It's lovely to come by and see that both puddle and Shirlee have good kids who checked in and that they're all set for the big ol' storm. Saturday is to be the wildest day, so with your hatches all battened down, enjoy the ride!!
Today was a wild and crazy day here. I scurried around cleaning so swiftly that the cats were quite unsettled. Then I drove an hour away and convened a meeting of spiritual guides, at which I also presented. Afterward I dashed off to pick up VT*Grand early from the after-school program. That's where I hit some snags. Got to the school and went inside. Hallway lit, but no one in the building. No one outside either. Hmmm. As I was heading back toward the Office, I met a teacher who said they were all out at the far playground. He called out there so they could get her ready. But her stuff was inside, and my goodness, all the backpacks look alike these days! Ha! On my way out to the playground to initial the student list, I double-checked the Lost & Found, because I haven't seen my nice red gloves since I picked up VT*Grand last time. No luck. Got the Grand, went back in and got her gear with her, then finally to the car, in the breezy 20F weather. Got her into the car, but then couldn't find my key!! Checked the car 5 times, trying to remember if I had left the car unlocked or actually had the key when we approached the car. No luck. Back into the building to hunt again (even checked the Lost & Found Box again incase I dropped them in there). No luck. Back to the car. Turns out the key had somehow fallen into VT*Grand's open backpack!!! =Whew!!= Needing now to get on the road because the sun has set and I have night blindness. Just up the road I realise: my black gloves are missing. I had them on when we went into the school to look for the key. Betting they're in that darn Lost and Found Box! I'll find out on Monday.
Warm, safe, toasty here. Boyz been out barking up a storm, and is now in, and asleep having filled his tummy with Kibbles and Bits. Looks to be between 15" and 20", but guessing from cp. to past storms. Finished all the Harry Potters. In the HP discussion with son, discovered some basic mother/son contradistinctions: it was his considered opinion that in possession of something like 8(eight) Harry Potter movies, the best move would be to do one a night--thus stretching the lovely experience. Mine is, of course, full-on bore: to get positively drunk on the experience. And then do it again.
One thing that's abundantly clear is that we both identify with a different/shy child. As would his father.
Puddle, I think of you every night as I prepare for my long evening listening, viewing experience. I may have a Netflix movie...last night it was "Tuesday's with Morrie." Repeat from some time ago. Then on to an audio book or two. Last night it was two discs from Rutherfurd''s 'New York', a Wendell Berry disc from one of his collections of stories about Port William, then a vocal music cd...and finally sleep. The older I get the more I rest, the less I sleep!
No mail here yesterday or today....rain, ice, snow....ready for spring!
Talked with Nancy--she's out from under trees, and gets better measurements than I do: she said 2'--with up to five foot drifts. She's dug herself a path to the chickies, and cleared her deck. I've pretty much done nothing. Swept a four foot swath on my porch yesterday, nothing since. Boy doesn't seem to care.
I'm in 5-6hrs sleep, go 70mph all day mode. That pace is NOT my forte! But it's all for good reasons…grandchildren!! At 1pm Sunday I get to take a long Winter's nap! YEAH!!!
So glad you (and Nancy) are okay, puddle, despite the huge dump of snow!! Good for you for just keeping on. As for having so much of the white stuff, just know that what you don't move around still melts. ;-)
Beautifully bright and sunny here. To bed at three, at the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow was dazzling! Drippy and blowing a bit.
Have had a big yaller end loader in the middle of my road for a half hour now. Beau watching, but just asked to come back in. I gather Elmer's putting chains on. Or trying to ix chains. Engine running, but can't see Elmer. Mysteries.
Glad you were all good during this storm. Glad that the storm is over. We've had bright sunny, 50 degrees plus days here. Soon snow again. I guess winter isn't boring after all.
Listener, I enjoyed your frenzied day because mine are much like that with respect to not being aware or forgetting where I put things. I put David's checkbook in my purse (Why for Pete's sake?) and was totally unaware of doing it. So a half hour search ensued. I'm glad I didn't call Wallgreen's. I did look in the car twice, the counter a half dozen times, upstairs, downstairs, etc. I think we've gotten so accustomed to ordinary patterns that we lapse in awareness when we make a change.
In any case, you have my sympathy, sigh! You do so much, Listener. I'm glad you will have some resting time.
And, I finished reading an article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker, the Jan. 25th issue. It was about the Koch brothers refashioning their image. Thea article was entitled, "New Koch". I wrote a response to the New Yorker as a letter to the editor. Here it is.
Excellent poem, Pat. My sentiments exactly! Thank-you.
I was hoping to post some photos to Facebook, but keep getting an "unknown error" message. How do you fix an unknown error?! Rebooted twice. No change. Then it wouldn't let me post a status update. I can click Like or send a PM, but not post something new or something special. Then it said I had to Log In. I wasn't logged out but I logged out and tried to log in and it just stalled there. Weird or what? Had to wonder if FB lost its mind in the storm. Yet others are posting okay. Huh?
I'm seeing a message saying Facebook will be back soon when I try to log in.
If you're seeing this error message when you try to log in, it usually means that we're making an improvement to the database that your account is stored on. While we're doing this, you won't be able to access your account. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
A few things to note:
After the maintenance is over, you'll still be able to log in with the same password Your account won't be affected by the maintenance We don't do site maintenance on all accounts at the same time, so it's possible that your friends will be able to access the site while your account is unavailable
Yowser, Puddle! You sure are enjoying Harry Potter!
I have a new treasure from daughter Dana in Cincinnati -- she and her husband went Berry Hunting earlier in January. She made a video with this title when they drove to New Castle, KY where Wendell Berry was signing books at the Berry Center Bookstore. ' A Place on Earth ' is one of his first collections of stories about the fictional town of Port William and its inhabitants. I have worn out three copies of this title. So, off she and her husband went to get a signed copy....she got it while telling him my story...and now I have a signed copy with an appreciative inscription AND a video of the whole thing including Mr. Berry conversing with Dana and doing the signing. He looks well..but getting a bit hard of hearing. This is a revised edition which includes more information and clarification of the town and inhabitants.. TREASURE ! Stay well, all!g
I saw this Elizabeth Warren video after reading this post from Phil in Iowa: "When did Democrats start saying 'we have this platform, but it is hard, so don't expect us to get it done'?"
Glad you found at least one pair of gloves, Listener! It was in the forties here yesterday so I went out walking but we still have snow on the ground. The streets and sidewalks are clear and safe, but those snow banks give off waves of cold. So gave up after three short blocks ...and was happy to see Roberto,a long time resident and local jazz musician. waiting to open and hold the gate for me. Ready for spring I am! Love to all.
I love living in a small town. These were the first two messages in today's local online forum:
Seeking Lost Dog - Golden Retriever My dog got out last night around 10:00pm. My husband is out of town and I could only look for him for about an hour with 18month old. I am really worried because his tag only has my husband's cell on it. His name is Sammy and he likes to wander…
Hi folks, Last night around 10:30 I heard a lot of howling outside my house. I went out to see what it was and found a golden retriever inside my four foot fenced in backyard. He is safe and warm. I fed him, gave him treats and he played with my dogs toys. He was very hungry and thirsty. Not sure how he got in my backyard. He looks around 9 or 10 years old. The name on his tag says Sammy. I have been calling the phone number on the tag and it goes to voice mail... Please email me ASAP if you know who the owner is.
