I tend to look down and REALLY watch where I walk after having taken a few bad falls (and usually on my back or butt)... Having little ones around the house does cause you to do the 'Chi shuffle' as we call it (small steps and careful ones so you don't accidentally step on a small one!)... I am almost phobic about slipping on something wet, but still have managed to fall twice going into grocery stores on rainy days...
With this peculiar habit of mine, I have noticed something since different since the economy tanked - I don't find as much change as I used to!... Probably because everyone is so careful about every penny they have, every nickel and dime is important...
Seriously, at least once or twice a week on my travels, I'd find some change someone has dropped because I tend to watch where I put my feet to avoid falling... I've found $20 bills as well... I guess this is a good thing because people are being more careful about not losing their money so easily, but I just thought it was odd the tanking economy has had such a 'trickle-down' effect that I happened to notice...
There is a guy in my city that collects found change - here's his blog - he uses found money to benefit kids in tennis... I throw mine into a donation jar for the rescue...
I have often wondered while watching the History Channel how these odd artifacts and coins have been found as ancient sites are excavated... Ancient peoples probably are no different than today's generation... Lost change ends up somewhere, whether it was 2,000 years ago or just yesterday!
=======================
Speaking of change, we've started a fundraiser for the dog rescue... After a LOT of experimenting until we finally figured out the perfect way to knit a sweater that fits a Chihuahua with their odd configuration, another volunteer and I have started knitting these sweaters... We call them "Chi-Weaters" and there's a website up now with the ones we have finished HERE... They are one-of-a-kind and because they're handmade, we'll never make a gazillon of them... But when I sit down to watch TV, I always have a set of knitting needles in my hands!
=======================
I began to dig into the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' this past week - otherwise known as Paul's office... It is the last room in this house to be remodeled (a project we started almost five years, 3 surgeries and numerous illnesses ago)... The ceiling still has that popcorn junk on it, and underneath the carpet there is tile from when the house was built 40+ years ago...
Paul wants a new computer after having killed another one, but it made no sense to do that without redoing the room...
Progress is slow because I can only take so much of that up and down on the ladder before I call 'uncle'... It is a small room with a LOT of stuff in it also, so you work a little, move crap, work a little more, move more crap, etc...
As I shift through stuff, I have found three previous organization attempts where I left a box and a note that says, "You need to sort through this"... I am vowing this will be my LAST time to ever do this again... Paul is a pile-er-oner... He makes these piles from printer stuff, incoming mail, etc. and then never goes through them so the stuff eventually gets lost...
While my computer desk tends to get piles growing on it too, I tend to get into a frenzy and push through a pile because I can't stand looking at it any more... LOL... Of course, it is his office or 'man-cave' as Desiree calls it, so this is my last time at attempting to clean it up and after this, he is on his own!
The half of the room that has been repainted and finished except for the floors looks pretty remarkable, but this has been a much slower process than I anticipated... I'm getting too old to do this kind of manual labor!... (smile)... For the past few days when I've climbed out of bed, I've felt about 102 instead of 52... Every bone and joint is creaking... I will be VERY glad when I have it all finished, but at the rate I am going, it will take another week at least... The older I get, the slower I seem to move!... So much for the 'golden years'... They lie to us!
As Always,
The Lady
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Just some ramblins for today...
A friend from Vegas sent me this yesterday so I have to confess yesterday was my 52nd birthday... Wouldn't it be something if you were driving into Vegas and actually saw a billboard like this??? LOL....(and thank-you, Dale, for the giggles this morning!)
Didn't do a lot differently on the day (dishes, laundry, housework, paperwork) and even had my routine nausea and headache from these darn glasses~!!... But (traditionally), Paul and I watched half of "Gone With The Wind" and that was enough for me... The 70th year edition is out now and it is spectacular to view on the HDTV in BluRay... One of the first times I can honestly say I appreciate the gizmo!
It has been a LONG week with Paul being home sick for three days at the beginning of the week... He's a TERRIBLE patient (and he's the first to admit it like somehow that makes it all OK???)... And when he's home, my whole routine gets whacked out, plus there were several unexpected occurrences this week...Funny as you get older, you get even more set in your routines, huh?... So I was glad to see Friday arrive, even if it brought my OMG birthday!
======================
BTW, newest kick being used by kids to get high is to chew a plant called "Angel's Trumpet"... Don't think it grows all over the U.S. but in case you have it growing in your yard or know of a neighbor growing it, beware... This is what it looks like - it can grow in a pot or standing almost as a tree:
There are lots of stories of kids being severely ill and even dying - here's one in gardening forum but the LA Times has an article in their online version from yesterday as well...
(sigh)... The folly and error of youth... Death doesn't seem as real to them for some reason as it does us old folks... We try to avoid dying early and they race towards it with abandon!... Anyway, if you are growing it and aren't aware of the latest fad, now you are...
==========================
I am yet again amazed at another celebrity's belief that they can call a press conference, issue an apology and somehow feel that 'all is forgotten'... Personally, I don't give a poop what Tiger Woods did or didn't do in him marriage - about the only one I hold accountable for marital transgressions is President Clinton while he held the highest office in our country... If you as the wife (or husband) are willing to overlook what your spouse is doing, that's on you IMHO... So many people think they won't get caught that they are willing to throw their life and reputation to the wind without much worry...
