The Morningside Project

RA Is Not "arthritis" - A PSA about Rheumatoid Arthritis

2010-11-05T10:21:00.001-04:00

Rheumatoid Arthritis is certainly NOT your grandmother's arthritis. I will die close to 10 years sooner than I would have without it. I am gradually becoming more crippled all the time. Please watch this video, then consider how to help. We are trying to increase public awareness of RA. Please share this video with your family and friends.

My Great New Kitchen!

2010-10-18T09:55:00.000-04:00

Create a scrapbooking design

We ARE the Economy!

2010-09-07T18:50:00.003-04:00

We decided a while back to re-do the kitchen.

We are helping the economy by purchasing:
24 cabinets and their associated hardware, and 24 feet of beech chopping block countertop from IKEA
200 sq feet of Jatoba (Brazilian Cherry) laminate flooring, 2 ceiling fans, and assorted hardware, piping, venting, etc, from Home Depot
3 ceramic tile murals through Overstock.com
40 cobalt blue bullnose tiles from finecraftsimports.com
1 new 24 sq ft upright freezer (the old one died at the wrong time), 1 new sink and a new faucet assembly from Lowes
1 18 x 24inch Pella triple paned window with Argon between panes and a miniblind between two other panes (30% of cost will be a tax credit, but that's not much)
Employing 1 worker for 7 weeks - full time
Paying another worker for 8 days of work - full time - to do the electrics
Paying an HVAC company for installing vents and changing some of the air runs
Spending money on gasoline going to and from IKEA more times than we can count, trips to Home Depot, trips to Lowes
Spending money on food delivery (PapaJohns, Locos, etc) that we otherwise would not have had delivered
Spending money on paper plates and plastic cups, plasticware, and many more paper towels that we otherwise would not have purchased.

Now, just what is the economy going to do for us? Can we get income tax credits or a "chunky" income tax refund for all this? Only for the Pella window.

I will shortly detail some of the processes in this undertaking, but just wanted people to understand that there are economic implications other than just the money we are spending on this project. And there are economic implications other than just the money YOU spend on similar projects. We people who purchase "things," be they groceries, items for our homes, maintenance items, fuel for autos, lawnmowers, blowers, gas grills, motorcycles, etc, are the backbone of this economy. We ALL deserve some recognition for our economic support activities!

"The Economy" is not just the trillions spent by the government, it is, even more, the trillions that "we the people" spend personally. We ARE the economy!

New Widgets About Health

2009-09-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

I have added some widgets from the CDC. Goodness knows, I've been in the health biz for over 45 years (OMG!), so I ought to be promoting it!

Not only do we have to deal with our "regular" seasonal flu this year, but there is Swine Flu (H1N1) to contend with. Prevention is the same as for seasonal flu - the CDC website recommends:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.*
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick.
While sick, limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
Visit the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/) to find out what to do if you get sick with the flu and how to care for someone at home who is sick with the flu.
*Though the scientific evidence is not as extensive as that on hand washing and alcohol-based sanitizers, other hand sanitizers that do not contain alcohol may be useful for killing flu germs on hands in settings where alcohol-based products are prohibited.

Antivirals can treat flu. They don't cure it, but they shorten the length of time you are sick. According to the CDC:

If you get seasonal or novel H1N1 flu, antiviral drugs can treat the flu.
Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body.
Antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications.
Antiviral drugs are not sold over-the-counter and are different from antibiotics.
Antiviral drugs may be especially important for people who are very sick (hospitalized) or people who are sick with the flu and who are at increased risk of serious flu complications, such as pregnant women, young children and those with chronic health conditions.
For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within the first 2 days of symptoms.
Flu-like symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose muscle aches, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.

I last had flu back in the 1960's - it was really rough. I was about 18 or 19. My temp went up to 105, and I was so weak I couldn't always get to the bathroom in time. I ached all over - like someone had been hammering me with a sledge hammer. I had febrile hallucinations. My chest hurt - if I coughed it was worse, but if I didn't cough I couldn't breathe. The sore throat and runny nose were minor compared to the rest. And, yes, I had diarrhea and vomiting. Horrible. It lasted a full 2 weeks. I missed so many classes I had to drop out for the rest of the school year. It didn't help that I had just sort of recovered from a bad case of infectious mononucleosis. With my resistance reduced by the mono, I suppose I was more susceptible to other infections. Seasonal flu that year was really bad, so I probably would have been nearly that sick anyway.

Don't try to be a stoic and just keep going! First, you'll give it to others; second, you'll be sicker than you would have been, and third, you'll be sicker longer.

To treat flu, whether seasonal or H1N1, the CDC recommends:

Stay home from work or school.
Get lots of rest, drink plenty of liquids, and avoid using alcohol and tobacco.
There are over-the-counter (OTC) medications to relieve the symptoms of the flu (but never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms, particularly fever).
Remember that serious illness from the flu is more likely in certain groups of people including people 65 and older, pregnant women, people with certain chronic medical conditions and young children.
Consult your doctor early on for the best treatment, but also be aware of emergency warning signs that require urgent medical attention.

So, that's my homage to the flu season. Have a safe and healthy one!

Time for Demo!

2008-11-01T01:59:00.001-04:00

Today I'm going to do a demonstration with Emmy for the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association.
http://www.gwinnettwoodworkers.com/
We were among the early members of GWA, and the Ol' Curmudgeon was the first elected president of GWA.
The members of this club have been wonderful about holding little raffles and holding displays of their work with auctions of the entries - and this is being contributed toward my monetary obligation to PAALS.
http://www.paals.org/gpage.html
Pictures probably will be taken, and I'll download them and place them here.

Friends

2008-10-31T11:22:00.000-04:00

What would we do without friends? Now that I'm so immobile, I rely more and more on internet connections to keep up with my friends.

Tomorrow (Sat, Nov 1, 08) Emmy and I plan to attend the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association meeting with the Ol' Curmudgeon. If I am able. If so, I may be able to present a small demo to these people who have been so supportive of my getting Emmy. They have been holding small raffles and doing actions to raise money for my dog. What a wonderful, generous group of people! I believe the LEAST I can do is bring her to be shown off!

New Place!

2008-10-27T15:07:00.000-04:00

All those previous entries were imported from my Blogspot (Blogger) account. When Blogger locked me out and said I was "spam," I saw red. Once I could post again, I referred everyone to one of my other blogs and vowed I'd never use Blogger again!

So, now I'm in a new place, and I'm adding a new blog. Don't know what on earth I'll talk about here that I'm not talking about somewhere else:
http://livingwiththewoof.wordpress.com wherein I discuss my service dog, Emmy!
http://turtlemom3.wordpress.com mostly about the church calendar and religion
http://thefunniesetc.wordpress.com Wherein I post silly stuff received via e-mail
http://morningsidedrive.wordpress.com Nostalgia for my growing up years

But I'll think of something!

Blocked - Locked - Mocked and SHOCKED!

2008-05-06T09:30:00.002-04:00

This probably will be the last post you will see here.

Catch the NEW BLOG HERE. I'll be gradually posting the old posts from this site as well as adding new posts.

Blogger decided this was a **spam** blog, and locked me out for 5 days!! I wasn't permitted to contact a *real* person, just automatic responders. No explanation of what it was about my blog that was causing the problem.

To top it off, "they" were not even courteous enough to notify me that my blog was active again. I kept checking it, of course, and **finally,** today, I could get into it. But no notification of why my blog was LOCKED for 5 long days, no notification that it was unlocked, and no APOLOGY for locking it - for no real reason - to begin with.

For those reasons I'm doing this. I'm furious about this! This is NO WAY to treat a client - free or not.

So, "farewell," to this site, and "hello," to the new site! Hope to see you there!

5 Things meme

2008-04-24T07:03:00.000-04:00

OK - I got this from Meg on Muttonings (which is a great Blog)!

What I was doing 10 years ago:

Realizing I was getting too disabled to work any longer, but not wanting to go through the "disability battle"
Wondering if DD and I would ever have a decent relationship
Wanting to move into a different house, but not wanting to go through the misery of moving
Trying to survive my DD's pre-divorce throes of emotional upsets
Working on developing the Orthodox Women's List and the Choir Cues

Five things on my To Do List today:

Take a shower and wash hair (major productions, anymore)
Grocery shopping
Laundry - 1 load
Clear off the dining table
Change out the litter boxes and "do" the downstairs bathroom

Five snacks I enjoy:

chocolate, in moderation - or not!
vanilla wafers - one of my ongoing addictions, made more bearable since the Ol' Curmudgeon has started making them.
krispy treats - love 'em
fresh cherries
chocolate dipped anything

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

See my CPA about how to protect as much as possible from the gun-totin' IRS!
10% off the top goes to the Church, divvy'd up among various parishes, monastaries, dioceses and Metropolitanates.
Set up an Educational Trust Fund for our descendants.
Set up a Retirement Fund and a Medical Fund for us
Establish an Orthodox School system K-college in the Atlanta area

Five places I have visited:

San Francisco CA
Philadelphia PA
Boise ID
Kalamazoo Mich
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada

Five places I would like to visit:

Moscow, Russia
St. Petersburg, ditto
Kizl Russia
Vashon Island, Washington (Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour)
Jordanville NY (Holy Trinity Monastery)

Five jobs I have had:

Temporary typist
OB nurse
Nurse Midwife
Assistant Professor Nursing Clemson University
Legal Nurse Consultant

Your turn!

What's Your Theme Song??

2008-04-20T13:45:00.001-04:00

What's Your Theme Song?
Step in the Focus Theme Song-a-tron, find out & send to your friends.

This is mine! Isn't it a scream??!!

Babies as Punishment?!

2008-04-06T20:27:00.001-04:00

Obama Says He Doesn't Want His Daughters Punished with a Baby
March 31, 2008

A lot has been made (by both sides) in this Democratic primary race that "words matter". Well, The Brody File brings you this:

At a town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon, Barack Obama told the crowd that he didn't want his daughters, "punished with a baby". [--MORE--]

Look, I'm against abortion, but I don't view babies as "punishment." Babies are a gift from God - and like many other gifts from God, they involve responsibilities, commitment, and self-sacrifice. Is it "punishment" to accept responsibility, to make a commitment, to sacrifice your own wants and druthers for the needs of a helpless baby?

I don't think so!

Where is all the media outrage??

I am Tigger!!

2008-04-01T18:26:00.000-04:00

I scored 18 Ego, 13 Anxiety, and 18 Agency

And as they went, Tigger told Roo (who wanted to know) all about the things that Tiggers could do.

"Can they fly?" asked Roo.

"Yes," said Tigger, "they're very good flyers, Tiggers are. Strornry good flyers."

"Oo!" said Roo. "Can they fly as well as Owl?"

"Yes," said Tigger. "Only they don't want to."

"Why don't they want to?" well, they just don't like it somehow."

Roo couldn't understand this, because he thought it would be lovely to be able to fly, but Tigger said it was difficult to explain to anybody who wasn't a Tigger himself.

You scored as Tigger!

ABOUT TIGGER: Tigger is the newest addition to the Hundred Acre Wood, and he lives with Kanga and Roo, because Roo's strengthening medicine turned out to be the thing that Tiggers like best. Tigger is bouncy and confident - some of his friends think he is a little TOO bouncy and confident, but attempts to unbounce him tend to be fruitless.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are a positive and confident person. You feel capable of dealing with anything and everything, and funnily enough, you usually ARE. You don't worry about much, and you love to go out and find new adventures.

Your friends and family might sometimes be a little exasperated by your boundless enthusiasm. You don't like to admit your mistakes, and when you find yourself in over you head, you tend to bluff your way out of things. You would be surprised, however, at how happy the people around you would be if you would actually admit to a mistake. It would make you seem more human, somehow.

= = =

I think this one has me nailed!! How, I don't know, but there I am! :)

Ephemerancy - Is That a Word?

2008-03-22T10:06:00.002-04:00

I am waiting for a service dog. I've been approved and accepted, and I'm waiting for the dog to be matched and trained and paid for! While I'm waiting, I'm doing all I can to prepare, naturally. I read, I talk, I research.

Naturally, one "knows" that people live longer than dogs do. As I'm a "senior citizen," I've made arrangements for the dog for when I die, assuming I will die before the dog will. But, what if I don't die first???

I follow some blogs by / about service dogs. One of them, SSD Winston, died the first of this month. It was so sad. He had been sick off and on for a while, but seemed to be getting better, when he suddenly became worse and had to be put to sleep. There was time for all of his "family" to get together and say goodbye to him, but still, how hard for all involved! He was the mainstay for his disabled partner, and now she is alone. She is less independent, less able to function, more dependent upon the vagaries of other people who have their own lives to live. She is most perturbed.

Another one, Venney, was in England. He lived to 12, which is old age for a Labrador Retriever. He will be missed by all his friends, but especially by his disabled partner who is devastated.

And I will be lost if I should outlive my service dog. To grow together in a relationship of mutual interdependency that is similar to a marriage, and then to lose the partner who makes your independence possible - that just seems to be terribly, impossibly tragic.

Yet, perhaps this is a metaphor for all of our lives.

Ephemerancy.

545 Responsible People

2008-03-17T15:59:00.000-04:00

HOW TRUE! Finally someone most of us can agree with. I don’t know if this guy is real or what, but it is an interesting idea. A bit simplified, (there are economic cycles and outside influences) …but he still has some good points. And of course, we are responsible for whom we vote for.

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years, reporting on everything from sports to politics. From 1969-71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states. He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He now writes a syndicated column which is carried on LewRockwell.com. Reese served two years active duty in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner

THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMERICA’S WOES

BY CHARLEY REESE

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don’t write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don’t set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don’t control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices-545 human beings out of the 300 million-are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton- picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.

No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

A CONFIDENCE CONSPIRACY Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a SPEAKER, who stood up and criticized G.W. BUSH for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto.

REPLACE THE SCOUNDRELS

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted-by present facts-of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can’t think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in IRAQ, it’s because t hey want them in IRAQ.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses–provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees. We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.

= = = = =

Elizabeth sez: OK Peepul - There it is in pretty clear language. It’s up to US to oversee the idiots in Washington and make sure they allocate and spend our - OUR - OUR!!! - money wisely and carefully. WE make the decisions about who our Representatives are, who our Senators are, who our President is. They, in turn, make the decisions as to who the Supreme Court Justices are, who the people on the Federal Reserve Bank Board are. You’ll see this on my other blogs, too!

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years, reporting on everything from sports to politics. From 1969-71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states. He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He now writes a syndicated column which is carried on LewRockwell.com. Reese served two years active duty in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner HOW TRUE! Finally someone most of us can agree with. I don’t know if this guy is real or what, but it is an interesting idea. A bit simplified, (there are economic cycles and outside influences) …but he still has some good points. And of course, we are responsible for whom we vote for.

Which Beautiful Fairy Are You?

2008-03-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

Which Beautiful Fairy Are You?

Earth Fairy:-- *ADVENTUROUS and CARING* You have a very interesting personality. You can be slightly emotional but you don't let it show. You get along very well with animals and are quite a solitary person (*I mean fairy*)who will spend plenty of time exploring outside alone. You may not be extremely smart (as in math and such), but you are very wise regarding the values of life, love and friendship. Also, you are competitive and adventurous. when you are older, you are most likely to be a reserved person who likes to garden, or an outdoorsy person who likes camping, canoeing, kayaking etc.
Take this quiz!

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When my mind is as blank as the page, I go to Quizilla!

Civility

2008-03-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

Just maybe we have not been teaching our children the things they REALLY need in this life!!

*Washington, George. Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation: a Book of Etiquette. Williamsburg, VA: Beaver Press, 1971.

George Washington, as a boy, copied out these rules of civility and decent behavior from a Jesuit manual. Richard Brookhiser, in his book on Washington wrote that "all modern manners in the western world were originally aristocratic. Courtesy meant behavior appropriate to a court; chivalry comes from chevalier – a knight. Yet Washington was to dedicate himself to freeing America from a court's control. Could manners survive the operation? Without realizing it, the Jesuits who wrote them, and the young man who copied them, were outlining and absorbing a system of courtesy appropriate to equals and near-equals. When the company for whom the decent behavior was to be performed expanded to the nation, Washington was ready. Parson Weems got this right, when he wrote that it was 'no wonder every body honoured him who honoured every body.'" Richard Brookhiser, Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington (New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996) pp. 130-131.

George Washington's Rules of Civility

The Exercise of a Schoolboy*

George Washington, sometime before the age of 16, transcribed Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation. (Original errors in numbering have been corrected; original spelling is unchanged.)

1st Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.

2d When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usualy Discovered.

3d Shew Nothing to your Freind that may affright him.

4th In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.

5th If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkercheif or Hand before your face and turn aside.

6th Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

7th Put not off your Cloths in the presence of Others, nor go out your Chamber half Drest.

8th At Play and at Fire its Good manners to Give Place to the last Commer, and affect not to Speak Louder than Ordinary.

9th Spit not in the Fire, nor Stoop low before it neither Put your Hands into the Flames to warm them, nor Set your Feet upon the Fire especially if there be meat before it.

10th When you Sit down, Keep your Feet firm and Even, without putting one on the other or Crossing them.

11th Shift not yourself in the Sight of others nor Gnaw your nails.

12th Shake not the head, Feet, or Legs rowl not the Eys lift not one eyebrow higher than the other wry not the mouth, and bedew no mans face with your Spittle, by approaching too near him when you Speak.

13th Kill no Vermin as Fleas, lice ticks &c in the Sight of Others, if you See any filth or thick Spittle put your foot Dexteriously upon it if it be upon the Cloths of your Companions, Put it off privately, and if it be upon your own Cloths return Thanks to him who puts it off.

14th Turn not your Back to others especially in Speaking, Jog not the Table or Desk on which Another reads or writes, lean not upon any one.

15th Keep your Nails clean and Short, also your Hands and Teeth Clean yet without Shewing any great Concern for them.

16th Do not Puff up the Cheeks, Loll not out the tongue rub the Hands, or beard, thrust out the lips, or bite them or keep the Lips too open or too Close.

17th Be no Flatterer, neither Play with any that delights not to be Play'd Withal.

18th Read no Letters, Books, or Papers in Company but when there is a Necessity for the doing of it you must ask leave: come not near the Books or Writings of Another so as to read them unless desired or give your opinion of them unask'd also look not nigh when another is writing a Letter.

19th let your Countenance be pleasant but in Serious Matters Somewhat grave.

20th The Gestures of the Body must be Suited to the discourse you are upon.