Another warm melting day. Snow load appears to be about 8 inches now. River hasn't risen yet, either.
And BLESS the UPS guy. Who walked in my package--year six of Downtown Abbey! The road is clear--if you're not driving a great UPS truck that needs a place to turn around. So he left his truck at the main road and walked all the way in.
I enjoyed your story, Shirley. What thoughtful and giving children you have, and how wonderful to have a book you've loved, signed, and with additions from Wendell Berry. A book that's been read and reread is a companion of the heart.
And, Puddle, enjoying your odyssey of series watching. I was thinking of the many series that have been just outstanding: The Godfather, The Sopranos, West Wing, Treme, The Wire, great dramas of our time. And three cheers for small rural communities wherein people look out for each other.
I just finished reading Tami Hoag's Ashes to Ashes, and it was the most grotesque, violent, gruesome novel I've ever read. It shook me, and I felt its effects all day. She's a very talented writer, able to evoke visceral responses, but all the characters except the two main characters were cynical, angry, even sadistic. If this is the world, I'm a refuge from it. I was curious because I've seen several paperbacks on our free yellow shelves in our library and post office, but I never want to read a book like that again.
Lost day, yesterday......well, not really ..just a dental appointment. Apparently had a small cavity behind one front tooth....turned out To be behind both the two front. Not happy.....I have very good teeth. Felt insulted...inquired of the dentist if one is required to die with perfect teeth ....and generally made a nuisance of myself. He just worked quietly away.....and ended with deducting $200. from my bill ...because the previous visit had only found one.
Now, should I apologize for being a cranky old lady? It is the best small practice in town and I was expecting my usual dentist--who IS working his way to full retirement. I don't handle change like this easily!
We are digging, melting our way out of the storm. Mail resumed yesterday.
Just returned from a walk with Molly. The temperature was 60 degrees on our porch, so we sat outside and had a cup of coffee, not Molly, David and I did.
We had dental appointments on Monday. Our dentist talked about how expensive procedures are, and I remember reading from someone that his implants were assessed at $52,000. I always tell our dentist, I don't want Fixodent, and if I can manage to keep my teeth, I'll be grateful.
Glad the snow is melting. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan had about six months of winter, more than I ever want to live in again. When you get old, you get cold, and sunshine and warmth make a difference. A smile here.
Pat, you ARE a refuge. I consider you all to be refuges of the first water!
Finished Downton Abbey this a.m.--what a sad way to go. Thinking it would have been better to have left off after last season. This dreary little tying off every bow, ribbon and string does Fellowes no credit. At all.
We are still watching the last season, puddle, one episode/week, but I have already become annoyed by how neatly he's tying everything up. Bleah! What was the point of being so rough on us in previous seasons only to go all sap at the end? Sheesh! The man needs to learn moderation. I'm to the point of almost hoping *something* goes amiss, so it won't be so darn predictable and boring.
Shirlee, no need to apologize for being your honest self. Maybe just sent a sweet thank-you note to leave a good taste in their mouths. ;-) Last year my dentist said my insurance would cover a fresh round of X-rays and said he needed them to diagnose an issue I was having. So I agreed. But the insurance said it had been too soon since my last set of X-rays and wouldn't pay it. I was irate! Went into their finance office to complain and the woman smiled and said, "No problem. If your insurance won't cover it, we won't charge you. We know they don't always cover, but we have decided that if we need the procedure (X-rays) to do our job, we'll just absorb the cost, because doing our job well comes first." I was floored!!! I offered to pay half, but they said No, they do this all the time…!!
My family's children come equipped with one of two sets of teeth: either my father's perfect ones, or my mother's dismal ones. I got hers. She had dentures by 38. I got a very expensive set of caps at 45. Which lasted a bit more than 20 years. When they broke, took my mess of a mouth to "smile savers" and was offered a $75,000 fix. Declined. I live with some $75 mail order uppers, which can't be eaten with, lol! Or barely. It'll do.
I did luck out in one way: as the new evolutionary model, I do not have, and never have had, wisdom teeth. Never formed, never removed. Good thing, too, my mouth just barely big enough for the ones I did get.
At about 13, my teeth started to rot faster than the dentist could fix them, I was in his chair nearly weekly for a couple of years, and bi-weekly for several after that. I felt incredibly guilty about the amount of money I was costing my family. Discovered that he billed separately for procedures. $25 for a Novocaine shot. So I told him I didn't want/like Novocaine--it made me feel sick. So for about 8 years had my teeth drilled on without any pain killer.
Which is where I first learned (I later learned) to meditate. . . . To take my consciousness out of my brain and put it in my toes. Which worked pretty well unless he called it back by asking if I was in pain. . . .
Dog Home Safe-Thank You! I just wanted to write and express my gratitude to Linda, who took my energetic 10-year-old golden retriever late last night and this morning. Additionally I also want to thank everybody who responded to my FPF post and additionally my Facebook post I put up on four different sites. I really appreciate being such a part of an amazing community. SAMMY is exhausted from his journey and is sleeping like a little pup. Again thank you all!
Pat, I love thinking of you with the respite of 60F weather and some time on the porch. If you get another cold snap, take a field trip to a large garden center and walk around enjoying the hothouse flowers. I do that the first or second week in February every year.
I'm actually feeling pretty excited about the coming week! I love this time of year! I get to hand-dip candles on Tuesday. Each year I play Loreena McKennitt's album "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" from the start of Advent through Candlemas. I love the music so very much. It is centered on Christmas, so by this time in the season it's a little outdated, but I don't mind. I appreciate being able to savor the spirituality of Christmas through January. Heaven knows it goes by too fast when we're under the pressures of the gifting season. I need the quiet of January snows to truly take it all in…the majesty, the wonder, the deep and tender truths, the heartbreaking love! I need it to sink deeper into my soul each year, so I can sink down ever deeper into Love.
All this and I am very close to done with the difficult part of Baby Jacob's baby quilt. If my trip to the fabric store goes well tomorrow, I will return with more colours of floss and a bit more dark red cloth. Then I will be able to do the last bit of embroidery on the ocean scene (red touches on the sloop, a King Eider on the rocks, Dunlins flying in the sunset sky). After that I have two borders to add (a thin dark red inner border and a wide blue swirls outer border). Then sew three sides together, put in the batting, baste that in place and do the actual quilting stitches, then sew up that last side. All ~ she said hopefully ~ before Valentine's Day! A full time job you may be sure! A true labour of Grammie Love! ♠
Ally's birthday is this weekend!! She will turn NINE!!! I sent her a birthday package today with an "Extreme Dot to Dot" book and a card I made with $10 in it. I made sure it was one of those pretty bills with the extra design. She is a Brownie now and aiming for selling 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Last I knew she was up to 75 sold and has a week left to go. [We were already spoken for, as VT*Grand is also a Brownie (and I can't eat those cookies anyway).] But, oh, how I love thinking of Ally doing normal little girl activities and in good health!!! She had another good doctor visit on Wednesday! :-D
And now to bed. I must get up early to get to the cloth store and back before a seeker arrives for spiritual guidance. Sweetnesses to all! ♥
I'm all for knocking out the Zika virus, with the introduction of the male mosquito which will eliminate mosquito offspring. However, the idea of spraying concerns me greatly. Will the spray that kills the mosquitoes also kill off the beleaguered butterflies? And what about the vast species of birds? Is this going to result in another Silent Spring?