HOWEVER, it is my belief that we set a precedence when we allowed Michael Vick back into the NFL after serving time for running a dogfighting operation... What is the incentive for these VERY high paid celebrity athletes to live up to their untarnished PR images?... We buy their products, watch their commercials, provide them with a livelihood and then when they screw up big time, we say they deserve a second chance at a golden life and huge financial means again if they simply get up in front of reporters and say, "I'm sorry"... HUH?...
You and I - the 'common man or woman' would not get such a huge second chance if we had screwed up like this... I was 6 or 7 years old when I stole a pack of hair ribbons from a local store... My momma marched me back into the store and made me tell the manager what I'd done, she paid for the hair ribbons at the end but also made me throw them away once we'd gotten home... The humiliation alone burned into my brain from the day and although at the time I didn't realize all of the ramifications, its memory was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow for years...
Growing older, I realized the harm I did to myself and others by stealing, and no amount of apologizing would undo the destruction of trust in my word and reputation... Granted, I didn't go to jail as Vick did but on the onset, he didn't confess and apologize - his apology was forced AFTER he did his jail time and he finally realized it was key to getting back into the NFL and a paycheck...
And we as the general public are idiots because we allowed an apology to whitewash the digression... Funny how differently we as a society allow inhumanity to exist when it comes down to animals, and only to a certain extent when it involves children or senior citizens... But even more so as women, we look at our lives and our spouse's digression and somehow believe a ring or expensive bauble will ease the pain of losing trust in our partner?...
Like I said at the start, it is not my business whether or not Tiger Wood was faithful to his wife and family... That's his wife's business... What she is willing to tolerate is her own decision to make and live with... But as a member of the general public?... My business is to not support someone who so blatantly throws aside the principles our society is based upon --- trust, integrity, reputation, honesty and fidelity if you are in a committed relationship... How do you provide a role model for your children if they grow up and later realize you had sold your soul and marriage for a few expensive baubles, or that you continue to support someone in their chosen field by watching them?
I have a friend who refuses to watch any football game that Vick is playing in... To me, my friend has integrity and I respect him for it... I haven't been an avid football watcher since I moved to California and I never cared for golf, so cutting Tiger Wood and Michael Vick out of my small amount of TV watching is no big deal... However, I never stayed at nor booked another Helmsley Hotel as a travel agent after "we don't pay taxes, only little people pay taxes"... What was in my area to demonstrate my feelings, I utilized... Only when you hit someone's pocketbook with your withdrawal of support do they really understand what they did disturbs you and effects what you will (or will not) put up with...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Are we EVER in charge of our life or destiny?
We humans believe we are in charge of our destiny... That we are in control - at least to some measure - of what our life is like or how we live... How arrogant of us...
Or at least I thought I was in control of my life to some degree... Maybe I am the only one that thinks (thought) that... Dunno...
Paul has a mannerism of his own - it is commonly referred to as a 'b*tch slap' around here... One hand passes by the other with force and a resounding slap as they pass by... Derogatory as a description, but pretty visual, it gets the message across...
I think most of us have to walk head long into one of these (if they were being passed out) every once in awhile... And it takes something like that to rattle your brain and turn your thinking upside down - make sense?...
Call it a reality check, call it walking into a brick wall with your eyes open, call it a 'b*tch slap' - BUT until we get at least one of these, we journey through life like the King (or Queen) of Siam without little thought to what MERE mortals we are and how little we are in control of just about anything!
I come across these 'life gopher holes' on occasion... They ALWAYS force me to sit back and realize that I am not 'driving this bus'... That forces much greater than me are in charge, and I'm really just along for the ride in life...
I'm not speaking of the trivial things... Like you get up this morning, pretty much have your day laid out and at the end of the day, realize little that you had planned came through to fruition... Or when you get a cold or have a body ache and then come to the realization of just how fantastic good health truly is...
I'm speaking more of the life journeys that you make and when you look back, you realize you'd never have chosen this pathway for yourself (whether it is good or bad), and you wonder how you ended up here...
It is a very hard thing to become aware of... It doesn't happen naturally (at least not for me)... I'm speaking about the realization that you have little if any control over your life, people, places or things... That you take what life dishes out to you and the magnificent part of being a spiritual human being is not that you are in control, but the decisions and choices you make all along the way that shine up (or tarnish) your character and ethics...
Last weekend something occurred in adoptions that carried over for a few days, and at the time I made a knee-jerk decision that Paul didn't agree with... Once he voiced the disagreement, I immediately realized he was right and I was just taking the easy way out (not common for me, but I have no excuse to validate my actions)...
As the series of things unfolded around me, I had to stand back and be amazed (once again), that I have little control over my life or anyone else... The series of events eventually put me in a place and time where I happened to overhear two people talking about taking a dog over to the vets to have her unborn litter aborted...
I must say here that I do not believe in dogs being allowed to stay intact and continue to have litters, adding to the unwanted overpopulation of companion pets... But once a mom is pregnant to the point she knows she is a mom, I also do not believe in aborting the puppies either... I understand the shelter system's mindset about this (they already don't have enough good homes to save the dogs currently in their care, so why bring more puppies into the world?)...
But for me, it is a mindset I myself cannot accept... And when I overheard this conversation, eventually it occurred to me there was a reason I was in that place and time to have overheard it... But again, someone else needed to tell me this for me to become aware of it all - I didn't come up with the realization on my own!
This momma is with us now and she is still preggers...
Overhearing that casual conversation turned my planned day upside down and I have to be honest - by the end of the day I was frustrated and tired...