21st: Reproach none for the Infirmaties of Nature, nor Delight to Put them that have in mind thereof.

22d Shew not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

23d When you see a Crime punished, you may be inwardly Pleased; but always shew Pity to the Suffering Offender.

24th Do not laugh too loud or too much at any Publick Spectacle.

25th Superfluous Complements and all Affectation of Ceremonie are to be avoided, yet where due they are not to be Neglected.

26th In Pulling off your Hat to Persons of Distinction, as Noblemen, Justices, Churchmen &c make a Reverence, bowing more or less according to the Custom of the Better Bred, and Quality of the Person. Amongst your equals expect not always that they Should begin with you first, but to Pull off the Hat when there is no need is Affectation, in the Manner of Saluting and resaluting in words keep to the most usual Custom.

27th Tis ill manners to bid one more eminent than yourself be covered as well as not to do it to whom it's due Likewise he that makes too much haste to Put on his hat does not well, yet he ought to Put it on at the first, or at most the Second time of being ask'd; now what is herein Spoken, of Qualification in behaviour in Saluting, ought also to be observed in taking of Place, and Sitting down for ceremonies without Bounds is troublesome.

28th If any one come to Speak to you while you are are Sitting Stand up tho he be your Inferiour, and when you Present Seats let it be to every one according to his Degree.

29th When you meet with one of Greater Quality than yourself, Stop, and retire especially if it be at a Door or any Straight place to give way for him to Pass.

30th In walking the highest Place in most Countrys Seems to be on the right hand therefore Place yourself on the left of him whom you desire to Honour: but if three walk together the middest Place is the most Honourable the wall is usually given to the most worthy if two walk together.

31st If any one far Surpassess others, either in age, Estate, or Merit yet would give Place to a meaner than himself in his own lodging or elsewhere the one ought not to except it, So he on the other part should not use much earnestness nor offer it above once or twice.

32d: To one that is your equal, or not much inferior you are to give the cheif Place in your Lodging and he to who 'tis offered ought at the first to refuse it but at the Second to accept though not without acknowledging his own unworthiness.

33d They that are in Dignity or in office have in all places Preceedency but whilst they are Young they ought to respect those that are their equals in Birth or other Qualitys, though they have no Publick charge.

34th It is good Manners to prefer them to whom we Speak before ourselves especially if they be above us with whom in no Sort we ought to begin.

35th Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive.

36th Artificers & Persons of low Degree ought not to use many ceremonies to Lords, or Others of high Degree but Respect and highly Honour them, and those of high Degree ought to treat them with affibility & Courtesie, without Arrogancy.

37th In Speaking to men of Quality do not lean nor Look them full in the Face, nor approach too near them at lest Keep a full Pace from them.

38th In visiting the Sick, do not Presently play the Physicion if you be not Knowing therein.

39th In writing or Speaking, give to every Person his due Title According to his Degree & the Custom of the Place.

40th Strive not with your Superiers in argument, but always Submit your Judgment to others with Modesty.

41st Undertake not to Teach your equal in the art himself Proffesses; it Savours of arrogancy.

42d Let thy ceremonies in Courtesie be proper to the Dignity of his place with whom thou conversest for it is absurd to act the same with a Clown and a Prince.

43d Do not express Joy before one sick or in pain for that contrary Passion will aggravate his Misery.

44th When a man does all he can though it Succeeds not well blame not him that did it.

45th Being to advise or reprehend any one, consider whether it ought to be in publick or in Private; presently, or at Some other time in what terms to do it & in reproving Shew no Sign of Cholar but do it with all Sweetness and Mildness.

46th Take all Admonitions thankfully in what Time or Place Soever given but afterwards not being culpable take a Time & Place convenient to let him him know it that gave them.

47th Mock not nor Jest at any thing of Importance break no Jest that are Sharp Biting and if you Deliver any thing witty and Pleasent abstain from Laughing there at yourself.

48th Wherein wherein you reprove Another be unblameable yourself; for example is more prevalent than Precepts.

49th Use no Reproachfull Language against any one neither Curse nor Revile.

50th Be not hasty to beleive flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

51st Wear not your Cloths, foul, unript or Dusty but See they be Brush'd once every day at least and take heed that you approach not to any Uncleaness.

52d In your Apparel be Modest and endeavour to accomodate Nature, rather than to procure Admiration keep to the Fashion of your equals Such as are Civil and orderly with respect to Times and Places.

53d Run not in the Streets, neither go too slowly nor with Mouth open go not Shaking yr Arms kick not the earth with yr feet, go not upon the Toes, nor in a Dancing fashion.

54th Play not the Peacock, looking every where about you, to See if you be well Deck't, if your Shoes fit well if your Stokings sit neatly, and Cloths handsomely.

55th Eat not in the Streets, nor in the House, out of Season.

56th Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company.

57th In walking up and Down in a House, only with One in Company if he be Greater than yourself, at the first give him the Right hand and Stop not till he does and be not the first that turns, and when you do turn let it be with your face towards him, if he be a Man of Great Quality, walk not with him Cheek by Joul but Somewhat behind him; but yet in Such a Manner that he may easily Speak to you.

58th Let your Conversation be without Malice or Envy, for 'tis a Sign of a Tractable and Commendable Nature: And in all Causes of Passion admit Reason to Govern.

59th Never express anything unbecoming, nor Act agst the Rules Moral before your inferiours.

60th Be not immodest in urging your Freinds to Discover a Secret.

61st Utter not base and frivilous things amongst grave and Learn'd Men nor very Difficult Questians or Subjects, among the Ignorant or things hard to be believed, Stuff not your Discourse with Sentences amongst your Betters nor Equals.

62d Speak not of doleful Things in a Time of Mirth or at the Table; Speak not of Melancholy Things as Death and Wounds, and if others Mention them Change if you can the Discourse tell not your Dreams, but to your intimate Friend.

63d A Man ought not to value himself of his Atchievements, or rare Qualities of wit; much less of his riches Virtue or Kindred.

64th Break not a Jest where none take pleasure in mirth Laugh not aloud, nor at all without Occasion, deride no mans Misfortune, tho' there Seem to be Some cause.

65th Speak not injurious Words neither in Jest nor Earnest Scoff at none although they give Occasion.

66th Be not forward but friendly and Courteous; the first to Salute hear and answer & be not Pensive when it's a time to Converse.

67th Detract not from others neither be excessive in Commanding.

68th Go not thither, where you know not, whether you Shall be Welcome or not. Give not Advice without being Ask'd & when desired do it briefly.

69th If two contend together take not the part of either unconstrained; and be not obstinate in your own Opinion, in Things indiferent be of the Major Side.

70th Reprehend not the imperfections of others for that belongs to Parents Masters and Superiours.

71st Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of Others and ask not how they came. What you may Speak in Secret to your Friend deliver not before others.

72d Speak not in an unknown Tongue in Company but in your own Language and that as those of Quality do and not as the Vulgar; Sublime matters treat Seriously.

73d Think before you Speak pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your Words too hastily but orderly & distinctly.

74th When Another Speaks be attentive your Self and disturb not the Audience if any hesitate in his Words help him not nor Prompt him without desired, Interrupt him not, nor Answer him till his Speech be ended.

75th In the midst of Discourse ask not of what one treateth but if you Perceive any Stop because of your coming you may well intreat him gently to Proceed: If a Person of Quality comes in while your Conversing it's handsome to Repeat what was said before.

76th While you are talking, Point not with your Finger at him of Whom you Discourse nor Approach too near him to whom you talk especially to his face.

77th Treat with men at fit Times about Business & Whisper not in the Company of Others.

78th Make no Comparisons and if any of the Company be Commended for any brave act of Vertue, commend not another for the Same.

79th Be not apt to relate News if you know not the truth thereof. In Discoursing of things you Have heard Name not your Author always A Secret Discover not.

80th Be not Tedious in Discourse or in reading unless you find the Company pleased therewith.

81st Be not Curious to Know the Affairs of Others neither approach those that Speak in Private.

82d undertake not what you cannot perform but be carefull to keep your promise.

83d when you deliver a matter do it without passion & with discretion, however mean the person be you do it too.

84th When your Superiours talk to any Body hearken not neither Speak nor Laugh.

85th In Company of these of Higher Quality than yourself Speak not til you are ask'd a Question then Stand upright put of your Hat & Answer in few words.

86th In Disputes, be not So Desireous to Overcome as not to give Liberty to each one to deliver his Opinion and Submit to the Judgment of the Major Part especially if they are Judges of the Dispute.

87th Let thy carriage be such as becomes a Man Grave Settled and attentive to that which is spoken. Contradict not at every turn what others Say.

88th Be not tedious in Discourse, make not many Digressigns, nor repeat often the Same manner of Discourse.

89th Speak not Evil of the absent for it is unjust.

90th Being Set at meat Scratch not neither Spit Cough or blow your Nose except there's a Necessity for it.

91st Make no Shew of taking great Delight in your Victuals, Feed not with Greediness; cut your Bread with a Knife, lean not on the Table neither find fault with what you Eat.

92d Take no Salt or cut Bread with your Knife Greasy.

93d Entertaining any one at table it is decent to present him wt. meat, Undertake not to help others undesired by the Master.

94th If you Soak bread in the Sauce let it be no more than what you put in your Mouth at a time and blow not your broth at Table but Stay till Cools of it Self.

95th Put not your meat to your Mouth with your Knife in your hand neither Spit forth the Stones of any fruit Pye upon a Dish nor Cast anything under the table.

96th It's unbecoming to Stoop much to ones Meat Keep your Fingers clean & when foul wipe them on a Corner of your Table Napkin.

97th Put not another bit into your Mouth til the former be Swallowed let not your Morsels be too big for the Gowls.

98th Drink not nor talk with your mouth full neither Gaze about you while you are a Drinking.

99th Drink not too leisurely nor yet too hastily. Before and after Drinking wipe your Lips breath not then or Ever with too Great a Noise, for its uncivil.

100th Cleanse not your teeth with the Table Cloth Napkin Fork or Knife but if Others do it let it be done wt. a Pick Tooth.

101st Rince not your Mouth in the Presence of Others.

102d It is out of use to call upon the Company often to Eat nor need you Drink to others every Time you Drink.

103d In Company of your Betters be not longer in eating than they are lay not your Arm but only your hand upon the table.

104th It belongs to the Chiefest in Company to unfold his Napkin and fall to Meat first, But he ought then to Begin in time & to Dispatch with Dexterity that the Slowest may have time allowed him.

105th Be not Angry at Table whatever happens & if you have reason to be so, Shew it not but on a Chearfull Countenance especially if there be Strangers for Good Humour makes one Dish of Meat a Feast.

106th Set not yourself at the upper of the Table but if it Be your Due or that the Master of the house will have it So, Contend not, least you Should Trouble the Company.

107th If others talk at Table be attentive but talk not with Meat in your Mouth.

108th When you Speak of God or his Atributes, let it be Seriously & wt. Reverence. Honour & Obey your Natural Parents altho they be Poor.

109th Let your Recreations be Manfull not Sinfull.

110th Labour to keep alive in your Breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience.

Finis

*Washington, George. Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation: a Book of Etiquette. Williamsburg, VA: Beaver Press, 1971.

It Takes Two, Baby!

2008-03-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

Went to the grocery - Senior Discount Day - and they still - STILL - had some Valentine's balloons! I saw this HUGE heart that says Me & You on it, with lots of hearts and music notes in ribbons around the center of the heart, and I noticed it has a sign that says "I Sing - tap balloon." So I thump it in my best 5th grade middle finger against thumb routine and it starts playing - loudly - "it takes two, baby, it takes two, baby, me and you!"

Now, tell me - could I REALLY go out of there without that balloon??? It had a nice weight on it so it wouldn't fly away. Everytime I hit a bump on the way home, it played "it takes two, baby, it takes two, baby, me and you!"

Well, I drove up the driveway, remote-opened the door, drove into the garage, opened the car, and was just rescuing the balloon when himself arrived to help unload the groceries. Of course, he noticed the balloon - so I told him I got it for him because I love him, then I thumped it - and it played, "it takes two, baby, it takes two, baby, me and you!"

Normally, the Ol' Curmudgeon makes a face, but this time he kinda smiled. We wrestled the groceries into the right places in the house, and I set the balloon up so it was between the kitchen and living room - have to pass it every time you go either way.

Well, of course I thumped it each time I passed and laughed delightedly. Would you believe when the Ol' Curmudgeon passed by it he tapped it, then came over and caressed my head and said, "you suit me, old thing." That's one of his ways of telling me he loves me. He tapped it several other times during the evening.

I think this was a success! On such little things are happy memories built in a marriage.

Calcium + Heredity = A+ Bones!!

2008-02-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

I went to the Rheumy-doc today. I think my Rheumy-doc is the most wonderful ever, so it was a pleasure to see him anyway. Having the good report from my bone scan today was just the icing on the cake.

My RA is pretty well under control, and so is the fibromyalgia. I attribute both facts to the clinical expertise of my excellent Rheumy-doc!! He is in practice with his lovely wife, and they have two gorgeous daughters.

He is a "happy-camper" who sings to himself as he writes in the patient charts, as he examines the patients, as he walks from room to room. He is cheerful and upbeat keeping the patients who have these awful rheumatic and autoimmune diseases upbeat themselves. It is really great to go to a good doctor who is also happy and pleased with what he is doing. No matter how bad I am feeling when I go to him, I leave with a smile on my face.

The cost of drugs is not his fault, and he works to keep his patients' costs down by prescribing the lowest cost medications he possibly can. He doesn't think the insurance industry has any business telling us where to get our prescriptions filled or who to get our medical care from. He is one of many voices in the wilderness. He speaks up in medical meetings along with many others who only want to provide excellent care to their patients at reasonable cost and medications that are effective and reasonably priced. He and his colleagues are very frustrated with the current situation.

In the meantime, he happily takes care of his patients, singing to them and to himself as he walks from room to room, rendering care, making diagnoses and documenting in their charts.

May all MDs be as competent, caring and happy in their practices as he is.

A Time to Reflect

2008-02-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

I decided that today is a good time to reflect on some things. It was also a good time to change colors. The pink was nice, but it wasn't "me."

First, I'm very, VERY proud of my daughter. She has a line of products that are starting to take off and sell, she is generously promoting the products of other people, and now, touched by the tragedy which has happened to another member of Etsy, she has dedicated the profits from several of her products to this family. She is an incredibly generous person.

Second, I very, VERY much love my family. No reasons. Just love them. Warts and all. They are wonderful.

Third, This country ouf ours is truly special. We are blessed to be living in it. We have the liberty, the freedom, to come and go, to believe or not believe, to do or not do. It is hard for us to understand that people in other countries don't have these same liberties. Hard for us to understand that people in other countries cannot live our same lives. It is very important for us to protect it. Not to protect its ability to dole out "bread and circuses" to people who can't or won't work for their own bread, but to protect its ability to make it possibly for us to make our own ways.

Fourth, most of all, on this earth I love my ol' curmudgeon. I love him down to my bone marrow. Can't comprehend life without him. Don't want to try to comprehend life without him, much less live life without him. We live our withdrawn, Hobbit-like existence, and it suits us.

Finally, I am so grateful to God for all that he has given to us. I think that all too frequently we forget, in the hustle and bustle of everyday, when we are in the throes of political this and that, we forget that we are NOT in control of all this. God ultimately is in control. We may think we are, but we are not. So I refer all to the Akathist Glory to God for All Things as a reminder of what is truly important in life!

Tag! You're It!!

2008-02-21T18:16:00.000-05:00

I'm tagging SEWphisticate, Riverdaughter, and Nepsis (You Know Who You Are!!)

What if you had a $100 gift card to the music store of your choice, what would you buy??

Now, no matter where I go, I figger I can only get 5-6 CDs for $100 - right?

So I had to really work to limit myself to 6 CDs when I wandered over to Liturgica.com's Orthodox Liturgics section!!

AJ053

With The Voice of the Archangel
Russian - Orthodox Liturgical Solos, Duets & Trios

17.00

AJ046

Akathist of Thanksgiving
Russian - St. Ignatius Mission Choir

14.98

AL006

Good Friday - Bulgarian Orthodox Liturgy
Bulgarian - M. Popsavov, Mixed Choir

15.99

AL002

Ancient Slavonic Chant
Bulgarian - Angeloglassny Vocal Ensemble

17.99

AC001

Chants of the Roman Church-Byzantine Period
Old Roman - Peres, Ensemble Organum

7.98

AJ062

Hymns and Chants of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian - Choir of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, London with Nicolai Gedda

19.98

______________________________________________________________
Total = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = $93.92

Hope my shipping wouldn't be over $6.00!!

The Chinese Take Me Out Box Purse

2008-02-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

Isn't this just the cutest little evening purse you've ever seen in your life!!!??? It absolutely screams "Take me with you!!"

Genevieve has been playing with origami and folding things and designing things since she was a little. One time I remember she looked at a Chinese take-out box and said something about wouldn't it make a cute little purse. We tried to get the smell of the shrimp out of it, but it didn't work, so we gave up,

Obviously she never forgot about that idea! I would never have believed it back then, but look what came of it!!

There are more views of this at her Etsy Shop, and many other items she currently has. The items seem to change almost daily, so visit often!

I've Done This Before . . .

2008-02-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

. . . but it's fun, so I did it again:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Her Excellency Elizabeth the Excited of Lesser Cheese Winston
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Sisters

2008-02-10T23:05:00.000-05:00

Risa posted a poem of mine on her blog out on the Left Coast. ;)

I was both childishly delighted and humbled to read how she regards me as her lately discovered sister. Interestingly, I felt the same thing as she, but was having difficulty expressing it.

I had a half-sister growing up. We saw each other too seldom to develop much of a bond. I have no clue how she perceived me. I saw her as my father's princess and favored child - his "real" daughter, as it were. No, I wasn't a bastard, but I was one of those children of divorce from the 40's who felt fractured and "partial" most of their lives. Unworthy. I attribute all the achievements of my life to my feelings of unworthiness. Somehow I needed to make myself appear worthy, I needed to be worthy. Thus the BS, the MS, the PhD. My father did not live to see me graduate with my PhD. Neither did my mother, my grandmother, my stepmother, my mother-in-law or father-in-law. Only my husband and children. Maybe that's all who really mattered. I don't know. I do know that ceremony felt a bit "hollow" without any of my parents or in-laws there to see my achievement. It had been a long time coming, and I felt a bit bereft that the members of the generation previous most close to me weren't there to share it with me.

