Wednesday, March 31, 2010

"I'm 63 and I'm tired" by Robert A. Hall

This was sent to me in an email and after reading through it, I could not have said it any better!

"I'm 63 and I'm Tired" (by Robert A. Hall - read his blog HERE)
I'm 63.   Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs (but job-hunting every day), I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years.  I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am.  Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired.  Very tired.

I'm tired
 of  being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic.  I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.


I'm tired
 of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes."  Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help.  But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble, help them with their own money.

I'm tired
 of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers.  In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the  economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the  crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela.

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives  and daughters for their family "honor;" of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers;" of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery;" of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls, all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.

I think
 it's very cool that we have a black president, and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.  I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual, and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.
 

I'm tired
 of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that thinks Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama, with three years as senator, as potentially the best president ever.  Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue.  I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures," we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
 

I'm tired
 of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.  My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs.  We also own a three-bedroom condo, where our daughter and granddaughter live.  Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.

I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime.  What's next?  Calling drug dealers "Undocumented Pharmacists?"  And, no, I'm not against Hispanics.  Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion.  I'm willing to fast-track for citizenship any Hispanic person who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record, and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.  Those are the citizens we need.
 

I'm tired
 of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military.  They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad-mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet.  Do our troops sometimes misbehave?  Sure.  Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close.  So here's the deal.  I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq,or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia,because the girls were Christian.  Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired
 of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue, and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan.  And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship.  I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years.  Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's Cabinet.

I'm tired
 of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.  I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.
 

Speaking of poor, I'm tired 
of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor.  The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor."  The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.
 

I'm real tired
 of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions.  I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
 

Yes, I'm damn tired
.  But I'm also glad to be 63.  Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making.  I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.

Thinking always gets me into trouble... LOL

Mornin, Mornin... I was thinking again the past few days... Ut oh... That can be dangerous~!!!... They have caulking that goes from pink to white when it is ready - why can't they do the same thing to hair dye?... 

Think about it... Us old ladies need to wear our glasses to see if it is ready to be washed out and yet?   That means you either have to look through the glasses folded up or take a chance of ruining your eye pieces from the hair dye if you actually put them on~!!!... 

Ya know?  If they can get a stick thingie to pop out of a turkey when it is done and caulking to change color, then the manufacturers can come up with a better way of letting you know the hair dye is done too!..

IMHO it just makes sense... LOL...

And why do they name things so oddly?... Take for example toilet paper and paper towels - you know what they are just by the pure name they give it... But how much plastic is in plastic surgery?... Ever wondered that?... Granted, some people do look like they have had plastic inserted into their skin after wards, but I mean - REALLY~~~!!!... Name something as it really is... Instead of something odd that a person who has English as their second language can understand!

I went shopping for under britches last week... Desiree's generation now calls them 'granny panties'... Has anyone strolled down the woman's under britches aisle lately?... I thought more than once when the package I picked out was called "briefs"... Brief I don't need - coverage I do!... I have bought three packages in the past few months that once I got home and tried them on, I threw out because they didn't fit on me like they looked on the model on the front of the package...

Give me a break~!!!... I'd rather see reality in packaging and then I know what I am going to be buying... Is it a conspiracy?... Sell me something you think I will like after you've doctored up the packaging, but put something entirely different inside?...

And talking about under britches - let's talk about the men's side of this... Since when are boxer shorts really shorts a boxer will wear any more?... Has anyone seen the boxers on TV recently?... Those things look more like culottes now that anything else!... If you want me to sit and watch two men brutalizing each other, give me some thigh skin, people... Not droopy drawers like the basketball players wear now...

Men's shorts have been going downhill for quite some time... I remember my first husband looked REALLY good in his shorts for it showed off his thigh and calf... Most men have good looking thighs and if the shorts drop below their knees in length, it is like eating cake without the icing~!!!.... Not good... LOL...

