The Welcome Mat

I think I need to get a refund on my plastic surgery!!!!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
How about a hug???

Birthday Hugs And Kisses

This is a special day.

It is Halloween eve.

It is Henry Winkler's birthday, and Otis Williams, and Ruth Gordon (we just watched her in the old movie Harold and Maude).

What makes this day special for me is that my hubby is sixty years old today. He is still young thinking. A cool dude. His body is showing signs of wear and tear but after the thirty-something years on drugs and alcohol it isn't any wonder. His nine years clean and sober are something to celebrate.

So today we celebrate his sixtieth birthday with a special emphasis on his recovery.

Marc Playle, An Inspriation

Strat-O-Blogster Guitar Blog had this video on his blog. Isn't this amazing?

Don't Be Foolish

“Only the most foolish of mice would hide in a cat's ear, but only the wisest of cats would think to look there”

-- Andrew Mercer


After daily reminders the past couple weeks, this story is an example of foolish parents. Teaching children to lie for attention. Using the media for attention. Making false reports to authorities that eventually caused a major airport to temporarily shut down for attention. Very Foolish.

Finders Keepers

I will seek and find you.. I shall take you to bed and have my way with you. I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop. I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you. And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.
All my love, The Flu

I found this at Tales From The Serenity Now Hospital.

Hubby and I are still fighting the flu bug, feeling so much better but can't shake it. So it was a relief to read this and be able to laugh at something that doesn't want to let us go!!!

One Brick At A Time

If something is to last it needs to be built right.
Fundamental design.
Reliable foundation.
The strongest materials.
Dedication to completion.

Like the construction industry, life needs structure. Balance. Planning. Strength.

Building a healthy, happy life takes work and dedication. Persistence but not obstinance. Stamina and determination.

When I think of my life today, I picture myself building a structure, one brick at a time. Able to withstand negative forces. Heavy-duty. Strong.

Rock - It Energy

Murakami Chair on Design Boom.

Check it out.

I wonder if I would get nauseous if I tried to read while rocking, or if I would have to rock to build up energy for the light and stop rocking to read. Hmmmm.

They Always Need More Firefighters In California

"CHESTER CITY, Pa. — A Chester City firefighter was suspended without pay Thursday for refusing to remove an American flag sticker from his locker. Story here.

Firefighters can post personal items inside the lockers, but the outside must remain "free of alteration," according to the directive.

Some firefighters didn’t think the American flag was included in the ban. The flag is stitched on their uniforms, hangs on their trucks, and flies on a pole out front."

People who live in southern California live with an increased awareness of dry plants near the house and shingles on the roof. Big no-no's.

El Nino country. Wind. Brush fires. Homes at risk.

If the Pennsylvania firefighter loses his job, he should contact any of the larger southern California fire departments for an application!

Just sayin'.

Teach Little Boys To Wash Their Hands

Men are less likely to wash their hands properly than women, according to a new study.
" While the majority of women use soap and water on their hands after using the bathroom, men often need blunt reminders to lather up, according to research on hygiene habits conducted by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The study, released on Global Hand Washing Day, October 15, used online sensors to record how much soap was used by 250,000 people after they had used the toilet.

The results revealed a large discrepancy between the sexes: only 32 percent of men used soap compared with 64 percent of women. Some of the men that were included in the study were only urinating, that's probably why they think they don't need to wash their hands even if they should.

While women responded to gentle reminders like "Water doesn't kill germs, soap does," men often only washed their hands after reading explicit signs like "Soap it off or eat it later," researchers observed. If they think other people are watching them, then they are more likely to wash hands."

At What Price?

One of the blogs I have followed for awhile is called Tranquility Cove. Isn't that a lovely name? Just the name is calming. Not all the posts are calming, however. This post is thought provoking at a minimum and soul stirring for anyone who has a conscience.

Chriss is a good writer and a wonderful photographer.
Please read the post on Tranquility Cove and let me know what you think.

People who have lived on this planet over fifty years can testify to the changes that cannot be denied. Being a responsible citizen of this earth is not political or religious.

Another blog I have followed for as long as I have been blogging is The Alternative Consumer. I have found some great items and information there.

It's A Free World

Each blogger has an online personality similar to each of our finger prints. Ours alone. Our own style. Our own color scheme. Our own choices: Ads or no ads, awards or not, continuity or constant change, theme(s), anonymous or open, word verification for commenting or not, subscribing to the blog to leave comments.