Then, a few months ago, someone came into my life through my husband, who has become a sister and more. Oh we are different! We have totally different "takes" on religion. She is Quaker, and I am an Orthodox Christian. She is a Liberal. I am a Conservative. She is an Environmentalist. I'm not. She's an activist. I'm not. But we share so much. A love of good food, of good bread, in particular. A love of books - the sensual feel of good bindings, the joy of reading - and many of the same authors! A love of the motion picture art - many of the same and many different. She is shy-er than I am. I'm afraid I galumphed into her life with all the overwhelmingly unbridled enthusiasm of a Labrador Retriever. Kinda bowled her over and refused to give her time to decide if she liked or disliked me - she HAD to like me! I do that from time to time. Because there is that "something" that is between us, that we recognized immediately both from our correspondence and from our blogging. Risa blogs intensively as she is a writer, a poet and a librarian. I blog desultorily (as any reader of my blogs knows). But we know each other jointly through the Ol' Curmudgeon. They were friends as children, almost a different lifetime ago.

Now, I find that I didn't knock her over with my [figuratively] wagging tail! And she has become the sister I have always wanted.

Time for a Whine??

2008-02-10T22:55:00.000-05:00

This past week has been a study in frustration - The Ol' Curmudgeon out of town, tooth abscessed, daughter had to take me to go get it removed urgently, bring me home after surgery, then go back out for prescriptions for me.

One of the prescriptions led to some major side effects that didn't show up until over the weekend, so couldn't get them taken care of effectively. I'll have to wait until Monday and call dentist and doctor to get 2 Rxs to cover the side effects of the Rx that caused the side effects to begin with.

SIGH!

This throws me 5 cases behind in my work!

Have I complained ~~whined~~ enough, yet?!

What's in a Name?

2008-02-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

Sewphisticate at gLp Designs blogged the other day about "What's in a Name?"

It got me to thinking about that. I am named severally! My first name is a very traditional name for women in my family - it is old, beautiful and Biblical. My mother, her mother, and several cousins and aunts all with the same name - and all used the various diminutives of it!!!

My middle name was my grandfather's first name - a typical Southern USA thing, to give a girl her father or grandfather's name as her middle name - and then call her by that name1! As it happens, however, my mother's favorite book character was The Little Colonel! So I guess, in a way, I was named after her: Elizabeth Lloyd! And called Lloyd until I was 15 when I finally rebelled and insisted on a new nickname. I became "Windy" - and it was most appropriate, believe me! "Who's coming down the streets of the city? Wearing a dress that is lighter than air? ... Everyone knows that it's Windy!" Yeah! That's who I was - and still am!

Professionally, I'm Elizabeth.

Socially, I'm either Elizabeth or Windy.

Husband says he always knows what "era" of my life people knew me by what they call me - Lloyd, Windy, Elizabeth or Dr. Elizabeth!

What's in a name? Depends on when and what you want!

Time for a Change!

2008-02-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

Since the daughter-person has a wonderful new blog here on Blogger, I thought it was time for a major overhaul of this space! She won't be happy since I chose a pink template, and I'll change it if I can find one the **right** shade of TEAL-BLUE-GREEN :-)

Right now, I'm a "travel-widow," because the Ol' Curmudgeon is traveling. Drat it, anyway! I just HATE it when he's on the road! I particularly hate it when I am under the weather and he's not here to ~~whine~~ at. I have a bad tooth - it will come out next week - and I am NOT a happy camper. I'm on codeine and antibiotics. And I'm miserable, and hurt and - and - and - :-P - BLEAH! The only thing I could think of to eat tonight was Krystal hamburgers (kinda like White Castles), so the son-next-door kindly drove out and brought me some. Even those soft things were almost too much for me to chew. Better stock in some chicken soup, and make some Fluffy Tapioca Pudding for the days ahead.

BLEAH and again I say BLEAH!!

At least the Ol' Curmudgeon will be back Friday - and I can cry and ~~whine~~ at him, and he can take me to surgery on Monday and bring me home and wait one me and grumble at me and the cat will jump on me and purr in my face and all will be RIGHT in my world again!

New Blogs!!

2008-01-30T09:13:00.000-05:00

As if I could keep up with the ones I already have, I've added another blog - this one is where I'll post the funny and silly e-mails I receive!! I call it The Funnies Etc and at least all the text jokes will be there. We'll see about the ones with graphics - that COULD get a bit much!! LOL!

In addition, there is another really great blog that has just started up: gLp Designs. If you like fun, funky stuff, take a look at this commentary on the accessories available to us now!

Have a great day!!

Who's your candidate???

2008-01-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

So it's been a while - no surprise at at that!! Check out this cool little quiz!

Your Web browser software doesn't support frames, but you can visit Select A Candidate™ at www.selectacandidate.org.

A Friend Needs HELP!!

2007-12-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

Dear readers - I won’t do this kind of thing very often.

A friend is in desperate need. At this holiday season, please visit her website and consider ordering some of her Christmas cards. They are Christmas cards not your “generic” “holiday cards.” There is also a beautiful matted print of the for sale.

If you are in the market for cards or gifts, these are wonderful and economical options. Purchasing them will help this struggling young Orthodox Christian woman.

The Abstracted Icon

A boxed set of 10 Cards w/ envelopes is $12.50

The Abstracted Icon

If you are still shopping for gifts, a matted linoleum block print is, again, an economical and lovely gift. And it will directly assist someone who literally is struggling to survive.

The Virgin and Child Art Print is 4″ x 6″ on fine art printers paper makes a subtle and divine comtemplative statement to any decor. Price: $12.50

The Abstracted Icon

She uses PayPal, so you can use any credit card you wish. If you have a PayPal account, you can use cash from your bank account.

Thank you - the commercial is over, but the need is still there . . .

The Nativity Fast - Preparation for Christ's Incarnation

2007-11-30T06:33:00.000-05:00

we Orthodox Christians prepare for each major event in the Church year in fasting and repentance. Fasting must be understood as abstention. We strictly abstain from all animal products (including dairy), wine and oil. However, the Nativity Fast is one of the least restrictive. There are many Wine and Oil days (WO), and many Fish, Wine and Oil (FWO) days.

The music of our Fasts frequently is both beautiful and somewhat mournful. Here is some of the Music of Nativity from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Enjoy!

Did You Know I Love Cats? and Kittens??

2007-11-28T10:32:00.000-05:00

Can't resist! YouTube has some wonderful kitten videos! Turn on your sound and be prepared to laugh - a lot!!

This is true food aggression!

Then there's this one:

This kitten is soooooo sleepy...

Hungry motherless kitten being bottle fed - I've done this sooooooo many times! And it's a joy each time I can save a kitten and grow it up to the point of being adopted!

Even German kittens are pretty food aggressive!

Hungry kittens are convinced there will be no more food - ever - and they HAVE to have food NOW!!

Finally, not to overdo the cute kittens for one day, there is this happy, playful kitten crabwalking all over the place!

Magnus - the Democrat!?!

2007-11-23T19:31:00.000-05:00

O.M.G. !! The Ol' Curmudgeon has hit the nail on the head! Our beloved cat, Magnus, is a Democrat!!

"He is all mouth and emotion and demonstrates no intellect. He is totally non-productive yet thinks the Powers That Be should take care of his every need. He neither pays attention to nor shuts up for anyone else's opinion. He is only interested in running his own mouth. He expects the Powers that Be not only to feed him but to clean up all his messes. And everything - EVERYTHING - is someone else's fault and/or responsibility!!"

ROTFLOL!! I love it when he starts "ranting" about stuff!!

Will post a pic of Magnus the Magnifi-cat in a few days.

Of Neighborhoods and Homeowners Associations

2007-11-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

I'm going to imitate the Ol' Curmudgeon - HARUMPH!!

We live in an older neighborhood. With the national trend in decreasing mortgage values, some of the residents recently decided we needed a Homeowners Association. We went to one meeting - assured ourselves that we weren't dealing with a "Covenant Community" situation (yuck). At the meeting, the Powers That Be told us that a Homeowners Association would decrease crime, increase property values and just be a Good Thing.

Two connected streets are involved here. Let's call them Rockytop and Aspen. The PTB, of course, live on Rockytop, and think that the people on Aspen (where we live) are lower class, or at least less classy than they think they are. So, all the children who live on Aspen are considered to be delinquents by the people on Rockytop. One of the Rockytop women said she had to keep chasing "those Aspen kids" out of her yard before he did something criminal.

Not only do we live on Aspen, 3 of our grandchildren live on Aspen - next door to us! Kids play in yards - not only their own yard, but the yards of everyone in the neighborhood. That's the way we played when I was a kid, and it warms my heart to see the kids in our part of The Neighborhood playing in the same way. They have a "secret clubhouse" under the huge bush in a yard several houses away. I remember having one of those - 5 houses up the street in the yard of a widow-woman who had no children.

Thankfully, she thought it was "cute," and didn't call the cops. The woman on Rockytop was ready to call the police because a kid was in her yard! Please note, she lives on the "outside" corner of The Neighborhood - right across the street from The High School - and the kid was in her yard right after school let out. Who didn't cross yards when walking home from school??? She's worried about her property values because a kid walked across her yard?

Speaking of property values, how does belonging to a Homeowners Association either increase or prevent decrease of property values - when the rest of the country is experiencing a general decline in mortgage lending?? Put signs up saying "Our houses cost more because we are holding the line on mortgage costs?" No, we will "keep up" our houses and yards better because we belong to this Association - because other neighbors will "tattle" on us if we don't. All the City Property Maintenance regulations will be Enforced!! So what now? Someone will sneak into our yard at night and measure the length of the non-existent grass? Count the number of leaves on our driveway? Count the number of patches of peeling paint on our abode?

BAH!! And again I say, BAH! At the first meeting, we asked what we were supposed to do - I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and 2 degenerated disks in my low back. The Ol' Curmudgeon has 6 bad disks in his back and has had 2 heart attacks. We can't get out there and do major yard maintenance. The son next door had several episodes of heat prostration while in the military, and is very sensitive to heat - can't "do yard" in the summer. We finally found some kids up the street who are greedy capitalists (I love teenagers who are greedy capitalists!) and will mow our yard, front and back, for less than $100. So at least the mowing is taken care of. We'll teach them how to blow off leaves and stuff them into bags so the pick-up service will take them.

We were sent a message from The Homeowners Association that the police would be driving The Neighborhood and noting any deviations from the Property Maintenance Regulations.

OK - so now the police will take their valuable time inspecting the length of our grass and the number of leaves on the driveway? Great use of resources!!

The people on Rockytop say they are experiencing a small crime wave of break-ins. Especially on empty houses that are for sale. In addition, someone's garage was raided and several yard-maintenance tools (of the electronic and motorized variety) were stolen. OK. Rockytop is having a "crime wave" and the kids on Aspen who cross yards after school are part of this crime wave? How will our Neighborhood Association help with this crime wave? Well, the police will respond more quickly if we are United and have an Association!

HUH? How does that work? How about the people who live in Slum Row neighborhood? What if the residents there get together and create a Homeowners Association? Will the police respond more rapidly than they do now if they form the Slum Row Homeowners Association? The mind boggles!

Not only that, but to be a member of the Rockytop Homeowners Association (why isn't it the Aspen Homeowners Association?) we will be required to pay a membership fee! Currently it isn't much - only $35 a year. Remember that when I post the yearly fee every year from now on. Wanna make any bets as to whether it stays nominal or goes up?

Those of us on the "back end" of Aspen are considering having a block party and forming our OWN "Back of Aspen Homeowners Association." We'll help each other out with yard work, have block parties, and play loud music - so we can drive the residents of the Back of Rockytop crazy. Oh yeah - and we'll report suspicious kids setting up secret clubs in the bushes or cutting across yards to get home from school to the police.

Where's that CD of the Carmina Burana I got last year??

A Service Dog - For Me?

2007-11-17T10:17:00.000-05:00

Well, Saturday was THE day. The woman from the dog organization came to do an in-home interview to see if I "fit" their profile of people to get one of their dogs. I've done all I can to make the house acceptable, but the master bath and my office are still in a mess, and there is a corner of the Ol' Curmudgeon's office dedicated to my clutter-stuff. I need to toss out 3/4 of it all and find "places" for the rest "to live."

She was very nice. So was her husband who came along also. The Ol' Curmudgeon waxed eloquent as only he can, and I spoke to my perception of my needs. She had me demonstrate grip strength, gently squeezed my hands to elicit pain level, and watched me walk and function at a couple of tasks. She looked at the (currently leaf covered) back yard approvingly.

So, now my "case" will be presented to their Board tomorrow (Tuesday). If approved, it will not mean a service dog tomorrow. First, we will have to raise funds. Not necessarily directly "pay" for the dog (to the tune of $7000), but literally fund-raise - find new donors to help support the service dog organization - a non-profit, 501c organization. The Ol' Curmudgeon is going to submit their corporate package to his place of business, and I'm going to submit it to several of the larger law firms I work with.

After doing the fund raising, or while that is going on, there will be a waiting period for me of between 1 and 5 years while they find a "match" for me. The dog has to meet my needs and be compatible with both me and the Ol' Curmudgeon. Then, when a likely dog has been found, it will have to be trained to the particular tasks I need done. All that takes time. Not to mention, there probably are people of higher priority ahead of me.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Drought in GA

2007-11-15T21:13:00.000-05:00

Georgia is experiencing the worst drought in decades.

Governor Purdue has asked all the Churches in the state to pray for rain. Following is a Prayer in Time of Drought from and Orthodox Patriarch (Patriarch Callistus, d. 1363).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A Prayer in Time of Drought
by Patriarch Callistus of Constantinople

O Master, Lord our God, who heard Elijah the Tishbite in his zeal for Thee and commanded the rain to hold itself back when it was about to be sent to the earth, and then later granted it fruit-bearing rain by his prayer! We beg Thee, O Master of all: from the depths of Thy own goodness, liberally give rain to Thy inheritance. Overlooking our sins, send down Thy rain upon thirsty places in need. Gladden the face of the earth for the sake of Thy poverty-stricken people, children, livestock and all others looking for Thee to give them food in good time -- for Thou art our God, the God whose nature it is to have mercy and to save, and we send up glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We here in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are suffering from a lack of rain. Without a large influx of rain between now and then, sometime in January Atlanta will be OUT of water! We in that area already are having to forego watering lawns (not a problem for us - we hate grass anyway) and washing cars (except at approved carwashes that recycle water). We are asked to conserve by not flushing the toilets as much, not showering or bathing as frequently, not washing clothes unless we have a full washer's worth. But soon even this won't be enough.

Many businesses have had to shut down, with resultant hiatus in employment and paychecks for those working for those companies. Many people are drinking bottled water, but this will soon be too expensive to buy.

The water-based recreation industries (fishing, boating, swimming) are taking a big hit - especially around the lakes. Other tourism and recreation areas (Lake Lanier, Lake Alatoona, Callaway Gardens, Chattahoochee National Forest, Okeefenokee State Park, etc) are also down, leading to marked decrease in income for the entire state. All the ancillary industries - fast foods, bait shops, sports equipment stores, motels, etc - also take hits.

This all adds up to PEOPLE losing jobs, losing incomes, losing their homes, families breaking up etc.

Please keep us in your prayers!

Role Models

2007-11-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

Someone asked who my role model was. But I have not one but thousands of role models - the saints who have gone before us and who pray for us.

One of these, and the chiefest among them, is the Theotokos (the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary). She was a human being in every sense of the word - yet she CHOSE to live according to what God wanted her to live. She CHOSE to be without sin. God blessed her and chose her to bear His Son for the salvation of the world. In bearing Christ, God, she became in effect the mother of us all. So I turn to her first and foremost to be my role model - to help me see that willingly fulfilling God's Will, I am "doing the right thing." When in trouble most of us turn in thought or in reality to our mothers. When in trouble my thoughts turn to my mother (Memory Eternal!), who died at a young age from the same disease I have. And at the same time, I turn to the Theotokos. Her prayers are powerful, and I petition her to pray for my troubles. Daily, I praise the Theotokos for her sacrifices that had brought us our salvation - Christ our Lord and Saviour, the very Son of God.

Some of the others I consider to be role models, are:

St. Xenia of St. Petersburg - a "fool for Christ" who lived in the early 19th century. When her husband died, she was so concerned about the salvation of his soul that she took to wearing his clothes, took his name, "Andrew," and gave away all her possessions. She voluntarily lived on the streets of St. Petersburg. Her life is inspirational.

St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner and Baptist, John - This is my Patron (or Matron) saint. She was righteous in the sight of God and of men. She was married, she loved her husband and desired his child. After many years of childlessness, this was granted to her. The Church, which glorifies virgins, glorifies her for her marriage and for her childbearing. This is a good model for those of us who are married.

St. Macrina the Elder - This is a wonderful saint who has remained in obscurity entirely too long! It is rather incredible to contemplate the life of a woman who was the wife of a saint (St. Basil), the mother of a saint (St. Basil the elder), the mother-in-law of a saint (St. Emilia, wife of St. Basil the Elder) and the grandmother of 4 saints (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Macrina the Younger, and St. Peter of Sebaste)! Saints ran in this family, due mostly to the strong influence of the women, particularly that of St. Macrina the Elder. She is considered to be the Matron saint for grandparents. She underwent persecution for her faith, and, with her husband and child, lived in the wilderness for over 7 years during the last and worse persecution of Christians under Diocletian. Contemplating what is known of her life helps me to be patient and to be the best guide I can for my own 11 grandchildren. She also gives me strength to bear up under the subtle but real persecution Christians undergo in this country as it wends it's way toward atheism and suppression of Christianity.

These are only a very few of the many thousands of saints who have gone before us and provide role models for us. More information about various saints may be found HERE and HERE. I commend their lives to my readers.

Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds! They Rock!!

2007-11-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

The Byrds Playing "Mr. Tambourine Man" with Bod Dylan. I used to adore the Byrds!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I used to - and still do!

Reposted from August 2004: Marbles in My Pocket

2007-10-31T05:39:00.000-04:00

I posted this over 3 years ago. Andreas recently commented upon it, and I re-read it. It had been so long, it was almost like reading someone else's words, and I decided it wasn't too bad! I've cleaned up some typos, and I'm reposting it - because I want to! LOL!

5 / 18 August 2004
Marbles in My Pocket

I was asked by an acquaintance what Adult ADD was like. This was my response.

I've been ADD all my life. But I didn't "know" it until I was in my 50's! I thought it was some kind of character defect, and I struggled against it for decades.

