I am from the red clay earth of Georgia.
I am from the ante- bellum columns lining the porches of homes along Prince Avenue in Athens
I am from the lush green magnolias in those front yards.
I am from rice pudding, sweet potato pies and coca cola in glass bottles.
I am from roller skates on octagonal stones in sidewalks.
I am from picture shows at the Palace and Strand theaters.
I am from chinaberry trees, wisteria, kittens and my dog Mickey who sat on the front steps and looked at the stars with me.
I am from barefoot summer days, Chase Street School recess on the swings.
I am from my mothers’ cool hands soothing me whenever I was sick or hurt.
I am now from the delight in my little grandchildren’s eyes when they rush in and hug me tight.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Lots of wisdom here
<>
Get a Grip and Set Your Sights Above Adversity
By JANE E. BRODY
Resilience. Call it what you will - the ability to weather stresses large and small, to bounce back from trauma and get on with life, to learn from negative experiences and translate them into positive ones, to muster the strength and confidence to change directions when a chosen path becomes blocked or nonproductive.
Or you can sum it up as actualization of A.A.'s serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, a Dallas physician, wife and mother of three, is the epitome of resilience. Struck with a recurring cancer in her 30's that required a decade of debilitating treatments, she was forced to give up her medical practice.
She turned instead to writing books and lecturing to professional and lay audiences to help millions of others and their families through the cancer experience.
Dr. Jennifer P. Schneider of Tucson is another classic example of resilience. Also a physician, she has a lifelong history of emotional and physical traumas.
Her mother left her at age 5. Dr. Schneider weathered two divorces, a child with a mild form of autism, a broken leg that required two operations and took more than two years to heal, and most recently the most horrific trauma of all, the death at 31 of her daughter, Jessica Wing, after a two-year battle against metastatic colon cancer.
To cope, Dr. Schneider said, she focused on things she could control, her patients and her writing.
Dr. Schneider's recent book "Living With Chronic Pain" was an inspiration to me, as I mentioned in a column last month, during my bout with intense and seemingly endless pain after knee replacement.
Growing Up Resilient
Until recently, resilience was thought to be an entirely inborn trait, giving rise to the notion of the "invulnerable child," now recognized to be a mistaken idea.
Resilient children are not invulnerable to trauma or immune to suffering. But they bounce back. They find ways to cope, set goals and achieve them despite myriad obstacles like drug-addicted parents, dire poverty or physical disabilities thrown in their path.
As Dr. Robert Brooks of Harvard and Dr. Sam Goldstein of the University of Utah put it, being resilient does not mean a life without risks or adverse conditions but rather learning how to deal effectively with the inevitable stresses of life.
Herein lies an important concept: learning. To be sure, some of what makes up resilience is inborn.
But resilience can also be learned, say experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, psychologists and authors whose newest book, "The Power of Resilience" (Contemporary Books), provides lessons in "achieving balance, confidence and personal strength."
They are lessons of considerable importance, as there is no such thing as a life free of losses and setbacks. People who lack resilience are less able to rise above adversity or learn from their mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on what they can control and accepting responsibility for their lives, they waste time and energy on matters beyond their influence.
As a result, the circumstances of their lives leave them feeling helpless and hopeless and prone to depression. When things go wrong or don't work out as expected, they tend to think "I can't do this" or, even worse, "It can't be done."
Children learn to be resilient when parents and guardians enable and encourage them to figure out things for themselves and take responsibility for their actions. When Ray Charles lost his sight at age 7, his mother insisted that he use his good brain and learn how to make his way in the world. In the movie "Ray," she watched silently after the newly blind boy tripped over furniture, cried for her help and then struggled to his feet unaided.
It's Never Too Late
Children need to learn that they are capable of finding their way on their own. Parents who are too quick to take over a task when children cry "I can't do this" or don't insist that children learn from their mistakes are less likely to end up with children who can stand on their own two feet, take responsibility for their lives and cope effectively with unavoidable stresses.
The same applies to parents who provide children with everything they want instead of teaching them limits and having them earn their rewards and to those who make excuses for their children and repeatedly defend them against legitimate complaints.