Today I learned a new one. Some bloggers actually charge people to leave a comment. Pay Pal is available for their convenience. So if you want to leave a comment on some blogs you pay for the privilege.

I know that some bloggers view their blogs as a business. They have learned the ins and outs of earning money from the ads that take up space on their blogs. I would like to see a post by a really good writer about the ads on blogs. Some of them are so annoying, appearing again and again when someone is trying to read a post.

This is me giving a big giant sigh of relief. Sigh.

Because I blog for the pleasure of it. All of it. I choose to read other blogs and I choose when and if to comment. I choose my format and colors. Maybe I haven't had enough choices in my life because having the freedom in blogging is the main reason for my doing it. Free being the key word.

Showing Luuuv

Me: If you really loved me, you would rub my feet and slather lotion all over them.

Hubby: Hmm what?

Me: When we sit on the couch and I sit sideways with my feet in your lap I am giving you a chance to show Luuuuuv!

Hubby: WTF. Okay. Hand me the damn bottle of lotion.

Me: Mmmmmmm.

Later in the evening.

Hubby: If you really loved me, you would rub my neck.

Me: Not tonight, babe, I am all relaxed from my foot rub. I really love you though.

Life isn't always fair. I thought I had a cold about three weeks ago but it was very minor. Yesterday I really came down with a cold. Hubby has a cold and so do I. Who is the designated person to make hot tea or soup or wash clothes when we are both sick? Around four in the morning my coughing woke me and I came out to the living room to find hubby sitting up reading and trying to stop coughing too. He took some cough medicine that apparently helped because he returned to bed and slept till eight thirty. We are running out of tissues. I hope one of us feels like going to the pharmacy today for some things. I have some beef stock in the frig so I am going to make some vegetable beef soup in the slow cooker today. That's it, then I won't do another thing today. Read and sleep.

Heavy Equipment In Precision

Go visit Wizard of Otin if you want to be entertained.

Sharing The Fruit Of Life

There is much to be experienced in this life. How we meet challenges can be cause for praise or condemnation. Usually self denunciation if we are disappointed in ourselves.

One way that helps me work through struggle is to share. Not in a codependent way by looking for gratification or recognition. In fact, many times I am able to share anonymously.

I have had many different lifestyles throughout the years. Since money rules in this world, sometimes there was plenty and sometimes not. When money was plenty, I was able to help people I didn't know or sometimes people I met but really didn't know. When money was in short supply, there were always ways to share, either my energy or knowledge or household goods. I read several blogs that show me that the writers share my belief that material things aren't on the same level as taking a breath or being able to think and speak. The things of this universe are for all of us. For as long as I have lived I have never felt that what is mine is mine alone. Yes, maybe I worked hard to earn money to get something that would enhance my life. But I could not wrap my arms around that material thing and hang on and guard it so no one else would try to take it away. In my heart I have always been content with just enough to meet my basic needs. My children would have preferred that I would have striven to a higher standard. I am grateful that they too believe in sharing as a way of life; however, they prefer to live on a much grander scale than I do. Perhaps it was my meager beginnings that set the course for me. Most of my childhood was very poor. But since that is all we knew, my brother and I accepted it and learned that hunger was just how it was. When other kids ridiculed my clothes I let them know how unkind that was, sometimes by being unkind myself. That is something I had to work on for a long time, not retaliating. We were one of the families that would benefit from a box brought to our house with Thanksgiving food and also one at Christmas. Otherwise there would be no extras on those holidays. Upon reaching adulthood I am somehow involved in sharing with families like I grew up with, even sometimes putting together packages and delivering to families myself.

What started me thinking about writing a post on sharing is that I am in the process of moving back into the house with hubby. Instead of ads on craigslist to sell the furniture in the apartment, hubby and I are giving the furniture to some people who need it. We have all been the ones in need of something here and there. Why should the almighty dollar rule over everything? Like I said, things are for all of us to use. This is sharing. Finding someone who has a need and sharing what I have. No strings attached. Hoping this person will be in a position to help someone else some day. With some thing or their time. No strings attached. Giving. Sharing.

First Snow

This is the view from the kitchen window into the back yard this morning.

When I plodded into the kitchen to start the coffee, I pulled up the blind on the back door, and this was what I saw. For an hour I walked around and made noise, hoping hubby would wake up. I put a couple leftover tacos in the microwave (yep, my favorite breakfast is leftovers, especially tacos!), and the microwave turned off and so did the lights. Uh oh. I put on slippers and trudged outside to the side of the house and could not figure out how to open the circuit breaker box. Dang. So when hubby got up I had two surprises for him. Snow. Circit breaker emergency. It was an emergency by then because I now had cold coffee.