But I'm now kind of resigned to it - or, more likely, accustomed to it. I admit I function best in a *slightly* cluttered environment. If something isn't "in my face" I forget it's around or needs to be done. That's why I have to keep a calendar on the computer and have it pop-up the minute I turn on my computer every morning. That way I know exactly what I need to do. If I put away my current projects, I may not get back to them until they are past due because I won't think of them. So my desk will always be messy. Problem is, the "slightly cluttered" environment "gets away from me" and the entire house quickly becomes a total wreck.

I'm the original "pack rat" - I see "something shiny" in the living room, pick it up and trek toward the kitchen to put it away. On the way, I notice "something shiny" in the dining area, put down the first object and pick up the second object and trek toward the bedroom to put it away. I stop by my office to check e-mail, and put the object down. After checking e-mail and playing a couple of computer games, I get up and go out to the kitchen to make lunch. There I see "something shiny," pick it up and take it with me toward the workshop. On the way, I walk through the family room, and notice one of the GKs left a game out. I put down the current object, start putting away the game, notice the rug needs to be vacuumed, get out the vacuum, notice the floor in the hall needs sweeping, put down the vacuum and go to get the broom. On the way to the broom I notice the game in the family room and get it picked up - but it doesn't fit on the shelf, so I "jam" it in one way or another, and head to the laundry room - I don't know why, I just go there. I turn around a few times wondering why I went there, and start back through the family room. Notice the vacuum is out, and hook it up, turn it on and start vacuuming. Notice that there are a few marbles and a chess piece on the floor, and turn off the vacuum to pick them up. Can't find the box and board for the chess set, so I drop the chess piece in "a" drawer (I'll probably never find it again when it's needed - only when I happen to open the drawer and notice it). Put the marbles in my pocket. It is now noon, we usually eat lunch at 11:15 or 11:30, and the poor Ol' Curmudgeon plaintively asks me about it. I fix lunch and we eat about 12:30 - not bad, only an hour late - and look around. The living room is not straightened, the family room is a mess, the kitchen is a mess, my office has something in it that belongs in the bedroom, and I've accomplished nada beyond vacuuming a 20 square inch area of the family room and preparing lunch. I have marbles in my pocket and I don't know why! This is my ADD. Someone else may have a different experience.

My dear Ol' Curmudgeon is very good about reminding me to do things. He long ago gave up ever expecting a "neat-nik" kind of house. The kids think I'm a "space biscuit" (light and flakey). Long ago they told me, "Mom, we'll never know if you develop Alzheimer's - you've been spacey all your life!" This is true! I have very little short-term memory and have *never,* not even as a child, been able to remember names (nouns) or descriptors (adjectives, adverbs). Found out, after several botched "memory courses" that this is probably genetic and has to do with wheter you have access to a particular area of your brain - apparently mine has been in hiding all my life!

I am an "organizational hobbiest." As my dear Ol' Curmudgeon will say, "It's another vain attempt at organization by the Space Biscuit!" The DKs just giggle and nod. They all know. And it *is* amusing. Thank goodness both the Ol' Curmudgeon, the DKs and the DGKs all have a sense of humor about it! They don't get mad (usually). Just a little exasperated and impatient from time to time, but they quickly get over it, and whatever set them off becomes the latest in a string of "my flake, the Mom" (or "my flake, the Wife") stories to use to regale friends and relatives.

So we ADD'rs have to make decisions and try to stick to them! We stumble and get side-tracked, but over time, we try to get to where we can handle things better and better. I don't ever expect to be perfect! It doesn't happen to anyone! But I can be a success at nearly anything I put my mind and determination to. I've managed to (in order):

get a BSN (nursing)
marry
have 2 kids
get a masters
have a third kid
move three times
go through a divorce
go through bankruptcy
marry again
*Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy* - best decision I **ever** made!
move several more times
teach in a university
marry off 2 kids
get a PhD
assistant direct choir
marry off the third kid
manage a complex computer-based Operating Room support system
start and run my own business
Enjoy the 10 grandchildren (now 11)
enjoy my husband

I still struggle, at well past 60, to deal with my ADD, but I can look back and see that I compensated for it, and I know I will be able to continue compensating for it. It will always be with me, like someone with diabetes will always have that with them, but just as diabetes can be managed, so ADD can be managed. I just have to work a little harder at it than some other people do. But I'm really blessed by God. I have a husband who adores me - and I adore him right back - I have 3 wonderful children and 11 marvelous grandkids (my reward for not strangling the 3 kids when they were teens!). I'm respected in my career.

Well, That's what Adult ADD is for me. I have marbles in my pocket and I don't know why!

PS - Andreas commented that the marbles were his (LOL) so I told him he needed to come get them! Of course, that assumes I can figure out where I might have put them then I took them out of my pocket . . .

My Mood Ring is Red Today! What Color is Yours?

2007-10-29T17:54:00.000-04:00

Today my Mood Ring is Red!

Your Mood Ring is Red

Excited

Energized

Adventurous

Ready to go

Mood Ring Generator

Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo!

2007-10-25T11:18:00.000-04:00

Snowball is a Medium Sulphur Crested Eleanora Cockatoo that dances to the Back Street Boys. He came to the Bird Lovers Only Rescue in August 2007 and is a joy. Visit them at http://www.birdloversonly.org

Don't Know How Long This Will Last - Watch While It's Hot!

2007-10-16T13:38:00.000-04:00

I was shocked - and I'm not easily shocked!!

Orthodox Blogs

2007-09-22T09:48:00.001-04:00

I've linked to a few Orthodox Blogs over in the right hand column, but I want to "highlight" them here.

First, there is "Bigger than a Breadbox", which is Mimi's blog. She has managed to integrate her Orthodoxy into her life rather well. She tells what it is like to be a mother with young children and still follow the precepts of the Orthodox Church.

"Christ is in our Midst" is by HandmaidLeah. It is very reflective. She, like I, has rheumatoid arthritis. We have other things in common, also.

"Fr. John Whiteford" has a "news and comments" kind of blog, but frequently posts hymns of the Church.

In "Glory to God for All Things," Fr. Stephen Freeman, a former Anglican, as are we, posts about various aspects of the Church, us and culture. Very inspiring posts.

My friend Athanasia blogs "Lost in-Elegant Cogitations" which documents her journey to Orthodoxy and then deeper and deeper into it.

"Muttonings" is by my friend Meg. She blogs about nearly everything -

Then there is "My Mountain Home" which is Shelly's site out in Idaho. She's into crafting in a big way! She also has cats and dogs! Lovely!

The last two are my husband's (the Ol' Curmudgeon) and one of my other blogs that I post to more regularly than I do here. "Rumblings of an Ol' Curmudgeon" reflects his outlook on various things. He's been more than bemused that he can and does write "essays" that others are interested in. He's a very politically and socially conservative individual - and tends to rant about that a good bit. He's also into exploring cooking and bread baking. Posts a good bit on the philosophy of food, cooking and how to make some things. "Turtle Rock" is a bunch of different topics, but mostly with what I hope is an Orthodox view.

I hope you will put these in your "watch" lists!

Ethan Laughing

2007-09-15T05:24:00.000-04:00

This website doesn't have an "embed" code, so you'll just have to "go there" to view it! If you like to watch and listen to a baby laughing, you'll love this video! This little guy is having such a good time tearing paper!!

GO HERE

Enjoy!

Incredible Beauty

2007-09-09T14:10:00.000-04:00

Millions miss Pavarotti. The man was incredible - as this video demonstrates. Yes, he was arrogant, and proud of his voice, but he was also gracious and generous with other artists.

Would The Ol' Curmudgeon Bring Me Home to Mom??

2007-09-02T14:40:00.000-04:00

RSB had this on her blog, so I "went there" and took the test.

I'm pretty much what I thought I was! Luckily it worked - actually, MIL and I were friends before Ol' Curmudgeon and I even met!

Your Guy Could Bring You Home

When it comes to meeting the parents, you're cool and calm.
In fact, you're so self assured, you may forget to try to impress them.
Work that famous charm a little more, and your boyfriend's family will be loving you.

Would He Bring You Home to Mom?

Try it!

Transfiguration Tuna Salad

2007-08-25T09:37:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday was the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ. It falls in the midst of the Fast for the Dormition of the Theotokos, and is the ONLY day in the fast on which Fish is permitted!

We were blessed, on the Sunday of the Feast of the Transfiguration to have our priest and his Matushka come to our home. Father brought us Holy Communion (long story, short version: we are physically unable to attend Church), then he and Matushka stayed for a repast.

It was HOT - one of those over 100 degrees days. How to serve fish? Tuna salad, of course!

I drained 4 cans of tuna packed in olive oil (I wouldn't TOUCH that dried out stuff, or the tna packed in water - tasteless!) while I blanched and peeled tomatoes. Put the tomatoes back in to the refrigerator to chill down from the blanching.

Then I broke up the tuna until it was in very small pieces and placed it in a bowl. I added finely chopped celery and Vidalia onion (Father is allergic to onions, but can tolerate a small amount - I only used about 1/8th of a very small onion, whereas normally I would use 1/2 onion). I put the tuna into the refrigerator to chill.

When we were ready to eat, Matushka helped me "flower" the tomatoes, place them in individual beds of chopped Romaine, and heaped them with the tuna. I drizzled a small amount of olive oil over, and served with a choice of salad dressings. We had Southern sweeeeeeeet tea to drink. Next time, I'll serve fresh squeezed lemonade, as Father has problems with the oxalates in tea (as many people do).

Later he said it was the "perfect 100 degree day meal." I was so pleased.

Hot Weather -

2007-08-18T07:08:00.001-04:00

It is so hot . . .

First son has a heat problem - he had heat prostration several times while in the Army, and now must be very careful to not get overheated. This makes yard care rather difficult in the summer (which, for him, lasts from April through November). So the Ol' Curmudgeon, with his bad ticker, is having to "do" our yard. He broke down and got an electric lawnmower (got a *deal* on Amazon). So it is now early (relatively) on a Sat AM, and he's out there working on the lawn - chopping it back to a reasonable height.

Why the concern about yard? Well, we have a brand new Neighborhood Council. Never had one before, but faced with some of the real estate problems of the current market, it was decided that we needed one. Thank goodness it's NOT a "covenant community" kind of organization, but they are still nosy and want all the yards pruned. Have to invest in some "better living through chemistry" products to get rid of all the poison ivy and poison oak. Need to chop the English Ivy and Virginia Creeper down, too. For the parts in the trees, we just cut the link to the ground, and it will "die up" the tree and eventually fall off.

I'd just as soon dig it all up and put in Astroturf.

Oldest Son will be over shortly to clean the gutters and sweep the roof clear of the accumulated pinestraw and leaves. Shoulda-coulda-woulda done it last winter, and it will have to be done again in December - once all the leaves have fallen.

I'd just as soon replace the entire roof with photovoltaics, but the Ol' Curmudgeon says it would cost more than it would save in the long run, given our ages. O well, my attempts at "greening" are rather desultory. Living "green" for the most part means doing more ourselves - planting, gardening, recycling, etc. We are just too exhausted too much of the time to do that. It also would end up costing us more - example: to heat our house with wood (or at least part of the house), we'd have to have the chimney removed and rebuilt. Don't have the $$$ for THAT little project! We heated our house in SC very efficiently with a stove insert in the chimney with tubes and a fan that circulated the air warmed by the fire. We would go through about 1 cord of wood a year - that little stove was REALLY efficient, and didn't use much wood. I even made "logs" out of old newspaper until DH pointed out it would make the chimney more likely to burn because of the residue, so I quit doing that.

As far as planting goes, I've **never** been a "green" thumb person. My XH used to forbid me going into his garden because all I had to do was touch a plant and it would die! No joke! the Ol' Curmudgeon hasn't been a gardener for the entire 30 years we've been married. He says, "I don't do 'yard.' " Well, now he's talking about putting in a "square-foot" garden, elevated so he can get to it without bending over. I've put in my bid for several tomato plants. There is NOTHING like a fresh tomato, just picked from the vine and warm from the sun. Take your salt shaker with you, go out to the garden, and graze! That's my idea of salad. We'll see if he actually does it.

As far as recycling goes, once again it requires too much of MY energy. And I'm really not convinced of the efficacy of it. Now if I could just find a use for used cat litter ...

Well, time for breakfast. It's the Dormition Fast, so no butter, eggs, meat, etc. Toast, fruit juice and coffee.

The Ol' Curmudgeon has been baking bread, recently, so we'll probably have toasted Pain de Mie for breakfast. He even got a Matfer Bread Pan with Cover 15.75x4">from Amazon so he could make "real" Pain de Mie.

He's turning into quite the baker! I may have to "show him up" when I next have a good day.

Well, we stay indoors and try to keep cool. Speaking of cool, it is getting warmer "out there" and I need to call the Ol' Curmudgeon in. He forgets the time, sometimes, when he's concentrating on getting a task done.

Sumpin' fer Nuttin'

2007-08-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

Seems like more people are suing their docs and hospitals these days. I'm certainly getting plenty of work. But the stuff I'm seeing now differs from what I saw 10 years ago. Back then, most of the cases were pretty focused and even if not meritorious, at least I could see the connection between event and outcome and could understand a patient and his family thinking something went wrong.

Now, most of the cases I see not only are unfocused, but are totally unrelated to the events at hand. Many of the cases are nursing home cases that involve people in their 80's and 90's who have dementia of one sort or another, and finally die, frequently of simple old-age-related conditions. But because the person died, the family wants to be paid. Huh? "Aunt Hattie," whose closest relative is "great-nephew Barty" who lives 3 states over and never came to see her, finally dies and "Barty" thinks the nursing home "owes" him? For what?

Or the person who has chronic heart disease has a heart attack 3 days after having a perfectly normal stress test. Well, bad things happen to good people. Modern medicine isn't magic. It can't predict all conditions. And it isn't as if the person didn't know he had a bad ticker.

Some cases I do understand, and end up agreeing that there was a breach of the applicable standards of care. But all these cases I'm seeing these days are very frustrating to me. They are just giving me a bad taste in my mouth. Is this where the country is going? Everyone gets something for nothing?

GAAAAAAHHHHH!

My Mind is Blank . . .

2007-08-05T17:48:00.001-04:00

I'm totally without anything to say! Believe it or not!

Here is a pic from the picnic:

Aren't they cute?!

When Personal Horrors Become Family Disasters

2007-07-20T15:14:00.001-04:00

Dr. Laura's Blog for 7/20/07 says in part:

... The evolution of talk radio and television news from information to confrontation, as well as the loss of any ethical foundation of print media (newspapers and magazines) and the unleashing of anonymous venom on the internet and blogs, have served not only to destroy reputations with undocumented vicious gossip, but have lowered the level of discourse and civility to an unbelievably dangerous level.
Decent folks who wish to serve their country in the military, politics, social work and other public arenas, become fodder for indecent attacks based upon ideology, with the sole purpose of eliminating their voices and ability to function.
Gone is the civility of negotiations, arbitrations, discussions, and debates.
Soon, only the indecent will reign. Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, etc., have only to wait; we are destroying our own society. MORE...

Dr. Laura is right on - all we have to do is wait, and our enemies will take over. We need to reclaim civility in this country. It needs to start with each of us - giving and expecting respect.

An idea of mine is that all schools should require: uniforms, civility. That means, at the least on the high school level, addressing each other as Miss or Mister, shaking hands when greeting each other (no hugging and kissing) and taking turns in arguments / debates. Every school should require at least one course in rhetoric - in which the rules of formal debate are observed and practiced. Public speaking. Both practical applied arithmetic (accounting) and higher math (algebra, geometry, trig, beginning calculus). Phys ed involving heavy, sweat-producing exercise should be required of all students (unless physically unable for acceptable medical reasons). English - both grammar and literature, essay-writing with tough grading standards; History, simple Agronomy, Climatology and Geography - integrated with a beginning understanding of how weather affects agriculture and thus invasion and wars.

Yes, standards must be toughened up and discipline enforced.

The "hows" can come after commitment to the concepts is achieved. At that time, the hows and wherefores can be determined. I do have some ideas about that, too, however, and will discuss them later.

Strawberry Shortcake!

2007-07-20T05:57:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm tagging: Suzanne, Denise, Meg and Loch on this one!

Do not cheat on this one, go with the first dessert you picked..

If all of the desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one!) Trust me....this is very accurate. Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about you. After taking this dessert personality test, send on to others, but when you do, be sure to put your choice of dessert in the subject box.

Here are your choices:

1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue

4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate on Chocolate

7. Ice Cream

8. Carrot Cake

No, you can't change your mind once you have selected, so think carefully what your choice will be..............

OK - Now that you've made your choice this is what the research says about you...

No Cheating!!

1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

3. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.

4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. Can be very emotional.

6. CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE -- Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.

LOL! Of course, being the contrary person I am, I actually like all these desserts - I just like dessert! It depends on the day and time as to what I would choose!

The Ol' Curmudgeon's Vacation is Over

2007-07-17T08:38:00.000-04:00

Rats! I'm just bereft! Yes, I'll get more of my work done, but I'm very, very lonely. It was sooooo comfortable having him home for 2 weeks.

The most painful loneliness is to be next to your spouse and yet be unable to transmit your inner feelings, even as external messages are transmitted instantaneously from one hemisphere to another. It is painful loneliness for married couples to keep secrets from each other for years. It is painful when dialogue is non-existent between children and parents, between children and teachers, between children and clergy. There is no more cruel loneliness than for a family to sit for hours in front of the television without speaking a word among themselves. We live in a difficult time. Loneliness is at an all-time high. Man is lost. God is silent.

In this loneliness, in this desolation of the cities, in this apparent absence of God, man is called to gather his thoughts, to come to his senses, to put aside his many worldly preoccupations and to retire to his place of prayer speechless, naked, a child so that God may speak to him, clothe him, and endow him with spiritual maturity. Then his loneliness will become the divine loneliness of liberation and he will achieve a sense of fullness. Only such radical loneliness leads to a fundamental understanding and experience of God, destroying every hesitation, doubt and torment.

In this sacred loneliness man finds himself face-to-face with his existential poverty and the fear of death which it provokes. Yet, even here, there is the danger that he may choose procrastination as a solution and, for a time, set his panic-stricken self at ease. He may resume running back and forth endlessly, expanding social activities, and seeking a variety of entertainments a program of extreme busyness. Other people, other things, work and extensive involvements may serve as a cover for his spiritual impoverishment for a time. And he may continue wandering aimlessly, driven by circumstances, tormented, flirting with one thing and another, fighting, being torn and finally annihilated.