I realize the older we get, the more we have to fight gravity, but please~!!!... Paul has a great set of legs but because he's not a very tall man, most shorts on him drop below the knee (and he does wear them on his hips like you are supposed to)... Put the same shorts on a man who wears them below his hips (like the fashion is now) and I am SO tempted to go up to the guy, grab a hunk of material on each side and just PULL DOWN~!!!



I think when I am old enough the judge would feel sorry for me, I might just try this one day and hope I don't go to jail... Think it would work???...

As Always,
The Lady

(hope I put a smile on your face today!) 

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Fundraising effort: Chi-Weaters

I wanted to announce a fundraiser for the rescue - Chi-Weaters - for those of us who love this breed and have a difficult time finding the proper fitting sweater for them... 100% of the profits of this endeavor go directly to the saving of dogs dying in our local shelter... We volunteers not only donate our time to knit these Chi-Weaters, but the yarn as well~!!!

The idea was born after trying to find sweaters that would fit Abby after she became a tri-pede... Every commercially made T-shirt and sweater simply slid right off her shoulders, so we went 'to the needles' to come up with the perfect pattern... After MANY attempts and numerous pieces that were pulled apart, we finally found the right way to make sweaters for Chihuahuas that would fit their wide chests but still be small enough at the neckline... 

I'm lucky to have such willing models to show off our Chi-Weaters... Each one is made individually and by hand, one Chi-Weater at a time - so they are unique and different for those who want their Chihuahuas to strut and be individualized among the many!

Please forward this link around and network... We continue to add items to the website as each new one is made!  Thank you!

P.S. Scudderbutts allows us to do basically anything to him!  He was a banana for Halloween, Santa for Christmas, etc... I couldn't resist this photo of him as I was sliding the Chi-Weater over his head!   What a ham!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Overweight women are NOT lazy... At least I'm not!

Mornin, Mornin... WOW... There were tons of emails in my box after the last blog posting from you all... Think I hit a nerve on this topic... Mostly from women, but a few from men... Many remarking about the perception of women who are overweight, but again?... Some who recommended this diet or that one... One I am seriously thinking about trying is this one... The amount of dark green stuff needed might play heck with my Factor V problems, but you never know...

Many people commented on the belief that women who are overweight are lazy... Some commented that men don't carry this same misconception - true, True, TRUE~!!!... Statistics and studies point out that executives in top Fortune 500 companies are not discriminated against if they happen to be older AND overweight... In fact, it is almost expected... Younger successful men are perceived to be 'up and comers' if they are watching their health and weight, but the older guys?... Their obesity is overlooked... They are viewed as 'strong like oaks'... Hmmm.... Reverse discrimination at its finest!

I don't think anyone that knows me would ever think of me as being lazy... If anything, I can outwork and out-go both of my family members, hands down... I am SO determined to get something done once I have started it that I will practically work myself into the ground to get it finished... I tend to push myself beyond the pain warning signs that start going off inside of me, believing if I just put one more effort I will get it finished, ya know?...

Yesterday was a good example of my 'hardheadedness' or determined nature (as I prefer to think of it)...  I have watched the apricot tree in the back for a few years now... It has ALWAYS been a PITA in regards to the pool, for it was planted too close and in the fall, dumps most of its leaves into the water for me to clean out (or Paul to clean out of the basket before it hits the filtration system)...

It has also completely ruined any chance of grass underneath of it not only because of the shade it creates (when it has them) but because of the massive amount of water it would steal from the surrounding areas... I gave up having grass within 6' of the base and put Desiree's old futon mattress up on a pallet for the dogs to sunbathe on each day... If you can't have grass close to the tree, you might as well use that space for something else, ya know?

Three years ago, only half of the tree came back... It was the year Paul was messing with the sprinkler system and we had had a few floods out back there... I'm not sure exactly what is going on with that aspect of the back yard, but I think (?) the roots of the tree are too close to a sprinkler head and he can't replace it, so the sprinkler system is turned off to avoid floods...