The next day I happened to be discussing all of this (from the weekend's events by someone else to what caused me to be in the spot to hear about this mom) with another one of our volunteers... He was quite prophetic when he reminded me that we should think about all the good stories of dogs we've saved --- to not think about how disappointing the human race can be and the actions of those people over the weekend --- but that it all came down to putting me in a certain place to make the decision to get this pregnant mom out of the shelter system before her unborn litter was aborted...
Every once in awhile I need to be reminded that I have little control over anything in my life... But the only thing I do have control over are the choices and decisions I make when faced with life and its challenges... That I should concentrate more on always making the right decisions instead of being irritated or frustrated about things or people not within my control...
I can't control if Des or Paul clutter up my kitchen counter... I can make their life (and mine) miserable by complaining about it, but facts are, they are not going to change their ways unless they themselves want to... I can't control whether it is going to rain or shine today, but I can control my attitude and enjoy the beautiful weather along with the ability to sit in our backyard to watch the pups and feel rejuvenated about life... I can't control how much money we do (or don't) have, but I can enjoy life and today to its fullest in the event there is not a tomorrow, ya know?
I am not a control freak by any stretch... I like order and admit to disliking chaos, clutter and discord around me...
Truth be known, most of those people who REALLY know me know that I can roll with most of life's punches, that I might get set on my butt by life but will get back up again still determined to finish what I started... There are always at least two ways to get anything done and I don't always know both of them...
And I can always tell someone, "This is what I would like to hear (or see) when this happens," but I have little control over them saying it or doing it later when the time comes... That's the REALLY hard part about life to me... Accepting what I cannot change or have even a smidgen of control over!... I always think that there must be a better way to do something, to not give up and in so easily, to stay the course, etc... I'm not so sure that is control in a negative sense however...
And if I cannot understand something? It is EVEN harder for me to accept... If I understand it, I'm more likely to accept it even if I do not agree with it... As much as a PITA as a person I tend to be, I will keep searching inside my head to figure out why someone did what they did (or how they did it), trying to understand it because I know if I do, I can accept it...
It is easy to blanket things over with the concept that there is good and evil... For every action, there is an equal but opposite action... But what I usually keep stumbling over is, "Did they HAVE to be so mean, so evil, so inhumane, so cruel?" and I continue to contemplate it until I figure out why the degree was so intense... Most of the time, I cannot understand it, but at least it gives me something to always think about, huh?... LOL...
As Always,
The Lady
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The good old days (?)
Someone sent me this email entitled "Your childhood in one email"... Some of the images I remember very well - others not at all - so if nothing else, it provoked a trip down memory lane... Sometimes it is hard to explain my world to my daughter because I was born before everyone used ATMS, cell phones and computers!...
How many of these do you remember?
45 rpm spindles
(ding dong) "Avon calling"
One of my childhood favorites - CHATTY CATHY!
I went on lots of dates at drive-in movies as a teenager!
Yes, I do remember having to pop in the flash bulbs and if you tried to remove them too quickly, getting slightly burned from the heat of one used!
LOVED the S&H Green Stamp program... the store was like going to Santa Claus' workshop with unlimited elf dollars!
I made a LOT of chewing gum chains as a teenager!
Hated these metal ice cube trays~!!!
New and improved way of having popcorn at home!
Have his autograph in fact... wonder where I put it?
When you could afford to send things through the mail...
Who doesn't remember Timmy and Lassie?
The end of any night when you should have gone to bed and didn't, but fell asleep in front of the TV~!!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Most of my days are spent in:
1) GOTTA get this done today
2) This SHOULD be done today
3) I hope to get this done today
4) Maybe?
5) Next week
LOL... And despite my best efforts at staying on task and on track, my days are interrupted a gazillion times with this and that... At least 5 times a day, I must stand somewhere and think to myself, "Now, what was I in the middle of before I got interrupted??".... LOL...
Some days, the ONLY way to get things done and off my list is to simply continue to plow on through regardless of what comes up and attempts to interrupt me... Let's face it - what I do every day is really not THAT important in the grand scheme of things... I'm not preventing world hunger, stopping any wars, doing anything of great global value!
But one thing is for sure - if I don't get it done, it simply won't get done at all~!!!
Annoying...
I couldn't begin to list all the different mindsets I've read regarding staying on track and on task... Everyone seems to have their own philosophies about how to stay organized... I really don't know how most people do it, but I can say that those women who have immaculate houses usually have a maid out here in Southern California!
For the past few months, I have watched a stack of stuff grow regarding the dog rescue... Stuff that was important to take care of, get filed away, resolve one way or another (if only an idea or project)... Like bunnies, that stack multiplied until it became too high and then birthed another stack aside of it... I always kept ahead of the 'gotta do's' but everything else was hit or miss... Depending on my day, it might get done - or it might not...
And to be honest? There were times when I decided to play with the dogs or sit and watch them was more important than following up on some piece of paper or issue... You probably know the kind of stuff I'm talking about - nothing too important, just a nagger that eventually needed to get done...
After the filing cabinet got set up and I'd moved the files into it that I already had, I looked miserably at that dual stack of crap that needed resolution one way or another... No better time than the present (who makes up these stupid sayings??)... So I dug into the stack and worked on it until Paul came in from work...
QUITTING TIME (yep, his arrival is good for something!)...
Yesterday morning I got up and was bound and determined to finish that project come heck or high water... Lunch for the pups got pushed back - you name it - it happened...
And right around noon time, I reached for the last piece of paper and resolved it... During these two days, I carted three trash cans out to recycling and emptied the shredder five times (I do have a tiny shredder though)...
