Phone Call in the Night

For the last four plus years, I became accustomed to receiving phone calls in the night from the nursing home or the hospital regarding my mother. I got the last one early this morning. My mother passed away this afternoon.

One of my brothers and his wife are at sea on the QE2 but we were able to reach them. They can be back next Monday so things on on hold until then. It's tough. More later.

World's Ugliest Cat Candidates

I get a regular parade of visitors to my website looking for the world's ugliest cat. Here are a couple more candidates, although I regard the kitty on the bottom as pathetic, rather than ugly.

Thoughts on the Passing of a Classmate

I read in the paper yesterday that one of my classmates passed away. We were in school together from grade one until we graduated; there were sixteen of us in my class. I haven't seen him since the day we graduated, about forty-nine and a half years ago. Regretfully, I never knew the man Clair became, but the boy he was taught me one of life's best lessons.

One year (while it was still politically correct) Clair drew my name for Christmas. When I opened my gift, it was a beautiful scarf. I thought it was the perfect gift and wondered how a
boy could pick out something so wonderful. It was years later that I realized that his mother and two older sisters most likely made the selection but by then, it didn't matter; Clair had his permanent, special place in my heart.

After the gift exchange, I started studying Clair, secretly I hoped. The striking thing I noticed was how easily he used humor to ease awkward situations. That strategy has helped me cope with life since I learned it from Clair.

Thanks, buddy. And I'll catch your next lesson up yonder.

I Finally Read It

I read The Da Vinci Code last week and felt like singing with Peggy Lee "Is that all there is?" Oh, sure, it was a good book and certainly contained controversial material but after all the hype, I had expected more.

A far better book in the same genre, in my opinion, is Daughter of God by Lewis Perdue. What do you think?

Red Hat Power

My sisters and I have discovered the power of red hats---you can do whatever you want to do, no matter how silly! The maturity gained through the years disappears in about ten seconds.

As Jenny Joseph said so well:

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

By the way, I'm the one in the red hat.

The Thief (a.k.a. Old Age)

We stopped at the nursing home tonight to see my mother. Lately, she has sat in her wheelchair very placidly so I was somewhat startled to see her carefully smoothing out bedtime supplies on her bed. I stood in the doorway for several moments watching her and wondering what she was doing as she carefully arranged a protective bed pad and over that a fully-opened adult diaper.

When I put my hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see me, she smiled and said, “I was thinking about you tonight. I had to make a bed and I thought I should call Lillian and have her help me.”

Then I realized that in her world, that was what she was doing---making a bed, just like she had done a million times before old age had crept in and stole so much of her mind.

Winter's Soft Colors

I hear people complaining because winters in upstate New York are "colorless." I beg to differ. Winter is not colorless; the colors are different, a different pallette and much softer.

This is a stream near us. I love the soft grays and browns.

I'm Back!

Here I am again! First there was my 90-year-old mother's latest hospitalization and then my "new" (14 month old) computer died.

My mother is better. My dead computer is not. I replaced it today and now have to set everything up again.

Bear with me.........

Antique Dealers: Size A-A Or D-D?

• 
  
  I love looking for antiques. Show me an antique store and I'll show you a happy woman. I have decided over the years that antique dealers come in two sizes:
• A-A for Arrange to Appreciate
• D-D for Dump to Discover
  The A-As have breathtaking arrangements that force the antique seeker to appreciate the similar items selected for matching time period, colors, uses, whatever. The D-Ds just dump boxes, piles, stacks of unrelated items forcing the antique seeker to dig through everything to make his own exciting discovery. I haven't decided if one size suits all.

"Duty"

I've been thinking about the implications of the word "duty". It's an honorable word and one which commands respect from 99.9% of the population but I just realized that I don't care much for the word and what it implies. I would like to think that if I'm compelled to do something, then I am motivated by more noble reasons than "duty".

The Power of One and Jesus

Whether you are a believer or non-believer, a Christian or an atheist, you must be amazed at the power of this one man, Jesus, who once lived and continues to affect so many people so profoundly today. We are all influenced just by the fact that he once existed, whether you believe in his existence or not. How did one man attain so much attention two thousand plus years ago that he is remembered by a more savvy civilization today? Without bringing religion into the picture, you still have to be astounded by the power of one.

An Eleanor Roosevelt Quote

Eleanor Roosevelt is a favorite historical figure to many Americans. Her great wit is one reason why:

I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."

The World's Best Christmas Cookie Recipe

A friend sent this recipe to me and I guarantee it will get results:

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Water

1 Cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 Cup of Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 Cup of Brwn. Sugar

1 tsp Lemon Juice

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup of Nuts

2 Cups of Dried Fruit

1 Bottle of Jose Cuervo Tequila

• Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, poor one cup and DRINK.

• Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar...Beat again

• .At this point, it's best to make sure the Cuervo(Tequila) is still OK, try another cup...just in case.

• Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Pick the friggin fruit off the floor...

• Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

• Sample the Cuervo again to check for tonsistinsee.

• Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or flour o! r something. Who giveshz a sheet..

• Check the Jose Cuervo. Now, shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts for pitz. What? You know what I meant....

• Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar. Greash the oven.

• Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

• Don't foget to beat off the turner

• Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

Thoughts On The Power of One

We live in a society which thrives on power---the more the better. Therefore, we are apt to overlook situations involving the power of one; we prefer the power of two or five or ten. But we should never underestimate the power of one. Consider the following circumstance:

One depressed person living alone plus the adoption of one abandoned animal living in a shelter since May equals unmeasurable happiness, delight, and contentment on the part of both. Who knows if the end result is tenfold, a thousandfold, or a millionfold? And who cares? We have just seen the miracle of the power of one.

Heaviest Element Recently Discovered---Governmentium

A friend of mine sent this. I do not know who the author is but I surely admire him/her for the insight:

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named "Governmentium". This hurricane mess and gasoline issues are proof that it exists.

Governmentium (Gv) has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete, when it would normally take less than a second.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characterization of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as Critical Morass.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium - an element which radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons, but twice and many morons.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

As I sit in my favorite chair and look out the window, all around me my beloved hills are shrouded in white. We have had snow covering the ground almost continuously since Thanksgiving. Most of the time, it has been just enough to set the stage for the coming holidays, without the slick roads that threaten life and limb. In other words, the perfect amount.

A Disappointing Thanksgiving in Plymouth

Back in our traveling days, one year we decided to spend Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. We loved going to Plymouth during the warmer months to visit the Mayflower and Plimouth Plantation and thought nothing could be better than spending Thanksgiving there.

We arrived on Wednesday evening and found the weather to be a bit sharper than it had during earlier visits. (Ocean breezes in summer tend to be more pleasant than ocean breezes in winter in the northeast.) On Thanksgiving, we were more than ready for a big turkey dinner. Restaurant #1 did not serve turkey. Restaurant #2 did not serve turkey. Restaurant #3 did not serve turkey. By the time we arrived at Restaurant #4, we were becoming desperate. Again, no turkey. And the maitre 'd explained that the only way to eat turkey in Plymouth that day was to go to the town-sponsored dinner; there was a gentlemen's agreement that the restaurants would not compete with the town. At that point, we were too tired and weak to move on so we ate steak for Thanksgiving----in Plymouth, of all places.

By the time we returned home on Sunday evening, I was craving leftover turkey. I wanted my husband to pull over so I could run up to an unsuspecting homeowner. With my finger in my pocket, I would shout, "Your leftover turkey or your life!" My husband wouldn't stop.

At work the next day, I told the story to my co-workers. One of them invited us to dinner the following weekend. We sat down to a full-blown turkey dinner. It was the best turkey I ever ate.

After Thanksgiving Dinner

This is how I feel after our big dinner. I was sent this photo in an e-mail. I would say that this cat has little trouble relaxing.

Dear Departed Sam

On September 1, 2005 I wrote about Sam, reportedly the world's ugliest dog. Sadly, Sam who was nearly fifteen has now passed away. He certainly gave his owner love and devotion and the rest of us from afar thought of Sam with many different emotions. No matter how you thought of Sam, he will be hard to forget.........

A Day of Challenges

Today has been a day of challenges for me and all of them involved our newly enlarged storage shed. For most of the summer and fall, we waited for an Amish team to "redo" our storage shed. When we bought this home, a very small shed was included. Naively, we thought we would just replace it with a larger one. Finally, we realized that there was no way to get a larger shed moved in. So we decided to make our shed larger by adding three feet on the back and to raise the roof one and a half feet. This expanded the storage volume enormously. While we were at it, we had the exterior dressed with vinyl siding to match our house. No more painting as we continue to grow older!

Challenge One: What we didn't have done was the interior because I wasn't able to envision how I wanted it set up. I finally decided to build a loft for general storage, a loft for lumber (at a lower height because it's easier for me to lift) and a series of shelves for current projects, power tools, hardware, etc.

Challenge Two: So off to get materials to complete the interior. Oops. We no longer have minivans or full sized station wagons. One itty-bitty sedan coming up. I folded down the back seat, etc. but still had to make two trips to get the lumber home.

Challenge Three: Being sixty-six with arthritis and assorted ailments. Lifting was horrible. Nailing was terrible (sometimes I had to hold the hammer with both hands). Even using the power screw driver was tough. Shaky hands and vision problems made lining up the screw and the driver head nearly impossible. The pain wasn't so great, either.

I'd hang up my tool belt for good except I already gave it to my nephew.