The next year, even less of the leaves on the tree came in once spring arrived... Of course, the side of the tree I would have wanted the leaves to be on was completely barren... The side by the pool was the one with the leaves...

And last year, only two big branches has leaves... Again, the wrong side of the yard and they fell into the pool when fall arrived...

So for two months I have watched other trees in the area bud and start their leaves... Nothing on the apricot tree... I kept walking up and snapping off branches to see if the sap was working its way back up into the branches... Eventually I decided the tree had finally just died and it was time for it to go bye-bye...

For a few weeks I have sat and looked at that tree, trying to determine how I would get it down... Two calls to professionals and one estimate ($500 plus $100 per 1/2 cord to haul away the wood)... Basically he told me to figure $1,000+ and he couldn't get out until the middle of April...

The second professional told me it would be weeks before he could get out to give us an estimate as they were in their 'prime season and a cutting down a single tree was not cost-efficient to do right now'... I asked how they would get it down without it going into the pool and he said they take it down, branch by branch....

One of the neighbors up the hill had a tree taken down last week... So I watched them do it through my kitchen window... The more I watched them, the more I kept thinking I could do this myself... Problem is, I have to watch going up on ladders around here when no one is home in the event I fall... And anything sharp?  I also have to be careful someone is around in the event I cut myself for I could easily bleed out with the blood thinners by the time I drove myself the four blocks to ER...

Desiree said she was going to be home yesterday, and after listening to the wind howling throughout Saturday night and worrying was the tree going to crash into the house, I decided 'Today is the day that tree is going to come down - or at least get started!'...

Turns out, Desiree had plans that developed during the day, so she was gone but Paul was around the house... After dragging the 10' ladder out into the backyard along with the recycling bin, I started pulling down the small branches and breaking them up for the recycle bin...


Well, I eventually ran out of room in the recycling bin, but I got the tree taken down half way... Some branches I got down, but had to put on the other side of the fence until the bin is emptied tomorrow on trash day... 

Once I get the small branches down, I am hoping Paul gets his chain saw back from the store with the needed tune-up, and he can get the big branches down and the wood cut into pieces that are suitable for the fireplace next winter...

As I'm pulling one branch down after another with nothing more than my SMALL rechargeable saw, I'm thinking about this whole process in a macro-perspective... Nothing in my life has ever seemed to be to overcome (with the exception of my illness).... I might be scared or a bit doubtful to take on something, but courage and hardheadedness always kicks in... I believe I can do it and so I do, ya know?... I've never been afraid to start cutting a piece of fabric, nor to try out a new idea to solve a problem... It might not work, but that potential outcome has never stopped me from trying...

I consistently show Desiree how to do this or that around the house... I hope that my willingness to take on all challenges that come my way rubs off on her... I hope she never believes that she has to have a man around to do these chores or tasks... But I do hope she has more patience than I do about waiting for days (weeks, months, years) for things to get done once you've asked someone else for their help... I keep trying to improve this defect in myself, but it seems my time schedule is never the same as anyone else's... Once I decide I want something done, I'm on it... I am sure I drive Paul crazy about this, but I do try and give him a heads up that I am trying to get something done...

The fine line between what a woman can do and is expected to do is slowly fading... We women know that we can do just about anything, even if we don't have the physical strength men have... I may have had to bring that tree done, small branch by small branch and then up the ladder again to bring down a bigger one they were connected to... But I have no doubts that were the chain saw working yesterday, I would have had that entire tree down to the point I was finished with the project...

Once the tree is gone to about 2.5' off the ground, I will make it into a umbrella holder so that I can control how much sun is on that area and how much is not...

I want to get another small tree out of the backyard - it is a miniature Palestinian lime tree that Paul has been growing for years... The tree has LONG spines on it that never fail to nick me at least once during mowing... And there must be barbs on the spines, because it not only cuts you, it stings and tears at the flesh...


