Looking back at the last 57 years, mostly they have been good ones. Certainly, I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by love.
So sit back and enjoy this short video. It highlights my happiness, my joys, and my loves.
Happy Birthday to me!
Month: November 2015
You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown
Now you know why I love my hubby. Just like Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Hubby used to carry our first wire-haired dackel Shubi, in his backpack when she got too tired to walk the rest of the way.
It’s All About…Kindness
Recently, during our car trip out to Ohio, I brought with me an actual paper filled notebook. Often I get ideas and I jot them down before they are lost in time.
One idea that kept coming back to me was, “It’s All About…”
Certainly life is full of things that make the world go round, but sometimes I think we get lost and forget what “It’s All About.”
So here is my first entry, into a brand new category for my blog!
As we drove down highway 86 toward Cleveland, we were talking, listening to the radio and of course stopping periodically to use the restrooms.
One thing that made me both smile and frown was the way people, strangers, treated each other. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
My grandmother always told me to smile and be kind. She said that you never knew when someone needed a lift and that your smile might be the only one they see all day.
Kindness comes in many shapes and forms. Being polite, stopping to help someone, or when a dining-room is full of all sorts of people attending reunions, sharing a table.
I’ve been on my own crusade since 9/11. Every time I am in a restaurant, an airport, or perhaps shopping, when I see a member of the military, I stop for one moment and thank them for their service.
Recently, I saw two old men, with their military company’s emblem on their hats. They were World War II soldiers. They were talking, both had canes and you could see that the years had been tough for them.
I went over and smiled broadly, and thanked them both. One of the men got quite misty, and they both thanked me.
My smiles and helpful ways are not limited to the military. I am always on the lookout for older people in the grocery store who cannot reach the top shelves. As I am 5 feet 8 inches tall, with long (monkey) arms, I can reach everything pretty easily.
Yesterday, I was in the grocery store and I was smiling. The next thing I knew a little boy in a neighboring carriage called out to me: “Hi Lady!”
I swear, Kindness is contagious! And so are smiles. Just like my Grandma Honey always told me.
It’s All About…Kindness
Friday Five
It’s been a busy week, but as we come to the end, here are the top 5 things I am thinking about.
- This morning Anneliese was chewing on her belly. Upon examination, I saw that she was having some of the dry skin issues that she has had in the past. So, I got out her moisture rich medicated shampoo and gave her a good soapy bath. While I was up to my elbows in bubbles, I bathed Arnie and Greta too. Grouchy old Greta was not amused!
- I had some great pork ribs to cook, so this afternoon I slow cooked them and then finished them off in the rotisserie oven. I will not torment you telling you how fabulous they were, but oh my goodness!!!!
- I ordered a jumbo size box of Twinings English Breakfast tea from Amazon. I love this tea, (bags individually wrapped) but when I buy it in the grocery store it is quite literally the most expensive tea there. I got a huge break on Amazon and I am thrilled!
- I saw the cutest Vera Bradley pocketbook on Tuesday. Now I am trying to track it down to a discounted price. I hate to pay full price for anything!
- I went shopping for a new mattress. I found one I love made by Sealy. Made in the USA. I have to tell you, I must have gotten on top of at least a hundred mattresses. I actually felt like the Princess, in the story, The Princess and the Pea. There are so many really bad mattresses out there!
TBT: The Eyes Have It!
My TBT this week looks back to right after Christmas 2002. Two days after Christmas my retina detached in my left eye.
It was quite an ordeal, and I needed several surgeries to repair the damage. A few years later the right eye retina detached and my doctor, Dr. C. repaired that one too.
Things have been going on nicely now for a few years, until last June when I got the stye on my right eyelid. Next week, I will be going in to have it removed.
The young surgeon who will do this surgery, said my eye will be swollen, bruised and hurt like heck. Okay, I can handle it. After all, I have gone through worse in my life.
Wednesday Hodgepodge
1. In two or three sentences tell us what Veteran’s Day means to you?
Grateful to all the men and women who have served our country. Also grateful that my Veteran Hubby came home alive from Vietnam.
2. What’s your favorite film with a patriotic theme woven into the storyline?
Patton. George C. Scott! Fabulous, fantastic move. The acting was superb!
3. Flu shot-yes or no? If you answered no, do you plan to get a flu shot? If not, why not? Have you ever had the flu?
Okay. I got the flu shot and all was well. Then it was recommended that I get the Prevnar 13 pneumonia shot. It did not hurt immediately, but oh my goodness, it’s a week ago and I have so much pain in the arm and shoulder.
Yes I have had the flu. The first year Hubby and I got married, he was off flying for Pan Am, and I was at home,running a high fever, and praying for death! (Not really!) I was so sick. After that I recovered, I have gotten a flu shot every year.
4. I’ve seen lots of people posting pictures of their Christmas trees up and decorated. Many stores have had Christmas on display since well before Halloween. Red cups are back at Starbucks, sans the holiday decor, and that has some people up in arms. What are your thoughts on all the holiday ruckus this second week of November?
Too soon to think about Christmas. I’m thinking Thanksgiving. (Although I admit to buying a Christmas gift today!)
5. What ‘critter’ are you most afraid of encountering unexpectedly? Why that one?
A Fisher.