I'm not ignoring you ladies, home computer in the computer hospital. hopefully get it back tonight. I thought things were supposed to slow down when one got older??????
much love to you all, I think of you often even if I don't stop by and say it.
Love Pat's line......when you get old, you get cold! Now I know it is not just me!
Listener, you are the busiest retiree ever. Keep on, keepin' on.
Loved all the tooth stories. Puddle has the system beat.
Our banks of snow which were giving out waves of cold on Monday have disappeared...mostly. Plowed, carried off and melted... Yippee ..for now. Brenda keeps reminding me that we had a storm like this in March 2013.
Our two feet of snow has "condensed" itself into about four inches of hard, thick, unforgiving mess. Kiddle's arriving tomorrow with groceries and to do some tasking. And then will finish the weekend skiing.
The Burlington, Vermont music scene loves Bernie Sanders. Here is a link to some extremely talented musicians paying tribute by singing This Land Is Your Land and many of them are friends of listener's son and daughter-in-law. Enjoy!!
Y'know what's funny? I may be kind of busy right now, but it's coming at just the right pace so that it doesn't feel busy, and it's all the fun sort of busy anyway: baby quilting, prepping for Candlemas (*YES!!!*), got the living room shelves and cupboards rearranged to be more welcoming of the grands, Mah*Sweetie and I are planning a fun ramble this weekend, and I have some fountain pens waiting in the wings! This is going to be a sweet week! :-D
Puddle, you have just answered Brenda's question. "Who brings Puddle groceries?" Glad to know your Kiddle is on the job.
I guess the guy in the apartment above mine had some problem this morning. Heard a motor running, In the parking lot on this side of the building was a work van with a hose running from it, up across my living room patio window. Truck was ' America's Duct Doctor'! Interesting....now that I live here I wish I had a degree in architectural engineering. I am really curious how they transformed and continue to maintain this collection of 145 year old buildings.
Actually, it's a split job--Nancy does a great deal of it, added upon her own shopping. But there are things I really prefer he be the bringer of--bags of dog food, for instance, because I'd like to spare her schlepping them around. . . .
Double the good news then! I guess Brenda and I wonder/worry partly because of the two wonderful visits we had with you. Memories to be treasured. Many thanks to your helpers from here in GSO.
I was busy today with the baby quilt. But! I got the last of the embroidery accomplished! That means the main portion of the top of the quilt is DONE! Now I need to add the double-border, sew three sides together, put the batting inside, do the actual quilting stitches, and sew up the last side. =Whew!= And I have two weeks, because two weeks from today (Saturday) we go to Maine to see the little guy again!
Pretty cold yesterday--kiddle, for first time, actually had to thaw hose before he could fill my watertank. Involved buckets and boiling hot water. He did it, and burned trash, and destroyed my snow shovel breaking ice. Carpeted with peat moss. And managed to get himself back across an icy bridge this a.m. with not much difficulty.
Naw, Shirlee, I have it super easy as a Grammie. I get to have them here from time to time and soak up their sweetness, then have a good night's sleep. The busiest grandmother I've ever known is an amazingly strong woman here who is raising her three young grandchildren because her alcoholic daughter lost custody of them. They have some emotional scars and she is ever kind and firm and consistent and even tempered. I knew her from when she brought the children into the Library (most often one at a time because that's all that could be handled). I could see her getting exhausted sometimes, but she was clear deep within herself that she was what was going to get these children through their pain and on into adulthood whole. God bless her! As for me, piece of cake.
The problem, or a potential problem, with raising the children of alcoholic mothers, is that often those children are somewhere on the fetal alcohol spectrum. And that's an incredibly rough place to be. My sister's adopted daughter was fetal alcohol effect. She commented once that raising that one child took as much energy as raising the other ten together. . . .
I've enjoyed reading your conversations. Life is good from your reports. You all seem to have great family relationships, a credit, a tribute, and a blessing.
We are expecting 14 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. We went into Loveland to stock up on groceries. It's icy, cold, and gray. Well, it will only last a few days, and that's a relief.
Not much news. I'm reading, writing, organizing clutter. I'm thinking, how wonderful it will be to have gotten rid of so much this year.
Hey sweetie, just checking in on you. Your son or friend did post on facebook that you were okay, which many of us appreciated since the storm was so fierce.
I'm okay, dealing with dad who fell down and fractured the cartilage in his hip and was hospitalized. It's supposed to heal on its own, but he was unable to walk so his doctor and I decided rehab. While there they discovered he had MRSA in his lungs (also pneumonia but he has COPD and gets it yearly) He also aspirates pretty deeply, down to his larynx with no knowledge he is doing so. That's his Parkinsons.
So after that a nursing home which I visited and hate. So if I hate it...how does he feel? They let him run out of his clozapine for two days and he was paranoid as hell when I visited (as if being there in itself wasn't bad enough) *sigh*
The girls, grandkids and I packed him up so wherever he goes he'll be ready to move. It's sad but what can you do? I'm trying to get him back to the facility he was living in before all this, only on the dementia side. He will get assessed soon. For some reason the head nurse is being a bitch about him coming back. His nurses miss him and are trying to work around her by going directly to the administrator.
When I'm eventually down to living one life again, what will I do? :-)
Ah, Briz, so good to see you here. And so sorry you're going through what you are. As a country and culture, we pretty much fail on this issue, all round. We've gotten so good at keeping bodies alive without becoming good at providing lives for those bodies.
Snowed all day, coming down like a house a fire. The front of our meadow looks like dunes. I don't think I've ever seen so much snow here. It's supposed to go all night until tomorrow noon. We have over a foot right now. We may as well enjoy it, but it's lots and lots of snow.
Hillary has 22 delegates, Bernie has 21. If O'Malley sends his to Bernie, it's a dead heat. I'm sure that Hillary is pressuring O'Malley...
Did you see the expressions on Bill's and Chelsea's faces when Hillary got up to speak? Bill looked like a drooling idiot and Chelsea looked terrified. They were NOT expecting this. They thought they had it in the bag. HAH!
Boy the media is playing this down. Bernie needs to win here, Bernie needs to win there. Hillary is now unstoppable. It was disgusting to see Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews be so blatantly pulling for Hillary. I loved it when Bernie, in his speech, called out the media!
WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO, or maybe AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On to NH! Where Bernie RULES!
We have three feet of snow here. I went out onto the deck to clear the table for the bird feeder, and the snow was up to my thighs. It's a heavy snow, and we won't be getting out soon. In fact, we'll have to have the driveway plowed and dig out the car.
I'm glad for last night's results, though my preference was to have Bernie win. But, this will energize the Bernie folks even more, and Hillary will have to recognize that the issues Bernie is talking about have lots of traction. Between us blog folks, I don't like Hillary. I just don't. I don't like how the Democratic National Committee has assumed that she's the nominee. I don't like the corporate money behind her campaign; I don't like her hawkishness, her tone of voice, her bragging, her disingenuous reasoning about Bill signing DOMA, and on and on. Enough of the Clintons and Bushes. We need new thinking, integrity, commitment, honest discussion. But, because the Democrats are so much better than the deranged Republicans, I'll still vote for her is she is the nominee.