As anal-retentive as I am, I had measured the original stacks (37") and there is a pile of about an inch that I just couldn't resolve, file away or throw away... But the other yard of paperwork is gone now... So much crap and paperwork comes into our homes every day - it is sad how many trees we are killing over useless junk... I even have a form letter that I fax to companies, telling them to remove us from their mailing list because we are 'file 13'ing' their mailings... Oddly enough, not all take the time to do anything about the notification, but at least I know I try in my own small way...
And speaking about crap and junk, is anyone else getting those phone calls that start out, "Hi, this is Janey and President Obama...." or the ones about refinancing your house because of Obama's legislation?... I must get at least 2 or 3 of those a day... They are SO annoying... I run for the phone to get an automated telemarketing message...
You take MY time (and I'm usually in the middle of something) and then you don't even put a real person on the phone to speak to me?... Now I am downright rude and offensive when the message starts playing... I noticed yesterday when I said the word "damned" during my retort, it immediately disconnected... This is a first...
I've done it all - listed us with the 'do not call' telemarketing systems, waited until the end and left a message, asking them to remove us from their list, etc... I hope to never meet this person 'Janey' because I will recognize the voice and give her a piece of mind, for sure!... LOL...
These arrived yesterday from Paul... 1-2-3 - "AHHHHH"... Turn about was fair play - Desiree and I sent him a Vermont Teddy bear to the office so this dozen of red roses is now gracing our counter... I don't really like red roses, but it is Paul's favorite and that is really what matters... The good feelings you get inside doing something great for someone else you love...
You can't buy those feelings with no amount of money... At least IMHO... I love doing things for others - much more than people buying things for me... And if they go out of their way to do something (as opposed to just signing a check and buying something they gave no thought to), it is even more special... I have ALWAYS loved those gift coupon/certificate thingies... "Good for one free wash of your truck"... "Good for picking up the kitchen counter for one month", etc... Those things are SO cool to me... Unfortunately, I probably sit in the minority on this issue...
My family says I am too tough to buy for when a holiday comes up... Probably so... There is not too many things I can say I want, even if I sit hard and think about it... And the things I want the most (a back that doesn't hurt, spotless floors, etc.) are not things readily anyone can give me...
But it is nice to be remembered... Paul's the Hallmark guy around here... He can spend hours in one of those stores and he always seems to find a card that fits appropriately enough... I go into a Hallmark store and find cards that read "Your feet are too big and stink," "I love you more than the sun and moon combined" (huh??), "You are the best wife I have ever had" (easy to do when there are only three in a lifetime), etc... Cards just never say what I'd like them to say and I'm not clever enough to make them up with a DIY kit either!... So I leave the Hallmark shopping to the pro here and Paul has never disappointed...
Well, I am off to today's project - getting the bill paying system up, running and current after taking it over from Paul, who has done it for many years now... I'm not so sure he believes he got the better deal with exchanging the flats laundry for all of this paperwork, but until he decides to come up with a better solution to the chaos, we're staying "on task" here...
Have a great weekend and pass it onto someone else... Adoptions for us tomorrow and that is ALWAYS a long, tiring day... But a 'nice tired' especially when dogs and puppies find their furever homes!
As Always,
The Lady
1) GOTTA get this done today
2) This SHOULD be done today
3) I hope to get this done today
4) Maybe?
5) Next week
LOL... And despite my best efforts at staying on task and on track, my days are interrupted a gazillion times with this and that... At least 5 times a day, I must stand somewhere and think to myself, "Now, what was I in the middle of before I got interrupted??".... LOL...
Some days, the ONLY way to get things done and off my list is to simply continue to plow on through regardless of what comes up and attempts to interrupt me... Let's face it - what I do every day is really not THAT important in the grand scheme of things... I'm not preventing world hunger, stopping any wars, doing anything of great global value!
But one thing is for sure - if I don't get it done, it simply won't get done at all~!!!
Annoying...
I couldn't begin to list all the different mindsets I've read regarding staying on track and on task... Everyone seems to have their own philosophies about how to stay organized... I really don't know how most people do it, but I can say that those women who have immaculate houses usually have a maid out here in Southern California!
For the past few months, I have watched a stack of stuff grow regarding the dog rescue... Stuff that was important to take care of, get filed away, resolve one way or another (if only an idea or project)... Like bunnies, that stack multiplied until it became too high and then birthed another stack aside of it... I always kept ahead of the 'gotta do's' but everything else was hit or miss... Depending on my day, it might get done - or it might not...
And to be honest? There were times when I decided to play with the dogs or sit and watch them was more important than following up on some piece of paper or issue... You probably know the kind of stuff I'm talking about - nothing too important, just a nagger that eventually needed to get done...
After the filing cabinet got set up and I'd moved the files into it that I already had, I looked miserably at that dual stack of crap that needed resolution one way or another... No better time than the present (who makes up these stupid sayings??)... So I dug into the stack and worked on it until Paul came in from work...
QUITTING TIME (yep, his arrival is good for something!
Yesterday morning I got up and was bound and determined to finish that project come heck or high water... Lunch for the pups got pushed back - you name it - it happened...
And right around noon time, I reached for the last piece of paper and resolved it... During these two days, I carted three trash cans out to recycling and emptied the shredder five times (I do have a tiny shredder though)...
