Last Day of October 2013

In just a matter of a few hours, October will be history and we'll be thrown into the month of November which brings thoughts of all the holiday craziness. I'm not looking forward to it. Our summer weather, with the joys of being outdoors, left too quickly with very little warning. One day it was here --- the next day it was gone. That's depressing.

This post is in honor of a very special lady. Yesterday was my Hubby's mother's birthday. Frances would have been 101 yrs. old. This is a picture of her on her wedding day to Bob's father, Richard, on Feb. 14, 1935. She was 23 yrs. old.

Frances was a strong, loving woman... the "glue" that held her family together. She and Dick had 4 children which she adored -- Jack, Rick, my husband Bob the baby and one daughter, Colleen. Frances worked from the age of 12 to help support her family and continued to work all the years she and Dick were married. Her faith and her church, St. Mary's Catholic church here in town, was important to her. She always made sure her children were sparkling clean and in the pew with her every Sunday and every special mass in between. The last several years of her life, she was head cook for the church and the school. Even with the small food budget they had, she always managed to stretch it out and give the children a hot, healthy lunch every day. They all loved her.  Francis died on Mar. 13, 1966 of cancer.

Bob and I had been married 1 month and 1 day when she died. I had a mother-in-law for such a short time, but I'm so glad I got to spend time with her and got to know her during the 3 yrs. that Bob and I dated. I still miss her.

The good news today is the worst of the predicted storm is going south of us. It's not good for the people in that area because tornadoes are developing over them. All we're getting is a constant rain with the possibility of high winds this evening. The temperature is 63°, comfortable but wet.

I hope you're having a great day.
Until next time.........

Hodgepodge Wed. 10-30-2013

Today is Wednesday so that means more hodgepodge questions from Joyce, and as usual, they make me think long and hard on each one. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts.

1. What's something you're dealing with that might be described as tricky?

As most of you know, I recently started taking piano lessons and I've found each new piece I come to in my books are, to me, very "tricky". I know what keys I'm suppose to hit but it takes me a long time putting it together so it has some resemblance of a song. 

2. What's your treat of choice?

Staying with the Halloween theme, I'd have to say Milky Way Simply Caramel candy bars. They haven't been on the shelves here for very long and since I'm a sucker for any kind of caramel, I had to try them. Now I'm hooked. I went through my grandson's trick-or-treat bag to see if he'd gotten any. I'm bad. 

3. Did you/will you carve a jack-o-lantern this month? Which real (living or dead) or fictional 'Jack' would you most like to meet in person? Why?

I don't do pumpkins. Some carvings I've seen are cute and they put a lot of work into it, but it's not my thing. A real Jack I'd like to meet? I can't think of anyone right now. I have a nephew Jack, but I've already met him. hahaha

4. In your opinion, what's the grossest sounding word in the English language?

"Puke" .... need I say more?

5. When did your heart last skip a beat?

I'm on Facebook and so many of my contacts are trying to out-do each other with the scary videos. I got curious last night (and you know what curiosity did to the cat) but I watched it. (I tried to save it to post on here, but I couldn't.) Half-way through the video I leaned in closer, trying to see Michael Jackson's ghost and got the surprise of my life. I even jumped out of my chair. So, I know my heart skipped a beat... maybe even 2 or 3.

6. Monster Mash by Bobby 'Boris' Picket, Michael Jackson's Thriller, Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, or Ray Parker Jr.'s Ghostbusters  ..... your favorite 'scary' tune?

I really don't have one. I can't say I've ever heard of a 'scary tune'. I do like these songs, have from the first time I heard them, but they're just very catchy tunes.

7. It was a dark and stormy night when _________.

.... there was a scream from our daughter's room. Our dog Pepper, a shepherd mix, had been pacing the floor, something had her nervous. When our teen-aged daughter screamed, we ran into her room to find her sitting in the corner. She told us she saw a shadow of someone through the curtains on her window. My husband, Bob, ran back to the living room, calling the dog and opened the front door. Pepper took off in a flash, rounding the corner of the house before Hubby got off the step. When Bob got around the corner, he saw Pepper on the heels of a man, heading for the corn field behind our house. Bob gave the dog a few seconds, then called her back, expecting to find the person's pants in her mouth. We never found out who it was, but we didn't have anymore problems after that. I'm sure Pepper made it very clear she was protecting her family and if they tried that again, she wouldn't hesitate to take a chunk out of their behind.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The weatherman is forecasting what could be called "severe" weather for us for tomorrow, Halloween. There's an unstable front moving in with high winds and warmer temperatures. It was Nov. 10, 2002 when an EF4 tornado came through our town, killing 4 people, and turning the whole west side of town into a pile of boards, bricks and trees. I'm praying we don't have a repeat of that. 