{{{ ♥ PAT! ♥ }}} I wish I could take half that snow for you. Vermont is getting…RAIN!!
I always appreciate the way you articulate what I'm thinking. We need Bernie. And I hope we don't have to hold our noses to vote again, because some of us are going to pass out!
Thank you for your kindness both for willingness to take half our snow and our synchronicity with respect to Bernie and the current politics.
Strange weather, tornadoes in the South in February??? I just read an article from a 1998 Atlantic Monthly, and the oil, mining industries were campaigning for voter skepticism about planet warming, targeting older white men with little education and young women. They spent millions to foster doubt and to cause fear saying that renewable energy would cost jobs and taxpayer money. I think what we're seeing is the culmination of all that special interest money and propaganda that has controlled so much of Congress and resulted in not addressing our needs for infrastructure, ethics, regulation, and dealing with climate change and economic changes.
I'm so hoping that it is a revolution, and we will be able to debunk all that influence, control, and lies.
I'm really trying to stay with the issues and not say negative things about the not-Bernie candidates. But my goodness the party officials don't make it easy! I could wish Howard Dean were back as DNC Chair, except that he's behind the Democrat that is not Bernie.
I am more and more impressed by Bernie...and surely will be voting for him. The clincher for me is that he is very, clear about what he hopes to do as President.
Hillary is not....I can't quite understand what point she is trying to make. I mentioned this to Daughter Brenda and she feels the same. Proud to report book store owners are Bernie supporters and have all publications by/ about him on the long table in the front.
Cloudy, rainy weather for today and tomorrow..in the 50's.
Warmish and rainy. River over bridge, but not in a scary way. Likely down by dawn.
I'm delighted Bernie did so well in Iowa. Beyond delighted. Expect the same in NH. If he does near as well in Nevada and SC, I'll begin to think he has a real chance.
Don't think I'm ever going to like Hill--she's too much like that girl in the fake UN in Junior High, who has all sorts of skills the grownups adore, and none when it comes to peers. But if she's it, I will vote for her, same's I did her hubby, and for the same reason: no matter how bad he/she is, it's way better than anything the Republicans have on offer. Most especially *this* year, yikes!
We have over three feet of snow. A good neighbor plowed us out, but we also had to shovel about six feet in length, and take the snow off the cars. Our deck has easily three or four feet of snow. We'll work on that tomorrow.
I like our community. Another neighbor called to see if we were okay and did we need anything in town. It's a good community, many introverts, independent, but also caring and helpful. It's fun to be older and have younger folks ask about us and offer help. Very nice.
I feel the same as you, Puddle, about Hill. Someone texted that Bernie is all about the issues, and Hillary is all about herself and how competent and qualified she is. That makes a difference.
A couple of days ago, I fell on ice. I should have been looking, but wasn't. I was lucky, just a sore rear end, but be careful. It doesn't take much to fall, and falling is the leading cause of death.
Other than that, I had fun talking to two old high school friends about the teachers we had. It's neat when we can add to each other's memories. I had forgotten the name of truly awful principal. My friends had forgotten the name of a young first year priest who taught religion, and whom we embarrassed by asking questions about dating and making out. He made my friend and me sit in a corner. We were freshman in high school. What fun.
Oh dear, Pat, you have my heartfelt sympathies about the fall. I am so pleased to hear you did not hit your head!! When I slipped on ice on a hill a few years ago I hit the back of my head, and was okay, except that a month later I had a posterior vitreous detachment in my left eye. Can't prove it's related, but I believe it is.
How are you sleeping? Any indication of lingering concern? It took me a couple weeks to sleep well again, and I had some referred pain and whatnot. Write down any odd symptoms, just incase. Chances are you're fine, though. You fell exactly right!!
Three cheers for the local younguns who checked on you!! There's nothing like good=hearted neighbours!! :-)
Grandson will be three weeks old tomorrow. He was born weighing 5lbs, 10oz. Two days later was down to 5lbs, 1oz. But now is up to 7lbs, 1oz! His cheeks are filling out nicely and Mama is very happy. :-) In the next 15 minutes I will finish the inner border of his baby quilt. The outer border gets started tomorrow. I hope to be doing the quilting stitches by Monday evening! Hope Hope Hope!!! ♡
80 comments:
Oh, the weather outside is frightful!
Stay Snug, O thou valiant Deaniac! ♥
{{{ Blessings upon you, puddle and Shirlee!!! }}}
It's lovely to come by and see that both puddle and Shirlee have good kids who checked in and that they're all set for the big ol' storm. Saturday is to be the wildest day, so with your hatches all battened down, enjoy the ride!!
This, from Jo, deserves reposting! :-)
yay Zephyr!
http://www.thenation.com/article/countering-citizens-united-with-a-dose-of-zephyr-teachout/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Let me try that again…
Today was a wild and crazy day here. I scurried around cleaning so swiftly that the cats were quite unsettled. Then I drove an hour away and convened a meeting of spiritual guides, at which I also presented. Afterward I dashed off to pick up VT*Grand early from the after-school program. That's where I hit some snags. Got to the school and went inside. Hallway lit, but no one in the building. No one outside either. Hmmm. As I was heading back toward the Office, I met a teacher who said they were all out at the far playground. He called out there so they could get her ready. But her stuff was inside, and my goodness, all the backpacks look alike these days! Ha! On my way out to the playground to initial the student list, I double-checked the Lost & Found, because I haven't seen my nice red gloves since I picked up VT*Grand last time. No luck. Got the Grand, went back in and got her gear with her, then finally to the car, in the breezy 20F weather. Got her into the car, but then couldn't find my key!! Checked the car 5 times, trying to remember if I had left the car unlocked or actually had the key when we approached the car. No luck. Back into the building to hunt again (even checked the Lost & Found Box again incase I dropped them in there). No luck. Back to the car. Turns out the key had somehow fallen into VT*Grand's open backpack!!! =Whew!!= Needing now to get on the road because the sun has set and I have night blindness. Just up the road I realise: my black gloves are missing. I had them on when we went into the school to look for the key. Betting they're in that darn Lost and Found Box! I'll find out on Monday.
Warm, safe, toasty here. Boyz been out barking up a storm, and is now in, and asleep having filled his tummy with Kibbles and Bits. Looks to be between 15" and 20", but guessing from cp. to past storms. Finished all the Harry Potters. In the HP discussion with son, discovered some basic mother/son contradistinctions: it was his considered opinion that in possession of something like 8(eight) Harry Potter movies, the best move would be to do one a night--thus stretching the lovely experience. Mine is, of course, full-on bore: to get positively drunk on the experience. And then do it again.
One thing that's abundantly clear is that we both identify with a different/shy child. As would his father.
Puddle, I think of you every night as I prepare for my long evening
listening, viewing experience. I may have a Netflix movie...last night
it was "Tuesday's with Morrie." Repeat from some time ago. Then
on to an audio book or two. Last night it was two discs from Rutherfurd''s
'New York', a Wendell Berry disc from one of his collections of stories
about Port William, then a vocal music cd...and finally sleep. The
older I get the more I rest, the less I sleep!
No mail here yesterday or today....rain, ice, snow....ready for spring!