As anal-retentive as I am, I had measured the original stacks (37") and there is a pile of about an inch that I just couldn't resolve, file away or throw away... But the other yard of paperwork is gone now... So much crap and paperwork comes into our homes every day - it is sad how many trees we are killing over useless junk... I even have a form letter that I fax to companies, telling them to remove us from their mailing list because we are 'file 13'ing' their mailings... Oddly enough, not all take the time to do anything about the notification, but at least I know I try in my own small way...
And speaking about crap and junk, is anyone else getting those phone calls that start out, "Hi, this is Janey and President Obama...." or the ones about refinancing your house because of Obama's legislation?... I must get at least 2 or 3 of those a day... They are SO annoying... I run for the phone to get an automated telemarketing message...
You take MY time (and I'm usually in the middle of something) and then you don't even put a real person on the phone to speak to me?... Now I am downright rude and offensive when the message starts playing... I noticed yesterday when I said the word "damned" during my retort, it immediately disconnected... This is a first...
I've done it all - listed us with the 'do not call' telemarketing systems, waited until the end and left a message, asking them to remove us from their list, etc... I hope to never meet this person 'Janey' because I will recognize the voice and give her a piece of mind, for sure!... LOL...
These arrived yesterday from Paul... 1-2-3 - "AHHHHH"... Turn about was fair play - Desiree and I sent him a Vermont Teddy bear to the office so this dozen of red roses is now gracing our counter... I don't really like red roses, but it is Paul's favorite and that is really what matters... The good feelings you get inside doing something great for someone else you love...You can't buy those feelings with no amount of money... At least IMHO... I love doing things for others - much more than people buying things for me... And if they go out of their way to do something (as opposed to just signing a check and buying something they gave no thought to), it is even more special... I have ALWAYS loved those gift coupon/certificate thingies... "Good for one free wash of your truck"... "Good for picking up the kitchen counter for one month", etc... Those things are SO cool to me... Unfortunately, I probably sit in the minority on this issue...
My family says I am too tough to buy for when a holiday comes up... Probably so... There is not too many things I can say I want, even if I sit hard and think about it... And the things I want the most (a back that doesn't hurt, spotless floors, etc.) are not things readily anyone can give me...
But it is nice to be remembered... Paul's the Hallmark guy around here... He can spend hours in one of those stores and he always seems to find a card that fits appropriately enough... I go into a Hallmark store and find cards that read "Your feet are too big and stink," "I love you more than the sun and moon combined" (huh??), "You are the best wife I have ever had" (easy to do when there are only three in a lifetime), etc... Cards just never say what I'd like them to say and I'm not clever enough to make them up with a DIY kit either!... So I leave the Hallmark shopping to the pro here and Paul has never disappointed...
Well, I am off to today's project - getting the bill paying system up, running and current after taking it over from Paul, who has done it for many years now... I'm not so sure he believes he got the better deal with exchanging the flats laundry for all of this paperwork, but until he decides to come up with a better solution to the chaos, we're staying "on task" here...
Have a great weekend and pass it onto someone else... Adoptions for us tomorrow and that is ALWAYS a long, tiring day... But a 'nice tired' especially when dogs and puppies find their furever homes!
As Always,
The Lady
Thursday, February 11, 2010
One of those 'old days' around here...
Some mornings I wake up like me, and other mornings?... I wake up in an old lady's body... ... Might as well get the complaints out of the way first - my right knee has been giving me problems for months because of the way I walk and favor my back... I saw one doctor after our doctor retired (he was just a young whippersnapper and I really couldn't relate to him), saw his dad (irritating man who told me I'd be down for months, had bad things to say about our doctor of 13 years, etc. - see ya) and went to a third doctor in the practice... My only complaint about this third doctor is I sat there wondering who was going to die first - me or him...
Thankfully he wasn't as negative about my knee and what could be done for it... It has now become a PITA because I do my floors on my knees... Kneel down on that right knee and it is a virtual 'crown' of pain that spreads out from the kneecap... First I have to get other stuff squared away with this new doctor, then we'll have to tackle this knee thingie... Maybe this summer...
It is REALLY tough to switch doctors after you have been going to one for so long... Our doctor got REALLY sick to the point he had to retire (and he's young - like late 30s)... Once the immediate sadness and concern about his health sunk in, then the 'ut oh, what about us?' kicked in...
But I'm still a tough old broad, so I'll grin and bear it until I'm darned good and ready to do something about it... Basically, when I can take it no longer... LOL...
I dragged myself back to the eye doctor last month after an 18-month lapse... My eyesight was always one of my best strengths...
A few years ago I started having problems seeing detailed things close up (not good when you do so much with your hands~!!!)... And now, my distance sight is not as good as it should be... Not bad, but there's a difference...And the way he explained it to me?... When the distance diminishes, it also diminishes the close up sight too... So the 'new and improved' glasses are really tri-focals, although they fancied it up and are calling them 'progressives'... (smile)... By any other name, they are still a PITA~!!!
I have to break my own personal bad habit of looking down and over the top of the glasses... That's the first step... The new ones have an upper that is geared to the change in my distance sight... I catch myself all day long trying to look over the top of the glasses though...
And the middle has the not-distance-not-close-up part... Supposedly for seeing my computer screen, distances further away than my arm, etc... The changes are subtle for sure... But most days I feel like I am drunk while wearing these... It is very close to a drunk crow trying to walk... Things are like 'wa-WA-WA-wa' as they appear distorted to me and I'm trying to compensate, trying to find the spot where it is clear to see and read - while my head is moving up and down to 'hone into' the spot... Yep... A drunk crow walking...