Tues. Oct. 29, 2013

My day started off just like every other day and nothing changed. Same old stuff.

Daughter #3 stopped in this afternoon. On Monday and Tuesday she has Hospice patients. The doctor's have seen first hand how a gentle massage helps their patients with their pain. She's had a very busy month, but this past week 2 of her clients lost their battle. It's hard for her. She has to remember about getting too attached. Working with Hospice patients takes a special kind of person.

Our weather wasn't bad today. The sun was out from behind the clouds, 61° and a light breeze. This is going to be changing in the next 24 hrs. the forecasters are saying. We could be in for some severe weather by Thursday.

A friend posted something just recently on FB and I had to share it. I make a point to not get into politics on here, but with the web site for the affordable care sign-up is top news, being the disaster it is, this woman made it a point to tell her story. If you don't care to read this, believe me.... it's alright. I understand.

Here it is..........

A post from the Obamacare Website:

"I actually made it through this morning at 8:00 A.M. I have a
preexisting condition (Type 1 Diabetes) and my income base was 45K-55K annually.

I chose tier 2 "Silver Plan" and my monthly premiums came out to
$597.00 with $13,988 yearly deductible!!!

There is NO POSSIBLE way that I can afford this so I "opted-out" and
chose to continue along with no insurance.

I received an email tonight at 5:00 P.M. informing me that my fine
would be $4,037 and could be attached to my yearly income tax return.

Then you make it to the "REPERCUSSIONS PORTION" for "non-payment" of
yearly fine.

First, your drivers license will be suspended until paid, and if you
go 24 consecutive months with "Non-Payment" and you happen to be a home owner, you will have a
federal tax lien placed on your home.

You can agree to give your bank information so that they can easy
"Automatically withdraw" your "penalties" weekly, bi-weekly or monthly!

This by no means is "Free" or even "Affordable."

This was posted by Cheryl Arnold Orwig.

I hope you had a good day.

Until later............... 

♪♪ Monday ♫♫

Happy Monday!! I hope, whatever you have to do today, that it will be a good day.

This past Saturday was our Halloween activities in town. Daughter #3 and the grandsons handed out candy on Main Street for the Harvest Festival with the local merchants. She had never done that before and when she came down here after it was over, she said they had fun but she was so disappointed with most of the "adults". The children would all look into the bowls and pick out one or two pieces. However, the adults would come up to the table and literally grab 2 and 3 HANDS-FULL. I just don't understand people like that.
""yey! another freebie -- they have lots of money -- they bought it for us -- we deserve it -- so grab all you can. ""
It's sad, really, but this socialistic mentally is our country's downfall.

When the kids all got here to our house, I fed everyone and they got a chance to rest. Then it was time to put on the make-up and the costumes so they could go trick-or-treating.

Curtis (grandson #2) with friend Tashia. 

Curtis, Teresa (daughter #3), Tashia and little Bryan (grandson #6)

Jr. (grandson #5) was here, but he has never liked Halloween and still refuses to dress up or participate. His father used to torment him and call him names because he wouldn't wear the costume they bought him. I was hoping Jr would feel better this year without his dad being here (due to the divorce) and I think he did. He eventually caught up with his brothers and went to a couple houses with no costume, but he came back with a smile. I was so glad. 

Our weather was not very good Sat. It was chilly, 51°, and the wind was horrible. At least it didn't rain until they all got back to the house. I think that's why I hurt so bad yesterday, from being out in the cold wind all afternoon. The weatherman said this morning that we have been cooler than Anchorage, Alaska. 

Yesterday, we did get up and go to church. We had 3 baptisms. We've just started going to this church, so we didn't know what the service would be like. A mother (widow) and her small son gave their testimony and both were baptized. It was emotional.

Bob and I went up for lunch after church, just the 2 of us. When we got home, I was hurting and cold, haven't been able to warm up, so I laid down for awhile. I hardly ever do that, but my bed felt so good. 

Today, I have a load of laundry to do, then I'm going to practice, practice, practice. I haven't touched the keyboard all weekend. The sun is shining today and 60°, so Hubby's going to mow the grass -- one more time before the snow flies. 

Until next time........... 

Sat. Oct. 26, 2013

I just realized I hadn't posted anything since last Wed. Did anyone miss me? hehehe

The last couple days have been nerve-wracking. I spoke too soon about Daughter #3 feeling better. Thursday morning she fell in the parking lot at work and injured her wrist. Being a massage therapist, she needs her hands and arms or she can't work. She thought she was ok but the pain kept getting worse. She ended up going to the emergency room for an x-ray. They insisted on doing all sorts of tests because they were more concerned in WHY she fell. It seems she blacked out from a heart arrhythmia -- due to the stress she's been under. But the wrist isn't broken, thank goodness. She went back to work.