Love to all. Stay warm, well etc.
Talked with Nancy--she's out from under trees, and gets better measurements than I do: she said 2'--with up to five foot drifts. She's dug herself a path to the chickies, and cleared her deck. I've pretty much done nothing. Swept a four foot swath on my porch yesterday, nothing since. Boy doesn't seem to care.
I'm in 5-6hrs sleep, go 70mph all day mode. That pace is NOT my forte! But it's all for good reasons…grandchildren!! At 1pm Sunday I get to take a long Winter's nap! YEAH!!!
So glad you (and Nancy) are okay, puddle, despite the huge dump of snow!! Good for you for just keeping on. As for having so much of the white stuff, just know that what you don't move around still melts. ;-)
Beautifully bright and sunny here. To bed at three, at the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow was dazzling! Drippy and blowing a bit.
Have had a big yaller end loader in the middle of my road for a half hour now. Beau watching, but just asked to come back in. I gather Elmer's putting chains on. Or trying to ix chains. Engine running, but can't see Elmer. Mysteries.
Ooh! Now firing up, engine growling. . . . Ghost snowplower?
AND the moon . . . .
Hi,
Glad you were all good during this storm. Glad that the storm is over. We've had bright sunny, 50 degrees plus days here. Soon snow again. I guess winter isn't boring after all.
Listener, I enjoyed your frenzied day because mine are much like that with respect to not being aware or forgetting where I put things. I put David's checkbook in my purse (Why for Pete's sake?) and was totally unaware of doing it. So a half hour search ensued. I'm glad I didn't call Wallgreen's. I did look in the car twice, the counter a half dozen times, upstairs, downstairs, etc. I think we've gotten so accustomed to ordinary patterns that we lapse in awareness when we make a change.
In any case, you have my sympathy, sigh! You do so much, Listener. I'm glad you will have some resting time.
And, I finished reading an article by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker, the Jan. 25th issue. It was about the Koch brothers refashioning their image. Thea article was entitled, "New Koch". I wrote a response to the New Yorker as a letter to the editor. Here it is.
Where is Diogenes
Searching with his lantern lit
In daylight for one honest man?
The Koch Brothers and others
Whose only value is money
Which equals power are crowding
The airwaves and freeways now.
Even children know that lies taint
And spoil while the Koch Brothers hire
Experts to articulate more persuasive lies.
Manipulation, exploitation, hypocrisy, theft,
Deception, oppression, pollution, dissolution
No wonder people are angry, upset, when
It seems of morality there's no vestige left.
It should be Walgreen's instead of Wallgreen's.
Excellent poem, Pat. My sentiments exactly! Thank-you.
I was hoping to post some photos to Facebook, but keep getting an "unknown error" message. How do you fix an unknown error?! Rebooted twice. No change. Then it wouldn't let me post a status update. I can click Like or send a PM, but not post something new or something special. Then it said I had to Log In. I wasn't logged out but I logged out and tried to log in and it just stalled there. Weird or what? Had to wonder if FB lost its mind in the storm. Yet others are posting okay. Huh?
AHA!!! An explanation at last!
I'm seeing a message saying Facebook will be back soon when I try to log in.
If you're seeing this error message when you try to log in, it usually means that we're making an improvement to the database that your account is stored on. While we're doing this, you won't be able to access your account. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
A few things to note:
After the maintenance is over, you'll still be able to log in with the same password
Your account won't be affected by the maintenance
We don't do site maintenance on all accounts at the same time, so it's possible that your friends will be able to access the site while your account is unavailable
Hope it doesn't permanently disable your account. They don't seem to know/care much if they do. Good luck!!
Just finished HPX8 for the second time: perfect blizzard home companion, lol!
Yowser, Puddle! You sure are enjoying Harry Potter!
I have a new treasure from daughter Dana in Cincinnati --
she and her husband went Berry Hunting earlier in January.
She made a video with this title when they drove to New Castle, KY
where Wendell Berry was signing books at the Berry Center Bookstore.
' A Place on Earth ' is one of his first collections of stories about the fictional
town of Port William and its inhabitants. I have worn out three copies of
this title. So, off she and her husband went to get a signed copy....she got
it while telling him my story...and now I have a signed copy with an appreciative
inscription AND a video of the whole thing including Mr. Berry conversing
with Dana and doing the signing. He looks well..but getting a bit hard of hearing.
This is a revised edition which includes more information and clarification of
the town and inhabitants.. TREASURE ! Stay well, all!g
Wow, Shirlee! That is indeed a wonderful Treasure!! What wonderful daughters you have!!
puddle, I was back on with full FB privileges by about 10pm last night. It seemed to come to rights by degrees.
GLOVES UPDATE!!
The good folk in the Office at the school found my gloves, and, yup, they were in the Lost & Found box! LOL!
VT*Grand will give them to her Daddy (our son) tonight and he will pass them to his Dad (my husband) tomorrow.
:-)
Seems my $8 gloves will come back to me, but the $50 gloves are still missing. Next year I'll just start with the $8 gloves. Ha!
I saw this Elizabeth Warren video after reading this post from Phil in Iowa:
"When did Democrats start saying 'we have this platform, but it is hard, so don't expect us to get it done'?"
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/video_elizabeth_warren_anyone_who_says_change_hard_billionaires_20160125
Well, I don't have fancy cable, so I can't watch the Iowa town hall event tonight. If you see it, I'd appreciate knowing how it went. Thanks.
Glad you found at least one pair of gloves, Listener!
It was in the forties here yesterday so I went out walking
but we still have snow on the ground. The streets and sidewalks
are clear and safe, but those snow banks give off waves
of cold. So gave up after three short blocks ...and was happy
to see Roberto,a long time resident and local jazz musician.
waiting to open and hold the gate for me. Ready for spring
I am! Love to all.
I love living in a small town. These were the first two messages in today's local online forum:
Seeking Lost Dog - Golden Retriever
My dog got out last night around 10:00pm. My husband is out of town and I could only look for him for about an hour with 18month old. I am really worried because his tag only has my husband's cell on it. His name is Sammy and he likes to wander…
Hi folks,
Last night around 10:30 I heard a lot of howling outside my house.
I went out to see what it was and found a golden retriever inside my four foot fenced in backyard. He is safe and warm. I fed him, gave him treats and he played with my dogs toys. He was very hungry and thirsty. Not sure how he got in my backyard. He looks around 9 or 10 years old. The name on his tag says Sammy. I have been calling the phone number on the tag and it goes to voice mail...
Please email me ASAP if you know who the owner is.
:-D
Another warm melting day. Snow load appears to be about 8 inches now. River hasn't risen yet, either.
And BLESS the UPS guy. Who walked in my package--year six of Downtown Abbey! The road is clear--if you're not driving a great UPS truck that needs a place to turn around. So he left his truck at the main road and walked all the way in.
Good Morning,
The weather is warming, light lasts longer. YES!
I enjoyed your story, Shirley. What thoughtful and giving children you have, and how wonderful to have a book you've loved, signed, and with additions from Wendell Berry. A book that's been read and reread is a companion of the heart.
And, Puddle, enjoying your odyssey of series watching. I was thinking of the many series that have been just outstanding: The Godfather, The Sopranos, West Wing, Treme, The Wire, great dramas of our time. And three cheers for small rural communities wherein people look out for each other.
