Monthly Archives: January 2014

01.30.14
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I label myself….

…and it is probably not that accurate in todays expletived-up political arena.  If sides have to be drawn, then I feel more comfortable calling myself a liberal than a conservative.

Liberalism is a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality.[1] Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally they support ideas such as free and fair elections, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free trade, and private property

With that being said…I do not support the liberal platform on gun control and  I’m not sure how I feel about the rhetoric of global warming.

So…in essence, I have my opinions and I like to think of myself more as an American with opinions than ascribing to one of the whack-job political identifiers.  Which leads me to tell you about unfriending someone on Facebook.

If you know me, you know that I totally support your right to your beliefs.  I don’t have to agree with you…but don’t you dare bully me.  I don’t have a problem with you facebook tagging me with your conservative propaganda that you have copied from someone else and like a big blow horn this makes you feel powerful to put it to me because you know that I don’t believe the same way you believe.  And I have every right to delete this “forward” from my page if I don’t want it there…but don’t you DARE repost it to my page right after I delete it and say – well that didn’t take very long, lets try it again.  Delete, unfriend and I have no problem with the block button although I assume this has taken care of the problem.  I know you won’t be reading this for obvious reasons…but I’m getting this off my chest…you’re a dumbass!

Until next time….

01.22.14
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I didn’t wake up irritable!

My large, elderly golden went down on the ice this morning right off the porch in his yard.  He is fine…probably be sore tonight…but his legs were splayed out and he was laying on his belly and couldn’t get up…so I suited up and was able to pull him off the ice and he got up fine…whew…I untied the gate and let him out thinking he would come around the house and come in the front door.  Well, he’s blind in one eye and the wind was so strong that he was having trouble figuring out where my voice was coming from…finally I made it around to the back of the house and he was able to run toward me and with me into the house.  Then I had to bring Franny in..she’s the black, elderly lab-mix with an incontinent problem.  I got her into the laundry room so I could put her diaper on her..always have to offer a snack or a few chunks of food to draw her attention away from the fact that I’m going to pull her tail thru the diaper…she totally does not love it!

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Time to settle down for a cup of hot coffee….only to find 10 minutes later that I forgot to cover the dog food after giving Franny her treat and the cats were chowing down eating right out of the container …… not even using a spoon.

I can hear the wind whistling through a couple of door jams…out here in the middle of nowhere, there is absolutely no protection from the wind…and quite frankly…it is irritating the *%^# out of me.  I’m trying to stay positive and realize that I have it a lot better and safer than lots of other people but I already started down this irritation path and  I’m having trouble turning around in this  short hallway and heading the other way.

Until next time….

01.19.14
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Oh forgive me, Paul, for prattling away and making everything all oogy.

I finally looked it up.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=oogy‎

1. oogy. Feeling the effect of an illness or injury. Think of Kathy Bates’ character in Stephen … That old sponge sat, mildewing in the sink, until it got all oogy.

Dear Diary:  Paul is feeling better today.  When I got outta bed he was sitting at the counter writing, ahem drawing diagrams for a counter.  Billy was right up there watching.
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 It would seem he is no longer feeble and I fear he is much stronger and would be able to Zig to my Zag so I must leave my Anne Wilkes persona and return to June Cleaver.
Until next time.
 
01.18.14
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Mr Man….

“What’s the matter? WHAT’S THE MATTER? I will tell you “what’s the matter!” I go out of my way for you! I do everything to try and make you happy. I feed you, I clean you, I dress you, and what thanks do I get? “Oh, you bought the wrong paper, Anne, I can’t write on this paper, Anne!” Well, I’ll get your stupid paper but you just better start showing me a little appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!”

Dear Diary:  He is feeling about the same today.  I did get him to eat some wonderful chicken noodle soup…He opened the can, but I heated it in the microwave for him and lovingly carried the bowl to where he was sitting on the couch.  I was unnerved by the rug on the floor, I didn’t want to trip over it and spill boiling hot chicken noodle soup on his lap.  Could I have more ice tea, he asks.  Of course, Paul, I’ll get it for you.  It’s nice to hear him sniff, cough and groan – that way I know he is still in the house.

I’ve been working in the basement – its dark and quiet and I have a lot of time to think.

Until next time…..

01.17.14
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MISERY!

Someone asked in a post somewhere, sometime ago who they thought should play them in the movie of their life.  I chose Kathy Bates.

I’m waiting for the rigatoni to finish and I have broccoli in the microwave – he’s sick today and this is about the first meal that I’ve had to cook since Christmas.  He – the angel – said about the time he retired from the correctional facility that he would do the grocery shopping and do the cooking…he appreciated all of the meals I had cooked over the lifetime of our marriage and he would take over….awesome.  I can hear all of you.

He has had a head cold for a couple of days – and the melaleuca stirred up feelings of the flu last night – he was in dire straits – right to the bathroom..says he is better today but is pretty quiet and doing a lot of resting.  He is not your typical man when he is sick.

With all of that being said…I can’t get Kathy Bates and James Caan off my mind tonight….capiche?

Until next time…

01.08.14
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The Gay Shock….