You know those mirrors that have that little sign? "Things are closer than they appear"?... Add this into the mix, if it couldn't get any worse!... I overshoot and undershoot distances... Scary when I am driving, so I'm even slower of a driver now than I was!
After hours of struggling with this, I really don't want to do much eye stretching at all and I have found when Paul comes home, I quit work myself... (unusual for me)... All I want to do is to get to my chair and sit down to knit... I can focus on the work in front of me and the world stops spinning out of control visually... It takes a few hours for the nausea to subside, but at least I can eventually go to bed without feeling sick to my stomach...
It is so bad, that I am usually nauseated most of the day... This is one feeling I REALLY hate - give me pain any day - but that 'almost want to throw up but not quite' feeling is one I just hate having... Know the one I mean?... Like, "Do I go ahead and run my errands or wait until it passes by?... Should I have a bucket close by just in case? No, it's getting better now... give it a second... No, it's not - move out of the way, dogs!...."... LOL...
But I am just as hard-headed as they come, so I keep telling myself that I will overcome this and teach myself how to wear these new glasses... I don't think I have ever struggled as hard with an issue like this... The past two weeks have made me even more appreciative of the gift of great sight I've had over 50 years... So I guess the struggle to master these progressive glasses is a good thing...
Soooo....Time marches on and I have things to do... I don't have time to coddle myself trying to get used to these glasses, ya know?... 
I have been watching a set of file drawers for about 6-8 months now... There are so many gosh-darned files to keep up with running a dog rescue... Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork~!!... I have some of it stashed here, other files there - what a PITA~!!!
Yesterday I noticed that Office Depot dropped the filing cabinet by $50 as an instant purchase... I didn't want a personal filing cabinet size (18" deep) - I wanted the real office kind (26" deep) that could really hold and do what I needed it to do... And with the $50 savings, it was finally right in my budget at $139...
I called Paul to see if he was around or in town, but no answer... I had already printed out the specs months ago so although I knew it was 70+ pounds, I figured if they could get it up onto the bed of the truck and I timed it properly, I could get Desiree's help to get it off the truck... Of course, I screwed up the timing so I'm at home with this in the bed of the truck and it is only me... And an hour before she gets in for lunch...
I decided to slide it off of the truck and then use the doily to get it around the back of the house... "Note to self: Do NOT stand up in the bed of a large pick-up truck with a set of new progressive glasses on. It could be hazardous to your health."... LOL...
I stood up and went through that 'wa-WA-WA-wa' distortion, practically ka-bomging my head on the top of the breezeway rafters... The ground looked a LONG way down and that cardboard box was much heavier up in the truck than it was on the ground, trying to hold it - and with my right knee complaining about how I was tweaking it, trying to hold up the weight of this file cabinet~!!!...
I must have looked like a solo Laurel and Hardy routine as I pushed, shoved, got down and looked, figured, got back up into the bed of the truck, called Paul again, reflected, oxygenated, then just simply stupidified myself!...
The third time I am climbing back up into the bed of the truck, I am telling myself that I should just shove it off the end of the truck and go with the luck of the draw, but it was BRAND NEW and I didn't want to ding it~!!!... I should have gotten the one on clearance for $25 cheaper and already dinged up ~~~ then I wouldn't have cared~!!
LOL... Finally I pulled the truck out of the breezeway and put the wheels on the gutter, which dropped the tail end much lower in height... I pulled the doily around and it was just a matter of a few feet instead of miles between the tail gate and the ground... When I looked at my watch, I realized it had taken me three times as long to get it off the truck as it had taken me to buy it and bring it home... I kept stopping and asking myself if the filing cabinet could wait, but realizing it was stopping all other progress this day until it was in, and I could start moving completed files into it... Otherwise, they would just stay piled up around my desk and I'd have gotten not much accomplished for an entire day's work~!!... Nah, get back to work and figure this out!
And by the time Desiree got in for lunch?... I had the file cabinet on its back and was attaching the mover's doily onto the base of it... (EVERYTHING in my house needs to be on wheels if I have to move it around at any time!)
It is darn hard to keep a good woman down, progressive glasses or not!
As Always,
The Lady
P.S. Have the filing cabinet half filled up already and today's another day!
Thankfully he wasn't as negative about my knee and what could be done for it... It has now become a PITA because I do my floors on my knees... Kneel down on that right knee and it is a virtual 'crown' of pain that spreads out from the kneecap... First I have to get other stuff squared away with this new doctor, then we'll have to tackle this knee thingie... Maybe this summer...
It is REALLY tough to switch doctors after you have been going to one for so long... Our doctor got REALLY sick to the point he had to retire (and he's young - like late 30s)... Once the immediate sadness and concern about his health sunk in, then the 'ut oh, what about us?' kicked in...
But I'm still a tough old broad, so I'll grin and bear it until I'm darned good and ready to do something about it... Basically, when I can take it no longer... LOL...
A few years ago I started having problems seeing detailed things close up (not good when you do so much with your hands~!!!)... And now, my distance sight is not as good as it should be... Not bad, but there's a difference...
I have to break my own personal bad habit of looking down and over the top of the glasses... That's the first step... The new ones have an upper that is geared to the change in my distance sight... I catch myself all day long trying to look over the top of the glasses though...