I just finished reading Tami Hoag's Ashes to Ashes, and it was the most grotesque, violent, gruesome novel I've ever read. It shook me, and I felt its effects all day. She's a very talented writer, able to evoke visceral responses, but all the characters except the two main characters were cynical, angry, even sadistic. If this is the world, I'm a refuge from it. I was curious because I've seen several paperbacks on our free yellow shelves in our library and post office, but I never want to read a book like that again.
And with that, have a wonderful day, friends.
Should be refugee
Lost day, yesterday......well, not really ..just a dental appointment.
Apparently had a small cavity behind one front tooth....turned out
To be behind both the two front. Not happy.....I have very good teeth.
Felt insulted...inquired of the dentist if one is required to die with
perfect teeth ....and generally made a nuisance of myself.
He just worked quietly away.....and ended with deducting $200.
from my bill ...because the previous visit had only found one.
Now, should I apologize for being a cranky old lady?
It is the best small practice in town and I was expecting
my usual dentist--who IS
working his way to full retirement. I don't handle change
like this easily!
We are digging, melting our way out of the storm.
Mail resumed yesterday.
Hi again,
Just returned from a walk with Molly. The temperature was 60 degrees on our porch, so we sat outside and had a cup of coffee, not Molly, David and I did.
We had dental appointments on Monday. Our dentist talked about how expensive procedures are, and I remember reading from someone that his implants were assessed at $52,000. I always tell our dentist, I don't want Fixodent, and if I can manage to keep my teeth, I'll be grateful.
Glad the snow is melting. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan had about six months of winter, more than I ever want to live in again. When you get old, you get cold, and sunshine and warmth make a difference. A smile here.
Be well, friends.
Pat, you ARE a refuge. I consider you all to be refuges of the first water!
Finished Downton Abbey this a.m.--what a sad way to go. Thinking it would have been better to have left off after last season. This dreary little tying off every bow, ribbon and string does Fellowes no credit. At all.
We are still watching the last season, puddle, one episode/week, but I have already become annoyed by how neatly he's tying everything up. Bleah! What was the point of being so rough on us in previous seasons only to go all sap at the end? Sheesh! The man needs to learn moderation. I'm to the point of almost hoping *something* goes amiss, so it won't be so darn predictable and boring.
Shirlee, no need to apologize for being your honest self. Maybe just sent a sweet thank-you note to leave a good taste in their mouths. ;-) Last year my dentist said my insurance would cover a fresh round of X-rays and said he needed them to diagnose an issue I was having. So I agreed. But the insurance said it had been too soon since my last set of X-rays and wouldn't pay it. I was irate! Went into their finance office to complain and the woman smiled and said, "No problem. If your insurance won't cover it, we won't charge you. We know they don't always cover, but we have decided that if we need the procedure (X-rays) to do our job, we'll just absorb the cost, because doing our job well comes first." I was floored!!! I offered to pay half, but they said No, they do this all the time…!!
sent = send
My family's children come equipped with one of two sets of teeth: either my father's perfect ones, or my mother's dismal ones. I got hers. She had dentures by 38. I got a very expensive set of caps at 45. Which lasted a bit more than 20 years. When they broke, took my mess of a mouth to "smile savers" and was offered a $75,000 fix. Declined. I live with some $75 mail order uppers, which can't be eaten with, lol! Or barely. It'll do.
I did luck out in one way: as the new evolutionary model, I do not have, and never have had, wisdom teeth. Never formed, never removed. Good thing, too, my mouth just barely big enough for the ones I did get.
Don't miss dentists. At all.
At about 13, my teeth started to rot faster than the dentist could fix them, I was in his chair nearly weekly for a couple of years, and bi-weekly for several after that. I felt incredibly guilty about the amount of money I was costing my family. Discovered that he billed separately for procedures. $25 for a Novocaine shot. So I told him I didn't want/like Novocaine--it made me feel sick. So for about 8 years had my teeth drilled on without any pain killer.
Which is where I first learned (I later learned) to meditate. . . . To take my consciousness out of my brain and put it in my toes. Which worked pretty well unless he called it back by asking if I was in pain. . . .
And here's the rest of the story. :-D
Dog Home Safe-Thank You!
I just wanted to write and express my gratitude to Linda, who took my energetic 10-year-old golden retriever late last night and this morning. Additionally I also want to thank everybody who responded to my FPF post and additionally my Facebook post I put up on four different sites. I really appreciate being such a part of an amazing community. SAMMY is exhausted from his journey and is sleeping like a little pup. Again thank you all!
Pat, I love thinking of you with the respite of 60F weather and some time on the porch. If you get another cold snap, take a field trip to a large garden center and walk around enjoying the hothouse flowers. I do that the first or second week in February every year.
I'm actually feeling pretty excited about the coming week! I love this time of year! I get to hand-dip candles on Tuesday. Each year I play Loreena McKennitt's album "To Drive the Cold Winter Away" from the start of Advent through Candlemas. I love the music so very much. It is centered on Christmas, so by this time in the season it's a little outdated, but I don't mind. I appreciate being able to savor the spirituality of Christmas through January. Heaven knows it goes by too fast when we're under the pressures of the gifting season. I need the quiet of January snows to truly take it all in…the majesty, the wonder, the deep and tender truths, the heartbreaking love! I need it to sink deeper into my soul each year, so I can sink down ever deeper into Love.
All this and I am very close to done with the difficult part of Baby Jacob's baby quilt. If my trip to the fabric store goes well tomorrow, I will return with more colours of floss and a bit more dark red cloth. Then I will be able to do the last bit of embroidery on the ocean scene (red touches on the sloop, a King Eider on the rocks, Dunlins flying in the sunset sky). After that I have two borders to add (a thin dark red inner border and a wide blue swirls outer border). Then sew three sides together, put in the batting, baste that in place and do the actual quilting stitches, then sew up that last side. All ~ she said hopefully ~ before Valentine's Day! A full time job you may be sure! A true labour of Grammie Love! ♠
♡
The ♡ is what I was going for when I somehow for the spade! LOL!
I wonder which number I messed up. Ha!
&# 9824 ; = ♠
Bingo!
&# 9825 ; = ♡
(without spaces, in each case, of course)
Ally's birthday is this weekend!! She will turn NINE!!! I sent her a birthday package today with an "Extreme Dot to Dot" book and a card I made with $10 in it. I made sure it was one of those pretty bills with the extra design. She is a Brownie now and aiming for selling 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Last I knew she was up to 75 sold and has a week left to go. [We were already spoken for, as VT*Grand is also a Brownie (and I can't eat those cookies anyway).] But, oh, how I love thinking of Ally doing normal little girl activities and in good health!!! She had another good doctor visit on Wednesday! :-D
And now to bed. I must get up early to get to the cloth store and back before a seeker arrives for spiritual guidance.
Sweetnesses to all! ♥
I'm all for knocking out the Zika virus, with the introduction of the male mosquito which will eliminate mosquito offspring. However, the idea of spraying concerns me greatly. Will the spray that kills the mosquitoes also kill off the beleaguered butterflies? And what about the vast species of birds? Is this going to result in another Silent Spring?
Yay for Ally! such good news.