I’m struggling with the content of something I shared on Facebook today.

http://www.tytnetwork.com/2014/01/07/congressman-aaron-schock-outed/

The 32 year old republican congressman from Illinois has been subject of much public debate about what gender he chooses to sleep with.  I, personally, don’t care.  Apparently this congressman makes every effort in his “job” to vote against and rail against gay men and women’s rights.  That pisses me off.  I believe that  no one has the right to “out” someone else’s sexual orientation…and this is exactly what is happening if you click on the link above.  They are outing him and boldly expressing their opinion about whether he is or isn’t gay.  My initial reaction was disgust when I watched it…but as it banged around in the belfry this morning, I started the slow, arduous climb up the steps of my soapbox.  if he is a typical conservative, straight homophobe and wants to decide who we should or shouldn’t sleep with – then I think he is a dark blob in our society and will just put him in the pen with the others of same mind.  But if he IS gay, what is he doing?  Who is he?  If he is gay and believes the gay lifestyle is an abomination and chooses to remain celibate, then I can understand where is is coming from but is he, in fact, the person that the idiots on the link above are talking about.  Especially if it is true that he, in fact, enjoys the company of a same sex individual in the shower…Who is he and why would he publicly vote against who he is…it is exactly the two steps back that homosexual human beings are trying to recover.

So…while I detest the drama and the players in the video, if he is a practicing gay man, then hell yes…out him.  Stepping aside from my moral disgust and forging on with my indignation and human reaction!

Until next time…..

01.06.14
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uh huh

I’m guessing there will be more pictures of this:

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than beach sunset pictures today.  When I took this picture before getting out of the car this morning, I was thinking about being in Chicago a few years ago when I took a picture of the car thermostat in Craig and Mary Beth’s minivan which was a hair over 100…and I took this picture some time this summer

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I think we are all feeling like we are part of a little bit of history – the extremes – someday 30 years from now, we can all talk about that day in January when all of the schools were closed in Iowa because of the cold…40 to 50 below windchill…does anyone else listen to the record highs and lows on the news or read about them and try to remember back to that day – hmmm what was I doing or hmmmm seems like I should remember that extreme temp.  I still frequently compare school closings for heat and cold and feel a rant coming on because you do know that I walked to the bus stop up hill both ways in knee deep snow and with bare legs at 14 below…yes…there was a time back in my childhood that little girls were not allowed to wear pants to school – only dresses.  Barbaric.

Be safe …..

Until next time….

 

01.05.14
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Digestion…

My girls mentioned several times..okay…nearly every time I talked to them, that they were watching Parenthood – all 4 seasons – one right after the other the way we like to watch a good show.  I decided to try it out with Amazon Prime and I love it too.  I don’t know whether it is Opie’s influence..but it is an amazing series.  One of the episodes I watched today before getting out of bed hit me very hard – a conversation between mother and daughter – after mother, Sarah had given daughter, Amber,  advice about performing her songs on open mike night at a small club.

I have always digested words of wisdom because I have not particularly liked myself in the past.  So Oprah and Dr Phil were my mentors.  When I heard the Dr Phil-ism that You teach people how to treat you…I took it to heart and did a deep dark examination and changed some things.  If you are a people pleaser – everyone else knows it too and you will be inundated with ways to please people.  If you have a short fuse and explosive issues, you will inspire anger and tension and may be left alone even if that is not what you really want.  If you refuse to let people get close to you, then people will stay away.  If you are a fixer, people will come to you to be fixed.  If you are a door mat and let people walk all over you, you will be crushed.  Every scenario has many results.

While trying to give Amber some words of encouragement, Sarah used her own experiences and what she projected that Amber needed to hear – which had the direct opposite result and Amber backed away from something she really wanted to do.  Grandma reminded Sarah that parents can be there but can’t protect their children and it is the hardest thing about being a parent.  In turn, Sarah had the following (not verbatim) conversation with Amber:

When we have kids it is all very confusing because we see so much of ourselves in them..your sense of humor, your smile, the way you walk that the parent thinks of the child as  themselves …They are not you and they shouldn’t have to carry your baggage and fears about life that you carry…… Kids have their own.

Parents always want to protect their children, knowing it is not possible will probably not halt our advice but little bites will be easier for them to digest.  I’m going to try harder.

Until next time….

01.04.14
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I fear that my big toe has grown…

Just the toe on my left foot.  Everything appears normal, shoes fit fine…but twice this week I have stubbed it while walking…not your normal kind of stub…I stubbed it on the floor while walking…bent it under…flat surface…owie…..I had heard that as you age, your ear lobes and nose might grow and I knew the nipple line was not going to be a benchmark for someone doing CPR on me…but my toe?

Had a reasonably good 48 hours alone.  He went with his brother down to the Missouri house to meet the carpet measure-er and seal the grout in the kitchen.  I stayed in bed all day yesterday and watched the first season of Parenthood.  I did have to move from side to side occasionally…I went to sleep at 9pm and woke up at 4…4am wide awake…so i decided to get to work…took an epson salt/lavender bath(thanks, Kimba)…haven’t taken a bath for quite some time…got dressed – although I probably didn’t need to – and went to Walmart to get a few groceries.  I put the cold things in the refrigerator in the Walmart sack because I could…apparently not removing things from the sack before putting them in the fridge is frowned upon…so he says.  I’ve been cleaning and taking intermitant breaks to watch some episodes of Parenthood season 2.

He’ll be home soon.

Until next time…..