And the middle has the not-distance-not-close-up part... Supposedly for seeing my computer screen, distances further away than my arm, etc... The changes are subtle for sure... But most days I feel like I am drunk while wearing these... It is very close to a drunk crow trying to walk... Things are like 'wa-WA-WA-wa' as they appear distorted to me and I'm trying to compensate, trying to find the spot where it is clear to see and read - while my head is moving up and down to 'hone into' the spot... Yep... A drunk crow walking...
You know those mirrors that have that little sign? "Things are closer than they appear"?... Add this into the mix, if it couldn't get any worse!... I overshoot and undershoot distances... Scary when I am driving, so I'm even slower of a driver now than I was!
After hours of struggling with this, I really don't want to do much eye stretching at all and I have found when Paul comes home, I quit work myself... (unusual for me)... All I want to do is to get to my chair and sit down to knit... I can focus on the work in front of me and the world stops spinning out of control visually... It takes a few hours for the nausea to subside, but at least I can eventually go to bed without feeling sick to my stomach...
It is so bad, that I am usually nauseated most of the day... This is one feeling I REALLY hate - give me pain any day - but that 'almost want to throw up but not quite' feeling is one I just hate having... Know the one I mean?... Like, "Do I go ahead and run my errands or wait until it passes by?... Should I have a bucket close by just in case? No, it's getting better now... give it a second... No, it's not - move out of the way, dogs!...."... LOL...
But I am just as hard-headed as they come, so I keep telling myself that I will overcome this and teach myself how to wear these new glasses... I don't think I have ever struggled as hard with an issue like this... The past two weeks have made me even more appreciative of the gift of great sight I've had over 50 years... So I guess the struggle to master these progressive glasses is a good thing...
Soooo....Time marches on and I have things to do... I don't have time to coddle myself trying to get used to these glasses, ya know?...
Yesterday I noticed that Office Depot dropped the filing cabinet by $50 as an instant purchase... I didn't want a personal filing cabinet size (18" deep) - I wanted the real office kind (26" deep) that could really hold and do what I needed it to do... And with the $50 savings, it was finally right in my budget at $139...
I called Paul to see if he was around or in town, but no answer... I had already printed out the specs months ago so although I knew it was 70+ pounds, I figured if they could get it up onto the bed of the truck and I timed it properly, I could get Desiree's help to get it off the truck... Of course, I screwed up the timing so I'm at home with this in the bed of the truck and it is only me... And an hour before she gets in for lunch...
I decided to slide it off of the truck and then use the doily to get it around the back of the house... "Note to self: Do NOT stand up in the bed of a large pick-up truck with a set of new progressive glasses on. It could be hazardous to your health."... LOL...
I stood up and went through that 'wa-WA-WA-wa' distortion, practically ka-bomging my head on the top of the breezeway rafters... The ground looked a LONG way down and that cardboard box was much heavier up in the truck than it was on the ground, trying to hold it - and with my right knee complaining about how I was tweaking it, trying to hold up the weight of this file cabinet~!!!...
I must have looked like a solo Laurel and Hardy routine as I pushed, shoved, got down and looked, figured, got back up into the bed of the truck, called Paul again, reflected, oxygenated, then just simply stupidified myself!...
The third time I am climbing back up into the bed of the truck, I am telling myself that I should just shove it off the end of the truck and go with the luck of the draw, but it was BRAND NEW and I didn't want to ding it~!!!... I should have gotten the one on clearance for $25 cheaper and already dinged up ~~~ then I wouldn't have cared~!!
LOL... Finally I pulled the truck out of the breezeway and put the wheels on the gutter, which dropped the tail end much lower in height... I pulled the doily around and it was just a matter of a few feet instead of miles between the tail gate and the ground... When I looked at my watch, I realized it had taken me three times as long to get it off the truck as it had taken me to buy it and bring it home... I kept stopping and asking myself if the filing cabinet could wait, but realizing it was stopping all other progress this day until it was in, and I could start moving completed files into it... Otherwise, they would just stay piled up around my desk and I'd have gotten not much accomplished for an entire day's work~!!... Nah, get back to work and figure this out!
And by the time Desiree got in for lunch?... I had the file cabinet on its back and was attaching the mover's doily onto the base of it... (EVERYTHING in my house needs to be on wheels if I have to move it around at any time!)
It is darn hard to keep a good woman down, progressive glasses or not!
As Always,
The Lady
P.S. Have the filing cabinet half filled up already and today's another day!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
So much for best intentions, huh?
So much for my very best intentions, huh?... LOL...
I have spent most of the new year compiling and doing our taxes (for two years)... With starting up the new dog rescue this year, I simply didn't have enough hours in the day to get it all done, so filed for extensions... One of my personal New Year's Resolutions was to get all of the taxes up to date and filed before my birthday, so I made it with over a week to spare!... HURRAH for me!...
There IS a point in making those resolutions, despite those who scoff at the practice!
And as a family, we're in economy mode... Paul and I have struck a new 'deal' - I'll handle doing the bills for him (easier for me to do the taxes each year) and he does the 'flats' laundry for me... I'm not so sure he was aware of how much laundry I do on a daily basis between the doggie blankees, the sheets, etc. but he's learned very quickly that part of my normal routine is a LOT of laundry~!!!... LOL...
Desiree has taken on a few projects in our economy mode kick - price comparing our auto insurance, figuring out why our phone bills have gone through the roof, getting our county taxes reaccessed, etc... This is also a good learning experience for her at the same time... It is easy to get those 'dancing feet' about being on your own and moving out of the house when you are her age, but when actually faced with how much it costs to simply survive in today's tanked economy, she's much more aware (now) of what it costs to keep a roof over our head and food on the table...
