My poor neglected blog.....it's a good thing I don't have a huge following....people would get bored quickly with my lack of posts! But tonight I am posting a follow up to a blog post I did several months ago...don't worry, if you missed it....I will repost that one too....
Poor Lucky is dead, Poor Lucky is dead….if you’ve ever seen the show or movie Oklahoma, please sing this with the same tune as Poor Jed is Dead. If you haven’t seen the show or the movie, well, you can’t sing along.
So the fish murderer has struck again. If you didn’t read my blog about Lucky the Beta fish several months ago, I guess you’ll have to go back and read his story.
Lucky was a good fish, a great fish and most of all Lucky was a survivor, and believe me, he survived A LOT here.
While Lucky's owner was away at camp this week, she delegated the feeding and refilling the bowl duties to her brothers. The younger one was to feed Lucky and the older one was to make sure he had enought water. But the younger brother noticed that Lucky needed more water first and decided he would take care of the problem….which was fine, Lucky did need more water and the boy got the distilled water, just like he should have. But apparently, he decided that Lucky’s bowl needed to be cleaned too….so he came and told me that…and I told him “No, the fish is fine…you put more water in there, right?” Yes, yes he did. What he neglected to tell me was that since he felt the bowl needed cleaned, he had taken Lucky out of the bowl and put him on the table…..then he, the boy, went outside to swim…..I, unfortunately, did not KNOW Lucky was on the table waiting for his bowl to be cleaned. When the boy came in from swimming he saw Lucky sitting on the table, not moving and put him back in the bowl. When I saw the bowl, a little while later, it was cloudy, so I checked on Lucky....he wouldn't move. It was too late, no amount of CPR, mouth to mouth resuscitation, etc. would save Lucky. The defibulator did not work etiher.
Lucky's service was very simple, the older brother picked Lucky up out of the bowl and wrapped in him a paper towel, when told he could not flush the paper towel down the toilet, he walked to the toilet, opened the paper towel, dumped Lucky in and we all said goodbye, those of us who were home at the time at least……Poor Lucky is dead, Poor Lucky is dead…...
The Older Brother, who is very sensitive, met his sister at camp, grabbed both her hands, looked her in the eye and said….”I’m sorry, but Lucky is dead.” "What?" she said...."Your fish," he said somewhat exasperated. "Lucky, he's dead." Then he walked away. It's so wonderful to watch my children share their grief together....it touches a Mother's soul........
So Lucky lived in my house for 6 months.....much longer than I thought he would.....Rest In Peace Lucky....I hope you and Spiderman (the fish the fish murderer killed 6 months ago) are both swimming together in that big toilet in the sky...oh, wait, I meant, pond, yeah pond, I hope you two are both swimming together happily in that big pond in the sky. But wait, they were both Beta fish.....they would be fighting, ok, I hope you two are both swimming SEPERATELY in that big pond in the sky!
Poor Lucky is dead, Poor Lucky is dead......(If you haven't seen Oklahoma you really should, just so you could sing along!)
Have a Great Day!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Heidelberg Germany Will Never Be the Same
This Friday is a very sad day for me and many, many, many of my friends. The Heidelberg American High School in Heidelberg Germany will be closing its doors forever. I would not be the person I am today without the 5 years of experiences I had in Heidelberg. The US Military is leaving Heidelberg and the bases and housing areas are all being cleared out and closed and with it, a place many of us will hold in our hearts forever.
I feel sorry for people who didn't consider high school a wonderful memory. Today we hear so much about bullying and kids not being accepted for who and what they are. I'm sure we had bullying but I don't remember it being the problem it is today.....
I guess our lives were lived differently in Germany, we went places by ourselves, we were old enough to drink, not on post but outside of it (and we did), we had reliable public transportation and we weren't afraid to use it. Sure some people had cars and we used those too, but we could take a train, or a street car and the buses that were run by the military and go just about anywhere, by ourselves, because our parents allowed us more independence. I don't know if this was a Brat phenomenon, or just a safer time in history. My parents were more strict than others but I still managed to have a great time and stay the night at a friend's house when necessary.
It was no big deal for us to take a week off of school to go skiing in some of the most amazing places in the world, or trips to Spain during Spring Break (the senior class trip.) The French club took trips to France, heck, a few of my boyfriends took me to France for lunch! Why, because you could jump in the car and get to France in about an hour or you could take the train! I took several trips to England, London mostly, but other parts of England as well. I saw some of the most famous plays and musicals in London. I've walked the Lanes of Brighton, I went to Poland and visited family when it was still a communist country, and of course almost all of us visited Berlin, before the wall came down. I also went to Rome with my Catholic youth group and saw the Pope and toured Rome and Florence. I may never have those opportunities again, but I hope I do.
It was a different time in the '70s and '80s. Yes there were terrorists and we had a horrible incident in the '70s at Campbell Barracks located not far from our high school. The cafeteria was bombed at the height of the lunch hour. But we didn't live our lives in fear, we had our favorite restaraunts and gasthauses. Yes, a large number of us drank, but if you lived there for any length of time, you didn't go out to get drunk, you went out with your friends and hung out and had a few biers. We ate pizza with a knife and fork, and many of us still do. We embraced the German culture and participated in Fasching (Mardi Gras, German style, although it lasts just a little longer), we cruised the Neckar River and watched the Castle Illuminations. We STILL love our bratwurst, our schnitzel, our cordon bleu, our spatzel, our pomm frittes....I could go on and on. I guess we had our share of "ugly Americans," you know the folks who expect everyone to speak English, don't appreciate the culture and opportunity they have been given.....but my friends and I didn't see much of that and if we did, we apologized to the locals and said something to the people being rude. Most of us learned to speak enough German to get by, if not more.
I remember high school as one of the best times of my life. I became a teenager, I was a Cheerleader, I was the football manager, I fell in love for the first time. I made memories that I know I will never forget. I forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime and Facebook has allowed many of us to reconnect with our old friends. As Military Brats people moved in and out all the time, it was hard to say goodbye so often, but thats why we can still get together, even 30 or 40 years later and have a party just like we did in High School!
I was in Heidelberg from the summer of 1975 to the summer of 1980. I turned 13 there and left when I was 17. The first year I was there they were building in brand new Middle School in our housing area. I attended 7th grade at the High School and then 8th grade at the Middle School. My class was the very first "graduating" class at the Middle School. I made memories that I have shared with my kids and grandkids....ok, maybe I haven't shared EVERYTHING.....I have always dreamed of being able to take my kids to Heidelberg and show them where I spent most of my teen years. I may still get to do that sometime, but it won't be the same.
Closing ceremonies for the High School were held on Friday, May 31st and several of our Alumni attended and have posted pictures and quoted speeches given during the closing ceremonies. I believe one of our former teachers, who 30 plus years later has become an administrator had one of the best quotes:
I believe the German community will be taking over most of the housing areas and leasing the apartments or using them for dormitories. I don't know what will happen to all of the office buildings, etc. but I hope they aren't left abandoned to fall in to wreck and ruin. I am sure the German population will miss the "crazy" Americans as much as we will miss them. Yes, we contributed to the economy, but that wasn't all, I wonder how many of them have stories about US? We used to hold a German/American Fok Fest every year on Patrick Henry Village where I lived, we had rides, a bier tent, food both German and American, etc. The German folks would come in and buy ICE CREAM.....little, pint size boxes of ice cream. They would bring coolers and FILL them, the ice cream always sold out quickly and I can remember seeing people with armloads of it, along with their coolers.
I will never forget Heidelberg, Germany. I have 5 yearbooks to help keep my memories alive. But I know there are thousands of people out there who will never forget Heidelberg either. Heidelberg American High School was open for 67 years.....thats alot of years of memories. I wish I could be there on that last day, June 6th, during that last hour, to hear the cheer that I KNOW will be echoing through the halls one last time, HEI...DEL....B..E....RG! Ich hab mein Hertz in Heidelberg verloren..... And remember....though the Lions may be gone.....our voices, our memories, and our ROARS will live on until that last one of us passes on to a better place....and I'm pretty sure we will all meet again in that big Bier Tent in the sky!
Guten Nacht, meine Freunde!
I feel sorry for people who didn't consider high school a wonderful memory. Today we hear so much about bullying and kids not being accepted for who and what they are. I'm sure we had bullying but I don't remember it being the problem it is today.....
I guess our lives were lived differently in Germany, we went places by ourselves, we were old enough to drink, not on post but outside of it (and we did), we had reliable public transportation and we weren't afraid to use it. Sure some people had cars and we used those too, but we could take a train, or a street car and the buses that were run by the military and go just about anywhere, by ourselves, because our parents allowed us more independence. I don't know if this was a Brat phenomenon, or just a safer time in history. My parents were more strict than others but I still managed to have a great time and stay the night at a friend's house when necessary.
It was no big deal for us to take a week off of school to go skiing in some of the most amazing places in the world, or trips to Spain during Spring Break (the senior class trip.) The French club took trips to France, heck, a few of my boyfriends took me to France for lunch! Why, because you could jump in the car and get to France in about an hour or you could take the train! I took several trips to England, London mostly, but other parts of England as well. I saw some of the most famous plays and musicals in London. I've walked the Lanes of Brighton, I went to Poland and visited family when it was still a communist country, and of course almost all of us visited Berlin, before the wall came down. I also went to Rome with my Catholic youth group and saw the Pope and toured Rome and Florence. I may never have those opportunities again, but I hope I do.
It was a different time in the '70s and '80s. Yes there were terrorists and we had a horrible incident in the '70s at Campbell Barracks located not far from our high school. The cafeteria was bombed at the height of the lunch hour. But we didn't live our lives in fear, we had our favorite restaraunts and gasthauses. Yes, a large number of us drank, but if you lived there for any length of time, you didn't go out to get drunk, you went out with your friends and hung out and had a few biers. We ate pizza with a knife and fork, and many of us still do. We embraced the German culture and participated in Fasching (Mardi Gras, German style, although it lasts just a little longer), we cruised the Neckar River and watched the Castle Illuminations. We STILL love our bratwurst, our schnitzel, our cordon bleu, our spatzel, our pomm frittes....I could go on and on. I guess we had our share of "ugly Americans," you know the folks who expect everyone to speak English, don't appreciate the culture and opportunity they have been given.....but my friends and I didn't see much of that and if we did, we apologized to the locals and said something to the people being rude. Most of us learned to speak enough German to get by, if not more.
I remember high school as one of the best times of my life. I became a teenager, I was a Cheerleader, I was the football manager, I fell in love for the first time. I made memories that I know I will never forget. I forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime and Facebook has allowed many of us to reconnect with our old friends. As Military Brats people moved in and out all the time, it was hard to say goodbye so often, but thats why we can still get together, even 30 or 40 years later and have a party just like we did in High School!
I was in Heidelberg from the summer of 1975 to the summer of 1980. I turned 13 there and left when I was 17. The first year I was there they were building in brand new Middle School in our housing area. I attended 7th grade at the High School and then 8th grade at the Middle School. My class was the very first "graduating" class at the Middle School. I made memories that I have shared with my kids and grandkids....ok, maybe I haven't shared EVERYTHING.....I have always dreamed of being able to take my kids to Heidelberg and show them where I spent most of my teen years. I may still get to do that sometime, but it won't be the same.