The little birds love it, but it has caused me to lose far too much blood along the way... I can understand Paul's affection for it, but I am hoping he moves it to the front yard so I don't have to deal with it as much... 

And then?... I would like to plant an orange tree and a lemon tree - more towards the center of the backyard than the two are now, but not too close to the back brick wall...  I see a few of these growing around the area and with our climate, they stay with leaves almost the entire year...

I'm not so sure this will be a wise choice, but it is in draft format right now... I would be just as happy with umbrellas and thick grass, but the trees do add shade to an area that 'bakes' in the summer time... And with something back there, it keeps that side of the house cooler too...

Anyway, this just goes to show you that overweight women are not lazy for sure... Not by a long shot!

As Always,
The Lady

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Overweight thoughts...

Mornin, Mornin... I have struggled with my weight almost my entire life... About the ONLY time I was the weight I wanted to be was during my dancing days (which ended when I got married... :(   )... Things I would want to do to exercise (sit-ups, jogging, etc.) put my back into overdrive, plus the IBS and Factor V make eating a constant challenge... Eat too much green stuff and the Factor V numbers sky-rocket, etc... Starches seem to cause me the least amount of problems (pasta, etc.) but those aren't very good to lose weight on... I love fruit, but the wrong ones and I'm in the bathroom almost immediately... 

It is like tiptoeing through a mine field each and every day - It is a daily and constant battle... 

Paul has struggled with weight his entire life as well... And while he is much more sedimentary on a daily basis than I am, his issues are really more of a scheduling and portion thingie... He fails to eat breakfast and lunch most days - so by 4-5PM, he is starving and then overeats (yes, even with a lap band)...  Paul's Achilles heel is red meat and sweets... And he can be a closet eater as well...

Sometimes I wonder how much society and lifestyle acceptance factors play into weight problems... In fact, I think about this a lot... I would prefer to eat dinner at 5PM because I go to bed around 9PM... But by the time Paul decides what he wants to eat and Desiree gets home, we're not eating dinner until 7PM most nights... And because everyone here has such different tastes, every night is a challenge to find something everyone is interested in eating!

Yep, supper is a  challenge... But it seems like it has been for quite some time!



Apparently a study has been done on art of the "Last Supper" and since this time, plates and food portions has been growing... News article... Between 23 and 69% in fact... Plate sizes grow and to fill it up and appear 'adequate' the food portions grow...

I just watched a show on 'Taboo' about obesity... It will repeat on April 10th BTW...

Part of it concentrated on Mauritania where the culture has leaned towards the deliberate 'fattening up' of females so they get married and have children... While I 'get it' in theory - much like a fatten cow appears more healthy to the eye than one underweight - I am irritated that the female species seems so 'less than' in value that weight measures someone's value as a spouse... News story about this cultural think in Mauritania...

I guess it is easier to hide all that extra weight in formless attire, but if these women had to squeeze into the apparel we do here in the U.S., I would suspect this practice of force feeding female children would stop much quicker!...

The show went onto talk about how overweight men are viewed as 'cuddly' and overweight women are 'lazy'... Boy, does society have a VERY long way to go yet, huh?

As Always,
The Lady

Monday, March 22, 2010

A Crabby Old Man


When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte, Nebraska , it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.  Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Missouri.

The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.  And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

A Crabby Old Man


What do you see nurses? . . . What do you see?
What are you thinking . . . when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food . . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . . . 'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . a sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am. . . . . . As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, ... as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . who love one another.

A young boy of Sixteen . . . with wings on his feet.
Dreaming that soon now . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . With ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons . . . have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me . . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . My loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future . . . shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man . . . and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass . . . a young guy still dwells,
And now and again . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . life over again.

I think of the years, all too few . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . open and see.
Not a crabby old man . . . Look closer . . . see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Sooooo.... what do you do?