Fisher is the common name for a largely arboreal, North American carnivorous mammal, Martes pennanti, of the marten genus (Martes) and weasel family (Mustelidae), characterized by a long body with short legs, dark fur, long and bushy tail, five toes with retractable claws on each foot, long and tapered muzzle, and low, rounded ears. The fisher is agile in trees and has a slender body that allows it to pursue prey into hollow trees or burrows in the ground. Despite its name, this animal seldom eats fish; the name may originate from the French word fichet, which referred to the pelt of a European polecat. In some regions, the fisher is known as a pekan, derived from its name in the Abenaki language. It also is known as fisher-cat. Martes pennanti is found in forested areas of northern North America.
With its speed and agility, the fisher is a remarkable predator that captures a wide diversity of prey: Rabbits, hares, squirrels, mice, grouse, and so forth. Even the well-protected porcupine is captured by the fisher, using a unique technique designed to tire the porcupine until the fisher can kill the large quilled rodent.
6. Do you like building things? What’s the last thing you ‘built’?
My garden fence, and pea plant fence.
7. In keeping with this month’s theme of gratitude…what are you most grateful for that brings beauty to your daily life?
My family. All of them. From Hubby to my newest grand-niece, and everyone in between!
8. Insert your own random thought here.
First, my eye doctor saw that my optic nerve does not look good. Although my eye pressure is ok, he believes I am having trouble with my optic nerve. He said it is showing damage. So I will be seeing a specialist in January for evaluation.
He also didn’t like the stye on my right eyelid.I saw the special surgeon who handles these things and next Wednesday I will be getting it operated on.
Fiftieth Anniversary Of The Northeast Blackout!
The Northeast blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on Tuesday, November 9, 1965, affecting parts of Ontario in Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Vermont in the United States. Over 30 million people and 80,000 square miles (207,000 km2) were left without electricity for up to 13 hours.
The cause of the failure was human error that happened days before the blackout. Maintenance personnel incorrectly set a protective relay on one of the transmission lines between the Niagara generating station Sir Adam Beck Station No. 2 in Queenston, Ontario. The safety relay, which was to trip if the current exceeded the capacity of the transmission line, was set too low.
I was coming up on my 7th birthday. I recall this pretty clearly. Mom had just finished making dinner (Dad always wanted to eat early, as he often had rehearsals or work at night), and she put it all on the table and bam, the lights went out.
My Dad was called in (he was an Auxiliary Police Officer) and we got the candles out. My Cape Cod friends know, you must always have a supply of candles. The power goes out down there, at the drop of a hat!
Anyway, they were talking about the fact that it has been 50 years, and I suddenly felt really old! I remember that. I was there. Fifty years! Yeah, now that is a long time ago.
Okay, I’m facing it. In a week I will be 57 years old. That’s, well, past midlife. I charging full steam into Senior Citizen territory!
Autumn Winds Are Blowing…
We woke to cold temperatures and fierce winds on Sunday morning. Do you know what that means in New Hampshire at this time of year?
Close your eyes and picture this (after you read this, of course).
The wind blows wildly through the trees. Any and all of the beautiful burnt orange leaves are ripped from the trees, swirl around and land both on our patio, and our driveway. About the only good thing from today’s high winds were that all the leaves in the front yard were blown into the back!
I can once again see my neighbors house. All summer long, the fruit trees, were full with leaves and fruit, now sit barren. Across the lake (the photo above) you can see that almost all the Autumn foliage is gone.
It looked very much like it was snowing leaves! I stopped what I was doing at the moment and just watched them fall and swirl and settle.
Our temperatures have dropped even lower, reminding us that winter is on the way. I closed my eyes and remembered the sunshine and warmth of the summer. Gone for yet another year.
Yes, Autumn is nearly over. Soon, far too soon I am afraid, snow will fall, and once again we will be in full winter mode.
Boots, hats, gloves and down parkas!
Katie
I think when you lose a child, as we lost Katie, birthdays can be somewhat melancholy. I remember the day she was born as being one of the happiest days in my life. And each year, I think on that day and smile. But Katie is gone. She’s been gone for thirty years. The last birthday we celebrated together was her 6th birthday. I will never forget that day, and even after all these years, I miss her in a way that only another parent who has lost their child can understand. You go on. You live your life, but the sadness is always there.
Happy Birthday, my darling daughter, Kathleen. I love you still and you are forever in my heart!
Friday Five
It’s the end of another week. It’s been a busy one, but here are the top five things I am thinking about.
- I got the Prevnar 13 vaccine for pneumonia. Since my diagnosis with inflammatory arthritis, we’re taking every precaution to keep me well. Including the vaccines I need.
- The shot didn’t hurt at all when I got it, but in an hour the arm hurt like crazy!
- I’ve been living on baked apples!
Well, not really, living on them, but I have been making them every night for dessert! It’s the benefit of having all these apple trees in our yard!
- The air conditioners are all out of the windows for another season. Boy, am I going to miss the low hum of that machine. I sleep so well when the air conditioner is humming along!
- I cannot believe that Thanksgiving it just a few weeks away, then Christmas, and then the New Year! This year has just flown by!