Closing ceremonies for the High School were held on Friday, May 31st and several of our Alumni attended and have posted pictures and quoted speeches given during the closing ceremonies. I believe one of our former teachers, who 30 plus years later has become an administrator had one of the best quotes:
I believe the German community will be taking over most of the housing areas and leasing the apartments or using them for dormitories. I don't know what will happen to all of the office buildings, etc. but I hope they aren't left abandoned to fall in to wreck and ruin. I am sure the German population will miss the "crazy" Americans as much as we will miss them. Yes, we contributed to the economy, but that wasn't all, I wonder how many of them have stories about US? We used to hold a German/American Fok Fest every year on Patrick Henry Village where I lived, we had rides, a bier tent, food both German and American, etc. The German folks would come in and buy ICE CREAM.....little, pint size boxes of ice cream. They would bring coolers and FILL them, the ice cream always sold out quickly and I can remember seeing people with armloads of it, along with their coolers.
I will never forget Heidelberg, Germany. I have 5 yearbooks to help keep my memories alive. But I know there are thousands of people out there who will never forget Heidelberg either. Heidelberg American High School was open for 67 years.....thats alot of years of memories. I wish I could be there on that last day, June 6th, during that last hour, to hear the cheer that I KNOW will be echoing through the halls one last time, HEI...DEL....B..E....RG! Ich hab mein Hertz in Heidelberg verloren..... And remember....though the Lions may be gone.....our voices, our memories, and our ROARS will live on until that last one of us passes on to a better place....and I'm pretty sure we will all meet again in that big Bier Tent in the sky!
Guten Nacht, meine Freunde!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
High School Reunions
I thought I would tell you all a little about my weekend. It was one of the best weekends I have had in a really long time! And not just because I got to go somewhere ALL BY MYSELF...thats right, no kids, no husband, no animals, just me, myself, and I! I spent the weekend with what I would call an extended family from my high school days in Germany. We went to an American High School in Heidelberg and although we were not all there at the same time and the attendees spanned many different years, we all have one thing in common, once an HHS Lion, always and HHS Lion!
I am not a military brat, but my Dad worked for the government and in turn worked for the military. The area he worked in hired civilian personnel to work on installations through out his career and the places we lived. We spent several years in the Washington DC area while he worked on different installations. Then we moved to Germany, when I was 12 years old and starting 7th grade.
Before moving to Germany I spent most of elementary school in Catholic Schools. The year we arrived in Heidelberg was 1975....and the Seniors that year graduated in the USA's Bicentenial year 1976. This was my first experience in a public school and I was in awe of the upper classmen, but the Seniors in particular were the coolest people around! At least to me.....the boys were all the cutest and the girls were all so pretty, I was a gawky 7th grader who wondered if I would ever be as pretty as those girls.
Now please don't think I was one of the cool 7th graders, I was far from it. The cool 7th and 8th grade girls made fun of my clothes....but I had plenty of friends and I was never one to let mean remarks bother me.....I had fashion sense even then and I wore dresses alot and didn't care what anyone else thought. I had braces in 7th and 8th grade too. One of the boys who was always very nice to me when the other cool kids weren't around wrote, "To the Dog of the Year" in my yearbook that year....it hurt....but I got over it. I guess he didn't want anyone to know he was nice to me, if they read my yearbook while signing it, whatever!
But back to this weekend.....I got to spend time with a whole bunch of those way cool Seniors from 1976, and I even took the time to tell them that I worshipped them when I was a lowly 7th grader.....we had a good laugh about it! There were people there who graduated or attended HHS through the 70s and 80s, some I knew, others I didn't know back then, but will keep in contact with now...and can't wait to see at the next reunion I get to attend.
This was the first reunion I got to attend with the bunch from Heidelberg. I didn't get to graduate with my class, we moved the summer after my Junior year....something I am still very bitter about. You see the prom and graduation were held in the Castle, yes a REAL castle, and being a Senior there was very special, with class trips to Spain and parties around the castle, etc. But don't get me wrong, I had a great Senior year with my Dugway friends, it was just hard to be in one school for 5 years and then move as a Senior.
But even after more than 30 years, and contact on Facebook with several of them, I was welcomed back with open arms, hugs, and kisses! It was great! I met new friends and visited with several old friends. I have heard people talk about being nervous about High School Reunions and that they were going to back to show everyone that they were successful and looked just as good or better than they did in high school. I don't think anyone worries about that at our reunions. We are just happy to see each other and ready to have a good time. And boy do we have good times!
So the next time you have the opportunity to go to a High School Reunion, don't worry about whether you are fat now, or didn't become the Doctor everyone thought you would become, or the proffessional athlete, or whatever. Go visit with your old friends, make new ones, and have fun!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
I am not a military brat, but my Dad worked for the government and in turn worked for the military. The area he worked in hired civilian personnel to work on installations through out his career and the places we lived. We spent several years in the Washington DC area while he worked on different installations. Then we moved to Germany, when I was 12 years old and starting 7th grade.
Before moving to Germany I spent most of elementary school in Catholic Schools. The year we arrived in Heidelberg was 1975....and the Seniors that year graduated in the USA's Bicentenial year 1976. This was my first experience in a public school and I was in awe of the upper classmen, but the Seniors in particular were the coolest people around! At least to me.....the boys were all the cutest and the girls were all so pretty, I was a gawky 7th grader who wondered if I would ever be as pretty as those girls.
Now please don't think I was one of the cool 7th graders, I was far from it. The cool 7th and 8th grade girls made fun of my clothes....but I had plenty of friends and I was never one to let mean remarks bother me.....I had fashion sense even then and I wore dresses alot and didn't care what anyone else thought. I had braces in 7th and 8th grade too. One of the boys who was always very nice to me when the other cool kids weren't around wrote, "To the Dog of the Year" in my yearbook that year....it hurt....but I got over it. I guess he didn't want anyone to know he was nice to me, if they read my yearbook while signing it, whatever!
But back to this weekend.....I got to spend time with a whole bunch of those way cool Seniors from 1976, and I even took the time to tell them that I worshipped them when I was a lowly 7th grader.....we had a good laugh about it! There were people there who graduated or attended HHS through the 70s and 80s, some I knew, others I didn't know back then, but will keep in contact with now...and can't wait to see at the next reunion I get to attend.
This was the first reunion I got to attend with the bunch from Heidelberg. I didn't get to graduate with my class, we moved the summer after my Junior year....something I am still very bitter about. You see the prom and graduation were held in the Castle, yes a REAL castle, and being a Senior there was very special, with class trips to Spain and parties around the castle, etc. But don't get me wrong, I had a great Senior year with my Dugway friends, it was just hard to be in one school for 5 years and then move as a Senior.
But even after more than 30 years, and contact on Facebook with several of them, I was welcomed back with open arms, hugs, and kisses! It was great! I met new friends and visited with several old friends. I have heard people talk about being nervous about High School Reunions and that they were going to back to show everyone that they were successful and looked just as good or better than they did in high school. I don't think anyone worries about that at our reunions. We are just happy to see each other and ready to have a good time. And boy do we have good times!
So the next time you have the opportunity to go to a High School Reunion, don't worry about whether you are fat now, or didn't become the Doctor everyone thought you would become, or the proffessional athlete, or whatever. Go visit with your old friends, make new ones, and have fun!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Why My Mom Used to Tell My Dad to GET LOST!
My dad is a hard ass ex-Marine....he can be extremely difficult to get along with. But some of my BEST memories of him are Sunday afternoons in the Spring, Summer, and Fall.
From the time I was four years old, until I was twelve and half we lived in the metropolitan area around Washington DC. My Dad worked for the Federal Government in Personnel and he worked his way up the GS ladder, moving from job to job and base to base. Some of those commutes were long...some were shorter. I actually remember a time when I was five or six, telling my Mom while my brother and sisters and I ate dinner, "I miss Daddy, when are we going to see him again." We ate dinner and went to bed before my Dad got home and he left before we woke up in the morning....so I didn't get to see him much at the time. I guess my Mom told my Dad because just a few days later he took a few days of Annual Leave to spend some time with us. (For those of you who don't know, Annual Leave is something you earn every pay period for the Government, you go from 4 to 8 hours a pay period depending on how long you have been a Government employee and you can pretty much take it anytime you want....it's vacation time.)
Anyway, most Sunday afternoons, I can remember my Dad coming into the family room, and telling all five of us, "Let's go get lost." At the time, that meant that all five of the children would pile into the stationwagon with my Dad and go "Who knows where." Of course in the metro DC area there were a TON of places to go! I'm sure my Dad had a place in mind each and everytime, but he never told us where we were going....so to us, we just kind of ended up someplace really cool. Now let me explain places that are "really cool" to an eight to twelve old (that was me.) Sometimes we would go to a playground, sometimes we would run around Laffayette Park, or we would end up at the Iwojima Memorial (my uncle was there the day they raised that flag....something we heard EVERY time,) sometimes we went to the Washington Memorial, or we raced around the Reflecting Pool after visiting the Lincoln Memorial and racing to the Jefferson Memorial. Then there were times when we just ended up at the campus of the University of Maryland with buckets in hand...and we collected hundreds and hundreds of acorns....Why, I don't know, but it was way cool at the time.....I wonder what he did with that car trunk full of acorns?
I never actually heard my Mom tell my Dad to "Get lost." But years later, when I became a Mom, I finally figured it out. Even though I never heard the conversation, I'm pretty sure it went like this.....Dad..."So what do you want to do this afternoon?" Mom......"Why don't you take the kids and just GET LOST." I can't blame my Mom....she had five kids and I am the oldest, we are pretty much stairstepped, except the youngest who was a surprise...I was nine when he came along.
Today is Sunday afternoon.....my husband has helped our 27 year old move some heavy stuff this morning, cleaned horse stalls and done several other things.....he is tired and sore.....but when his kids asked him to take them to the park this afternoon....he did! My husband is an amazing man and an amazing Dad....when summer vacation rolls around I will try to do something to "Get Lost" every once in a while....this way the kids will be tired in the evening and I can enjoy a peaceful night.
But I am going to suggest something for every Dad or even Mom out there right now......take your kids somewhere, just GET LOST....it doesn't have to cost money, a park, a memorial where they might learn something, a University Campus to romp in the open spaces....just a place to run around.....it's worth it.....and they will remember it when they are 50!
Have a GREAT DAY!
From the time I was four years old, until I was twelve and half we lived in the metropolitan area around Washington DC. My Dad worked for the Federal Government in Personnel and he worked his way up the GS ladder, moving from job to job and base to base. Some of those commutes were long...some were shorter. I actually remember a time when I was five or six, telling my Mom while my brother and sisters and I ate dinner, "I miss Daddy, when are we going to see him again." We ate dinner and went to bed before my Dad got home and he left before we woke up in the morning....so I didn't get to see him much at the time. I guess my Mom told my Dad because just a few days later he took a few days of Annual Leave to spend some time with us. (For those of you who don't know, Annual Leave is something you earn every pay period for the Government, you go from 4 to 8 hours a pay period depending on how long you have been a Government employee and you can pretty much take it anytime you want....it's vacation time.)
Anyway, most Sunday afternoons, I can remember my Dad coming into the family room, and telling all five of us, "Let's go get lost." At the time, that meant that all five of the children would pile into the stationwagon with my Dad and go "Who knows where." Of course in the metro DC area there were a TON of places to go! I'm sure my Dad had a place in mind each and everytime, but he never told us where we were going....so to us, we just kind of ended up someplace really cool. Now let me explain places that are "really cool" to an eight to twelve old (that was me.) Sometimes we would go to a playground, sometimes we would run around Laffayette Park, or we would end up at the Iwojima Memorial (my uncle was there the day they raised that flag....something we heard EVERY time,) sometimes we went to the Washington Memorial, or we raced around the Reflecting Pool after visiting the Lincoln Memorial and racing to the Jefferson Memorial. Then there were times when we just ended up at the campus of the University of Maryland with buckets in hand...and we collected hundreds and hundreds of acorns....Why, I don't know, but it was way cool at the time.....I wonder what he did with that car trunk full of acorns?