But even if these lessons are not learned in childhood, experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, who also wrote "Raising Resilient Children" and "Nurturing Resilience in Our Children," say it is possible to learn to be more resilient at any age. The trick lies in replacing what they call "negative scripts" that may have been written in childhood, but are not cast in stone, with more positive scripts.
People who harbor negative scripts expect that no matter what they do, things will not work out well; they assume that others must change for circumstances to improve.
'Authors of Our Lives'
So lesson No. 1, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein write, is "to recognize that we are the authors of our lives."
"We must not seek our happiness by asking someone else to change," they continue.
Rather, we should ask, "What is it that I can do differently to change the situation?" Identify your negative scripts and assume responsibility for changing them.
Nurture your self-esteem. Be true to yourself rather than trying to be what someone else expects of you. Focus on what you can do, tasks you can achieve, situations you can influence. Take an active role in your community or in an organization or activity that helps others.
Develop a new skill: learn a language or a new sport or how to fix a car; take up knitting, cooking or woodworking; join a book club; try out for an amateur production; become a docent at a museum; help organizations that feed the elderly and infirm; volunteer your services at community groups like the local Y, school, library or park.
There are myriad opportunities; just look or ask around and you will find them.
Take a chance on change if jobs, habits or activities you've long pursued are no longer satisfying or efficient.
Change is frightening to people who lack resilience, but those who try it usually find that they land on their feet, and that fosters resilience.
And if a new path does not seem to be working out well, change again.
Take a long, hard look at the people in your life and consider abandoning friends who drag you down or reinforce your negative scripts. For those - like family members - from whom you can't escape, practice ignoring their put-downs and not taking them so seriously.
Seek out activities that elevate your spiritual life and nurture your inner strength: for example, art, music, literature, religion, meditation, the great outdoors.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top
March 1, 2005
Get a Grip and Set Your Sights Above Adversity
By JANE E. BRODY
Resilience. Call it what you will - the ability to weather stresses large and small, to bounce back from trauma and get on with life, to learn from negative experiences and translate them into positive ones, to muster the strength and confidence to change directions when a chosen path becomes blocked or nonproductive.
Or you can sum it up as actualization of A.A.'s serenity prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference."
Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, a Dallas physician, wife and mother of three, is the epitome of resilience. Struck with a recurring cancer in her 30's that required a decade of debilitating treatments, she was forced to give up her medical practice.
She turned instead to writing books and lecturing to professional and lay audiences to help millions of others and their families through the cancer experience.
Dr. Jennifer P. Schneider of Tucson is another classic example of resilience. Also a physician, she has a lifelong history of emotional and physical traumas.
Her mother left her at age 5. Dr. Schneider weathered two divorces, a child with a mild form of autism, a broken leg that required two operations and took more than two years to heal, and most recently the most horrific trauma of all, the death at 31 of her daughter, Jessica Wing, after a two-year battle against metastatic colon cancer.
To cope, Dr. Schneider said, she focused on things she could control, her patients and her writing.
Dr. Schneider's recent book "Living With Chronic Pain" was an inspiration to me, as I mentioned in a column last month, during my bout with intense and seemingly endless pain after knee replacement.
Growing Up Resilient
Until recently, resilience was thought to be an entirely inborn trait, giving rise to the notion of the "invulnerable child," now recognized to be a mistaken idea.
Resilient children are not invulnerable to trauma or immune to suffering. But they bounce back. They find ways to cope, set goals and achieve them despite myriad obstacles like drug-addicted parents, dire poverty or physical disabilities thrown in their path.
As Dr. Robert Brooks of Harvard and Dr. Sam Goldstein of the University of Utah put it, being resilient does not mean a life without risks or adverse conditions but rather learning how to deal effectively with the inevitable stresses of life.
Herein lies an important concept: learning. To be sure, some of what makes up resilience is inborn.
But resilience can also be learned, say experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, psychologists and authors whose newest book, "The Power of Resilience" (Contemporary Books), provides lessons in "achieving balance, confidence and personal strength."