I'm not ignoring you ladies, home computer in the computer hospital. hopefully get it back tonight. I thought things were supposed to slow down when one got older??????
much love to you all, I think of you often even if I don't stop by and say it.
Love Pat's line......when you get old, you get cold!
Now I know it is not just me!
Listener, you are the busiest retiree ever. Keep on,
keepin' on.
Loved all the tooth stories. Puddle has the system beat.
Our banks of snow which were giving out waves of cold
on Monday have disappeared...mostly. Plowed, carried off
and melted... Yippee ..for now. Brenda keeps reminding
me that we had a storm like this in March 2013.
Love to all...stay warm, well, etc.
Our two feet of snow has "condensed" itself into about four inches of hard, thick, unforgiving mess. Kiddle's arriving tomorrow with groceries and to do some tasking. And then will finish the weekend skiing.
This is sobering, and I think, alas, true. . . .
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2016/1/26/15439/2451
The Burlington, Vermont music scene loves Bernie Sanders.
Here is a link to some extremely talented musicians paying tribute by singing
This Land Is Your Land
and many of them are friends of listener's son and daughter-in-law. Enjoy!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3aqV-f7tEo
Their effort was featured in Vermont's excellent alternative paper Seven Days:
http://www.sevendaysvt.com/LiveCulture/archives/2016/01/28/btv-musicians-honor-bernie-with-this-land-is-your-land
Plus! Another of listener's daughters-in-law works at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory
and on Thursday she dressed this Bernie Bear! :-D
http://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/12645051_10102431659980770_6430117615307332776_n.jpg?oh=91423cedfedf80b7fa34fc078bf44c85&oe=5738E4AD
Y'know what's funny? I may be kind of busy right now, but it's coming at just the right pace so that it doesn't feel busy, and it's all the fun sort of busy anyway: baby quilting, prepping for Candlemas (*YES!!!*), got the living room shelves and cupboards rearranged to be more welcoming of the grands, Mah*Sweetie and I are planning a fun ramble this weekend, and I have some fountain pens waiting in the wings! This is going to be a sweet week! :-D
Mah*Sweetie =my DH, Bill (incase you weren't sure), LOL!
Puddle, you have just answered Brenda's question. "Who brings Puddle
groceries?" Glad to know your Kiddle is on the job.
I guess the guy in the apartment above mine had
some problem this morning. Heard a motor running,
In the parking lot on this side of the building was a
work van with a hose running from it, up across my
living room patio window. Truck was ' America's
Duct Doctor'! Interesting....now that I live here I
wish I had a degree in architectural engineering.
I am really curious how they transformed and
continue to maintain this collection
of 145 year old buildings.
Friday and Brenda comes bearing dinner!
Happy week-end everyone!
Actually, it's a split job--Nancy does a great deal of it, added upon her own shopping. But there are things I really prefer he be the bringer of--bags of dog food, for instance, because I'd like to spare her schlepping them around. . . .
In any case, I'm blessed, no getting around that.
Double the good news then! I guess Brenda and I wonder/worry
partly because of the two wonderful visits we had with you.
Memories to be treasured. Many thanks to your helpers
from here in GSO.
I was busy today with the baby quilt. But! I got the last of the embroidery accomplished! That means the main portion of the top of the quilt is DONE! Now I need to add the double-border, sew three sides together, put the batting inside, do the actual quilting stitches, and sew up the last side. =Whew!= And I have two weeks, because two weeks from today (Saturday) we go to Maine to see the little guy again!
Listener--you are the busiest grandmother I have ever known.
Take care and have fun!
Love to all--blue skies and 50's here today. Back to walking the streets:)
Pretty cold yesterday--kiddle, for first time, actually had to thaw hose before he could fill my watertank. Involved buckets and boiling hot water. He did it, and burned trash, and destroyed my snow shovel breaking ice. Carpeted with peat moss. And managed to get himself back across an icy bridge this a.m. with not much difficulty.
Naw, Shirlee, I have it super easy as a Grammie. I get to have them here from time to time and soak up their sweetness, then have a good night's sleep. The busiest grandmother I've ever known is an amazingly strong woman here who is raising her three young grandchildren because her alcoholic daughter lost custody of them. They have some emotional scars and she is ever kind and firm and consistent and even tempered. I knew her from when she brought the children into the Library (most often one at a time because that's all that could be handled). I could see her getting exhausted sometimes, but she was clear deep within herself that she was what was going to get these children through their pain and on into adulthood whole. God bless her! As for me, piece of cake.
The problem, or a potential problem, with raising the children of alcoholic mothers, is that often those children are somewhere on the fetal alcohol spectrum. And that's an incredibly rough place to be. My sister's adopted daughter was fetal alcohol effect. She commented once that raising that one child took as much energy as raising the other ten together. . . .
Too true, puddle. And that valiant grandmother has three of them.
We had a wonderful day off, for a change!!
:-D
I couldn't even work on the quilt because two quilt shops didn't have the colour cloth I need. Gonna try the third one on Sunday.
Sweet dreams, all! ♥
HI Friends,
I've enjoyed reading your conversations. Life is good from your reports. You all seem to have great family relationships, a credit, a tribute, and a blessing.
We are expecting 14 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. We went into Loveland to stock up on groceries. It's icy, cold, and gray. Well, it will only last a few days, and that's a relief.
Not much news. I'm reading, writing, organizing clutter. I'm thinking, how wonderful it will be to have gotten rid of so much this year.
Take care.
Today was positively tropical--well into the sixties! Nonetheless, I've been exhausted all day. Go figure.
Hey sweetie, just checking in on you. Your son or friend did post on facebook that you were okay, which many of us appreciated since the storm was so fierce.
I'm okay, dealing with dad who fell down and fractured the cartilage in his hip and was hospitalized. It's supposed to heal on its own, but he was unable to walk so his doctor and I decided rehab. While there they discovered he had MRSA in his lungs (also pneumonia but he has COPD and gets it yearly) He also aspirates pretty deeply, down to his larynx with no knowledge he is doing so. That's his Parkinsons.
So after that a nursing home which I visited and hate. So if I hate it...how does he feel? They let him run out of his clozapine for two days and he was paranoid as hell when I visited (as if being there in itself wasn't bad enough) *sigh*
The girls, grandkids and I packed him up so wherever he goes he'll be ready to move. It's sad but what can you do? I'm trying to get him back to the facility he was living in before all this, only on the dementia side. He will get assessed soon. For some reason the head nurse is being a bitch about him coming back. His nurses miss him and are trying to work around her by going directly to the administrator.
When I'm eventually down to living one life again, what will I do? :-)
The Fourth Commandment
oh my father
I come with the heart of ruth
weeping the tears of the Magdalena
for I know that today I am
Judas the Betrayer
Siva the Destroyer of worlds
though you may live to be
old as Methusalah
you will not again tend your flocks
or reap your rightful harvest
You wander seeking home
like Israel
like Romani
your future in the hands of jackals
the thieves of the temple
the unclean
Oh I would salt the earth
poison the well
but that would not bring justice
while you reside
without peace
in Babylon
LS 1/27/16 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Poignant, grieving, beautiful. Thank you.
Yes, Pat.....and so sad for most of us. Sad for our own
parents who have gone through something similar...and
for ourselves...wondering what is ahead?