I never actually heard my Mom tell my Dad to "Get lost." But years later, when I became a Mom, I finally figured it out. Even though I never heard the conversation, I'm pretty sure it went like this.....Dad..."So what do you want to do this afternoon?" Mom......"Why don't you take the kids and just GET LOST." I can't blame my Mom....she had five kids and I am the oldest, we are pretty much stairstepped, except the youngest who was a surprise...I was nine when he came along.
Today is Sunday afternoon.....my husband has helped our 27 year old move some heavy stuff this morning, cleaned horse stalls and done several other things.....he is tired and sore.....but when his kids asked him to take them to the park this afternoon....he did! My husband is an amazing man and an amazing Dad....when summer vacation rolls around I will try to do something to "Get Lost" every once in a while....this way the kids will be tired in the evening and I can enjoy a peaceful night.
But I am going to suggest something for every Dad or even Mom out there right now......take your kids somewhere, just GET LOST....it doesn't have to cost money, a park, a memorial where they might learn something, a University Campus to romp in the open spaces....just a place to run around.....it's worth it.....and they will remember it when they are 50!
Have a GREAT DAY!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Our Furry Family Members CAN Talk, YOU Just Have to Know What They are Saying
I am an animal lover. I think everyone knows that. Ok, some people might call me a hoarder, but I'm really not! Yes, I have 12 dogs, 7 housecats, a goat, 3 horses, and the population of cats in the barn rises and falls all the time, since it is spring it will be on the rise very soon. But animal hoarders are people who do not know when to stop and can not take care of the animals they have. If it came to that for me, I would find new homes for all of them.....I would not keep them and make them suffer because I couldn't let go. And just for the record, several of the animals I have did not start out as "mine." My parents had two cats and a 11 year old lab when my Mom passed away last year and my Dad went into the nursing home. Since all 3 of them came from the Humane Society and I was able to just add them to our household I kept them. I also have a pitbull in the house who belongs to my son, and he will be moving into a house soon and will take his dog back (I love my granddog, but I will be happy when he is back with my son.) Then there is the Blue Heeler my son and his wife got as a puppy a few years ago, they will not be taking her, she belongs on a farm and she loves nothing better than to herd my goat around the yard. I am not sure if I will keep her, I would like to find her another home, with an older farm couple who lets her come in the house and sit on the sofa with them, takes her for rides in the car because she loves rides, and lets her hang out with them when they are working outside.
I will say that my animals are all characters, each one different from another and when I'm having a bad day they can make me laugh. When I'm feeling down, they seem to know and will try to make me feel better.
My 11 year old mare scared the heck out of me earlier today. I could hear her carrying on outside like crazy. My horses vocalize on occassion, but not the way she was doing it, I thought something was wrong and rushed outside to see what was going on. When I got outside, I had to laugh.
My husband left the barn door open this morning because my 20 something gelding did not want to go out in the freezing rain and wind and he (the husband) got tired of arguing with him. Storm, my young mare was standing in front of the barn door, pacing back and forth and "yelling" at her mother. Her mother is about 30 and was standing, quite comfortably, in her run in shelter out of the wind and rain. The gelding, who had come out earlier, had gone back into the barn and was standing in the doorway. It was obvious that Storm wanted to go into the barn but she would not go in without her mother. Her mother snorted in answer several times, but Storm would not give up, so her mother finally plodded over and into the barn and Storm happily followed her in and quieted down.
An hour or so later my son was outside. I had told him what Storm had done earlier. He could hear her carrying on again so he went to check on her. Storm's mother and the gelding were at their bale feeder and Storm was going in and out of the barn, yelling at them again. Her mother's ears were pinned back and she was obviously irritated but she finally gave in and plodded back to the barn with the gelding in tow. Storm reminds me very much of a recalitrant teenage human who refuses to give up until she gets her way!
I know people do not believe that our animals understand us when we talk to them, but I am not always so sure, and I believe that sometimes I know exactly what my animals are saying to me. A few minutes after Storm had gotten her mother and her "uncle" into the barn with her, I was outside again. When she saw me, she started "yelling" at me. I looked over at her, she was looking out of the barn door at me. "What," I said. She "yelled" at me again. I knew what she wanted. They were all in the barn, and she was "demanding" that I come close the door and get their hay and oats. So I answered her...."No, I am not slogging out there to shut the door and feed you this early in the afternoon." She rolled her eyes at me, and turned back inside the barn. Recalcitrant teenager, I'm telling you!
So the next time YOUR furry family members have something to say to you....listen, have a conversation, you might be surprised at how much they have to say and how much they understand YOU!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
I will say that my animals are all characters, each one different from another and when I'm having a bad day they can make me laugh. When I'm feeling down, they seem to know and will try to make me feel better.
My 11 year old mare scared the heck out of me earlier today. I could hear her carrying on outside like crazy. My horses vocalize on occassion, but not the way she was doing it, I thought something was wrong and rushed outside to see what was going on. When I got outside, I had to laugh.
My husband left the barn door open this morning because my 20 something gelding did not want to go out in the freezing rain and wind and he (the husband) got tired of arguing with him. Storm, my young mare was standing in front of the barn door, pacing back and forth and "yelling" at her mother. Her mother is about 30 and was standing, quite comfortably, in her run in shelter out of the wind and rain. The gelding, who had come out earlier, had gone back into the barn and was standing in the doorway. It was obvious that Storm wanted to go into the barn but she would not go in without her mother. Her mother snorted in answer several times, but Storm would not give up, so her mother finally plodded over and into the barn and Storm happily followed her in and quieted down.
An hour or so later my son was outside. I had told him what Storm had done earlier. He could hear her carrying on again so he went to check on her. Storm's mother and the gelding were at their bale feeder and Storm was going in and out of the barn, yelling at them again. Her mother's ears were pinned back and she was obviously irritated but she finally gave in and plodded back to the barn with the gelding in tow. Storm reminds me very much of a recalitrant teenage human who refuses to give up until she gets her way!
I know people do not believe that our animals understand us when we talk to them, but I am not always so sure, and I believe that sometimes I know exactly what my animals are saying to me. A few minutes after Storm had gotten her mother and her "uncle" into the barn with her, I was outside again. When she saw me, she started "yelling" at me. I looked over at her, she was looking out of the barn door at me. "What," I said. She "yelled" at me again. I knew what she wanted. They were all in the barn, and she was "demanding" that I come close the door and get their hay and oats. So I answered her...."No, I am not slogging out there to shut the door and feed you this early in the afternoon." She rolled her eyes at me, and turned back inside the barn. Recalcitrant teenager, I'm telling you!
So the next time YOUR furry family members have something to say to you....listen, have a conversation, you might be surprised at how much they have to say and how much they understand YOU!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Facebook Is A Great Place to Reconnect....Just Be Careful Who You Reconnect With
One of my facebook friends posted something yesterday that I thought was no big deal and pretty amusing. As I read through the thread, I became AMAZED at some of the responses and personal attacks that started from what I considered a somewhat run of the mill post.
My friends are a very diverse group of people, and many, many of them are friends from high school. I spent 7th through 11th grade in an American High School in Germany because my father was working for the US Government. Then we transferred to a much smaller post in Utah for my senior year. Thanks to FB I have reconnected with many of them and I love to "talk" to them and hear from them. I would think most of my friends, many of whom were military brats, would be pretty open minded....but apparently when some of them came home and settled in one place or another they became extremely intolerant of others.
My friends post was a simple observation....she saw a group of Asian men, all in blue suits, with thier Murses (man purse, and Murse was my word, not hers) touring her local Walmart and wondered why it was on the itinerary. There were several funny responses. MY first thought was that Walmart is an extremely successful enterprise, that caters to ALL levels of society, and therefore a place that a group of business people might like to tour and get ideas.
What amazed me was that the amusing comments were taken the wrong way by several people and someone actually called someone else a Commie/Pinko/Bitch....Really? Did we just fall back into the '50s? I mean come on folks....everyone has different views in this country. Some are liberal, some conservative, some hate Obama, some like him, some people hate the government all together and believe they are "Soveriegn Citizens." (I met alot of these Soveriegn Citizens when I worked for a governement agency that they hate more than most of the other government agencies.)
As I said, my FB friends are a diverse group....and to be perfectly honest.....I do not care what their religious or political views are......I am tolerant.....I do not condemn anyone for their beliefs. I do not usually share my political or religious beliefs on FB because I don't feel I need to. I was raised in the Catholic Church but I am no longer a practicing Catholic, although I can still attend Mass and make all the appropriate responses. I believe in a higher power, I choose to call that higher power God. I may mention God occassionally in a post. However, I was always a "trouble making Catholic, with alot of questions about the Church's rules and beliefs." I have no problem with other people who believe in a different higher power. My political views are usually pretty liberal, and I pretty much refuse to talk about politics with anyone....particularly my conservative, redneck husband. And yes, I probably will have to pry the gun from his cold dead hands.....He rants and raves and vents and I bite my tongue until I eventually say..."ok enough, I will not respond just so you can pick a fight with me."
When I see religious or political retoric on FB I usually just scroll right past it. I do not get involved. But when something that I consider a simple observation becomes a political attack, a racists attack, or a personal attack on others, it bothers me. And when someone makes an amusing comment that gets twisted by other people, it bothers me.
I don't want to "unfriend" people because of their political or religious views, I will not comment on posts by Haters. And I have a few friends who spend waaaay to much time posting their religous and political views trying to insitgate HATE, it can take a long time to scroll past their MULTIPLE posts. Then there are the friends who post positive, inspirational quotes, stories, and pictures, these are POSITIVE messages, not NEGATIVE. But on both sides of this coin, these people are like me in one way or another, cat/dog/animal lovers, they grow great gardens, they enjoy some of the same activities, reading material, or sports that I do. So please folks, just play nice on FB, don't allow your own personal views to cloud your judgement and think it gives you the right to attack other people who don't agree with you. And if you are one of the people who posts HATE on FB, please stop, find another forum to spew your HATE! And think about this folks..... if you do not respond to their posts then they do not have a forum.......!
Have a Great DAY!
My friends are a very diverse group of people, and many, many of them are friends from high school. I spent 7th through 11th grade in an American High School in Germany because my father was working for the US Government. Then we transferred to a much smaller post in Utah for my senior year. Thanks to FB I have reconnected with many of them and I love to "talk" to them and hear from them. I would think most of my friends, many of whom were military brats, would be pretty open minded....but apparently when some of them came home and settled in one place or another they became extremely intolerant of others.
My friends post was a simple observation....she saw a group of Asian men, all in blue suits, with thier Murses (man purse, and Murse was my word, not hers) touring her local Walmart and wondered why it was on the itinerary. There were several funny responses. MY first thought was that Walmart is an extremely successful enterprise, that caters to ALL levels of society, and therefore a place that a group of business people might like to tour and get ideas.