One of those old 'free will dilemmas'... Reading this news article about this 92-year old man who admits to killing Sumatran tigers since he was 17... Seventy-five years of killing tigers, about 50 tigers, figures up to one every 18 months... 

Now what do you do with the man?... Give him five years in jail?... At 92?...

And then reading another news story about this issue, you learn a dead tiger is worth about $3,200 to an Indonesian villager... In an economy where the average monthly income is $200 and women run large home gardens to supplement their family's income about $2 a day (and this is considered  a small fortune if they are good at it)...  

I guess what bothers me the most about all of this is that our new 'BFF' (China) recently allowed 11 tigers to starve to death in one of their zoos... MSNBC article...

Is it better to allow the government to kill endangered tigers inhumanely than for a single person to have a life-long livelihood in a poverty-stricken area?... 

Or to not set aside large enough areas of natural habitat for this species (and its subspecies) to live naturally without having to hunt man to survive?...

Where does the balance of all of this settle out to be?... Jail a 92-year old man for doing something a foreign government has also knowingly done to the same endangered species?...

I mean, where does it all balance out?... Where does the evil get punished, the right get rewarded and the planet and all of its species are in harmony with each other?... 

The reverse of harmony is chaos --- when do we as the predominant species finally decide things equitably and fairly --- crossing over boundary lines of countries and poverty versus conservationism?...

Something for you to ponder today.... 

Priceless moments

Mornin, Mornin... One of the best parts of my day is early in the morning when I sit outside in the backyard, watching the dogs do their business and enjoying my first Starbucks coffee of the day... I so enjoy hearing the traffic as it passes by in the distance - it reminds me the world is alive and 'relatively well'... ... 

 The dogs don't chase the birds --- and they know it --- so they will fly down among the dogs and get insects out of the grass... I'm not an official bird watcher, but I do enjoy watching life moving in and out around my small part of the world...

Depending on what stage of their day my other two family members are in, I'll sit there and go over in my mind what I need to get done... I seem to measure my worth and abilities by how well my grass is doing this year... I look around to see what needs to be done on the patio or outside... I'll debate with myself what is most important to be done today and what, if anything, can wait...

This is such an important part of my daily life... It seems to be how I 'tune in the channels' for whatever serenity I am going to have throughout the rest of the day... I can only guess everyone has something in their life that does the same thing whether it is the morning drive to the office, the lagging in bed, etc... And while I can easily readjust my mindset according to my schedule, I realize EVERY day when I am allowed this pleasure, that this is truly a gift and to cherish it...

Once the dogs are done what they need to do, I am privileged as they walk back, 'check in', move onto play or head off for a drink, etc... On occasion, I'll get a 'luv ya mom' lick on a leg, friendly sniff of my bathrobe... Maybe even one will jump into my lap for a few pets...

I SO enjoy watching the interaction of the pack and the respect/affection they show me as the pack leader... Each morning I am reminded that they ALL have seen the worst of the human race and came close to dying in a shelter... There are few instances in my life when I can say, "I made a difference"... Even in a small way, ya know?...

And rescued dogs have an 'attitude for gratitude'... There are some that will say this is not possible for dogs don't have human feelings... I always disagree when I hear this because love and anger are both feelings - and I've seen both in a dog... I don't think dogs do selective feelings - you either have feelings or you don't... It is that simple for me...

Just as the birds instinctively know the dogs will not chase them, these dogs know they are not going to be dumped off at a shelter either... That they have 'done their time' and are now going to have enough food, a warm blankee and lots of love...

These are the moments I cherish in my day... Priceless...

