• Your father? Heaven
• Your favorite thing? Computer
• Your dream last night? Falling
• Your goal? Peace
• The room you’re in? Office
• Your hobby? Blog
• Your fear? Apathy
• Where do you want to be in six years? Alive
• Where were you last night? Home
• What you’re not? Healthy
• One of your wish-list items? Health
• Where you grew up? Indiana
• The last thing you did? Dishes
• What are you wearing? Robe
• Your TV? On
• Your pet? None
• Your computer? Dell
• Your mood? Happy
• Missing someone? Yes
• Your car? Chrysler
• Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
• Favorite store? N/A
• Your summer? Short
• Love someone? Yes
• Your favorite color? Pink
• When is the last time you laughed? Today
• Last time you cried? 2 weeks ago

O2

Oxygen is Not Flammable

Unlike other gases and chemicals, oxygen is not flammable. It is classified as an accelerator, meaning that if there is a fire and oxygen is present, the fire will burn. The more oxygen, the larger the fire and the faster it will spread. We are use to seeing fires burn in an atmosphere containing about 21 percent oxygen. This is the atmosphere in which most materials are tested for safety, such as the covering of a chair. But when oxygen is flowing near such material, the material absorbs the oxygen and becomes more susceptible to burning.

So, I am now more aware that the oxygen I cannot see has a presence, not only in my nostrils but all around me. My clothing and my hair contain more oxygen than that of a person not on oxygen.

Knowing this, I understand more fully the "five foot rule" and stay at least this distance away from sources of sparks and flames. I keep my concentrator and store both liquid and compressed oxygen containers at least five feet from any source of flames or spark.

I do not lean over a lighted gas stove with my cannula on; I no longer blow out the candles on my birthday cake; I no longer do the outdoor grilling. In general, I do not put myself in a position where I am too close to an existing fire.

I do not permit a cigarette to be lit near me. I do not permit smoking in the rooms where I normally use oxygen. The hidden danger here is that a hot ash could smolder for a long time before flaming up, I do not work with paint remover or other flammable products.

Reason vs Excuse

5 reasons why I Hate to Ask for Help:

1. I was never taught how.
2. I love my independence.

3. I don't think to ask... I have created singular life grounded in self-sufficiency. I am so caught up in the habit of taking care of myself that I lose sight of when I might need help.
4. It’s easier to do it myself. This category includes the resistance to the law of quid pro quo; give and take; tit-for-tat; you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
5. And, of course, fear

5 Excuses why I hate to ask for Help:

Excuse #1 “I Don’t Want to Look Weak”

Excuse #2 “I Don’t Want to Impose on My Friends”
Excuse #3 “I’ll Look Incompetent”

Excuse #4 “It Won’t Get Done Right if I Don’t Do It Myself”

Excuse #5 “I Was Raised to Be Self-Sufficient”

My Bad Habits

I have a number of bad habits that I don't want any more. You can have them for free; I don't want them any more.

These habits were perfectly useable and functional for many years, but as I've gotten older, are no longer working for me. Perhaps they would fit in your life.

You can have the following habits, among others, at no charge:

--biting my fingernails
--defensive response to accusations
--lack of a willingness to conform
--messiness
--lack of organization
--cursing
--anger
--leaving dishes in the sink to mold
--self hatred and low self-esteem

Please come and pick up all this sh*t. I need to clean out my head space, and all of this is going to the trash if no one comes to claim it.

How many do you remember?

Head lights dimmer switches on the floor.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Heaters mounted on the inside of the fire wall.
Real ice boxes.
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn signals.

Older Than Dirt Quiz:
Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told
about. Ratings at the bottom.

1 Blackjack chewing gum
2. Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water
3. Candy cigarettes
4. Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
5. Coffee shops or diners with tableside juke boxes
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard
stoppers
7. Party lines on the telephone
8. Newsreels before the movie
9. P.F. Flyers
10. Butch wax
11. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show
and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (there
were only 3 channels, if you were lucky)
12. Peashooters
13. Howdy Doody
14. 45 RPM records
15. S& H green stamps
16. Hi-fi's
17. Metal ice trays with lever
18. Mimeograph paper
19. Blue flashbulbs
20. Packards
21. Roller skate keys
22. Cork popguns
23. Drive-ins
24. Studebakers
25. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-5 = You're still young
If you remembered 6-10 = You are getting older
If you remembered 11-15 = Don't tell your age,
If you remembered 16-25 = You're older than dirt!

I might be older than dirt but those memories are some of the
best parts of my life.

Stuff in my Head

1. Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway
2. If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
3. Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight he will just kill you.
4. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
5. The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
6. Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
7. Words that soak into your ears are whispered not yelled.
8. Forgive your enemies it messes with their heads.
9. It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
10. Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

How to Peel an Egg for Dummies

I certainly hope old Gomer didn't blow germs all over the egg. And research? OMG!! It's a boiled egg for Heaven's sake!