What amazed me was that the amusing comments were taken the wrong way by several people and someone actually called someone else a Commie/Pinko/Bitch....Really? Did we just fall back into the '50s? I mean come on folks....everyone has different views in this country. Some are liberal, some conservative, some hate Obama, some like him, some people hate the government all together and believe they are "Soveriegn Citizens." (I met alot of these Soveriegn Citizens when I worked for a governement agency that they hate more than most of the other government agencies.)
As I said, my FB friends are a diverse group....and to be perfectly honest.....I do not care what their religious or political views are......I am tolerant.....I do not condemn anyone for their beliefs. I do not usually share my political or religious beliefs on FB because I don't feel I need to. I was raised in the Catholic Church but I am no longer a practicing Catholic, although I can still attend Mass and make all the appropriate responses. I believe in a higher power, I choose to call that higher power God. I may mention God occassionally in a post. However, I was always a "trouble making Catholic, with alot of questions about the Church's rules and beliefs." I have no problem with other people who believe in a different higher power. My political views are usually pretty liberal, and I pretty much refuse to talk about politics with anyone....particularly my conservative, redneck husband. And yes, I probably will have to pry the gun from his cold dead hands.....He rants and raves and vents and I bite my tongue until I eventually say..."ok enough, I will not respond just so you can pick a fight with me."
When I see religious or political retoric on FB I usually just scroll right past it. I do not get involved. But when something that I consider a simple observation becomes a political attack, a racists attack, or a personal attack on others, it bothers me. And when someone makes an amusing comment that gets twisted by other people, it bothers me.
I don't want to "unfriend" people because of their political or religious views, I will not comment on posts by Haters. And I have a few friends who spend waaaay to much time posting their religous and political views trying to insitgate HATE, it can take a long time to scroll past their MULTIPLE posts. Then there are the friends who post positive, inspirational quotes, stories, and pictures, these are POSITIVE messages, not NEGATIVE. But on both sides of this coin, these people are like me in one way or another, cat/dog/animal lovers, they grow great gardens, they enjoy some of the same activities, reading material, or sports that I do. So please folks, just play nice on FB, don't allow your own personal views to cloud your judgement and think it gives you the right to attack other people who don't agree with you. And if you are one of the people who posts HATE on FB, please stop, find another forum to spew your HATE! And think about this folks..... if you do not respond to their posts then they do not have a forum.......!
Have a Great DAY!
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
My Glass is Half Full....What About Yours?
I am a very optomistic person. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I believe the old saying...."You can either laugh or you can cry." I personally prefer to laugh as much as possible. Years ago at my job, one of the many bosses in the office stopped me one day in the hall and said "Kathy, you are always smiling, everytime I see you, you are smiling. Why is that?" I laughed and told him I was just lazy. "Lazy? What do you mean?" he asked. "Well," I said, "it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, so I smile all the time because I'm lazy!"
I have not had the easiest life. I didn't get a fairy tale. I had a good childhood, we moved several times, but I got to see the world. I got married when I was 21 and by the ripe old age of 23, I was a widow, with a special needs child and a 6 month old baby. I struggled to support us and sometimes worked two jobs. I made several bad choices over the years, a few with men and I got knocked around because of those bad choices. (Maybe I'll tell you more about that sometime.) But throughout it all, I tried to remain upbeat, my kids never saw me cry except at a couple of sappy movies and we came out on the other side with a new marriage, a new Dad, and 5 more siblings.
My husband is not an optomist. If you listen to him, we will be bankrupt at any moment, the kids are bleeding us dry and we will all probably have to live in the Suburban, if we can afford to keep the payments up on that. Maybe we will live in the F250 instead, it's already paid for.... My personal opinion is it will all work out, we will make it, just like we always have, and I will not give myself ulcers worrying about stuff that hasn't happend yet. You know what I mean, my husband sits around thinking...well IF this and this happen, then THIS could happen and we could all go to "hell in a handbasket." We are no where near bankruptcy, our life is good, he just likes to worry!
If I have to go back to work...fine....I'm not stupid, I can get another job and I can help out. Do I know how tough things are out there right now, and people my age are not getting jobs....sure, but I also know ME and if I need to go back to work, I WILL find a job.
I guess I just don't understand people who are pessimistic, like my husand. I want to be happy and feel good...how can you do that if you are always trying to find the bad side of everything? Sure there are things in life that are ugly and difficult. There have been several events during the past year or so in the media that have been horrible....but I can't live in fear and lock myself and my family up in our house with the windows and doors barred against the ugliness in the world. The Mr. Roger's quote, "Always look for the helpers," is the way I look at these events.
If you are a pessimist please try and look at the bright side of the world. Enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset, laugh with your kids or grandkids or friends. There is ALWAYS a bright side to EVERY situation. And remember..."God never gives you more than you can handle and when He closes a door, He opens a window." Sometimes the weight on your shoulders can be very heavy and those windows can be really hard to find.....but you CAN DO IT!
Have a Great Day! (AND BE LAZY.....SMILE!)
I have not had the easiest life. I didn't get a fairy tale. I had a good childhood, we moved several times, but I got to see the world. I got married when I was 21 and by the ripe old age of 23, I was a widow, with a special needs child and a 6 month old baby. I struggled to support us and sometimes worked two jobs. I made several bad choices over the years, a few with men and I got knocked around because of those bad choices. (Maybe I'll tell you more about that sometime.) But throughout it all, I tried to remain upbeat, my kids never saw me cry except at a couple of sappy movies and we came out on the other side with a new marriage, a new Dad, and 5 more siblings.
My husband is not an optomist. If you listen to him, we will be bankrupt at any moment, the kids are bleeding us dry and we will all probably have to live in the Suburban, if we can afford to keep the payments up on that. Maybe we will live in the F250 instead, it's already paid for.... My personal opinion is it will all work out, we will make it, just like we always have, and I will not give myself ulcers worrying about stuff that hasn't happend yet. You know what I mean, my husband sits around thinking...well IF this and this happen, then THIS could happen and we could all go to "hell in a handbasket." We are no where near bankruptcy, our life is good, he just likes to worry!
If I have to go back to work...fine....I'm not stupid, I can get another job and I can help out. Do I know how tough things are out there right now, and people my age are not getting jobs....sure, but I also know ME and if I need to go back to work, I WILL find a job.
I guess I just don't understand people who are pessimistic, like my husand. I want to be happy and feel good...how can you do that if you are always trying to find the bad side of everything? Sure there are things in life that are ugly and difficult. There have been several events during the past year or so in the media that have been horrible....but I can't live in fear and lock myself and my family up in our house with the windows and doors barred against the ugliness in the world. The Mr. Roger's quote, "Always look for the helpers," is the way I look at these events.
If you are a pessimist please try and look at the bright side of the world. Enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset, laugh with your kids or grandkids or friends. There is ALWAYS a bright side to EVERY situation. And remember..."God never gives you more than you can handle and when He closes a door, He opens a window." Sometimes the weight on your shoulders can be very heavy and those windows can be really hard to find.....but you CAN DO IT!
Have a Great Day! (AND BE LAZY.....SMILE!)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
What Would YOU Do?
The events at the Boston Marathon are still on my mind tonight. So I want to ask you all what you would do in an emergency situation. There were many, many people yesterday who ran toward the carnage instead of away, some of them were trained medical personnel, police officers, some were bystanders, some were volunteers at the race and others were National Guard members, and still others were running in the race.
In that kind of emergency situation.....What would YOU do?......I have never been in a situation like that with multiple casualties and I can tell you that who was with me would make my reactions totally different.
If I had any of my children/grandchildren with me, I would shield them and run in the other direction....my job as their Mom/Grandma is to protect them, at all costs. I would not want them exposed to the scene of a tragedy like that and would do anything I had to to get them out of the area as quickly as possible.
But if I was by myself or with my husband or another adult, my reaction would be to run straight towards the people hurt and injured, and do anything I could to help.....I have never been in a mass casualty situation as I said, but I have been the first person on the scene of a car accident, twice. And both times, I have had children with me....they were not in harms way, and I knew that, and apparently my tone of voice in an emergency situation is much different than usual....I have told my children on more than one occasion to "stay in the car" and they have pretty much ignored me....but in both instances when I was the first on the scene of car accidents...I did not shut the car off, I simply jumped out and said to the child in question..."stay in the car and don't move" and they watched me out of the window and did exactly what they were told to do.
In my former position at work, I was trained as a first responder, with first aid knowledge. It was MY responsibilty to decide when 200 people needed to take cover from a storm, or tornado, it was MY responsibilty to conduct fire drills, and when the alarms went off for no reason that I was aware of, I was the LAST person out of the building after checking every floor, even though I had floor chiefs, and making sure everyone was out. I had prepared statements for the media, if an emergency situation ever arose and people were injured or killed, and I can tell you that I would have and still would be there digging with my bare hands to try and get the injured out, if necessary. Even 7 years after I quit, the person who has that responsibility now knows that I have his back...if there are tornados in the area, I call him to let him know....and he knows that even now, he can count on me to get to his side and help in whatever capacity he needs me.
So tell me folks...have you ever thought about this kind of situation? What would YOU do? I urge EVERYONE to take a first aid and CPR class, and to know how to use a portable defibulator....although in most cases, there are very good instructions on portable defibulators. If you don't feel you have the training to help, maybe you can just talk to someone, hold their hand, and tell them you are there and will stay with them, that everything is going to be ok, even if it's a lie, because sometimes that is just what people need to hear. And if you need to run the other way, that's OK too....because sometimes, that is the best thing to do...and NO ONE will judge you for it! Sometimes, just leaving the area and allowing the trained medical personnel and first responders to do their jobs is the best thing to do.
So just think about it....and HAVE A GOOD DAY!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
If I Am Part of the "Sandwich Generation" I Must Be a Club Sandwich!
The "Sandwich Generation," I'm never really sure how I feel about that term but I'm a living part of it! And I'm not just a regular sandwich, I'm a Club sandwich! Why? Well Club sandwiches (which I love by the way) have lots of layers and I am stuck in the middle of 4 generations!
My mom passed away in late April of last year. Before she moved to the nursing home a couple of months before her death, she and my Dad lived here in my house in addition we built for them. My Dad is now in Assisted Living at a nursing home as well. I run errands for him and visit him. I am also involved in the lives of two other elderly people who I consider family. They live about 40 minutes away.
Then there are my kids, the three oldest who are 34, 28, and 26. Two of them are married and have kids so I am a Grandma. The 28 year old is special needs and I will be taking care of her for as long as I am physically able to do it. We also adopted 4 other children a few years ago....so we have an 11 year old, a 9 year old, an 8 year old and a 6 year old. Yep, we started all over again, and each one of them came to us as babies. I also have neices and nephews and a couple great-neices and nephews. We see some of them frequently.
We are a close family. So I am surrounded by most of these people on a regular basis. I answer to Mom, Grandma, Honey, Kathy, MILK (mother in law Kathy), Aunt Kathy, and sometimes just "Hey you." I also respond to barks, neighing, bleeting, and meowing since we have several furry family members who require my attention as well.
I also try to volunteer to do things for the younger kids and grandkids schools when I can. I enjoy being around the kids' school and like the fact that pretty much every kid in school knows who I am because they see me there so often.
Its a crazy life, as my blog title indicates. But I don't think I would want it any other way. Sure it can be difficult and there is ALWAYS drama, and most nights I fall into bed exhausted. There were years when I worked outside of the home too, but I chose to become a stay at home mom about 7 years ago, just a couple of months before the 3 youngest started joining our family. (Apparently my becoming a stay at home mom was destined to be because I never could have continued my job and been able to take in 3 more children.) But I am happy, though there are several people who would tell you I am nuts! The life I live isn't for everyone, but its the one God has given me, and my shoulders have been broad enough to do it all in the past and I'm sure I will continue to "Do it All" for years to come!