Today is the town's Harvest Festival uptown on Main Street, then the kids have their trick-or-treat from 4:00-6:00 pm. Daughter #3 is uptown right now, joining all the merchants in the annual giving out of candy and prizes to the kids. Last year they each had over 300 kids going from store to store. For a small town like our's, that is quite a lot.

After she gets done there, she's bringing the boys and a couple of their friends to our house where they can eat and get dressed in their costumes before heading out in our neighborhood. We always walk with them and keep them in the area where I know they'll be safe. The fire dept. usually comes down our street, tossing candy from the trucks. Sometimes I think I get just as excited as the kids. Parts of me hasn't grown up yet. Bob and I used to dress up too when they were little and we stood out in the front yard passing out candy.

I just finished making some hot chicken in the crock-pot for sandwiches later. That way they can eat whenever they want.

The weather isn't very good for the kids today. It's dark and gloomy, 52°, but it's very windy. I don't know if we'll have too many little ones at our door, but the candy is ready for those that do come. The first few years after we moved in  here, we had over a hundred kids.

That's about all I have to report today. I hope you have a great weekend.

Until later..........

My Hodgepodge for Wed. Oct. 23

1. When it comes to good manners, what two top your list of most important?

Show respect and not let the door slam in her face.

Say 'thank you' once in awhile.

2. Let's open a proverbial can of worms...Common Core.  Are you familiar with the term (talking education reform in the USA)?  If so, care to share your thoughts? In your opinion, what is one of the biggest issues schools (in your home country) face today?

I've never heard of that phrase, but I know our schools need a lot of reform. There is no discipline and the children have no respect for anything or anyone. Too many of them aren't interested in learning or being told what to do. There has to be a way to get through to the troubled children, especially the ones from a messed up home life.

3. Name a celebrity whose fashion sense you admire and share why.

There is absolutely no celebrity that I care to admire or pay much attention to what is being worn. I just know there's several that need to be taught modesty.

4. How are you affected by the changing seasons?

In the spring, the pollen  bothers my eyes and nose …  In the summer, I have trouble breathing in the humidity and heat, forcing me to stay inside in the a/c ….. The fall, I start getting headaches from the cooler air and the constant changing barometric pressure …. The winter cold makes my muscles ache from shivering as soon as I step outside.

You asked. :) 

5. Scariest book you've ever read?

How about the book I got from Medicare?

Seriously though, I love to read a good mystery and a lot of the ones I've read have been murder mysteries, but I can't say I've ever read a book that actually scared me.  I've cried, I've laughed, I've gotten excited, but never scared. 

6. What time of day are you most hungry? What's your go-to snack?

My worst time of day for me is always in the evening, around 9:00 pm. Don't tell my doctor, but I always go looking for something sweet.

7. Do you lean more towards being too needy or too independent? Which do you find harder to deal with in others?

I'm an independent person, always have been. And that's been my downfall. When I get my mind on something, I'll step out and try to do it myself. Sometimes I'm successful, other times I'm a total failure, then I have to ask for help.

Which do I find harder to deal with in others? That would have to be the needy. Being just the opposite, I have trouble with people  who act as though they're helpless and can't do things for themselves.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Right now I have too many swirling around in my head I can't straighten them out. So, I have to omit this one.

I hope you've had a great day. 

Tues. Oct. 22, 2013

The unemployment numbers just came out for September 2013. They're saying it's looking better. It dropped 1.2%, down to 7.3%. These numbers are not accurate, tho', but the government looks at that and says "we're on the road to recovery". Maybe we are, to a certain extent, but all the numbers mean is that 7% of the population of our country is still drawing benefits. It does not include all those that had their benefits run out and they're not actively seeking a job. Those people aren't counted in this.

Our local weatherman is telling us to look for a mixture of rain and snow tonight. Yuk! The temperature for today is only 47° and 31° tonight. At least we had some beautiful blue sky this morning. I enjoyed that. 

Last night I was on Facebook ( as usual ) when I saw a posting on one of the pages I follow. It had to do with our government, under the "Affordable Care Act", now has agents that will engage in "home health visits" (as they call them) for those in certain “high-risk” categories."  It's always been part of the whole system (that none of our congressmen read). And it's NOT voluntary. It's mandatory. I had no sooner hit POST when one of my 'friends'  (I don't even know the woman) commented, calling me a liar. She said that "the government doesn't have the people or the resources to visit thousands of homes just to check up on those that signed up for Obamacare". At first I laughed because I thought she was joking. Then I realized this woman was serious but she has no clue on what's happening.  I may be wrong, but I didn't appreciate what she said. 

Until next time...........