As Always,
The Lady

Friday, March 12, 2010

Earthquake Cake recipe

One of my favorite things to make for my family and they LOVE it!  I put both pecans and walnuts on the bottom, but otherwise, I follow this recipe from Cooks.com:

EARTHQUAKE CAKE
Printed from COOKS.COM

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Spread 1 cup chopped pecans on the bottom of a buttered 13x9 cake pan. On top of nuts put 1 cup coconut, then pour the following batter over the nuts and coconut mixture without stirring.
  • Mix 1 box German chocolate cake mix (Betty Crocker) according to package directions.
  • Pour the batter gently over the coconut and set aside.
  • In a saucepan, melt one stick of butter (1/4 lb) and one (8 ounce) package of Philadelphia cream cheese. Stir in one box of confectioners sugar (1 lb).
  • Pay very close attention to the mixture in the pan as it will scorch easily. For this reason, it's best to use a heavy bottom pan.
  • Pour the cream cheese, sugar and butter mixture over the top of the cake batter without stirring.
  • Bake in a preheated 350°F for 45 minutes.
  • The cake will crack in the middle. That's why it is called Earthquake cake!

Good and the VERY bad things going on

A week ago today, we began a nightmare - bundling together our phone service, Internet access and cable service... OMG~!!!

This was all part of the remodel of Paul's office area, for that is where the modem for the Internet is stored... Desiree had done all the research as to what was available and at what cost, how much we would save if we did this, etc.
While our cable was with Time Warner, our phone service (including the rescue's fax machine) and Internet access was with AT&T... Time Warner (TM) was set to come out last Friday for a '2 hour install'... While they arrived just 30 minutes late, it took 4.5 hours to complete the installation of everything... 

At the end of it all, they said our fax machine wasn't working and we needed a new one, but that phone line was OK... Paul's computer has always been hard-lined to the modem directly, but they installed wireless for my computer (in another room)... So far, so good, huh?

BUT, they couldn't transfer over our fax number and said we had to have a new one... Translation?  Recoding ALL of the pages on the rescue's website with the new fax number... OMG
Friday afternoon, I realized I could not get online... I spent 4 hours Saturday morning, trying to make it work - and then threw up my hands in disgust and ran a hard line out of my room, down the hallway, around the corner and into Paul's office to the modem... 

We went out and bought a new fax machine as instructed - Sunday morning I tried to connect it and discovered we had no dial tone at all on that line... Desiree initially started to troubleshoot it, calling TM and requesting service ("Sorry, the earliest we can get someone out there is on Tuesday" - so much for 24/7 service!)...

I asked if they could just reconnect our old fax number... I didn't call to disconnect it, TM insisted they had not done anything to our fax line, so it should be easy to reverse, right?... Of course not...

And I had INTENTIONALLY NOT contact AT&T to cancel any service until I was sure this new set-up would work... So much for advance planning...

Between Des and I, we spent almost 4 hours on the phone with TM on Sunday - never could get anything resolved... On Monday, I started early... Calling AT&T first (TM insisted it was THEIR problem), they were out within an hour and discovered TM had just simply disconnected our fax line wires at the outside box - easy fix...

But then I continued to spend time on the phone with TM, trying to get them to disconnect the fax number they had given us (and had never worked)... 4.5 hours later and 11 different people, I finally achieved this goal...

I have to tell you... I do have a TON of patience - I keep pushing through on tough issues, finding solutions and/or different options, until I finally resolve the problems... But at one point on Monday?... I was so frustrated, I was ready to break down into tears... You know - those mad, angry tears because people are hearing what you are saying, but not listening to you?... I sat for 43 minutes on one phone call, but when she finally came back, I got disconnected so I had to call back and start all over with another TM operator... GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I KNEW this would be a nightmare, but I'm not so sure I was totally prepared for the absolute stupidity and 'blame-game' tossing I was going to get... I understand AT&T and TM are now competitors, but I certainly have NEVER gone out to the telephone box and messed with any of those wires! 

They never could get it all working like we had envisioned, so the fax number is still connected to AT&T (but I did not have to recode the entire website - HURRAH!!!) and we'll get two bills still, but TM has now bundled our cable, Internet and the home phone line together...