Have a great day!
My mom passed away in late April of last year. Before she moved to the nursing home a couple of months before her death, she and my Dad lived here in my house in addition we built for them. My Dad is now in Assisted Living at a nursing home as well. I run errands for him and visit him. I am also involved in the lives of two other elderly people who I consider family. They live about 40 minutes away.
Then there are my kids, the three oldest who are 34, 28, and 26. Two of them are married and have kids so I am a Grandma. The 28 year old is special needs and I will be taking care of her for as long as I am physically able to do it. We also adopted 4 other children a few years ago....so we have an 11 year old, a 9 year old, an 8 year old and a 6 year old. Yep, we started all over again, and each one of them came to us as babies. I also have neices and nephews and a couple great-neices and nephews. We see some of them frequently.
We are a close family. So I am surrounded by most of these people on a regular basis. I answer to Mom, Grandma, Honey, Kathy, MILK (mother in law Kathy), Aunt Kathy, and sometimes just "Hey you." I also respond to barks, neighing, bleeting, and meowing since we have several furry family members who require my attention as well.
I also try to volunteer to do things for the younger kids and grandkids schools when I can. I enjoy being around the kids' school and like the fact that pretty much every kid in school knows who I am because they see me there so often.
Its a crazy life, as my blog title indicates. But I don't think I would want it any other way. Sure it can be difficult and there is ALWAYS drama, and most nights I fall into bed exhausted. There were years when I worked outside of the home too, but I chose to become a stay at home mom about 7 years ago, just a couple of months before the 3 youngest started joining our family. (Apparently my becoming a stay at home mom was destined to be because I never could have continued my job and been able to take in 3 more children.) But I am happy, though there are several people who would tell you I am nuts! The life I live isn't for everyone, but its the one God has given me, and my shoulders have been broad enough to do it all in the past and I'm sure I will continue to "Do it All" for years to come!
Have a great day!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Don't EVER, EVER, EVER Mess with MY FAMILY
The word Family to me is a relative term. You may not understand that, but I have opened up my FAMILY to more people than you can ever imagine.....and they ALL visit and participate in FAMILY gatherings. I believe in Hilary's theory " It takes a village", so I created one.
My Family consists of my parents and brothers and sisters, my husband and his sister and her husband and her children and their children and several of those childrens' biological parents. I know it's confusing but it gets worse. I also have my children, their biological parents and siblings. Then there are my first husbands' family of brothers and sister, and father, and neices and their children. Then I have a couple of exes, I still consider several members of their family MY family. Then there are just the people I have "adopted" to become a part of my "family." Is your head spinning yet?
I know, I know, you all know I am trying to save the world....it's true and I will do anything I can to help people and make them part of my extended family. A friend of mine posted something recently that was TOTALLY me: Family is family, but FRIENDS are the family you choose yourself! That is so me! But I would never turn away someone who was for real family either.
Today, someone threatened my family and HIS girlfriend. I went into overdrive. I am expecting company very soon, who feel they needed to vacate their residence to be safe....of course I told them to come here. In addition, I talked to HIS girlfriend, who I have never met or spoken to before tonight, discussed her issues with her, including her 4 young children, and have started looking for a safe haven for them in Virginia. HE is not a member of my family, well except by marriage, but through experience I know an abuser when I see one and I spotted him several years ago.....I just needed the family member to wake up...and I know how hard that is because I've been there and done that. (I guess I am really going to have to come clean about all that soon.)
But the REAL point here is, someone threatened and continues to threaten my family. We will close the gates on the property this weekend. The NO TRESPASSING signs will go up, and if someone does not heed the warning and enters the property uninvited, they will be warned of the consequences....And just so you all know.....if you "feel" someone is a threat to you, your family or your property" in this state, you can be legally shoot them....I'm not saying that is what is going to happen here, this weekend, just make sure you let me know if you're coming over before you get here!
There is something else I can tell you. I have NEVER met a man or a woman who would abuse a spouse or child who has the guts to stand up to someone when they themselves are threatened. These people, ok mostly men, are COWARDS. And I learned long ago to stand up to them and dial 911. I'll be telling the kids to do just that while I'm standing on the front porch with a firearm telling him not to move!
So you guys have a great weekend....we will be armed and dangerous, and I WILL PROTECT MY FAMILY!
My Family consists of my parents and brothers and sisters, my husband and his sister and her husband and her children and their children and several of those childrens' biological parents. I know it's confusing but it gets worse. I also have my children, their biological parents and siblings. Then there are my first husbands' family of brothers and sister, and father, and neices and their children. Then I have a couple of exes, I still consider several members of their family MY family. Then there are just the people I have "adopted" to become a part of my "family." Is your head spinning yet?
I know, I know, you all know I am trying to save the world....it's true and I will do anything I can to help people and make them part of my extended family. A friend of mine posted something recently that was TOTALLY me: Family is family, but FRIENDS are the family you choose yourself! That is so me! But I would never turn away someone who was for real family either.
Today, someone threatened my family and HIS girlfriend. I went into overdrive. I am expecting company very soon, who feel they needed to vacate their residence to be safe....of course I told them to come here. In addition, I talked to HIS girlfriend, who I have never met or spoken to before tonight, discussed her issues with her, including her 4 young children, and have started looking for a safe haven for them in Virginia. HE is not a member of my family, well except by marriage, but through experience I know an abuser when I see one and I spotted him several years ago.....I just needed the family member to wake up...and I know how hard that is because I've been there and done that. (I guess I am really going to have to come clean about all that soon.)
But the REAL point here is, someone threatened and continues to threaten my family. We will close the gates on the property this weekend. The NO TRESPASSING signs will go up, and if someone does not heed the warning and enters the property uninvited, they will be warned of the consequences....And just so you all know.....if you "feel" someone is a threat to you, your family or your property" in this state, you can be legally shoot them....I'm not saying that is what is going to happen here, this weekend, just make sure you let me know if you're coming over before you get here!
There is something else I can tell you. I have NEVER met a man or a woman who would abuse a spouse or child who has the guts to stand up to someone when they themselves are threatened. These people, ok mostly men, are COWARDS. And I learned long ago to stand up to them and dial 911. I'll be telling the kids to do just that while I'm standing on the front porch with a firearm telling him not to move!
So you guys have a great weekend....we will be armed and dangerous, and I WILL PROTECT MY FAMILY!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Where Do They Go?
So I was thinking of an old Whitney Houston song tonight...."Where Do Broken Hearts Go".....such a beautiful, touching song: Where do broken hearts go...Can they find their way home....back to the open arms....of a love that's waiting there...and if somebody loves you....won't they always love you....I look in your eyes and I know that you still care for meeeee....
Well I'm going to change the lyrics up a bit today....same tune, different words.....
Where do all the SHOES go....Can they find their way home....back to the shoooe tub....right there by the frooont door.....and if they find there way there....why can't they stay there...I just want my kids toooo put their shoooesss awwaayyyy!
Ok, it might not be a hit song, but jeez...I do have a few places in my house that are supposed to help us be organized and find stuff.
Several years ago I found some stacking baskets that were perfect for shoes and I put it right by the front door. OK, I admit I probably first saw this idea in a magazine or on TV, but I claim it as mine now.....
The shoe drawers, as we call them, are stacked oldest on the bottom and on up to the youngest because I am usually getting his shoes out anyway.....but the baskets are almost always empty. And when we are getting ready for school in the morning, or the kids want to go play outside or go to the store, NO ONE can ever find their shoes. Why? Because unless I am cleaning the house and collecting shoes from the living room, dining room, and bedrooms....NO ONE knows where they put their shoes. Of course when I'm cleaning the house I DO put the shoes in the appropriate shoe drawer. Unfortunately the kids STILL can't find them because they would never consider looking there because they never put their shoes away....it's a viscious cycle.
Maybe you've seen my kids at school, the barefoot children slogging through the snow.... Sometimes they DO find some shoes, usually one from two different pair and both are for the same foot. And I refuse to let my kids wear sandals or flip flops to school in the winter just because those are all they can find. I know, I am a REALLY mean Mom.
Amazingly enough, when I tell my kids they will go to school barefoot, while they are screaming at me to help find their shoes (I refuse to do this,) they always seem to find SOMETHING to put on their feet! They each have at least two pair of tennis shoes and one pair of boots, fashion for the girls and cowboy for the boys. There is no reason they can't find a pair of shoes for school. Of course, when you are walking around the house looking at the ceiling it can be difficult to find your shoes, because we don't keep shoes on the ceiling in this house, maybe you do at your house, but we don't. Then there is the child standing in the middle of the living room staring at the TV and yelling, "Mom, I've looked everywhere, I can't find them...", not alot of shoes on top of the flat screen mounted to the wall either....
So why are the Shoe Drawers always empty, where do all the shoes go...please shoes, come back home to your tubs....Mommy needs you!
Well I'm going to change the lyrics up a bit today....same tune, different words.....
Where do all the SHOES go....Can they find their way home....back to the shoooe tub....right there by the frooont door.....and if they find there way there....why can't they stay there...I just want my kids toooo put their shoooesss awwaayyyy!
Ok, it might not be a hit song, but jeez...I do have a few places in my house that are supposed to help us be organized and find stuff.
Several years ago I found some stacking baskets that were perfect for shoes and I put it right by the front door. OK, I admit I probably first saw this idea in a magazine or on TV, but I claim it as mine now.....
The shoe drawers, as we call them, are stacked oldest on the bottom and on up to the youngest because I am usually getting his shoes out anyway.....but the baskets are almost always empty. And when we are getting ready for school in the morning, or the kids want to go play outside or go to the store, NO ONE can ever find their shoes. Why? Because unless I am cleaning the house and collecting shoes from the living room, dining room, and bedrooms....NO ONE knows where they put their shoes. Of course when I'm cleaning the house I DO put the shoes in the appropriate shoe drawer. Unfortunately the kids STILL can't find them because they would never consider looking there because they never put their shoes away....it's a viscious cycle.
Maybe you've seen my kids at school, the barefoot children slogging through the snow.... Sometimes they DO find some shoes, usually one from two different pair and both are for the same foot. And I refuse to let my kids wear sandals or flip flops to school in the winter just because those are all they can find. I know, I am a REALLY mean Mom.
Amazingly enough, when I tell my kids they will go to school barefoot, while they are screaming at me to help find their shoes (I refuse to do this,) they always seem to find SOMETHING to put on their feet! They each have at least two pair of tennis shoes and one pair of boots, fashion for the girls and cowboy for the boys. There is no reason they can't find a pair of shoes for school. Of course, when you are walking around the house looking at the ceiling it can be difficult to find your shoes, because we don't keep shoes on the ceiling in this house, maybe you do at your house, but we don't. Then there is the child standing in the middle of the living room staring at the TV and yelling, "Mom, I've looked everywhere, I can't find them...", not alot of shoes on top of the flat screen mounted to the wall either....
So why are the Shoe Drawers always empty, where do all the shoes go...please shoes, come back home to your tubs....Mommy needs you!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
So How Was Your Day?
I will not allow the blog to become my job. I will post stuff when I want to or need to...so you won't see a post everyday. But I hope when I do post you enjoy them.
So how was your day?