Hubby remedied the electrical delay and we have been enjoying hot coffee and blogging while we watch the snow still fluttering outside. Warm and cozy inside.

Yo Taxi! Taxi!

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: People queue for taxis
Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

I haven't waited in line for a taxi except on the day cruises got into port, and the passengers disembarked. There was a long line of taxis ready to whisk the passengers off to airports or whatever destination, so it all moved along surprisingly quickly.

The people in this line look like they are there for awhile, slowly step by step making their way to the front of the line to get the next taxi. Maybe they need a couple more taxis here. Competing with the the taxis there now. Or bus service. Anyway, this picture speaks to me of the many many people around the world at the mercy of someone else to get from one place to another, and where I live we take for granted we can drive somewhere when we want to go somewhere. I am grateful for my situation but I care about the people waiting in lines all over the world.

Girl Flu or Swine Flu Alert

Found on Cute Overload:

Attention all pigs! There is an elevated risk of a deadly strain of “girl flu.” If not treated early, girl flu can lead to death, or in extreme cases, cooties. Pigs are urged to avoid prolonged contact with girls, and also avoid activities which may weaken the immune system, such as shopping or watching romantic comedies.

Gas Mask Bra

See my new bra? Works great a couple hours after a meal of refried beans.

Victoria Gill, Science reporter for BBC News, writes that "Designers of a bra that turns into gas masks and a team who found that named cows produce more milk were among the winners of the 2009 Ig Nobel prizes. The aim of the awards is to honor achievements that "first make people laugh and then make them think. Dr Elena Bodnar won the public health prize for the bra that, in an emergency, can be converted into two gas masks. She demonstrated her invention and gave one to each of the Nobel laureates as a gift. The bra can be converted into one mask for the wearer and one for a needy bystander."

Seriously, congratulations to all the winners of the Ig Nobel prizes. The Ig Nobel Prizes were presented to the winners by genuine Nobel laureates.

A special congratulations to the winner of the Ig Nobel prize winner in the category of medicine, Donald L Unger of Thousand Oaks, California, US, for investigating a possible cause of arthritis of the fingers, by diligently cracking the knuckles of his left hand but not his right hand every day for more than 60 years. That shows a dedication I would like to see in other areas, maybe in a future post.

Will The Virtual Libraries Of The Future Fill My Needs?

This article shakes my world. The library is my second home. The traditional room with rows of stacked books and videos and DVD's and CD's and some PC's.

I am so comfortable in a library. I might have mentioned in previous posts that I have moved many times in my life, about a hundred times actually, and lived in six states as an adult. Within a week of moving into a new place, I would find the local library. If the library was close enough, I would toss a back pack on my back, walk to the library, spend hours there getting to know the new layout. After checking out books with my new library card I would hike back to the new place and unpack the treasures I found at the library.

Because I have always been a voracious reader, it is not possible for me to own many books. For one thing, I move so much and books are heavy and costly to move, and for another, I would need to live in a mansion to fit all the books I have read. So the library has been my "best friend" all my life.

I have seen several articles lately like this one discussing the future of libraries and the trend toward digital. I can see myself some day sliding a disk into my computer and reading a book on the monitor. Not nearly as cozy as curling up with a book on the couch with my feet in hubby's lap while sipping a cup of coffee.

Responsible Teen

There is a good story in the Detroit Free Press. Hopefully it will have a good ending too.

"..teen turns in cash. Investigators are hoping to find the rightful owner of a stash of cash an 18-year-old Howell resident found while picking up pop cans along the side of a Livingston County road. The amount is less than $1,000 but enough for the Michigan State Police to try to find out who lost it."

Evidently, some parents are teaching their children to act responsibly and in consideration of other people. The story in the newspaper tells of an eighteen year old young man who found some money, talked it over with his dad, and decided to turn the money over to the police.

If no one claims the money in six months, the young man will be presented the money, which is less than one thousand dollars. What if the amount he found was much more? What if his dad encouraged him to keep it and not tell anyone? What if. What if. But it is what is is, and this teen may be receiving a reward for following his conscience and not his empty wallet. He should be allowed to put this story in his applications to college and in his resume in the future when he applies for jobs.