For all of the advertising being done about car insurance, we haven't found GEICO to be losing the battle - we sure didn't save 'hundreds of dollars' switching from GEICO to State Farm, despite all of the commercials that portray you will... Desiree learned about this as she went along, and as insurance companies consistently did not quote what we already have with GEICO, she kept needing to go back and ask again for 'apples to apples' quotes...
Again, another learning experience... If nothing else, it will teach her to not accept much at face value, but to gather her research, do her analysis and then make an educated decision based upon it all...
At 20 (turning 21 in July), Desiree might have led a fairly sheltered life in many respects, but she's had a sound education in most of the important things in life... Responsibility, commitment, determined strengths, compassion, etc... Cleaning up her room is never going to be her strong suit, but when she gets her own place, I expect that too will change for the better!!!... LOL...
Speaking of change, part of doing the bills is going through all the mail that comes into the house... And I'm ashamed at how many trees we kill to print junk crap on it, then stuff into someone's mail box... I consistently call (or fax) back to people, telling them to remove us from their mailing lists... Especially all the catalogs - that is expensive stuff to produce and send, so you would think those in charge of these companies would have someone more qualified and dedicated taking care of their mailings!
In the past few years, we have cut back on a lot of things - one being our magazine reading... As much as I hate reading any news on the Internet, I have finally taught myself to break the habit of buying magazines at the grocery store... The only magazines we still get here at the house now are the dog magazines... And as part of doing the bills, I pulled out my handy dandy file yesterday on magazine subscriptions...
I loved the renewal notice I got from "Dog World"... It goes on about my being a loyal reader and to not let my subscription lapse... Until I got to the part about the price, then read it had increased 150% in less than a year... NO THANKS~!!!... I don't like the magazine that much... Last year I paid $12 and got a special edition on rare breeds - this year it is $20 and a 'thank-you' for being a loyal reader...
While most people would have simply read it, decided and thrown it in the trash, I'm not most people... I took the time to write a small note about why I am not renewing (the 150% mark-up for loyal readers), and justice???...
I put it in the renewal prepaid postage envelope and sent it back to them!!!
As Always,
The Lady
I have spent most of the new year compiling and doing our taxes (for two years)... With starting up the new dog rescue this year, I simply didn't have enough hours in the day to get it all done, so filed for extensions... One of my personal New Year's Resolutions was to get all of the taxes up to date and filed before my birthday, so I made it with over a week to spare!... HURRAH for me!...
There IS a point in making those resolutions, despite those who scoff at the practice!
And as a family, we're in economy mode... Paul and I have struck a new 'deal' - I'll handle doing the bills for him (easier for me to do the taxes each year) and he does the 'flats' laundry for me... I'm not so sure he was aware of how much laundry I do on a daily basis between the doggie blankees, the sheets, etc. but he's learned very quickly that part of my normal routine is a LOT of laundry~!!!... LOL...
Desiree has taken on a few projects in our economy mode kick - price comparing our auto insurance, figuring out why our phone bills have gone through the roof, getting our county taxes reaccessed, etc... This is also a good learning experience for her at the same time... It is easy to get those 'dancing feet' about being on your own and moving out of the house when you are her age, but when actually faced with how much it costs to simply survive in today's tanked economy, she's much more aware (now) of what it costs to keep a roof over our head and food on the table...
For all of the advertising being done about car insurance, we haven't found GEICO to be losing the battle - we sure didn't save 'hundreds of dollars' switching from GEICO to State Farm, despite all of the commercials that portray you will... Desiree learned about this as she went along, and as insurance companies consistently did not quote what we already have with GEICO, she kept needing to go back and ask again for 'apples to apples' quotes...
Again, another learning experience... If nothing else, it will teach her to not accept much at face value, but to gather her research, do her analysis and then make an educated decision based upon it all...
At 20 (turning 21 in July), Desiree might have led a fairly sheltered life in many respects, but she's had a sound education in most of the important things in life... Responsibility, commitment, determined strengths, compassion, etc... Cleaning up her room is never going to be her strong suit, but when she gets her own place, I expect that too will change for the better!!!... LOL...
Speaking of change, part of doing the bills is going through all the mail that comes into the house... And I'm ashamed at how many trees we kill to print junk crap on it, then stuff into someone's mail box... I consistently call (or fax) back to people, telling them to remove us from their mailing lists... Especially all the catalogs - that is expensive stuff to produce and send, so you would think those in charge of these companies would have someone more qualified and dedicated taking care of their mailings!
In the past few years, we have cut back on a lot of things - one being our magazine reading... As much as I hate reading any news on the Internet, I have finally taught myself to break the habit of buying magazines at the grocery store... The only magazines we still get here at the house now are the dog magazines... And as part of doing the bills, I pulled out my handy dandy file yesterday on magazine subscriptions...
I loved the renewal notice I got from "Dog World"... It goes on about my being a loyal reader and to not let my subscription lapse... Until I got to the part about the price, then read it had increased 150% in less than a year... NO THANKS~!!!... I don't like the magazine that much... Last year I paid $12 and got a special edition on rare breeds - this year it is $20 and a 'thank-you' for being a loyal reader...
While most people would have simply read it, decided and thrown it in the trash, I'm not most people... I took the time to write a small note about why I am not renewing (the 150% mark-up for loyal readers), and justice???...
I put it in the renewal prepaid postage envelope and sent it back to them!!!
As Always,
The Lady
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