Mine started out fighting kids to get dressed and ready for school. Then, when they should have been getting dressed, half of them went to Easter Baskets and got handfulls of candy to eat while they were getting dressed, or after, or on the way to school. Then there was the 6 year old, who stole an entire solid chocolate rabbit and was hiding under the dining room table trying to eat it all before we had to leave....Don't worry, the candy is gone now....I ate the rest of it...ok, not really, but I'm already tired of this crap 3 days after Easter so the candy has disappeared....I will eat it slowly.....BAHAHAHA! (Evil Mom laugh..)
After I finally kicked the kids out of the car at school, I headed for the Independent Living Center where my Dad is to deliver his most recent Walmart order. Then back home to start some laundry, dishes, etc. with my 28 year old special needs daughter. Within about 5 minutes she started throwing a huge fit, unfortunately she doesn't speak, so I just have to figure out what is wrong. I did, and she was happily watching Doc, otherwise known as Back to the Future II!
I settled in on the couch after starting the dishwasher and washer and dryer and the phone rang. It was a girlfriend I don't talk to often so I thought maybe we could have a nice long chat. Instead, she let me know that she had just seen an obituary in her local paper, my previous town, and wanted to let me know my Ex died on Saturday. GREEEAAATTTT! My Ex was 53, I'm sure he drank himself into the grave. (I might or might not talk about that another time.) But I am still in contact with his grandmother, who I still call Grandma. I don't speak to her all the time, but at least 2 or 3 times a year. I called her and she told me she was in a Nursing Home now and had only been there a week or two. Her Power of Attorney is not a family member, in fact he ran her over with a church bus once, I think guilt led him to be her POA. I talked to him after I talked to Grandma and he told me her mind was going and that she had been in the Nursing Home for about 4 months. I will be visiting her on Friday so I can assess the situation myself.
I have also been going through my Dad's Life Insurance information lately to make sure the beneficiary information is up to date since we lost my Mom almost a year ago. Tomorrow I will FAX my POA to the insurance companies who would not talk to me today so that I can get the information I need.
Then the kids came home from school and started screaming and fighting and looking for candy.....just a normal day for them! In the meantime I was still trying to talk to Life Insurance companies who could hear kids screaming, dogs barking, and television in the backround....sooo proffesional.
I had to forcibly take my 6 year old outside to pick up the coat he left on the basketball court in the backyard, and then make him pick up said coat when he threw it down on the floor in the mud room after I made him pick it up. I had one in the tub who apparently planned to stay there until tomorrow with her sister keeping her company in the bathroom. When she got out of the tub I made her brush her hair....I AM THE WORST MOM EEEEVVVVVEEEERRRR! When she was done, I asked to run the brush through her hair myself....yep, it was ugly, but I still have a pic from the '80s and it comes in handy. Oh and while I was detangling her hair I heard again...YOU ARE THE WORST MOM EEEEEVVVVEEERRR!
They are all in their PJs now, and upstairs with their Dad.....he will be screaming at them anytime now. (We won't talk about where he was, or the whining he was doing while I was going through all of this.) OH, there he goes......he deals with them for a few hours a day....can't wait for summer vacation!
Have a great night!
So how was your day?
Mine started out fighting kids to get dressed and ready for school. Then, when they should have been getting dressed, half of them went to Easter Baskets and got handfulls of candy to eat while they were getting dressed, or after, or on the way to school. Then there was the 6 year old, who stole an entire solid chocolate rabbit and was hiding under the dining room table trying to eat it all before we had to leave....Don't worry, the candy is gone now....I ate the rest of it...ok, not really, but I'm already tired of this crap 3 days after Easter so the candy has disappeared....I will eat it slowly.....BAHAHAHA! (Evil Mom laugh..)
After I finally kicked the kids out of the car at school, I headed for the Independent Living Center where my Dad is to deliver his most recent Walmart order. Then back home to start some laundry, dishes, etc. with my 28 year old special needs daughter. Within about 5 minutes she started throwing a huge fit, unfortunately she doesn't speak, so I just have to figure out what is wrong. I did, and she was happily watching Doc, otherwise known as Back to the Future II!
I settled in on the couch after starting the dishwasher and washer and dryer and the phone rang. It was a girlfriend I don't talk to often so I thought maybe we could have a nice long chat. Instead, she let me know that she had just seen an obituary in her local paper, my previous town, and wanted to let me know my Ex died on Saturday. GREEEAAATTTT! My Ex was 53, I'm sure he drank himself into the grave. (I might or might not talk about that another time.) But I am still in contact with his grandmother, who I still call Grandma. I don't speak to her all the time, but at least 2 or 3 times a year. I called her and she told me she was in a Nursing Home now and had only been there a week or two. Her Power of Attorney is not a family member, in fact he ran her over with a church bus once, I think guilt led him to be her POA. I talked to him after I talked to Grandma and he told me her mind was going and that she had been in the Nursing Home for about 4 months. I will be visiting her on Friday so I can assess the situation myself.
I have also been going through my Dad's Life Insurance information lately to make sure the beneficiary information is up to date since we lost my Mom almost a year ago. Tomorrow I will FAX my POA to the insurance companies who would not talk to me today so that I can get the information I need.
Then the kids came home from school and started screaming and fighting and looking for candy.....just a normal day for them! In the meantime I was still trying to talk to Life Insurance companies who could hear kids screaming, dogs barking, and television in the backround....sooo proffesional.
I had to forcibly take my 6 year old outside to pick up the coat he left on the basketball court in the backyard, and then make him pick up said coat when he threw it down on the floor in the mud room after I made him pick it up. I had one in the tub who apparently planned to stay there until tomorrow with her sister keeping her company in the bathroom. When she got out of the tub I made her brush her hair....I AM THE WORST MOM EEEEVVVVVEEEERRRR! When she was done, I asked to run the brush through her hair myself....yep, it was ugly, but I still have a pic from the '80s and it comes in handy. Oh and while I was detangling her hair I heard again...YOU ARE THE WORST MOM EEEEEVVVVEEERRR!
They are all in their PJs now, and upstairs with their Dad.....he will be screaming at them anytime now. (We won't talk about where he was, or the whining he was doing while I was going through all of this.) OH, there he goes......he deals with them for a few hours a day....can't wait for summer vacation!
Have a great night!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
You Might Be A Mom.....
Last night I started two different posts...one is something I want to tell you about myself and the other is an opinion. I started writing my opinion first, but then knew I had to go back and explain some things first. I couldn't get through it, and it may take two, three or four times to finish that particular blog....it is VERY painful for me and brings up memories I don't like....but it was an important time in my life and I want to share it with all of you. In the meantime....here is something I thought about today.
As I was making my potato, ham, cheese soup for supper tonight something started rolling around in my brain that I needed to get out....I will probably do a part two to this post and more...and I would LOVE to have some comments that add to the list. I hope the Moms out there can relate and laugh....
Being a Mom, Step Mom, Grandmother, etc. is not always easy.....yes, I can see many of you out there shaking your heads yes....but one of my favorite sayings in life is..."If I didn't laugh, I would cry...and I don't want to cry!" So here a just a few things I thought of today, and yes, most of them have happened right here in my house....here we go:
1. If you've ever served pancakes for supper amid shouts of "Yay, horray, and this is AWESOME."...You might be a Mom!
2. If you've ever yelled at a kid.."Stop biting the DOG!"... You might be a Mom!
3. If you've ever woken up in your kids' top bunk, or even a toddler bed because there were too many bodies in YOUR bed....You might be a Mom!
4. If you've ever chased a naked child around the front yard in your nightgown...You might be a Mom!
5. If you've ever woken up at 2:30 in the morning to every light in the house on and found your three year old sitting on the kitchen counter covered in Chocolate Frosting......You might be a Mom!
And finally......
6. If you've ever sat down on the couch, after everyone else is in bed, with a bottle of wine, pulled the cork and drank straight from the bottle because there are no clean glasses and you just don't give a SHIT....YOU MIGHT BE A MOM!
As I said above, I hope to add to this list and I would love to hear from other Mom's in the comment section.....some of my posts will be serious, some I hope will be funny....help me out ladies....tell me what it's like to be a MOM!
Have a great day!
As I was making my potato, ham, cheese soup for supper tonight something started rolling around in my brain that I needed to get out....I will probably do a part two to this post and more...and I would LOVE to have some comments that add to the list. I hope the Moms out there can relate and laugh....
Being a Mom, Step Mom, Grandmother, etc. is not always easy.....yes, I can see many of you out there shaking your heads yes....but one of my favorite sayings in life is..."If I didn't laugh, I would cry...and I don't want to cry!" So here a just a few things I thought of today, and yes, most of them have happened right here in my house....here we go:
1. If you've ever served pancakes for supper amid shouts of "Yay, horray, and this is AWESOME."...You might be a Mom!
2. If you've ever yelled at a kid.."Stop biting the DOG!"... You might be a Mom!
3. If you've ever woken up in your kids' top bunk, or even a toddler bed because there were too many bodies in YOUR bed....You might be a Mom!
4. If you've ever chased a naked child around the front yard in your nightgown...You might be a Mom!
5. If you've ever woken up at 2:30 in the morning to every light in the house on and found your three year old sitting on the kitchen counter covered in Chocolate Frosting......You might be a Mom!
And finally......
6. If you've ever sat down on the couch, after everyone else is in bed, with a bottle of wine, pulled the cork and drank straight from the bottle because there are no clean glasses and you just don't give a SHIT....YOU MIGHT BE A MOM!
As I said above, I hope to add to this list and I would love to hear from other Mom's in the comment section.....some of my posts will be serious, some I hope will be funny....help me out ladies....tell me what it's like to be a MOM!
Have a great day!
Friday, March 22, 2013
Step Parents....The Step Kids Will Appreciate You in the End
My husband and I are both step parents. It's not an easy job, there are a lot of arguments, name calling, and all out fights....and that's just my husband and I....
I KNOW being a step parent isn't easy. In fact my husband and I are BOTH step parents to the same child. Our oldest son. My husband met Shane's mother when Shane was six months old. He and Shane's mother had a 9 year live in relationship and my husband was the only Dad Shane ever knew.
When Shane's Mom decided she wanted to end the relationship, she moved out, my husband just came home from work and a whole lot of stuff was gone...but Shane was still there. She left Shane there for several months and had no contact with him. Shane's mother tried to get my husband to adopt Shane, only because she wanted him to pay child support. My husband paid many of Shane's bills over the years, school clothes, braces, doctor bills that were not paid by insurance. Shane spent weekends and summers with my husband and everything was fine, my husband was his Dad and Shane was his son.
In fact, the first time I met my husband, he introduced me to his son, Shane. I actually had no idea he was his stepdad for a long time. Shane was 13 when I met his Dad and I had 2 other children. I can honestly say that 13 is not the best age to meet your future step child....13 is not a good time with your biological children!
Then Shane's mom started throwing up roadblocks and trying to cause problems. Once she knew I was in the picture and would probably stay, she tried to get Shane away from his Dad. I saw what she was doing and countered many of her objections. Then, having met Shane's mother I came home from work one day and sat down to talk to him. I told him that his mother was going to tell him that his Dad and my children and I were a family now, and we didn't want or need him anymore. I told him nothing could be further from the truth, that we were his family and we wanted him to stay as a part of our family. I gave him several examples of things his Dad and I had done to counter his mother's objections. A few minutes later, his mother pulled up in the driveway and honked for him. His mother sat in MY driveway and said the very words I had told him were coming that very same day.....he was livid!