A life of work without the liberation of communion with God is slavery. The struggle for excessive wealth is an incurable, tormenting disease. Fear of the future can stimulate greed, miserliness, hoarding. And God can be easily forgotten.

From The Community of the Desert and the Loneliness of the Cities - Monk Moses
Copyright: 1999, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, MA
Source: taken from the book, Athonite Flowers
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8158.asp

This gives me the direction for dealing with loneliness. Turn my mind toward God and seek communion with Him.

From the Depths of Pain

2007-07-16T18:51:00.000-04:00

From the Depths of Pain
6/18/07

Why?
Because
Why me?
Why not you?

It hurts
Many hurt more
Many hurt less
Not you

I used to climb trees
And skin my knees
I used to hike and camp
And chop wood for fires
I used to live in the outdoors
Chase children through the leaves
Play hide and seek
and tag

So you did
But no more

Why?
Because
Why me?
Why not you?

The Curmugeon Blogs On ...

2007-07-10T19:33:00.001-04:00

It had to happen - the Ol' Curmudgeon now has his own blog! He'll be posting about 3 times a week.

Check it out!!

http://mtriggs.wordpress.com/

Silly Sayings

2007-07-10T19:28:00.000-04:00

For a while I've been collecting sayings - some pithy, some common sense, some Biblical, some humorous, etc.

So I'm going to post some here from time to time.

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~*~ “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks” ~*~
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~*~ Laugh every day; it's like inner jogging. ~*~
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~*~ The most important things in your home are the people. ~*~
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~*~ Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional. ~*~
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~*~ There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. ~*~
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~*~ Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance ~*~
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~*~ Modern Man is the victim of the very instruments he values most. Every gain in power, every mastery of natural forces, every scientific addition to knowledge, has proved potentially dangerous, because it has not been accompanied by equal gains in self-understanding and self-discipline. ~*~
~*~ Lewis Mumford ~*~
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~*~ Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life's absurdities by thinking absurdly about them. ~*~
~*~ Lewis Mumford ~*~
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~*~ Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf. ~*~
~*~ Lewis Mumford ~*~
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~*~ A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. ~*~
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~*~ Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing. ~*~
~*~ Wernher von Braun ~*~
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~*~ He who dies with the most toys is still dead. ~*~
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~*~ We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments. ~*~
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~*~ Nothing is real to you until you experience it; otherwise it's just hearsay. ~*~
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~*~ It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done. ~*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~ Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck. ~*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~ Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. ~*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~ Save the whales. Collect the whole set. ~*~
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~ A day without sunshine is like...night. ~*~
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Urban Legends About the Iraq War

2007-06-04T19:34:00.000-04:00

Urban Legends About the Iraq War

In recent weeks, by claiming that President Bush lied us into the Iraq war, many on the Left have restarted their efforts to rewrite history. But this revisionism isn’t new. In the midst of the 2004 Presidential election, the cries were just as loud. The Bush Administration is finally pushing back, and many conservative bloggers are asking their readers to Google Clinton, Iraq, 1998 for all the information they need. Last fall, The American Enterprise debunked many of these same urban legends. Click here to purchase this issue.

Urban Legends About the Iraq War

Urban Legend: The Bush Administration in general, and the Vice President and his office in particular, pressured the Central Intelligence Agency to exaggerate evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Reality: Here is the verdict of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s bipartisan Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq: “The Committee did not find any evidence that intelligence analysts changed their judgments as a result of political pressure, altered or produced intelligence products to conform with administration policy, or that anyone even attempted to coerce, influence, or pressure analysts to do so. When asked whether analysts were pressured in any way to alter their assessments or make their judgments conform with administration policies on Iraq’s WMD programs, not a single analyst answered ‘yes.’”

Urban Legend: The President and his administration intentionally misled the country into war with Iraq—and the “16 words” that appeared in the 2003 State of the Union are the best proof of it. In the words of Senator Ted Kennedy, “The gross abuse of intelligence was on full display in the President’s State of the Union…when he spoke the now infamous 16 words: ‘The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.’… As we all now know, that allegation was false….”

Reality: On July 14, 2004—after a nearly half-year investigation—a special panel reported to the British Parliament that British intelligence had indeed concluded that Saddam Hussein was seeking to buy uranium from Africa. The Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction, chaired by Lord Butler, summarized: “It is accepted by all parties that Iraqi officials visited Niger in 1999. The British government had intelligence from several different sources indicating that this visit was for the purpose of acquiring uranium…. The statement in President Bush’s State of the Union Address of 28 January 2003 that ‘The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa’ was well-founded.”

In the U.S., the Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community’s Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq revealed that the CIA considered it important that the Nigerian officials admitted that the Iraqi delegation had traveled there in 1999, and that the Nigerian Prime Minister believed the Iraqis were interested in purchasing uranium, because this provided some confirmation of foreign government service reporting.” The Select Committee on Intelligence also noted that the CIA reviewed and cleared the President’s State of the Union address....

Urban Legend: Helping democracy take root in Iraq was a postwar rationalization by the Bush administration; it was an argument that was not made prior to going to war. In the words of a November 13, 2003 New York Times editorial, “The White House recently began shifting its case for the Iraq war from the embarrassing unconventional weapons issue to the lofty vision of creating an exemplary democracy in Iraq.”

Reality: The President argued the importance of democracy taking root in Iraq before the war began. A February 27, 2003 New York Times editorial shatters the very myth the paper was perpetrating just nine months later: “President Bush sketched an expansive vision last night [in an American Enterprise Institute speech] of what he expects to accomplish by a war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on eliminating weapons of mass destruction, or reducing the threat of terror to the United States, Mr. Bush talked about establishing a ‘free and peaceful Iraq’ that would serve as a ‘dramatic and inspiring example’ to the entire Arab and Muslim world, provide a stabilizing influence in the Middle East, and even help end the Arab-Israeli conflict. The idea of turning Iraq into a model democracy in the Arab world is one some members of the administration have been discussing for a long time.” President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union made the same case….

Urban Legend: Saddam Hussein posed no threat. In the words of former Senator Max Cleland, “Iraq was no threat. We now know that. There are no weapons of mass destruction, no nuclear weapons programs, no ties to al-Qaeda. We now know that.”

Reality: Upon his return from Iraq, weapons inspector David Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, said in Senate testimony: “I think the world is far safer with the disappearance and the removal of Saddam Hussein…. I actually think this may be one of those cases where it was even more dangerous than we thought…. After 1998, it became a regime that was totally corrupt…. And in a world where we know others are seeking WMD, the likelihood at some point in the future of a seller and a buyer meeting up would have made that a far more dangerous country.”

Dr. Kay’s report noted that, “We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002.” He concluded, “Saddam, at least as judged by those scientists and other insiders who worked in his military-industrial programs, had not given up his aspirations and intentions to continue to acquire weapons of mass destruction…. Saddam intended to resume these programs whenever the external restrictions were removed. Several of these officials acknowledge receiving inquiries since 2000 from Saddam or his sons about how long it would take to restart CW [chemical weapons] production.”

Urban Legend: There were no links between al-Qaeda and Iraq.

Reality: The 9/11 Commission Report indicates that a senior Iraqi intelligence officer met with Osama bin Laden in Sudan in late 1994 or early 1995 and that contacts continued after bin Laden relocated in Afghanistan. Iraq harbored senior members of a terrorist network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an al-Qaeda associate. CIA Director George Tenet told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (in a 10/7/02 letter), “We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda going back a decade.” Senator Hillary Clinton stated on October 10, 2002 that Saddam “has given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al-Qaeda members.” The Clinton administration tied Iraq to al-Qaeda back in 1998, arguing that Saddam Hussein had provided technical assistance in the construction of an al-Qaeda chemical plant in Sudan….

Urban Legend: President Bush and his administration wrongly tried to link Iraq and Saddam Hussein to the September 11 attacks. “President Bush should apologize to the American people” for this “plainly dishonest” effort, insists a New York Times editorial.

Reality: Neither President Bush nor any member of his foreign policy team has ever said Iraq was linked to the attacks of September 11. On September 17, 2003, for example, in response to a question from a reporter, President Bush said: “No, we’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September 11.”

Urban Legend: President Bush has shown an “arrogant disrespect” for the United Nations on Iraq, according to Senator Ted Kennedy.

Reality: The administration devoted enormous time and energy to pass five separate U.N. Security Council Resolutions on Iraq, each by unanimous vote.... President Bush personally addressed the U.N. General Assembly in September 2002. The administration supported the work of Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. special envoy in Iraq, and a continued U.N. role in Iraq’s political transition.

Urban Legend: The President launched a “unilateral attack on Iraq,” to use the words of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean.

Reality: The coalition that liberated Iraq ranks among the largest war coalitions ever assembled. President Bush in his 2004 State of the Union address: “Some critics have said our duties in Iraq must be internationalized. This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, the Netherlands, Norway, El Salvador, and the 17 other countries that have committed troops to Iraq…. There is a difference, however, between leading a coalition of many nations, and submitting to the objections of a few. America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.”

Urban Legend: Flights out of the country for members of the bin Laden family were allowed before national airspace reopened on September 13, 2001; there was political intervention to facilitate the departure of the bin Laden family from America; and the FBI did not properly screen them before their departure.

Reality: Here are excerpts from The 9/11 Commission Report: “First, we found no evidence that any flights of Saudi nationals, domestic or international, took place before the reopening of national airspace on the morning of September 13, 2001. To the contrary, every flight we have identified occurred after national airspace reopened.

Second, we found no evidence of political intervention. We found no evidence that anyone at the White House above the level of Richard Clarke participated in a decision on the departure of Saudi nationals....

Third, we believe that the FBI conducted a satisfactory screening of Saudi nationals who left the United States on charter flights.... The FBI interviewed all persons of interest on these flights prior to their departures. They concluded that none of the passengers was connected to the 9/11 attacks and have since found no evidence to change that conclusion. Our own independent review of the Saudi nationals involved confirms that no one with known links to terrorism departed on these flights.”

Published in The Year the Democratic Party Sailed to New England October-November 2004

Posted: November 16, 2005
This information was found online at:
http://www.theamericanenterprise.org/issues/articleID.18837/article_detail.asp

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I'm so tired of all the myths (aka lies) posted by the miserable liberals. It's abot time someone dispelled some of them!!

In the Eye of the Beholder

2007-06-04T19:26:00.000-04:00

Eye of the Beholder

by Victor Davis Hanson.

The American Enterprise Online

War torn Iraq has about 26 million residents, a peaceful California perhaps now 35 million. The former is a violent and impoverished landscape, the latter said to be paradise on Earth. But how you envision either place to some degree depends on the eye of the beholder and is predicated on what the daily media appear to make of each.

As a fifth generation Californian, I deeply love this state, but still imagine what the reaction would be if the world awoke each morning to be told that once again there were six more murders, 27 rapes, 38 arsons, 180 robberies, and 360 instances of assault in California yesterday, today, tomorrow, and every day. I wonder if the headlines would scream about "Nearly 200 poor Californians butchered again this month!"

How about a monthly media dose of "600 women raped in February alone!" Or try, "Over 600 violent robberies and assaults in March, with no end in sight!" Those do not even make up all of the state's yearly 200,000 violent acts that law enforcement knows about.

Iraq's judicial system seems a mess. On the eve of the war, Saddam let out 100,000 inmates from his vast prison archipelago. He himself sat in the dock months after his trial began. But imagine an Iraq with a penal system like California's with 170,000 criminals - an inmate population larger than those of Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Singapore combined. Just to house such a shadow population costs our state nearly $7 billion a year or about the same price of keeping 40,000 Army personnel per year in Iraq. What would be the image of our Golden State if we were reminded each morning, "Another $20 million spent today on housing our criminals"?

Some of California's most recent prison scandals would be easy to sensationalize: "Guards watch as inmates are raped!" Or "Correction officer accused of having sex with under-aged detainee!" And apropos of Saddam's sluggish trial, remember that our home state multiple murderer, Tookie Williams, was finally executed in December 2005 - TWENTY SIX years after he was originally sentenced.

Much is made of the inability to patrol Iraq's borders with Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. But California has only a single border with a foreign nation, not six. Yet over 3 million foreigners who sneaked in illegally now live in our state. Worse, there are about 15,000 convicted alien felons incarcerated in our penal system, costing about $500 million a year. Imagine the potential tabloid headlines: "Illegal aliens in state comprise population larger than San Francisco!" or "Drugs, criminals, and smugglers given free pass into California!"

Every year, over 4,000 Californians die in car crashes - more than the number of Americans lost so far in the years of combat operations in Iraq. In some sense, then, our badly maintained roads, and often poorly trained and sometimes intoxicated drivers, are even more lethal than IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices.) Perhaps tomorrow's headline might scream out at us: "300 Californians to perish this month on state highways! Hundreds more will be maimed and crippled!"

In 2001, California had 32 days of power outages, despite paying nearly the highest rates for electricity in the United States. Before complaining about the smoke in Baghdad rising from private generators, think back to the run on generators in California when they were contemplated as a future part of every household's line of defense.

We're told that Iraq's finances are a mess. Yet until recently, so were California's. Two years ago, Governor Schwarzenegger inherited a $38 billion annual budget shortfall. That could have made for strong morning newscast teasers: "Another $100 million borrowed today - $3 billion more in red ink to pile up by month's end!"

So is California comparable to Iraq? Hardly. Yet it could easily be sketched by a reporter intent on doing so as a bankrupt, crime-ridden area with murderous highways, tens of thousands of inmates, with wide-open borders.

I myself recently returned home to California, without incident, from a visit to Iraq's notorious Sunni Triangle. While I was gone, a drug-addicted criminal with a long list of convictions broke into our kitchen at 4 a.m. Was surprised by my wife and daughter, and fled with our credit cards, cash, keys, and cell phones. Sometimes I wonder who really was safer that week.

(c)2006 Victor Davis Hanson

- - - - - - -

Victor Davis Hanson is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, a Professor Emeritus at California University, Fresno, and a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services.

He was a full-time farmer before joining California State University, Fresno, in 1984 to initiate a classics program. In 1991, he was awarded an American Philological Association Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given yearly to the country's top undergraduate teachers of Greek and Latin.

Hanson was a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, California
(1992_93), a visiting professor of classics at Stanford University
(1991_92), a recipient of the Eric Breindel Award for opinion journalism
(2002), and an Alexander Onassis Fellow (2001) and was named alumnus of the year of the University of California, Santa Cruz (2002).

He was also the visiting Shifrin Chair of Military History at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland (2002_3).

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This guy is right on.

Saints Alive!

2007-05-28T17:02:00.000-04:00

Cribbed this from Denise!

1. Name four of your favourite Saints.
2. Name one who was well on the way to sanctity, is widely venerated already and very likely to be made a Saint in due course.
3. Name one who isn't yet publicly declared a saint but probably should be made a Saint.

1 {{WHINE!!}} Only 4?!? Can't I list more?!?

A The Theotokos

B St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner

C St. Macrina the elder

D St. Theodore the Recruit

2 Father Seraphim Rose - but I suppose everyone thinks he is a soon-to-be-saint!

3 Archbishop Alexander (Mileant)

I Be a Literature Nerd!

2007-05-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Drama Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Social Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

FT. DIX TERRORISTS WERE HERE ILLEGALLY. IMAGINE THAT!

2007-05-11T05:45:00.000-04:00

On May 10, 2007, Neal Boortz printed the following article in his Neal's Nuze. I refer you to the webpage, but you'll have to scroll down to get to it. Each article isn't individually linked.

How do you feel about border control now? It turns out that the three of the Muslims arrested in connection with the terrorist plot to attack Fort Dix are, in fact, illegal aliens. There is no documentation that they came into this country, which means that they were smuggled across the border. And not only that, but they have lived in the United States and enjoyed the benefits of being U.S. citizens (even though they are not) for 23 years, since 1984. Wow, maybe I had hair then!

Border control is vitally important to the safety and integrity of this country. I don't care whose feelings are getting hurt by preventing them from entering illegally. If you can't do it legally, if you can't follow the proper laws of entry, then stay where you are. We don't want you here. And even more so, I don't want terrorists in my country. And guess what folks, they didn't come from the Canadian border. They came from Mexico, as we know because they entered the U.S. near Brownsville, TX. More...

Just love Boortz...

82 Year Old Ex-Beauty Queen Thwarts Thieves!!

2007-04-22T19:34:00.000-04:00

WAYNESBURG, Ky. — Miss America 1944 has a talent that likely has never appeared on a beauty pageant stage: She fired a handgun to shoot out a vehicle's tires and stop an intruder.

Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment. MORE...

Well good for her!! We need more people like this!! Yeaaa Venus Ramey!!

Dr Laura's Blog: A Lesson from the Massacre

2007-04-20T18:22:00.000-04:00

Dr. Laura said, in part:

As a mother I, of course, thought about how horrendous this whole nightmare is to the families of the victims as well as all the emotional damage to the survivors. From listening to the reports on this heinous occurrence, I heard repeatedly that the shooter had to reload several times and went from classroom to classroom. As a military mom, I immediately wished that our young people had the same obligation and experience that all young folks in Israel have: two years of military training and service. Those reloading and trolling periods were windows of opportunity that only young folks trained militarily would have been able to use to subdue or terminate the perp and save many lives. MORE HERE

As the mother of 3 adult children who all served in the miltary, as the wife of men who served in the miltary (both XH and my FINAL husband :-)), as the daughter of a man who served in the miltary, as the daugher-in-law of men who served in the military, as the granddaughter of a man who served in the military - I can only agree! My XH's grandfather was the first man on Utah beach on D-Day and is mentioned several times in The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan.

With that background, I hope you can understand that I strongly favor military training for all youth. I also believe that an armed populance is the greatest deterrant both to crime and invasion.

And I believe that we have become a country full of WIMPS!

Our country is worth defending, and I'd rather see that defense take place BEFORE we are attacked and invaded.

I'm sure I'll get some nasty comments. but I challenge you to search for the FACTS on gun ownership and universal military participation.

Harumph!!

It's Not Just a Black Thing

2007-04-16T19:51:00.000-04:00

The USA's younger generation is being wooed by the flashy hip-hop lifestyle, which has gone increasingly mainstream — from baggy fashions and bejeweled 'grillz' to 'pimp and ho' slang. But a growing chorus of cultural critics is wondering "At what cost?"

Journalist Cora Daniels stumbled on the first raw material for her new book quite literally on her Brooklyn doorstep, where teenagers found it terrifically fun and "ghetto" to play cards, drink beer and cuss into the wee hours on school nights.