They are lessons of considerable importance, as there is no such thing as a life free of losses and setbacks. People who lack resilience are less able to rise above adversity or learn from their mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on what they can control and accepting responsibility for their lives, they waste time and energy on matters beyond their influence.
As a result, the circumstances of their lives leave them feeling helpless and hopeless and prone to depression. When things go wrong or don't work out as expected, they tend to think "I can't do this" or, even worse, "It can't be done."
Children learn to be resilient when parents and guardians enable and encourage them to figure out things for themselves and take responsibility for their actions. When Ray Charles lost his sight at age 7, his mother insisted that he use his good brain and learn how to make his way in the world. In the movie "Ray," she watched silently after the newly blind boy tripped over furniture, cried for her help and then struggled to his feet unaided.
It's Never Too Late
Children need to learn that they are capable of finding their way on their own. Parents who are too quick to take over a task when children cry "I can't do this" or don't insist that children learn from their mistakes are less likely to end up with children who can stand on their own two feet, take responsibility for their lives and cope effectively with unavoidable stresses.
The same applies to parents who provide children with everything they want instead of teaching them limits and having them earn their rewards and to those who make excuses for their children and repeatedly defend them against legitimate complaints.
But even if these lessons are not learned in childhood, experts like Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein, who also wrote "Raising Resilient Children" and "Nurturing Resilience in Our Children," say it is possible to learn to be more resilient at any age. The trick lies in replacing what they call "negative scripts" that may have been written in childhood, but are not cast in stone, with more positive scripts.
People who harbor negative scripts expect that no matter what they do, things will not work out well; they assume that others must change for circumstances to improve.
'Authors of Our Lives'
So lesson No. 1, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein write, is "to recognize that we are the authors of our lives."
"We must not seek our happiness by asking someone else to change," they continue.
Rather, we should ask, "What is it that I can do differently to change the situation?" Identify your negative scripts and assume responsibility for changing them.
Nurture your self-esteem. Be true to yourself rather than trying to be what someone else expects of you. Focus on what you can do, tasks you can achieve, situations you can influence. Take an active role in your community or in an organization or activity that helps others.
Develop a new skill: learn a language or a new sport or how to fix a car; take up knitting, cooking or woodworking; join a book club; try out for an amateur production; become a docent at a museum; help organizations that feed the elderly and infirm; volunteer your services at community groups like the local Y, school, library or park.
There are myriad opportunities; just look or ask around and you will find them.
Take a chance on change if jobs, habits or activities you've long pursued are no longer satisfying or efficient.
Change is frightening to people who lack resilience, but those who try it usually find that they land on their feet, and that fosters resilience.
And if a new path does not seem to be working out well, change again.
Take a long, hard look at the people in your life and consider abandoning friends who drag you down or reinforce your negative scripts. For those - like family members - from whom you can't escape, practice ignoring their put-downs and not taking them so seriously.
Seek out activities that elevate your spiritual life and nurture your inner strength: for example, art, music, literature, religion, meditation, the great outdoors.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Home | Privacy Policy | Search | Corrections | RSS | Help | Back to Top
March 1, 2005
From the Writer's Almanac
Poem: "You Go to School to Learn" by Thomas Lux from New & Selected Poems © Houghton Mifflin. Reprinted with permission.
You Go to School to Learn
You go to school to learn to read and add, to someday make some money.
It—money—makes sense: you need a better tractor, an addition to the gameroom, you prefe rto buy your beancurd by the barrel
There's no other way to get the goods you need.
Besides, it keeps people busy working—for it.
It's sensible and, therefore, you go to school to learn (and the teacher,having learned, gets paid to teach you) how to get it.
Fine. But:you're taught away from poetry or, say, dancing (That's nice, dear,but there's no dough in it).
No poem ever bought a hamburger, or not too many
It's true,and so, every morning—it's still dark!—you see them, the children,
like angels being marched off to execution,or banks.
Their bodies luminous in headlights.
Going to school.