Shane's relationship with his mom was often strained over the years. I won't say she was crazy, but she was crazy! But please don't think that MY relationship with Shane was all sunshine and roses. Since his Mom was crazy, my husband had overindulged him and looked the other way over many issues, (little did I know that this is actually my husband's parenting style, and I would pay for it all over again with our 4 children!)
When I came into the picture, I had rules....lots of them. I didn't expect anything more of Shane than I did my own children, and he knew that. My husband made many excuses for him that I ignored and Shane and I went backwards/forwards/sideways/and upside down on many occassions. There were times when I thought this young man was going to hate me forever!
Then, one day, when Shane was living in another state, he called me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. I was amazed and thanked him, then I hung up the phone and burst into tears! I actually called Shane back and told him how much it meant to me that he had called ME to say Happy Mother's Day.
Through the years Shane has lived in three states and he has kept in contact with my husband and I through phone conversations and pictures, cards and letters. Shane got married and has a daughter, our oldest granchild. And then Shane wanted to come home, with his wife and our granddaughter. So he settled in a small town just a few miles from our farm and we see him and his family on a regular basis. We celebrate holidays, birthdays, and sometimes just regular days together.
Shane does not speak to his mother anymore, although I have encouraged him to answer her calls or call her on more than one occassion. I ask about her every once in a while...he doesn't know how she is, she lives in Alaska now.
The point here is this....if you are a good parent, no matter the battles you have with your step kids, at some point they all grow up and realize who was there for them when they stumbled, who picked them up when they fell, who backed them up and forced them to do things they didn't want to do, but were in their best interests in the long run. They remember and someday they will surprise you with a phone call for Mother's Day or Father's Day or your birthday and you will know it was all worth it in the end!
I KNOW being a step parent isn't easy. In fact my husband and I are BOTH step parents to the same child. Our oldest son. My husband met Shane's mother when Shane was six months old. He and Shane's mother had a 9 year live in relationship and my husband was the only Dad Shane ever knew.
When Shane's Mom decided she wanted to end the relationship, she moved out, my husband just came home from work and a whole lot of stuff was gone...but Shane was still there. She left Shane there for several months and had no contact with him. Shane's mother tried to get my husband to adopt Shane, only because she wanted him to pay child support. My husband paid many of Shane's bills over the years, school clothes, braces, doctor bills that were not paid by insurance. Shane spent weekends and summers with my husband and everything was fine, my husband was his Dad and Shane was his son.
In fact, the first time I met my husband, he introduced me to his son, Shane. I actually had no idea he was his stepdad for a long time. Shane was 13 when I met his Dad and I had 2 other children. I can honestly say that 13 is not the best age to meet your future step child....13 is not a good time with your biological children!
Then Shane's mom started throwing up roadblocks and trying to cause problems. Once she knew I was in the picture and would probably stay, she tried to get Shane away from his Dad. I saw what she was doing and countered many of her objections. Then, having met Shane's mother I came home from work one day and sat down to talk to him. I told him that his mother was going to tell him that his Dad and my children and I were a family now, and we didn't want or need him anymore. I told him nothing could be further from the truth, that we were his family and we wanted him to stay as a part of our family. I gave him several examples of things his Dad and I had done to counter his mother's objections. A few minutes later, his mother pulled up in the driveway and honked for him. His mother sat in MY driveway and said the very words I had told him were coming that very same day.....he was livid!
Shane's relationship with his mom was often strained over the years. I won't say she was crazy, but she was crazy! But please don't think that MY relationship with Shane was all sunshine and roses. Since his Mom was crazy, my husband had overindulged him and looked the other way over many issues, (little did I know that this is actually my husband's parenting style, and I would pay for it all over again with our 4 children!)
When I came into the picture, I had rules....lots of them. I didn't expect anything more of Shane than I did my own children, and he knew that. My husband made many excuses for him that I ignored and Shane and I went backwards/forwards/sideways/and upside down on many occassions. There were times when I thought this young man was going to hate me forever!
Then, one day, when Shane was living in another state, he called me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. I was amazed and thanked him, then I hung up the phone and burst into tears! I actually called Shane back and told him how much it meant to me that he had called ME to say Happy Mother's Day.
Through the years Shane has lived in three states and he has kept in contact with my husband and I through phone conversations and pictures, cards and letters. Shane got married and has a daughter, our oldest granchild. And then Shane wanted to come home, with his wife and our granddaughter. So he settled in a small town just a few miles from our farm and we see him and his family on a regular basis. We celebrate holidays, birthdays, and sometimes just regular days together.
Shane does not speak to his mother anymore, although I have encouraged him to answer her calls or call her on more than one occassion. I ask about her every once in a while...he doesn't know how she is, she lives in Alaska now.
The point here is this....if you are a good parent, no matter the battles you have with your step kids, at some point they all grow up and realize who was there for them when they stumbled, who picked them up when they fell, who backed them up and forced them to do things they didn't want to do, but were in their best interests in the long run. They remember and someday they will surprise you with a phone call for Mother's Day or Father's Day or your birthday and you will know it was all worth it in the end!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I am a BITCH....Don't Piss Me Off
I am angry tonight...very, very, very angry! And that makes me ANGRY! Because now I have no patience with my kids, my animals or anyone else and they are not the ones who made me angry!
If you know me, you know I am a person who wants to "save the world" (I've mentioned this before.) I will save animals, and people. I will give you anything I can, a roof over your head, the shirt off my back, I will feed you, I will give you the presents under my tree......I am not a millionaire so I can't give you money, but I will do what I can to help you, if you have a specific need, I will try to fill it. My family lives in perpetual fear that they will come home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just dinner one night and the table will be full of homeless people....and they will smile, make coversation and serve and do everything I have taught them to do to make everyone happy because that's just the way it is!
I am a sucker....I will listen to your hard luck story....and I will try to help. I don't understand how the people I help can take advantage of others....it hurts me more than I can say! The world should not be like this....I don't want to be disappointed...when I see a guy holding a sign that says "will work for food," if I don't have work, then I will give him my last $5 because I do have food. Are some of these people taking advantage of me? Well yes they are, but I will take that chance.
Is it so much to hope that the people you help will Pay It Forward? I do stupid stuff, like pay for the meal of the next car behind me in the drive-thru, or drop a $100 bill on the counter for someone I see paying for their groceries with food stamps, so maybe they will have an extra $100 worth of food this month. And I know that many of you are thinking I'm an idiot because some of those people will take that extra $100 and sell it off for something else...but I live in a small town in Kansas, not a big city, so I hope they will just be happy for that extra $100.
When you live in a small town you know alot of people....maybe KNOW is not the right word but I am involved in the PTA, I am in the school several times a week, my children participate in local sports...even if you don't know me...good or bad you've probably heard of me. I would hope that if some stranger walked into town today and asked people about me they would hear mostly good things...sure there will be bad stuff too, but I hope I am well thought of in our small town.
Please don't think, reading that last paragraph, that I am someone who craves acceptance or atta' girls, I'm not. I speak my mind, good or bad, I say stuff I shouldn't, I yell at my kids at their games, I do alot of things that can allienate people. I do things behind the scenes in many cases, and I don't care if anyone ever knows about it.
So, reading back, it looks like I have just given you all the reasons you should like me...but today, that UGLY BITCH reared her head. Today, I found out that someone I've helped for months on end took advantage of someone else.....someone like me, someone trusting, naive and innocent....(ok we all know I am not niave and innocent but she was.) This is what made me ANGRY and this is what this post is all about.
I know there are people in this world who are users...but I don't want those people in MY world. And when you use someone that I know, through association, you have used ME....and when it becomes connected to MY name, you have used ME again. And at some point I WILL MAKE YOU VERY SORRY! You have used people in this town for years...I hope I will be the last....don't use my name as a reference, it won't be good. You have a family and children, you grew up here, and you have burned your last bridge! I will make sure that no one EVER does anything for you in this town again...I feel sorry for your kids, but YOU set the example for them...and YOU will pay the consequences.
I will not get into the detail here, I just needed to rant....but please if you are like me, a "save the world" person, don't let a few people get you down...I am feeling better already because I just put my rant down in words...I will STILL try to save the world...I just need to check a few references first!
Have a great day!
If you know me, you know I am a person who wants to "save the world" (I've mentioned this before.) I will save animals, and people. I will give you anything I can, a roof over your head, the shirt off my back, I will feed you, I will give you the presents under my tree......I am not a millionaire so I can't give you money, but I will do what I can to help you, if you have a specific need, I will try to fill it. My family lives in perpetual fear that they will come home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just dinner one night and the table will be full of homeless people....and they will smile, make coversation and serve and do everything I have taught them to do to make everyone happy because that's just the way it is!
I am a sucker....I will listen to your hard luck story....and I will try to help. I don't understand how the people I help can take advantage of others....it hurts me more than I can say! The world should not be like this....I don't want to be disappointed...when I see a guy holding a sign that says "will work for food," if I don't have work, then I will give him my last $5 because I do have food. Are some of these people taking advantage of me? Well yes they are, but I will take that chance.
Is it so much to hope that the people you help will Pay It Forward? I do stupid stuff, like pay for the meal of the next car behind me in the drive-thru, or drop a $100 bill on the counter for someone I see paying for their groceries with food stamps, so maybe they will have an extra $100 worth of food this month. And I know that many of you are thinking I'm an idiot because some of those people will take that extra $100 and sell it off for something else...but I live in a small town in Kansas, not a big city, so I hope they will just be happy for that extra $100.
When you live in a small town you know alot of people....maybe KNOW is not the right word but I am involved in the PTA, I am in the school several times a week, my children participate in local sports...even if you don't know me...good or bad you've probably heard of me. I would hope that if some stranger walked into town today and asked people about me they would hear mostly good things...sure there will be bad stuff too, but I hope I am well thought of in our small town.
Please don't think, reading that last paragraph, that I am someone who craves acceptance or atta' girls, I'm not. I speak my mind, good or bad, I say stuff I shouldn't, I yell at my kids at their games, I do alot of things that can allienate people. I do things behind the scenes in many cases, and I don't care if anyone ever knows about it.
So, reading back, it looks like I have just given you all the reasons you should like me...but today, that UGLY BITCH reared her head. Today, I found out that someone I've helped for months on end took advantage of someone else.....someone like me, someone trusting, naive and innocent....(ok we all know I am not niave and innocent but she was.) This is what made me ANGRY and this is what this post is all about.
I know there are people in this world who are users...but I don't want those people in MY world. And when you use someone that I know, through association, you have used ME....and when it becomes connected to MY name, you have used ME again. And at some point I WILL MAKE YOU VERY SORRY! You have used people in this town for years...I hope I will be the last....don't use my name as a reference, it won't be good. You have a family and children, you grew up here, and you have burned your last bridge! I will make sure that no one EVER does anything for you in this town again...I feel sorry for your kids, but YOU set the example for them...and YOU will pay the consequences.
I will not get into the detail here, I just needed to rant....but please if you are like me, a "save the world" person, don't let a few people get you down...I am feeling better already because I just put my rant down in words...I will STILL try to save the world...I just need to check a few references first!
Have a great day!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Another World.....
I don't know about all of you, but sometimes, I just need to get away! I mean come on, the house is wreck, there are between 5 and 7 children/grandchildren here most of the time, there are dogs, cats, horses and a goat, and I just need to escape! There are many forms of escape. Some people go on vacations, a cruise, a date night....others choose chemical escapes (I don't approve of those)....there are many ways to escape the hustle and bustle of life. For me, my escape is in books!