Several months and a few thousand miles later, she argues in Ghettonation that a "ghetto" mind-set — which she says celebrates the worst of human nature — has taken hold coast to coast.

"Ghetto" styles, from wearing gaudy jewelry to using the n-word in ordinary conversation, have caught on with teens and young adults who aren't black, yet who seem to enjoy imitating famous hip-hop artists such as 50 Cent and Three 6 Mafia.

The "ghetto-ization" of America, which includes everything from baggy clothes to racial slurs and slacker attitudes, is triggering concern far beyond urban neighborhoods. Last week, white radio host Don Imus lost his job at CBS after he used "ho" (hip-hop slang for "whore") on the air, and drew widespread condemnation. MORE . . .

Horrible - hip-hop is not a good thing!

Culture of Corruption: Dianne Feinstein Edition?

2007-04-03T15:31:00.000-04:00

My goodness - where in the world is the main-stream media?? Dianne Feinstein has to resign, apparently under pressure, from an important committee because of monetary conflicts of interest?

According to MetroActive, she resigned quietly (where was the MSM?) from a Military Construction Appropriations committee after a conflict of interest involving her husband, tens of millions of dollars in defense and construction contracts, etc. surfaced in January.

MetroActive speculates that the resignation was due to the impending release of a scathing expose (funded by The Nation) that threatened to blow the lid off the air-tight kettledrum of ethical problems.

Hmmm - let me see, it'a ok for Feinstein's husband to benefit from military contracts, but it isn't ok for Cheney to benefit from military contracts. Is that right?

Disillusioned about Bush

2007-04-03T15:24:00.000-04:00

“The Bush administration is embroiled in the most ridiculous non-scandal scandal in human history—set off when the administration stupidly apologized for firing its own employees. U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president... Democrats have the breathtaking audacity to claim that Bush’s replacing his own political appointees is ‘politicizing prosecutions.’ They say this as Sandy Berger walks free after stealing and destroying top-secret national security documents—but Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby faces decades in prison for not outing a covert agent. (Let’s hope he’s learned his lesson!)... They say this while Sen. Teddy Kennedy is still at large (and getting larger)... The president has absolute authority to fire U.S. attorneys, hold investigative hearings and grant pardons. What’s he worried about? That the media will be hysterical and Democrats will call him names? Constantly apologizing doesn’t seem to have worked out too well for him either. How about doing something for the Americans who elected him? Ah, but I see he has! As we go to press, news comes across the transom that Bush has withdrawn the nomination of Sam Fox as ambassador to Belgium because Democrats are upset that Fox gave a donation to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. There’s no hope.” —Ann Coulter

If Coulter is disillusioned about Bush, who's next? Rush?

We don't see Bush doing the things we elected him to do. More and more he is caving in to the radical right and the wimpy pacifists.

History will tell if we are right, or wrong; whether Bush is right or wrong. But from where we sit, this is a miserable example of national leadership.

Ethanol: Time to steer away

2007-04-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

“The jump in ethanol use certainly didn’t come about because of a groundswell of popular demand; it came about, like so many bad ideas, because of a government mandate. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required that 4 billion gallons of renewable fuel (mostly ethanol) be added to the gasoline supply last year. It goes up to 4.7 billion this year and to 7.5 billion in 2012. But ethanol lowers fuel economy—according to the Department of Energy, a gallon of ethanol contains only two-thirds the energy content of a gallon of gasoline. And you’re actually paying more for less performance. It’s difficult... to transport ethanol from its Midwestern home base to far-off markets, and that adds to the price you pay at the pump. Ethanol can’t be sent in an energy-efficient way through pipelines like gasoline can, because it would be contaminated by moisture along the way. Ethanol must be shipped instead by trucks, barges and railroads. And that brings us to ethanol’s environmental impact. After all, shipping by truck, barge or rail uses... well, fossil fuels. So the more ethanol we move, the more fossil fuel we use—which, Al Gore and Company tell us repeatedly, spews the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. In addition, all that extra corn farming means more fertilizer and pesticide use, along with increased irrigation. More diesel fuel will be needed to run the tractors and the harvesters. In the end... ethanol may wind up putting about as much carbon dioxide into the air as it takes out. So, from an environmental perspective, we’ll be paying more to more or less maintain the status quo.” —Rebecca Hagelin

We've been suspicious of ethanol for quite a while. This editorial makes sense, and it is well researched. Check it out!

Dr. Laura's Challenge

2007-03-29T05:15:00.000-04:00

I'm not a Dr. Laura fanatic, in fact, I disagree with her on some things. But in this article, she is absolutly RIGHT ON!!

Go Dr. Laura!!

Flower!

2007-03-27T10:44:00.000-04:00

I am a
Daisy

What Flower
Are You?

"You are just a sweet person. When a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, you are happy to offer yours with a box of tissues as well. Once in awhile, you wish you could be a little more dramatic but then sensibility sets back in and you know that you are perfect the way you are."

I don't really fit this, I don't think - certainly I'm NOT perfect! But it was a fun quiz!

Lord of the Rings

2007-03-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

We are watching the Lord of the Rings for the 24th time. I've heard comments about Frodo and Samwise being gay. All I can say after reading the entire series a bunch of times, including most of the other, ancillary, books, is that people just don't understand deep male friendships outside of sexuality. I'm beginning to think that any deep friendships are suspect.

This was not a problem years ago, but it is now. I think it reflects the general sexualization of our society.

A shame.

Misplaced Priorities?

2007-03-15T13:02:00.000-04:00

What is it about the media and our politicians?

We have thousands of illegal aliens crossing our borders, setting up housekeeping and sucking down resources without paying taxes themselves.

We have our military in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran is threatening the free world with nuclear meltdown.

Islamic terrorists are threatening Europe and the N American continent.

And the media and politicians are obsessing over the firing of 6 non-productive federal prosecutors?

Sorry - I just don't get it.

It's as though they have all gone crazy and think the only news is inside the DC beltway. Sorry, this country is much bigger than that little island of political intrigue and sleezy scandal.

Wake up!

Getting to Know Your Friends - Part ???

2007-03-06T05:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the new edition of "getting to know your friends". Just copy this entire article and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know.

Some of you may get this several times -- that's the fun of having friends who will play!

1.What is your occupation? Legal Nurse Consultant

2. What color are your socks right now? White with Red and Purple hats on them! :-)

3. What are you listening to right now? The Purr of my Cat (Magnus the Magnificat)

4. What was the last thing you ate? Toast and a banana

5. Can you drive a stick shift? yep

6. Favorite color to wear: the blue-green spectrum with emphasis on teal

7. Last person you talked to on the phone? A client

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes

9. How old are you today? Guess!?

10. Favorite drink: Hot tea (yumm)

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Figure Skating

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? No!! I earned every bit of the gray.

13. Pets? Yes - 3 furry felines who own us

14. Favorite food? sushi

15. What was the last movie you watched? I don't remember! And it was just last night!

16. Favorite day of the year? Pascha!!

17. What do you do to vent anger? Sigh -- a LOT

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Bicycle

19.What is your favorite season? Spring!

20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs!

21. Cherry or Blueberry? Neither - Yuck! I like raspberries, cranberries and strawberries

22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes

23. Who is most likely to respond? Don't have a clue.

24. Who is least likely to respond? “ “ “ “

25. Living arrangements? Married happily

26. When was the last time you cried? 2 days ago

27. What is on the floor of your closet? Everything not on a rack or on a shelf

28. Who is the friend you're sending this to that you have known the Longest? I'm blogging it, so who knows who will read it??

29. What did you do last night? Finished up a case I was working on all day

This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm

Syriac Prayer

2007-02-18T17:31:00.000-05:00

Create eyes in me, and so may I see with Thy eyes,
for I cannot see with my own eyes.

May my mind travel inwards
towards the hiddenness of Thy sacrifice,
just as Thou hast travelled out into the open
and been cojoined to Thy Mysteries.

At this moment
may I be totally forgetful of myself,
and remain utterly unmindful
of my own person.

May every bodily image
be wiped away from my mind's Eye,
and may Thou alone
be depicted before the Eye of my mind.

And now, when Thy Spirit descends from heaven
upon your Mysteries,
may I ascend in spirit from earth to heaven.

-- Prayers of Joseph the Visionary in "The Syriac Fathers On Prayer And The Spiritual Life," translated from the original Syriac-Aramaic by Sebastian Brock, Cistercian Publications. Adapted to Thee-Thou.

But Y'all Kin Call Me Elizabeth...

2007-02-18T09:05:00.000-05:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Lady Madame Elizabeth the Convincing of Bartonhurst in the River
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Only Old Folks Know the Answers. . .

2007-02-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

From an e-mail - too good to not publish here!

01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?____________

02. When the Beatles first came to the U. S. in early
1964, we all watched them on The __________________ Show.

03. "Get your kicks, ___________________."

04. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed___________________."

05. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________."

06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we "danced" under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the "_____________."

07. "N_E_S_T_L_E_S", Nestle's makes the very best _______________."

08. Satchmo was America's "Ambassador of Goodwill." Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.

09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________

10. Red Skelton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, "Good Night, and "_______________".

11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their____________.

12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW. What other names did it go by? ____________ & _______________.

13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, "the day the music died." This was a tribute to ___________________.

14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.

15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the ________________

Scroll Down for the Answers........

ANSWERS:

01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet.
02. The Ed Sullivan Show
03. On Route 66
04. To protect the innocent.
05. The Lion sleeps tonight
06. The limbo
07. Chocolate
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch
10. Freddy, The Freeloader, and "Good Night, and may God Bless."
11. Draft cards (Bras were also burned.)
12. Beetle or Bug
13. Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hoola-hoop

Oldie but Goodie!!

2007-02-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

Years ago, Fr. Joseph Huneycutt posted this on the "O" list. It was funny then, and is still funny, now. It's copyrighted, so please don't take it without the copyright notice and the website reference!!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE SOUTHERN ORTHODOX WHEN:

10) At Pentecost, your church is decorated with Kudzu.

9) You spell "feast" with only three letters: B B Q.

8) You say "Father," "Barsonuphios," and "Monastery" without any pronouncing an "r."

7) You drive 3 hours to an Orthodox Church. But, could hop ... on one foot ... with your eyes closed ... (and a rock in your shoe) ... to the nearest Baptist Church.

6) All your services are all in English -- at least that's what YOU call it.

5) There's women in your church known as: Photini Beth, Thecla Beth, and Elizabeth Beth.

4) There's men going by: Athanasius Lee, Euphrosynos Lee, and Vasiliy Lee.

3) You got white folks, black folks -- even Democrats -- in your parish, but no Russians, Serbians, Arabs or Greeks.

2) You know someone who knows someone who knows someone with a velvet picture of Elvis celebrating the Last Supper.

AND ... the number one sign that you are an Orthodox Southerner:

1) You think grits are too good to be considered fasting!

(copyright 2000 - Fr Joseph Huneycutt)

Now, I'm very ROC (Redneck Orthodox Christian), but in my parish we do have Russians, Serbians, Arabs and Greeks - and most of them speak English with a Southern drawl! The services are partially in Slavonic - with a Southern drawl. And I *do* know someone with a velvet picture of Elvis celebrating the Last Supper!

I think this list from "Memoirs of a Neophyte" is more to the point:
You know you’re Orthodox if...
• On Wednesdays and Fridays you eat Japanese food.
• You are more comfortable standing in church than sitting.
• You can suck/vacuum up the crumbs of bread out of your hand without coughing.
• You can sing ison to any song (and you know what an ison is… LoL).
• Lent to you means peanut butter, tofu, soy, lots and lots of pita bread and hummus, and services at least five times a week.
• You’re used to skipping breakfast on Sundays.
• On your first encounter with long words, you pronounce them stressing the ‘next to the next to last’ syllable.
• You wonder why the Pope crosses himself backwards when you see him on TV.
• You wear comfortable shoes to church, because you know you’ll be standing a long, long time.
• To you, a ‘topless’ gal is one without a headscarf.
• You get great deals on Easter candy.
• You spend time figuring out the best way to remove smoke stains from your ceiling and wax from your walls.
• When you see a shopping-mall Santa, your first instinct is to hold out your hands to get his blessing.
• Before you pray, you say a prayer.
• You don’t flinch when someone throws water at you.
• When you first tell people who ask what religion you are, at first they think you’re Jewish. Oy!
• You’re experienced at removing wax from clothing.
• The service routinely starts at least 15 minutes late and lasts 2 ½ hours — and nobody around you complains.
• You consider any service two hours or under short/regular.
• You know you’re in an Orthodox church when the priest says, “Let us complete our prayer to the Lord”, and there’s still half an hour to go.
• At the end of Holy Week, you have rug burns on your forehead.
• Your Easter isn’t Easter without an all-night party (featuring 10 dishes of sausage with cheese).
• Your priest is married.
• You have seen all members of clergy in purple robes.
• You can differentiate between the eight different chanting tones.
• You typically celebrate a feast day by observing strict fasting.
• You celebrate feast days the night before.
• You address the City as Constantinople instead of Istanbul.
• You can say "Lord have mercy" 40 times without making a mistake.
• You say 'unto the ages of ages.' instead of 'world without end.'

Which Original Phantasy Character?

2007-02-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

OK - I'm bizarre...

What Original Phantasy Star Character are You?

Myau - the talking Musk Cat
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Which "Clue" Character

2007-02-14T19:38:00.001-05:00

I'm going crazy on Quizilla - as if you couldn't tell...

What classic Clue character are you?

Miss Scarlet - Sexy and alluring, your mysterious charm has attracted much attention from unsuspecting males. A little smile, a well-timed wink...the poor saps never know what hit 'em...
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Which "Law and Order" Character?

2007-02-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

What Law & Order Character Are You?

Claire Kincaid
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TMI!

2007-02-12T05:54:00.000-05:00

Lynn tagged me with this - So here's another post with too much useless information!!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 4:17am

2. Diamonds or Pearls? Pearls

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Narnia

4. What is your favorite TV show? Forensic Files / Cold Case Files

5. What did you have for breakfast? hard boiled egg & toast

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Japanese

8. What foods do you dislike? I never met a food I couldn't eat, but I'm less fond of Turnips

9. Your favorite Potato chip? Lays Potato Chips

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment ? Ancient Russian Chant

11. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Grand Caravan

12. Favorite sandwich? Tuna Salad

13. What characteristics do you despise? Cheaters, liars and those who play political games to get ahead . Ditto - double ditto

14. What are your favorite clothes? Sweatsuit

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where WOULDN'T you go? Middle East

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Don't have a favorite brand - but I get most of my clothes from Walmart...

17. Where would you want to retire? Nowhere - I'm where I want to be!

18. Favorite time of day? Early AM

19. Where were you born? Atlanta

20. What is your favorite sport to watch? Figure Skating

21. Who do you think will not send this back? Probably everyone.

22. Person you expect to send back first? Bev

23. Pepsi or Coke? COKE. Is there anything else? DITTO!!

24. Beavers or Ducks? ducks - Yeah!

25. Are you a morning person or night owl? Early bird

26. Pedicure or Manicure? BOTH!

27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Same old same old...

28. What did you want to be when you were little? An OB

29. What is your best childhood memory? girls camp

30. Piercing? ears

31. Ever been to Africa? No

32. Ever been toilet papering? YEP - as a young teen, and I got grounded big time!!

33. Been in a car accident? Yes

35. Favorite restaurant? Sake Cafe - best sushi chef I've ever had the pleasure of meeting

36. Favorite flower? Carnations

37. Favorite ice cream? Dulce la Leche

38. Favorite Fast Food? Arbys

39. How many times did you fail your drivers test? 0

40. From whom did you get your last e-mail? Lynn

41. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Would depend on my mood of the moment, but most probably either Home Depot or Woodcraft

42. Bedtime? 8:30 - 9:00pm

43. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? GFPG and the Bodacious Babes

44. Last person you went to dinner with? My ol' curmudgeon!! {my heart!}

45. What are you listening to right now? actually, I'm desultorily watching Animal Planet - Amazing Animal World Records

46. What is you favorite color? anything in the blue-green spectrum

47. How many tattoos do you have? one

48. How many people are you sending this to? about 25

49. Favorite magazine? American Woodturner

50. What vacation do you want to take next? Tour of Russian Churches - but I don't really anticipate ever getting there.

God Creates Us for Himself!

2007-02-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

My friend M___ posted this to a list and gave me permission to use it here.

- - - - -

Glory to God for all things!

Just thinking over the weekend about our son, and the incredible turns his life has taken: We would never have dreamed, back about 10 or 15 years ago, that his life could ever have turned out so successfully. Back in 1992, there wasn't a lot of sympathy for kids with Asperger's Syndrome, mostly because it hadn't yet been officially classified as a condition, so our son, who was then in middle school, put up with a *lot* of guff out of various teachers, and the indignity of being put into special-ed classes along with kids with a fraction of his intelligence - but ADD or ADHD was the only possible "code" available at the time, so we had to agree to special ed or have his teachers pick on him relentlessly. Back then, we just hoped he'd get out of high school without some kind of lasting stigma.

Back then, I actually, seriously, asked God why He had created our son, if his only lot in life was to suffer: Hard to explain to a 10- or 15-year-old that being a "Christ-bearer," which is what his name means, is a great honor, if it means following Christ even to the carrying of an exceptionally heavy cross. True, it was right around this time that his voice developed into one of the finest basses I have ever heard, what the Russians call an "octavist," meaning he can sing somewhere in the 9th sub-basement of the musical scale. And I realized that at least one purpose of his existence was to glorify God with that voice, so that was its own kind of answer. I just wished that the rest of his life could be as successful, so he would at least get some sense that his life is worth living - it sure didn't seem like it, at the time.

But very recently, with the positive changes that have occurred in his life - and with the miscarriage our daughter suffered a little over a year ago - praying for that small life that was snuffed out so soon, and for its uncle, who has known pretty much nothing but sorrow and grief - recently it occurred to me: God creates a person for Himself. It isn't that He doesn't expect us to lead useful and productive lives, and He certainly gives us the means to do so - in our son's case, parents who loved him and believed in him when no one else did - but little Sophia, who never had a chance to live this life - hey, her life is just as valuable to Him. Just because we never had a chance to know her, doesn't mean He doesn't know her and cherish her most intimately, rejoicing in her presence in His life. Just means we have to wait a bit longer to meet her.