I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one, as well as the number handy to AT&T's person who was intelligent enough to realize what was going on, and how to resolve the problems~!!!

All of this seems very trivial when you think about it... A few weeks ago we got some devastating news about a dear acquaintance who had successfully fought of breast cancer four years ago to discover this past December, it has returned as pancreatic and liver cancer... Different cancers, same miserable nonprejudicial adversary of life, living and a happy, healthy existence...

I've known this person for about 10 years and she's been someone I have respected in rescue, almost to a mentor status (although she's probably never thought of herself in that fashion)... While I can't say we are friends that would call each other up and go out to dinner, etc. I consider her with genuine affection in my heart... Her heart is where is should be in regards to the animals, rescue, animal welfare and other assorted topics...

For me, the news hit even harder personally... She exercises, is healthy, eats the right foods, does the right things, is an organic supporter, etc... What chance does someone like me have of being healthy when someone so healthy gets hit with cancer?

I probably do only 50% of the things I should do, but I struggle with that... I know she is SO careful about what she eats and faithfully exercises, heavily involved in the causes she believes in (not only animal welfare) and if anyone would get the golden ticket to good health, I'd have bet you it would have been her!

Their son has moved back home and into the house with them to help out at this time of crisis... Their daughter comes back frequently from AZ... We have been taking dishes over to their home, but not wanting to intrude upon them (nor wear her out), I've called and let them know we're here for them in anything they need done...

While I can't say this has caused me to look at my own mortality (I already did that in 2005), I can say it has made me question exactly what are we supposed to be doing as humans to avoid the terrible "C"???... When someone does it all and still comes down with cancer, it is shocking to your psyche if nothing else... My battles with TM and AT&T seem trivial, if nothing else...

Every day and several times a day, my thoughts drift towards this gal and her family... When I ache or are having my own health issues to deal with, I am reminded immediately they are not in the same class as hers are... Not that it makes the pain hurt any less, or the energy level pick up any, but it does help to keep it all in perspective...

I think the thing that gets to me the most about all of this is the feeling of helplessness I have ~~~ I want to do more, What can I do?, Prayers should be enough according to what they tell us, but I worry they aren't.... I can't STAND this is happening to her, This is just NOT right, etc...

I'm left with that old mantra - "They can send a man to the moon but they can't find the cause of cancer and eliminate it!"... Is this just part of my generation's way of thinking?...

The first year of my illness was VERY difficult to accept - why me? I'm a tough broad, etc... I kept looking for the silver bullet and doctors didn't have one for me... What they had to offer was for someone with unlimited financial resources or was willing to give up on life at mid-life...

I have a PhD at protecting my vulnerable side, not letting the world see me 'sweat' as it is said... But to my own detriment, people around me don't usually see me as anything less than invincible in the most trying of situations...  It was VERY hard for me to say 'No, sorry I can't' when asked to do something by someone else... And even harder to admit to my family I was just plain worn out by the day and had to crawl back in bed to regenerate the batteries and lessen the pain levels...

I have never been a whuzz, especially when it comes to pain or getting assigned tasks done - it has been VERY difficult to not get everything done I want to each and every day... I never, EVER want anyone to think I am lazy, but I have laid in bed, rolling over in my head the list of things I didn't get done today and lacking the energy to push my body any further - at least for the next hour or so!

I can only believe everyone who has chronic issues or life-threatening crisis situations go through exactly the same thing... Life as we know it --- even in the worst of times --- is precious and priceless... The 'gopher holes' in life seem not so bad if you are still getting through the extreme valleys and high pinnacles of life, ya know?

I know in the Family we have several prayer chains going on, so please make a point of including "Kathy in California" in the prayers... If anyone I know or have met in my life SHOULD win in this battle, it is CERTAINLY her, so the prayer chains have worked for others - let's hope they do their miracles with her too!

As Always,
The Lady