I love to read. I read Regency Romance novels frequently. The hero or heroine, ok mostly the heroine, starts out in trouble, because of money or low birth, or rumors Most of the plots are pretty simple....they don't like each other and are thrown together due to undesirable circumstances....eventually they fall in love....(ok sometimes there is some intimate stuff involved here) then through misunderstandings or unforeseen circumstances they don't like each other again...and then in the end all is right with their world, they are pregnant or have a kid and you know they will all live happily ever after in their wonderful mansion or castle or whatever. Is it real...NO, and if I could conjure up spirits from the Regency period I doubt they would tell me their lives were so wonderful...but in MY fantasy world, where I go to escape, that's how it is!
I don't just read romances though. There have been Wizards and Witches and Vampires, Lords, Ladies, Knights, Kings, Queens, and Dukes, Gods and Goddesses and their children in my other world. Sometimes the world as we know it is gone, and people are trying to survive.....sometimes there are animals who help people. I have to say some of my favorite characters in this other world are animals or children of various shapes and sizes.
I read many books, some of them are childrens' books I read to my kids at night, Some of the books I read. are happy and some are heart wrentching and make me cry, sometimes they are from a completely different time and place, from the future or the past. But the most important thing is they take me with them.....
Many of the books I have read been made into movies or television shows that do the same thing...take us to places we never thought we would be, see things we never thought we would , the ghosts, the witches, the costumes, flying cars, whatever, it's another world. It's not my living room filled with toys and laundry and it's not my messy kitchen!
I have to say that I prefer the pictures in my head. Because you see, when a book is well written, I go there in my mind....I am a bystander at the ball, seeing the elaborate dresses and costumes, I am in the stands during a game, I am on the battlefield...I can see it all in my mind, I am there....and Ladies and Gentlemen that is exactly where you should be too! A well written book takes you to places you have never been, days gone by, imaginary places, places that don't even exist yet or maybe never will....but you can see them....you can be a part of that time and place in your imagination. When you see a movie, you see what the Director and Producer want you to see....it's may or may not be what you have seen in your mind...and there is NEVER enough time in a movie to tell the story the way it was told in the book. There are too many details in a well written book that can not be brought out on screen.
So do yourself a favor, if you need to de-stress, go somewhere else, get away from it all....read a book....and see where it takes you! And someday, I hope I will be able to take you there too...I have always wanted to write books, I'm starting with a blog....lets see where it take me!
I love to read. I read Regency Romance novels frequently. The hero or heroine, ok mostly the heroine, starts out in trouble, because of money or low birth, or rumors Most of the plots are pretty simple....they don't like each other and are thrown together due to undesirable circumstances....eventually they fall in love....(ok sometimes there is some intimate stuff involved here) then through misunderstandings or unforeseen circumstances they don't like each other again...and then in the end all is right with their world, they are pregnant or have a kid and you know they will all live happily ever after in their wonderful mansion or castle or whatever. Is it real...NO, and if I could conjure up spirits from the Regency period I doubt they would tell me their lives were so wonderful...but in MY fantasy world, where I go to escape, that's how it is!
I don't just read romances though. There have been Wizards and Witches and Vampires, Lords, Ladies, Knights, Kings, Queens, and Dukes, Gods and Goddesses and their children in my other world. Sometimes the world as we know it is gone, and people are trying to survive.....sometimes there are animals who help people. I have to say some of my favorite characters in this other world are animals or children of various shapes and sizes.
I read many books, some of them are childrens' books I read to my kids at night, Some of the books I read. are happy and some are heart wrentching and make me cry, sometimes they are from a completely different time and place, from the future or the past. But the most important thing is they take me with them.....
Many of the books I have read been made into movies or television shows that do the same thing...take us to places we never thought we would be, see things we never thought we would , the ghosts, the witches, the costumes, flying cars, whatever, it's another world. It's not my living room filled with toys and laundry and it's not my messy kitchen!
I have to say that I prefer the pictures in my head. Because you see, when a book is well written, I go there in my mind....I am a bystander at the ball, seeing the elaborate dresses and costumes, I am in the stands during a game, I am on the battlefield...I can see it all in my mind, I am there....and Ladies and Gentlemen that is exactly where you should be too! A well written book takes you to places you have never been, days gone by, imaginary places, places that don't even exist yet or maybe never will....but you can see them....you can be a part of that time and place in your imagination. When you see a movie, you see what the Director and Producer want you to see....it's may or may not be what you have seen in your mind...and there is NEVER enough time in a movie to tell the story the way it was told in the book. There are too many details in a well written book that can not be brought out on screen.
So do yourself a favor, if you need to de-stress, go somewhere else, get away from it all....read a book....and see where it takes you! And someday, I hope I will be able to take you there too...I have always wanted to write books, I'm starting with a blog....lets see where it take me!
Friday, March 15, 2013
I Have a Confession to Make
Ok everyone, I have a confession to make.....I've become a neglectful, some might say abusive, pet owner....the dogs, the cats, the horses, and the goat are all fine. But the poor Beta Fish is just not getting enough of my attention. Not that the fish is mine, mind you, but as with all animals in my house, you know who is taking care of them....ME.
So here is how it all started. You all know that I am one of those people who is going to "save the world" as often as possible. My daughter in law has also begun to pick up on some of this, (my son is not happy with me for this) and she goes off on causes every once in a while. Some of her causes are a little strange...this is one of them. Her latest cause is to save as many Walmart Beta fish as possible. She believes they are being improperly cared for and abused by Walmart and some of their customers (probably smart ass kids.) She has found several of them dumped together in the same bowl....for those of you that don't know Betas are fighting fish...so when you put two or more of them together in the same bowl they fight and tear each other up. In order to prevent this abuse, my daughter in law has been trying to purchase as many Beta as she can. I have not been to her house lately, but I'm sure there are fish bowls covering many surfaces....
Unfortunately for me, two of my children celebrated their birthdays a couple of months ago. Guess what she gave them for their birthday presents....that's right, Betas, with their own bowls and everything. The children were thrilled, they have always wanted fish. I, on the other hand, was not thrilled. First of all, Betas basically do nothing but hang there in the bowl, I mean goldfish at least swim around and are active and can be slightly amusing. The only difference I can see between a dead Beta and a live one is the live one is upright and the dead one is upside down!
My youngest named his fish Spiderman, as it was red and blue. I do not remember what my daughter named her fish, but I'm sure it has a name. I have named it Lucky because it has managed to live so far!
Spiderman was murdered within about a week of arriving. I had worried about my cats because the bowls are small and the cats can reach in and get the fish. I will say at least, that the fish DO move when a cat paw is reaching into the bowl, rather than just hang there, unfortunately this tends to excite the cat more.....but Spiderman was not killed by a cat, he was killed by his 6 year old owner who was squishing him with the little fish net. My daughter in law was heartbroken, as Spiderman was the first fish she saved and special to her. I on the other hand was amazed that he lived that long.
But back to the abuse and neglect of Lucky. I will say that maintenance of a Beta is fairly easy, I am supposed to just put him in a cup of distilled water, rinse out his little bowl and fill it with distilled water and put him back in. I am also supposed to feed him 3 tiny little balls a day. Unfortunately Lucky sits on an end table at the opposite of the end of the couch where I usually sit, so I forget he is there, alot. I notice him when I have to yell at the cats to stop drinking his water. I believe the cats' plan is to drink all the water and then they can grab the fish without getting wet. Cats are so diabolical! Sometimes when I notice a cat drinking his water he has only an inch or so left. I have not been cleaning his little bowl once a week, and if you saw more poor skeletal little blue fish you would know I have not been feeding him regularly....I feel terrible, I have never been a neglectful or abusive to animals before. I have even tried leaving the fish food and distilled water behind the lamp on the table to help me remember and have it easily accessible. This plan failed when I found that the distilled water and fish food were also easily accessible to my 6 year old and my 4 year old grandson....thankfully I noticed the half a can of fish food in Lucky's water right away, I just had to run to Walmart to buy more distilled water since it was all over the living room carpet.
So I'm asking all of you to say a little prayer for Lucky. I'm also asking for a prayer for myself as I am sure I will be punished by God for this neglectful and abusive behavior. I am going to try and do better. I have already cleaned Lucky's bowl and fed him today. Now I just have to remember he is there tomorrow.....
Have a Great Day!
So here is how it all started. You all know that I am one of those people who is going to "save the world" as often as possible. My daughter in law has also begun to pick up on some of this, (my son is not happy with me for this) and she goes off on causes every once in a while. Some of her causes are a little strange...this is one of them. Her latest cause is to save as many Walmart Beta fish as possible. She believes they are being improperly cared for and abused by Walmart and some of their customers (probably smart ass kids.) She has found several of them dumped together in the same bowl....for those of you that don't know Betas are fighting fish...so when you put two or more of them together in the same bowl they fight and tear each other up. In order to prevent this abuse, my daughter in law has been trying to purchase as many Beta as she can. I have not been to her house lately, but I'm sure there are fish bowls covering many surfaces....
Unfortunately for me, two of my children celebrated their birthdays a couple of months ago. Guess what she gave them for their birthday presents....that's right, Betas, with their own bowls and everything. The children were thrilled, they have always wanted fish. I, on the other hand, was not thrilled. First of all, Betas basically do nothing but hang there in the bowl, I mean goldfish at least swim around and are active and can be slightly amusing. The only difference I can see between a dead Beta and a live one is the live one is upright and the dead one is upside down!
My youngest named his fish Spiderman, as it was red and blue. I do not remember what my daughter named her fish, but I'm sure it has a name. I have named it Lucky because it has managed to live so far!
Spiderman was murdered within about a week of arriving. I had worried about my cats because the bowls are small and the cats can reach in and get the fish. I will say at least, that the fish DO move when a cat paw is reaching into the bowl, rather than just hang there, unfortunately this tends to excite the cat more.....but Spiderman was not killed by a cat, he was killed by his 6 year old owner who was squishing him with the little fish net. My daughter in law was heartbroken, as Spiderman was the first fish she saved and special to her. I on the other hand was amazed that he lived that long.
But back to the abuse and neglect of Lucky. I will say that maintenance of a Beta is fairly easy, I am supposed to just put him in a cup of distilled water, rinse out his little bowl and fill it with distilled water and put him back in. I am also supposed to feed him 3 tiny little balls a day. Unfortunately Lucky sits on an end table at the opposite of the end of the couch where I usually sit, so I forget he is there, alot. I notice him when I have to yell at the cats to stop drinking his water. I believe the cats' plan is to drink all the water and then they can grab the fish without getting wet. Cats are so diabolical! Sometimes when I notice a cat drinking his water he has only an inch or so left. I have not been cleaning his little bowl once a week, and if you saw more poor skeletal little blue fish you would know I have not been feeding him regularly....I feel terrible, I have never been a neglectful or abusive to animals before. I have even tried leaving the fish food and distilled water behind the lamp on the table to help me remember and have it easily accessible. This plan failed when I found that the distilled water and fish food were also easily accessible to my 6 year old and my 4 year old grandson....thankfully I noticed the half a can of fish food in Lucky's water right away, I just had to run to Walmart to buy more distilled water since it was all over the living room carpet.
So I'm asking all of you to say a little prayer for Lucky. I'm also asking for a prayer for myself as I am sure I will be punished by God for this neglectful and abusive behavior. I am going to try and do better. I have already cleaned Lucky's bowl and fed him today. Now I just have to remember he is there tomorrow.....
Have a Great Day!
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