What a mind-boggler. God creates each life for Himself, for the sheer joy of getting to know each one of us, for the sheer delight of listening to an octavist with the grimy hands of a worker, or the lightning intellect and golden tongue of a great orator of the Church, or the profound reverence and love for Him of a heart that can't carry a tune in a bucket. He doesn't care about our deficiencies - those are the deficiencies of the world. We are what we are, and when we remember that He holds an icon of us in His hands - the image of what He intended when He created us - when we just make the most of how He created us, then we become what He intended, and fulfill His purpose for our lives. Does it get any better than that?

- - - - -

Later, she added this:

Things like cerebral palsy and abuse, Parkinson's, children's cancers, all seem so
outrageously cruel, and we wonder why God allows them - but they're part and parcel of being in a fallen world, just like that tsunami a couple of years ago. Our priest gave a sermon about that in which he opined that God has not finished creating the world yet, and that's why tsunamis and earthquakes happen. Hmmm. Stands to reason, then, that He isn't finished perfecting *us,* either, and as I was just reading, when St. Paul asked for his affliction to be taken away from him - three times, yet - God's answer was, "My strength is made perfect in weakness." Oh-kay. But it's beginning to dawn on me (emphasis on "beginning") that the suffering, in whatever way, shape, or form, is part of conforming us to His image, and the scars are all part of our "icon" - maybe the physical or emotional scars wipe out or cover over the spiritual scars of our transgressions. It's not my place, or anyone's, really, to try to figure it out. But it sure helps me to realize that there's a purpose for my existence beyond this time and space, and that He made me because He *wanted* me.

Geeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...!!!

- - - - -

This helps me no end in thinking about my disabilities - God loves me "warts and all," and my RA and fibro, while they may make me less "able" to do things here on earth do not make me less "able" to Glorify Him in my heart and mind! They don't make me of less value in His sight! Glory for that!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, M___ for posting these!

Time for Coffee

2007-02-08T05:15:00.000-05:00

I received this from a friend. It's one of "those" e-mails that circulate on the internet. For some reason, today it was very meaningful to me, so I wanted to share it out with any who read this blog!
= = = = =
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got to talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the alumni had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.
"While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself add's no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eyeing each other's cups.
"Now consider this: Life is the coffee; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life. The type of cup one has does not define, nor change the quality of Life a person lives. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."

God brews the coffee, not the cups... enjoy your coffee! Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Spend time with God over your coffee.
= = = = =

I wish you very good coffee...

Do You Know Your Bible?

2007-02-03T15:39:00.000-05:00

This little quiz was pretty silly - I would have made it harder - but it was fun, nevertheless!

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
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What Happiness Is

2007-01-16T18:18:00.000-05:00

What Happiness Is
By Archbishop Nathanial (Lvov) 1906-1985
Translated by Charles Bausman

People wish each other happiness on various occasions, for example, on the New Year, but what is happiness? How can one define it?

Modern man’s concept of happiness has not changed much since primitive times, ie. happiness is when I acquire more material things from others, and unhappiness is when others take my property from me.

Even if we leave aside the morality of this concept, it is still flawed in its essence because no matter how much property, power, public recognition, and pleasures we amass, it will not bring us happiness. Material objects cannot bring true happiness, only taedium vitae, after which a person is overcome by depression even more than before.

It is interesting to note that the word "happiness," — "tikhi," in ancient Greek, appears very rarely in the Holy Scriptures, and not once in the New Testament. The term is too broad and is inexact. On its own it has no meaning. Instead, the Scriptures use another more clear and specific term, "joy," ("khara" in ancient Greek) which is one of the components of happiness.

Christ says the following about joy: "… that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." He also indicates where this joy comes from: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my father’s commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15: 10 – 11). Here we have the answer to the age-old question. True happiness, true joy, is God’s love, and being with Him. This is completely confirmed by St. Paul when he says: "For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). John adds this: "…and your joy no man taketh from you" (John 16:22). This means, nothing and no one — neither suffering, nor deprivation, nor persecution, not even death itself.

This is well understood by those who have solved for themselves the centuries-old problem of humanity, and who have found happiness: the Christian saints and those who please God, past and present. Yet their behavior is puzzling to others. The ancient Romans couldn’t understand why Christians were so joyous. Contemporary heathens, most of whom nominally think of themselves as Christians, ask the same question.

There exists a wide-spread, sentimental, romantic, Western European notion, which is often offered as an answer to this question, which goes something like this: that because in the ancient world people had little understanding of what happens after death, people feared death, and Christians espoused the soothing idea that people will live after death, that Christ has saved everyone, forgiven everyone, and promised everyone eternal life and heavenly bliss, and that this is the reason why Christians are so joyous. This notion, in one form or another is very common, but it is completely inaccurate.

In fact, Christ did not at all promise heavenly bliss. Frequently Christ gives frightening warnings: "…there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…," (Matthew 24:51), "…Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment…" (Matthew 25:46). Furthermore, St. Peter, speaking of the terrible danger of eternal suffering hanging over us, reminds us that even the righteous barely save themselves, and that the impious and sinful almost never do (1 Peter 4:18).

Another notion, originating in Protestantism, which is quite common amongst liberally inclined Christians is that the gloomy concept of the after-life and the difficulty of salvation is a product of a later era, of "gloomy, joyless, ascetics/monks," and that in the ancient, initial Christianity there predominated a "bright mood, and an understanding that one’s salvation derived alone from one’s belief in Christ." Those who believe this are inventing their own version of Christianity, with no basis or confirmation either in the Gospels, or the Epistles, or in ancient Christian history.

For example, read the early Christian book by "Pastor" Erma, a writer of the 1st century, and you will see how demanding early Christians were regarding salvation and how clearly they understood that the slightest hint of immorality puts a person at risk of eternal death. This book is written with the pathos of the frightening words of the church song – "the suffering of the sinful is limitless." This was even more true regarding pureness of faith and loyalty to the Church.

Therefore, a Christian viewpoint might seem much less cheerful than a pagan one. Pagans have a "kingdom of shadows" after life, not very clearly defined, and of which one can form the most varied of conceptions. At one extreme one has the "Elysian Fields," a kingdom of bliss, which are quite easy to enter. At the gloomy end of the spectrum one has the concept of nothingness, of complete destruction after death. To quote Socrates, "Since I didn’t suffer before appearing on this earth, it follows that I won’t suffer when I leave it."

If you compare this with the awful picture of eternal suffering and hell and you see that the liberal view on the reasons for the joyousness of the first Christians is essentially flawed. And nonetheless, that Christian joy was and still is. It shines brightly in each line of the lives of the martyrs and ascetics (podvizhniki), and glows still in the lives of monks and in Christian families. In fact, it alone deserves this term. And the more spiritual a person is, the more clear and perfect his joy is. This joy, this bright world-view never left the early Christians, even during suffering, and at death’s door.

What then is the source of this joy? The answer, of course, it is faith. But not in the way Protestants understand it. It is not a formal, lifeless, faith, absent of heroic spiritual effort (podvig) (after all, even "demons believe and tremble") rather it is an animating, active faith which lives in a pure heart and is warmed by God’s grace, a faith burning with love for God, and strengthening hope in Him. As one modern Christian writer put it so well, "It is not enough to believe in God, one must believe Him too." The lines from the litany: "Let us entrust ourselves, and each other, and all our life to Christ our God" properly describe true Christian faith. It is a full, trusting, filial entrustment of oneself into God’s hands. This is, and has always been, what opens the doors to true joy, to true happiness.

If a Christian trusts God, then he is prepared to accept anything from him: heaven or hell, suffering or bliss, for he knows that God is infinitely good. When he punishes us, it is for our sake. He loves us so much that he will move heaven and earth to save us. He won’t betray us, not even for the best reasons, and will certainly save us, if at all possible. As St. Augustine put it, "The only refuge from God’s anger is God’s favour."

With this kind of understanding, joy and light firmly inhabit the heart of a Christian, and there is no room for gloom. The world, the boundless universe belongs to my God. No event, from the smallest to the greatest can occur without His will, and He loves me infinitely. Even here on earth he allows me to enter His kingdom, His holy Church. He will never drive me from His kingdom, as long as I am faithful to Him. What is more, if I fall, he will pick me up as soon as I realize my sin and offer tears of repentence. That is why I trust my salvation and the salvation of not only my loved ones, but of all people, to God’s hands.

Death is not frightening, it has been defeated by Christ. Hell and eternal suffering await those who consciously and by their own free will turn from God, who prefer the gloom of sin to the light of His love. Joy and eternal blessedness await the faithful. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9).

Let ever-merciful God help us achieve full trust in Him. Lord rejuvenate us who pray to Thee!

Copyright © 2004 Holy Trinity Orthodox Mission
Used with permission

The Meaning of Merry Christmas

2007-01-06T07:03:00.000-05:00

This is a wonderful Op-Ed piece by an American who is a Serbian Orthodox Christian. Really commonsense approach to the problems we are having in the public arena as to how Christmas is expressed.

As she so eloquently shows, taking Christ out of Christmas leaves us with simply a period of excessive commerce.

Still Another Tag!!

2006-12-31T18:42:00.000-05:00

I'm a Mandarin!

You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 49%
Lifer: 28%
Mandarin: 69%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Another Tag for the New Year!

2006-12-31T08:33:00.000-05:00

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Keypunch Operator
2. Typist
3. Nurse
4. Asst Professor

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1. The Chosen
2. 84 Charing Cross Road
3. Shrek
4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Four places you have lived:

1. Atlanta
2. Salt Lake City
3. Decatur
4. Lawrenceville

Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. Law and Order (and any of the spin-offs!)
2. Crocodile Hunter (and any of the spin-offs)
3. Without a Trace
4. Forensic Files

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Gatlinburg NC
2. Snow Basin UT
3. Mountain Home ID
4. San Diego CA

Four websites I visit daily:

1. http://www.ORGYN.com
2. http://medlineplus.gov/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi
4. http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/

Four of my favorite foods:

1. DH's fruit spice cookies
2. Hummus
3. Steak au Poivre
4. Charlotte Russe

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Actually, I'm right where I would rather be!
2.
3.
4.

Four places I would like to visit:

1. Russia
2. Japan
3. Scotland
4. Ireland

Tag! You're it! Copy, delete my responses and fill in your own!

197 People With My Name!

2006-12-05T18:51:00.000-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
197
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Reflections - Author Unknown

2006-11-27T07:04:00.000-05:00

I received this from Patti. Thought it belonged here.

Reflections....

Reflections.. and then it's winter before we know it....

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams... but, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...

How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well... seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

But, here it is... wife retired and she's really getting gray... she moves slower and I see an older woman now. She's in better shape than me... but, I see the great change... Not the one I married who was young and vibrant... but, like me, her age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore...it's mandatory! 'Cause if I don't on my own free will...I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things.

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last... This I know, that when it's over... its over... Yes , I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done... things I should have done. But indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done Its all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it soon!

Life goes by quickly, so do what you can today, because you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...

"Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who came after. Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!!

~author unknown~

Cribbed from Sara . . .

2006-11-27T06:17:00.000-05:00

1. FIRST NAME: Elizabeth
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes! My grandmother and grandfather, and "The Little Colonel"
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Nope
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Depends on the day. Sometimes beef, sometimes ham.
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yah! 3 + 11 grandkids!
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This blog and an another one I post to occasionally.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not much.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely NOT!
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Alpen
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No - have a hard time bending to re-tie them.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Breyer's Dulce La Leche
16. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes.
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My slothfulness and procrastination.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? 3 people - my Mom, and both my mothers-in-law
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, just blog it.
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? I'm wearing my bathrobe and nightie! :-)
22. THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Toast and cheese.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Watching TV - Animal Planet.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Any shade in the blue-green spectrum!
25. FAVORITE SMELL? I don't know - can't put my finger on it.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My DD
27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Picked it up from a blog.
28. FAVORITE DRINK: Schweppes Raspberry Gingerale!!
29. FAVORITE SPORT: To do: Swimming. To watch: Figure skating
30. HAIR COLOR? multicolored - gray, brown, auburn, white
31. EYE COLOR? Brown / hazel
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Used to. Wish I still could!
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Nearly anything! Especially if it's bad for me! :->
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy endings - of course
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Teal
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
38. HUGS OR KISSES? Both! I'm greedy!
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Creme Brulee AND Caramel Nut-Roll (vanilla ice cream rolled in broken pecans in a sundae dish with caramel sauce, whipped cream and a cherry on top!!
40. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Who knows?
41. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Dunno!
42. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? "Kill All the Lawyers" - a murder mystery about a pair of attorneys
43. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The mouse and some cat hair from the 3-K's
44. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I didn't watch TV last night - watched a movie!
45. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Depends on my mood. Birdies chirping and singing, children laughing, Orthodox chant, Sarah Brightman and Charlotte Church singing "Pie Jesu"
46. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles!
47. THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Canada
48. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Teaching.

TAG! You're it, now!!

Fun Christmas Survey - - - - - My Answers!

2006-11-15T06:05:00.000-05:00

TAG! You're it!

Fun Christmas Survey - - - - - My Answers!

1. Hot chocolate or apple cider?
Both! Anything worth doing is worth overdoing!

2. Turkey or Ham?
I prefer Turkey, but we usually have ham because it is so soon after Thanksgiving

3. Do you get a Fake or Real cut it yourself Christmas tree?
Fake now for lots of reasons

4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
One artifical wreath

5. Snowball fights or sledding?
Neither - when you live in the Hotlanna area, there either is zero snow, or not enough for either! But later in the winter we might be able to have an ice fight...

6. Do you like hanging around the fireplace because it's warm?
Fireplace doesn't "work." I'd love it if it gets cold enough. Hasn't so far...

7. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOO

8. Favorite Christmas song?
A lovely carol called "Walking in the Air" and nearly anything by John Rutter

9. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
Hate most of them

10. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
On Christmas Eve! We don't celebrate Christmas until Christmas.

11. Stockings before or after presents?
Before

12. Carolers, do you or do you not listen to them?
If it's kids from the various local churches, I love them!

13. Go to someone else's house or they come to you?
Since we celebrate on civil calendar Jan 7, the family comes to us!

14. Do you read the Christmas Story?
The Gospel is read at Church, but we read it individually at home, too.

15. What do you do after presents and dinner?
Just have fun together

16. What is your favorite holiday smell?
Cinnamon with cloves and pine needles and bayberry candles all mixed up into one ambience (Christmas potpourri works).

17. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
Neither!

18. Favorite Christmas memory?
Every year brings a new favorite!

19. Favorite part about winter?
Eventually it will end!

20. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
Of course! What red-blooded southern belle hasn't been? ;-)

Cribbed from Meg . . .

2006-11-13T18:53:00.000-05:00

xx Years Ago I....

30 Years Ago I...
- was 34
- had just remarried after an unwanted divorce from XH
- didn't know my mother would die the next year
- was an Anglican

25 years Ago I...
- Was 39
- had been Orthodox for 3 years
- was living in Decatur GA
- had 2 teenagers and one elementary-school kid

20 years Ago I...
- Was 44
- was working at Clemson University
- had a "commuter marriage" as DH was working in Atlanta and commuting to Clemson on weekends :-(
- was planning to get PhD

15 Years Ago I...
- was 49
- was in the throes of getting PhD
- had oldest son back from military living with us
- worked as a graduate research assistant and as a nurse practitioner in my "copious spare time"
- had just taken over moderatorship of the Orthodox Women's List

10 Years Ago I...
- was 54
- had my PhD in hand
- had buried my father 2 years before
- "only" had 4 grandchildren
- was looking for a job

5 Years Ago I...
- was 59
- was dealing with husband having heart problems
- was settling into new house in Lawrenceville Ga (!!)
- was working at home in my own business
- "only" had 5 grandchildren

4 years ago I...
- Was 60
- doing the same stuff as at 59
- went to the one and only college reunion I've gone to
- spent time with my best friend from college!
- "only" had 6 grandchildren

2 Years Ago I...
- Was 62
- welcomed 10th grandchild into the world!
- nearly lost husband to another heart attack
- put kitchen renovation on the wish list in case we ever win the lottery

1 Year Ago I...
- Was 63
- welcomed 11th (and probably last) grandchild into the world!
- gradually became more and more crippled
- continued to work at business

Yesterday I...
- slept most of the day
- washed bathing suit and towels in anticipation of today's aquatic therapy
- listened to some music tracks DH downloaded from the internet
- ate some of DH's wonderful chicken soup!

Today I...
- went to aquatic therapy
- had a *good* day!! :-D
- talked to XH's sister on the phone
- finished the next to last case on my plate for the moment!

Tomorrow I...
- will finish the last case (for the moment!)
- babysit the 4yo grandson (happy-happy joy-joy!!)
- do various therapy exercises
- prepare supper for GS and DH

Tag: To anyone who wants to pick it up.

Great Day!!

2006-11-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

Friday was miserable. My hands were swollen and just plain HURT! I decided this is how I would have to live the rest of my life, and tried to resign myself to it. Took the Methotrexate and soaked my hands in hot water at every chance. Have to get some paraffin, I decided.
Saturday morning I woke up and it was as if it had never happened. I don't know why, but I'm not asking any questions! Just accepting the grace given. Sat and Sun I was dragging around and just couldn't stay awake, so I decided being asleep 3/4 of the time was a small price to pay for the lack of pain.
Woke up today and I had energy! Not like when I was in my twenties, of course, but more than I've had in months - maybe years. Went to aquatic therapy and stayed in the pool for nearly 2 hours.
I was tired when I got back, but didn't even nap. Was able to get an urgent case finished, and do a little stuff around the house, even.
Gee, if this continues, I might even get the house cleaned up by Nativity!! Wow! What a concept!
Tomorrow is an early pool day (6am), and the day I babysit the 4yo GS - Happy-Happy Joy-Joy!
Thursday is early swim, hand therapy and then lunch and shopping with uncle. I think I'll sleep all day Friday...

Things I Have Done

2006-11-11T12:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I swiped this from Meg, who says she swiped it from Phillipa! The things I have done are in BOLD.

Things I've Done (Or Not Done, as the Case May Be)

What about you???