But for today lovely blue skies and high 60's in GSO!
Might get a good walk...this afternoon!
Ah, Briz, so good to see you here. And so sorry you're going through what you are. As a country and culture, we pretty much fail on this issue, all round. We've gotten so good at keeping bodies alive without becoming good at providing lives for those bodies.
The poem, gorgeous and heartbreaking.
xox
Snowed all day, coming down like a house a fire. The front of our meadow looks like dunes. I don't think I've ever seen so much snow here. It's supposed to go all night until tomorrow noon. We have over a foot right now. We may as well enjoy it, but it's lots and lots of snow.
Be well friends.
Wow, it's a dead heat between Hillary and Bernie!! 50-50 with 89.7% of precincts reporting. Does anyone know the difference between a SDE and a DEL? I'm referring to the righthand column on the Washington Post site.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-clinton-cautiously-optimistic-ahead-of-iowa-caucuses/2016/02/01/914388ae-c88a-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html
I just heard that O'Malley has dropped out. Is he sending his delegators anywhere in particular?
Great graphics here and the count updates every 30 seconds:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/2016-election-results/iowa/
Hillary has 22 delegates, Bernie has 21. If O'Malley sends his to Bernie, it's a dead heat. I'm sure that Hillary is pressuring O'Malley...
Did you see the expressions on Bill's and Chelsea's faces when Hillary got up to speak? Bill looked like a drooling idiot and Chelsea looked terrified. They were NOT expecting this. They thought they had it in the bag. HAH!
Boy the media is playing this down. Bernie needs to win here, Bernie needs to win there. Hillary is now unstoppable. It was disgusting to see Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews be so blatantly pulling for Hillary. I loved it when Bernie, in his speech, called out the media!
WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO, or maybe AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On to NH! Where Bernie RULES!
HI,
We have three feet of snow here. I went out onto the deck to clear the table for the bird feeder, and the snow was up to my thighs. It's a heavy snow, and we won't be getting out soon. In fact, we'll have to have the driveway plowed and dig out the car.
I'm glad for last night's results, though my preference was to have Bernie win. But, this will energize the Bernie folks even more, and Hillary will have to recognize that the issues Bernie is talking about have lots of traction. Between us blog folks, I don't like Hillary. I just don't. I don't like how the Democratic National Committee has assumed that she's the nominee. I don't like the corporate money behind her campaign; I don't like her hawkishness, her tone of voice, her bragging, her disingenuous reasoning about Bill signing DOMA, and on and on. Enough of the Clintons and Bushes. We need new thinking, integrity, commitment, honest discussion. But, because the Democrats are so much better than the deranged Republicans, I'll still vote for her is she is the nominee.
A headline I saw said that the Clinton campaign was UNNVERVED by the results.
Well, think that, at minimum, she's going to have come up with other reasons for running than "electability". . . . .
{{{ ♥ PAT! ♥ }}} I wish I could take half that snow for you. Vermont is getting…RAIN!!
I always appreciate the way you articulate what I'm thinking. We need Bernie. And I hope we don't have to hold our noses to vote again, because some of us are going to pass out!
Hi Listener,
Thank you for your kindness both for willingness to take half our snow and our synchronicity with respect to Bernie and the current politics.
Strange weather, tornadoes in the South in February??? I just read an article from a 1998 Atlantic Monthly, and the oil, mining industries were campaigning for voter skepticism about planet warming, targeting older white men with little education and young women. They spent millions to foster doubt and to cause fear saying that renewable energy would cost jobs and taxpayer money. I think what we're seeing is the culmination of all that special interest money and propaganda that has controlled so much of Congress and resulted in not addressing our needs for infrastructure, ethics, regulation, and dealing with climate change and economic changes.
I'm so hoping that it is a revolution, and we will be able to debunk all that influence, control, and lies.
Glad we are all here. Well, good night friends.
I'm really trying to stay with the issues and not say negative things about the not-Bernie candidates. But my goodness the party officials don't make it easy! I could wish Howard Dean were back as DNC Chair, except that he's behind the Democrat that is not Bernie.
I am more and more impressed by Bernie...and surely
will be voting for him. The clincher for me is that he is
very, clear about what he hopes to do as President.
Hillary is not....I can't quite understand what point she is
trying to make. I mentioned this to Daughter Brenda and
she feels the same. Proud to report book store owners
are Bernie supporters and have all publications by/ about
him on the long table in the front.
Cloudy, rainy weather for today and tomorrow..in the 50's.
Stay well, warm etc.
Love to all.
Warmish and rainy. River over bridge, but not in a scary way. Likely down by dawn.
I'm delighted Bernie did so well in Iowa. Beyond delighted. Expect the same in NH. If he does near as well in Nevada and SC, I'll begin to think he has a real chance.
Don't think I'm ever going to like Hill--she's too much like that girl in the fake UN in Junior High, who has all sorts of skills the grownups adore, and none when it comes to peers. But if she's it, I will vote for her, same's I did her hubby, and for the same reason: no matter how bad he/she is, it's way better than anything the Republicans have on offer. Most especially *this* year, yikes!
Hi friends,
We have over three feet of snow. A good neighbor plowed us out, but we also had to shovel about six feet in length, and take the snow off the cars. Our deck has easily three or four feet of snow. We'll work on that tomorrow.
I like our community. Another neighbor called to see if we were okay and did we need anything in town. It's a good community, many introverts, independent, but also caring and helpful. It's fun to be older and have younger folks ask about us and offer help. Very nice.
I feel the same as you, Puddle, about Hill. Someone texted that Bernie is all about the issues, and Hillary is all about herself and how competent and qualified she is. That makes a difference.
A couple of days ago, I fell on ice. I should have been looking, but wasn't. I was lucky, just a sore rear end, but be careful. It doesn't take much to fall, and falling is the leading cause of death.
Other than that, I had fun talking to two old high school friends about the teachers we had. It's neat when we can add to each other's memories. I had forgotten the name of truly awful principal. My friends had forgotten the name of a young first year priest who taught religion, and whom we embarrassed by asking questions about dating and making out. He made my friend and me sit in a corner. We were freshman in high school. What fun.
Take care.
Oh dear, Pat, you have my heartfelt sympathies about the fall. I am so pleased to hear you did not hit your head!! When I slipped on ice on a hill a few years ago I hit the back of my head, and was okay, except that a month later I had a posterior vitreous detachment in my left eye. Can't prove it's related, but I believe it is.
How are you sleeping? Any indication of lingering concern? It took me a couple weeks to sleep well again, and I had some referred pain and whatnot. Write down any odd symptoms, just incase. Chances are you're fine, though. You fell exactly right!!
Three cheers for the local younguns who checked on you!! There's nothing like good=hearted neighbours!! :-)
Grandson will be three weeks old tomorrow. He was born weighing 5lbs, 10oz. Two days later was down to 5lbs, 1oz. But now is up to 7lbs, 1oz! His cheeks are filling out nicely and Mama is very happy. :-) In the next 15 minutes I will finish the inner border of his baby quilt. The outer border gets started tomorrow. I hope to be doing the quilting stitches by Monday evening! Hope Hope Hope!!! ♡
Well said, Shirlee (and Brenda) and puddle!! I have always been impressed with Bernie, but never more than now.
New thread!!!
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