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (all 3 of them!)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (if you count Blood Mountain, Grandfather Mountain, and other peaks in the Southern Appalachians - they don't approach the Rockies, much less Everest, but they ARE mountains!)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (No, but I did take a jaguar
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it!
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris (Does Paris KY count?? LOL)
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Not at sea, but from the top of Blood Mountain - spectacular!)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise (MANY times! We used to climb Stone Mountain on New Years Eve after the party was over just so we could watch the sun come up! This was long before the Gondola...)
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (Can't get too much bigger than GA-GA Tech or GA Tech-Auburn; then there are the Braves games...)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (actually, it was my X who was the gardener, and we ate the veggies all summer and fall. Winter, too, if I were energetic enough to can them)
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s nappy (3 children, 11 grandchildren - and you think I haven't changed diapers!! Not to mention being an OB nurse and nurse-midwife...)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower - in the desert SW - gorgeous!
23. Drunk champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (at my mother's memorial service - I was remembering some of the silly things we used to do - had to pretend I was crying so I wouldn't shock all the little old ladies)
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse.
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb (and baby goats and a couple of calves, numerous kittens, not to mention delivering lots of babies)
33. Seen a total eclipse (Mama took me out on our back driveway. We could see the whole thing from there. She made me use about 8 layers of blackened film to keep from hurting my eyes. I really resented it - wanted to look at the "real" thing.
34. Ridden a roller coaster (LOVE roller coasters! Can't ride them anymore, but if I could, I'd join the American Coaster Enthusiasts and trek all over the country riding different ones!
35. Scored a winning goal (playing "Speedball" in college - this is a combination of soccer, football and basketball, played on a football-sized field. You can't hold the ball (as in soccer) but it's scored like basketball. Really great!
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (actually, most of the time I do feel happy about my life. Family calls me a "space biscuit" [light and flakey] and a "happy camper")
39. Visited all 5 continents (Don't I wish!!)
40. Taken care of someone who was drunk (YUCK!)
41. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
42. Watched wild whales
43. Stolen a sign
44. Backpacked
45. Taken a road-trip
46. Gone rock climbing
48. Midnight walk on the beach
49. Gone sky diving
50. Taken a train through Europe
51. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
52. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table, and had a meal with them (at Rich's, in the 50's and early 60's, they used to ask people eating alone if they were willing to share their table. I always said yes, and often was seated at someone's table who also had said yes.)
53. Milked a cow (lots)
54. Alphabetized your CDs (even as I post - for the 43rd time...)
55. Sung karaoke (There's a karaoke bar in downtown Lawrenceville - less than a mile from the house!)
56. Lounged around in bed all day
57. Gone scuba diving
58. Kissed in the rain
59. Gone to a drive-in theatre (Especially the Moonlit in Conyers when I was at EaO. We called it the "Moonlit Passion Pit"
60. Started a business
61. Taken a martial arts class (Tai Chi)
62. Been in a movie
63. Crashed a party (in my foolish and jmisspent youth we used to do this all the time!)
64. Gone without food for 5 days (make that 25 days! Have not always acted with intelligence.
65. Gotten a tattoo (betcha didn't now that piece of useless trivia!)
66. Got flowers for no reason (well, there's always a reason if you count, "I just want them" as a reason!)
67. Performed on stage
68. Been to Las Vegas - but didn't stay - drove right through on the way to San Francisco from Salt Lake City
69. Recorded music
70. Eaten shark
71. Buried one/both of your parents. (Both)
72. Been on a cruise ship
73. Spoken more than one language fluently
74. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
75. Walked a famous bridge
76. Had plastic surgery
77. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
78. Wrote articles for a large publication.
77. Tried to lose weight seriously (doesn't work for long, but I keep trying...)
79. Piloted an airplane
80. Petted a stingray.
81. Broken someone’s heart (I should be beaten for that one!)
82. Broken a bone (Does my pinky toe count??)
83. Eaten sushi (favorite meal!)
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Parasailed
86. Skipped all your school reunions (so far, skipped all but 2)
87. Shaved your head (may do this, yet, depending on how much of my hair falls out with the new medicine)
88. Caused a car accident
89. Pretended to be “sick” (Meg sez: who's pretending? I call it "sick and tired leave") (I sez: I call them "Mental Health Days!")
90. Swam in the Pacific Ocean (and the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mex)
91. Saved someone’s life.
92. Fainted
93. Been in the room while someone is giving birth (too many times to count!)
94. Hitchhiked
95. Adopted a child
96. Been caught daydreaming
97. Been to the Painted Desert
98. Called off a wedding engagement
99. Donated your blood
100. Become a follower of Jesus Christ

I don't know if that last really counts. I can't remember when I was not a Christian.

Hair Yesterday - - Goon Today!

2006-11-02T16:37:00.000-05:00

      Since I'm going on Methotrexate tomorrow, today I had my 3 1/2 feet of hair chopped off. Locks of Love got 20 inches of it after ends were trimmed. I now don't need to "do" anything much to my hair - just rub conditioning cream and then styling mousse into it and "scrunch" it in my hands. I can do my hand exercises while I "scrunch!"
      Don't much like it, prefer long hair, but this is an interesting change. And, if part or all falls out, at least Locks of Love got it! I'll post pics as soon as my DD sends the ones we took today.
      The change of weather plus "pushing too hard" and "overdoing" the past several days is catching up with me. I don't dare stop going to the pool, but I'm going to have to take a break - take a really decent nap each day tomorrow and Saturday.
      DD went with me to get myhair cut. She made lots of good suggestions to the hairdresser. My hair is soooo naturally curly, it is really hard to handle. She is just marvelous. DIL likes my hair, so that's 2 who like it. Ol' Curmudgeon says I'm still his "Windy-Girl." I don't know, yet, whether I like it, though.
      I can almost be grateful that I have developed RA - it has brought DD, DIL and me closer together. They have both been so supportive it has truly touched my heart.

The Current Dilemma

2006-11-01T07:27:00.000-05:00

      Recently I've been remiss in posting here. With the new diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, I have been struggling with whether to post about how it is going or simply to ignore it. I don't want this blog to degenerate into a pity party.
      Yesterday I had an appointment with my rheumatologist (a wonderful man!) who is very successful in treating his RA patients. He's somewhat aggressive, but believes that "throwing the book" at RA fairly early in the disease process is more likely to achieve remissions. And for most of his patients he is correct. So I am assuming he is correct in early aggressive treatment in my case. The long and the short of it is that I'm going on methotrexate (Rheumatrex). This is an old cancer drug that is pretty successful in achieving remissions in early, mild to moderate RA. I start on it on Friday. As with any therapy with powerful drugs, there are good things and bad things. The good is, of course, the high percentage of remissions achieved with it. The bad things are: high possibility of major hair loss :-( and serious nausea.
      So tomorrow (Thursday) I will go get my 3 1/2 feet of thick naturally curly hair chopped off and donate it to Locks of Love. It will make my aquatic therapy easier, as I won't be so reluctant to get my hair wet. It will also remove a serious source of vanity. Those are the "up" sides of the possibility of hair loss!
      The "up" side of the possibility of serious nausea is, perhaps I'll actually lose serious weight. That would be good for the joints in my feet, ankles, knees, hips and spine.
      As my dear, dear friend Meg says - "Glory to God for All Things!" We need to remember - and I, in particular need to remember - that God is, indeed, in charge of all. He both can and will redeem all things in His time. That is a great comfort.
      So, there is no "pity party" here - just the daily struggle to improve my spiritual life and to keep my physical health as good as possible as long as possible.
      Now, I'm going to aquatic therapy and get my joints moving!

The Republicans Missed the Boat

2006-10-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

In 1994, the incoming Congress, with substantial Republican majority, set forth with a mandate to implement the Contract with America. (See below.) They managed to implement parts of that contract. Had they truly worked with their collegues in both the House and the Senate, however, all aspects of the contract would have passed - and Presidential vetos could have been overcome.

Now, as we approach the 2006 interim elections, there is a question as to whether the Republicans will retain their majority. I contend they will not and that it is because of 2 major things - failure to continue to honor the spirit of the Contract with America and an arrogance that led both to pervasive immorality and fiscal corruption. That arrogance, that immorality and that fiscal corruption are the chief reasons people do not trust them. Now, I do not think that Republicans are any more or less immoral or fiscally corrupt than any other political group, but their arrogance, hubris if you will, has led to their current problems. Am I going to vote Republican this election? Yes - but only because my Senators and Representative were true to the Contract. If I were in another state or another district, however, I most probably would be having second thoughts.

We need smaller government, not ever-larger.
We need fewer taxes, not more.
We need simpler tax laws, not ever-more complex ones.
We need committment to family and family values - lived by our Senators and Representatives, not just given lip service.
We need a judiciary that much more strictly adheres to the basic constructs of the Constitution.
We need to be able to live safely - from criminals, from invasion.
We desperately need strict term limits so that representational "dynasties" cannot be created as easily.
We need a morals clause for both Senators and Representatives that will automatically remove from office any member who *during tenure* practices, supports, seeks, or advocates pederasty, pedophilia, adultery, bribery, vote-buying.
We need to forbid any and all lobbying by corporations, political action committees or other groups.

The safety of this nation is paramount - we need less partisan wrangling and more unity supporting both diplomatic and military protections.

= = = = =

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA

As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.

That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.

This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.

Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.

On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:

FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

Thereafter, within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress, we shall bring to the House Floor the following bills, each to be given full and open debate, each to be given a clear and fair vote and each to be immediately available this day for public inspection and scrutiny.

1. THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: A balanced budget/tax limitation amendment and a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out- of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses.

2. THE TAKING BACK OUR STREETS ACT: An anti-crime package including stronger truth-in- sentencing, "good faith" exclusionary rule exemptions, effective death penalty provisions, and cuts in social spending from this summer's "crime" bill to fund prison construction and additional law enforcement to keep people secure in their neighborhoods and kids safe in their schools.

3. THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT: Discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy by prohibiting welfare to minor mothers and denying increased AFDC for additional children while on welfare, cut spending for welfare programs, and enact a tough two-years-and-out provision with work requirements to promote individual responsibility.

4. THE FAMILY REINFORCEMENT ACT: Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening rights of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and an elderly dependent care tax credit to reinforce the central role of families in American society.

5. THE AMERICAN DREAM RESTORATION ACT: A S500 per child tax credit, begin repeal of the marriage tax penalty, and creation of American Dream Savings Accounts to provide middle class tax relief.

6. THE NATIONAL SECURITY RESTORATION ACT: No U.S. troops under U.N. command and restoration of the essential parts of our national security funding to strengthen our national defense and maintain our credibility around the world.

7. THE SENIOR CITIZENS FAIRNESS ACT: Raise the Social Security earnings limit which currently forces seniors out of the work force, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance to let Older Americans keep more of what they have earned over the years.

8. THE JOB CREATION AND WAGE ENHANCEMENT ACT: Small business incentives, capital gains cut and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages.

9. THE COMMON SENSE LEGAL REFORM ACT: "Loser pays" laws, reasonable limits on punitive damages and reform of product liability laws to stem the endless tide of litigation.

10. THE CITIZEN LEGISLATURE ACT: A first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians with citizen legislators.

Further, we will instruct the House Budget Committee to report to the floor and we will work to enact additional budget savings, beyond the budget cuts specifically included in the legislation described above, to ensure that the Federal budget deficit will be less than it would have been without the enactment of these bills.

Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizens as we seek their mandate for reform, we hereby pledge our names to this Contract with America.

= = = = =

To see how the various items of the Contract With America fared, and why, check out this Wikipedia article.

USATODAY.com - Official warns US could face North Korean missile

2006-10-10T05:11:00.000-04:00

USATODAY.com - Official warns US could face North Korean missile

Updated 10/10/2006 2:47 AM ET
SEOUL (AP) — A North Korean official threatened that communist nation could fire a nuclear-tipped missile unless the U.S. acts to resolve its standoff with Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.

"We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes," the unnamed official said on Monday, according to a Yonhap report from Beijing. "That depends on how the U.S. will act." MORE...

Gee, didn't I just blog about this the other day?

Wars and Rumors of Wars

2006-10-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

Well, Korea is threatening to test a nuke. So I guess we are back to the days of the "Cold War" of the 60s. Shall we again have "put your head between your legs and kiss your a-- goodbye" drills in the schools?

Seems we have not learned from history and so are doomed to repeat it. Contrary to what the tree-huggers and other liberals would have us believe, simply treating everyone "nicely" won't work - because too many people and nations are not "nice." They are just evil. No matter how "nice" we are to them, they are going to try to bully the world. When will we learn?

To deal with bullys, you have to demonstrate that you are stronger and won't take their bullying any longer. So far, we have proven our weakness by keeping on stepping back. It's like being a mother dealing with a brat:
"Johnny, Mother doesn't like it when you do that!"
"Johnny, now stop that, sweetie!"
"Johnny, didn't I tell you to stop that?"
"Johnny, must I put you in time out?"
"Now, Johnny, I've told you again and again not to do that!"
"I'm going to have to tell Daddy!"
"Johnny!"

Johnny isn't going to stop until he is actually punished - and don't tell me about "time out." He just goes to his room and plays computer or video games. Or watches his TV. Or plays with his other toys. That's not exactly a punishment!! And neither are sanctions - as proven by Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Dictators don't care about sanctions - no matter what they do to their subjects.

No, they need to be "paddled." On the national and international level, a "paddling" involves war. Sad to say. Yes, people will die. But what will happen if we don't? Even more than that will die from one nuked American city, however.

Imagine - Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento going up in a nuclear cloud? What if San Francisco is nuked? Would it unsettle the San Andreas fault and set off the major earthquake we've been expecting? Any or all of those are possible given the estimated ranges of Korean missles.

To Realize - The Loss of Steve Irwin

2006-09-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

To Realize The Value

by Anonymous

To realize the value of a sister
Ask someone who doesn't have one.

To realize the value of ten years:
Ask a newly divorced couple.

To realize the value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize the value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize the value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to A premature baby.

To realize the value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize the value of one minute:
Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize the value of one-second:
Ask a person Who has survived an accident...

To realize the value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend: Lose one.

= = = = =

On Sept 4, 2006, the world lost a friend in Steve Irwin. For those who don't know who Steve is and was, go to:

http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/about_steve_terri/main.html#

and click on the "Tribute" link. It will pop up a new window.

I have been weepy and in shock for over a week. I was raised on the books by and about Martin and Osa Johnson, on the original "Wild Kingdom" TV show with Marlon Perkins, on the stories and books by Ernest Seton-Thompson. Given different circumstances, I probably would have moved to Australia, studied midwifery there, and been an midwife in the Outback and done natural history kinds of things on the side. I used to capture snakes for fun, and raised black widow spiders for a CDC venom project.

I just loved Steve Irwin and his family. Theirs was the kind of life I used to want to live. I took great joy in the marriage of Steve and Terri, and in the births of their children. He was young enough to be my son, yet I learned so much from him about various animals and their habitats, their lives, their place in God's world. And I came to value God's world even more because of the Irwins - but especially from Steve. His ebullent personality, his infectious enthusiasm, his self-acquired but valid knowledge about animals, their niches in the natural world, the roles they play in our overall ecology - he taught us all about the importance of each specie. He made the unattractive and scary somehow less mysterious, more attractive, and less scary.

One of the many dreams of mine that will not be fulfilled is to go to Australia, visit Australia Zoo and meet Steve and his family in person. Perhaps, health and finances permitting, I will someday make that trip and meet Terri, Bindi Sue and Bobby. I would tell them how much Steve meant to me, an old woman in Georgia in the USA - how much I learned from him and that I miss him.

The love he had for his family, his pride in his wife and children, his unashamed devotion to his late mother and to his father as well as his friends - these were only some of the things that were endearing about him. Any woman would have been proud to have a son like him.

Now Steve Irwin is with God, and the world is emptier. I pray that his lessons on conservation will be spread even farther. My prayers are with his family - his father, his lovely wife, and their children, with his colleagues at Australia Zoo, and his world-wide circle of friends.

May his Memory be Eternal!

Brussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling | The Brussels Journal

2006-06-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

Brussels Journal Editor Threatened with Prosecution over Homeschooling | The Brussels Journal

All you homeschooling parents out there - beware! This will be coming to a community near you - in the all too near future!

The Morningside Project

RA Is Not "arthritis" - A PSA about Rheumatoid Arthritis

My Great New Kitchen!

We ARE the Economy!

New Widgets About Health

Time for Demo!

Friends

New Place!

Blocked - Locked - Mocked and SHOCKED!

5 Things meme

What's Your Theme Song??

Babies as Punishment?!

I am Tigger!!

Ephemerancy - Is That a Word?

545 Responsible People

Which Beautiful Fairy Are You?

Civility

It Takes Two, Baby!

Calcium + Heredity = A+ Bones!!

A Time to Reflect

Tag! You're It!!

The Chinese Take Me Out Box Purse

I've Done This Before . . .

Sisters

Time for a ~~Whine~~??

What's in a Name?

Time for a Change!

New Blogs!!

Who's your candidate???

A Friend Needs HELP!!

The Nativity Fast - Preparation for Christ's Incarnation

Did You Know I Love Cats? and Kittens??

Magnus - the Democrat!?!

Of Neighborhoods and Homeowners Associations

A Service Dog - For Me?

Drought in GA

Role Models

Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds! They Rock!!

Reposted from August 2004: Marbles in My Pocket

My Mood Ring is Red Today! What Color is Yours?

Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo!

Don't Know How Long This Will Last - Watch While It's Hot!

Orthodox Blogs

Ethan Laughing

Incredible Beauty

Would The Ol' Curmudgeon Bring Me Home to Mom??

Transfiguration Tuna Salad

Hot Weather -

Sumpin' fer Nuttin'

My Mind is Blank . . .

When Personal Horrors Become Family Disasters

Strawberry Shortcake!

The Ol' Curmudgeon's Vacation is Over

From the Depths of Pain

The Curmugeon Blogs On ...

Silly Sayings

Urban Legends About the Iraq War

In the Eye of the Beholder

Saints Alive!

I Be a Literature Nerd!

FT. DIX TERRORISTS WERE HERE ILLEGALLY. IMAGINE THAT!

82 Year Old Ex-Beauty Queen Thwarts Thieves!!

Dr Laura's Blog: A Lesson from the Massacre

It's Not Just a Black Thing

Culture of Corruption: Dianne Feinstein Edition?

Disillusioned about Bush

Ethanol: Time to steer away

Dr. Laura's Challenge

Flower!

Lord of the Rings

Misplaced Priorities?

Getting to Know Your Friends - Part ???

Syriac Prayer

But Y'all Kin Call Me Elizabeth...

Only Old Folks Know the Answers. . .

Oldie but Goodie!!

Which Original Phantasy Character?

Which "Clue" Character

Which "Law and Order" Character?

TMI!

Time for a Whine??

Talent: 49%
Lifer: 28%
Mandarin: 69%