You Go to School to Learn
You go to school to learn to read and add, to someday make some money.
It—money—makes sense: you need a better tractor, an addition to the gameroom, you prefe rto buy your beancurd by the barrel
There's no other way to get the goods you need.
Besides, it keeps people busy working—for it.
It's sensible and, therefore, you go to school to learn (and the teacher,having learned, gets paid to teach you) how to get it.
Fine. But:you're taught away from poetry or, say, dancing (That's nice, dear,but there's no dough in it).
No poem ever bought a hamburger, or not too many
It's true,and so, every morning—it's still dark!—you see them, the children,
like angels being marched off to execution,or banks.
Their bodies luminous in headlights.
Going to school.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
If you like poetry by email
Try Garrison Keeler's "Writer's Almanac" here is a sample. Keeler is the long time host of ""Prairie Home Companion" on radio'
( I don't agree with the giving up God)
Poem: "Instructions" by Sheri Hostetler, from the anthology A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry © Reprinted with permission of the author.
Instructions
Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
( I don't agree with the giving up God)
Poem: "Instructions" by Sheri Hostetler, from the anthology A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry © Reprinted with permission of the author.
Instructions
Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
Friday, October 07, 2005
Garden gnomes gone missing
Somehow I just can't imagine why anyone would want to steal a truckload of garden gnomes. Perhaps this is a case for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. "The Case of the Missing Gnomes"
This from the BBC
Police find missing gnomes cache
Police stand guard over the "Aladdin's cave" of ornaments
Two women have been charged after the discovery of more than 40 garden ornaments thought to have been stolen from homes in Central Scotland.
People in Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk had complained that gnomes, hedgehogs and rabbits had gone missing.
Police found what they called an Aladdin's cave of garden furniture, ornaments and pot plants at a house in Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
More than 60 plant pots and 25 solar lights were also unearthed.
The discovery was the culmination of an 11-day police investigation into the spate of green-fingered thefts.
Rightful owners
Police said they would endeavour to make sure the gnomes had a home to go to.
Detective Constable Roy Lake said: "This was a significant achievement made by officers who have been investigating a number of reported thefts across the Central Scotland Police force area over the past few weeks.
"Our task now is to identify who the items belong to and ensure they are given back to their rightful owners."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to some photos of Garden Gnomes. I have to admit they are kind of cute.
http://www.picture-newsletter.com/gardengnome/
This from the BBC
Police find missing gnomes cache
Police stand guard over the "Aladdin's cave" of ornaments
Two women have been charged after the discovery of more than 40 garden ornaments thought to have been stolen from homes in Central Scotland.
People in Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Falkirk had complained that gnomes, hedgehogs and rabbits had gone missing.
Police found what they called an Aladdin's cave of garden furniture, ornaments and pot plants at a house in Alloa, Clackmannanshire.
More than 60 plant pots and 25 solar lights were also unearthed.
The discovery was the culmination of an 11-day police investigation into the spate of green-fingered thefts.
Rightful owners
Police said they would endeavour to make sure the gnomes had a home to go to.
Detective Constable Roy Lake said: "This was a significant achievement made by officers who have been investigating a number of reported thefts across the Central Scotland Police force area over the past few weeks.
"Our task now is to identify who the items belong to and ensure they are given back to their rightful owners."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link to some photos of Garden Gnomes. I have to admit they are kind of cute.
http://www.picture-newsletter.com/gardengnome/
I don't agree with giving up God but the rest appeals to me
Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Big Easy?
from the blog "Pure Land Mountain" by Robert Brady an American now living in Japan for a number of years
REBUILD THE BIG EASY? GOT JUST THE… UM... INDIVIDUAL…
First the NOLA disaster was all in the hands of a guy who used to monitor horse shows for a living. Got kicked outta there not for abject inexperience, wide-ranging incompetence or offensive lack of empathy, but for resume problems. Then they put NOLA in the hands of the guy who called for duct tape and plastic sheeting as a defense against anyminutenow bioterror, which there’s been a lot of. Now, to sludge along in that same sclerotic vein, the whole NOLA reconstruction effort is underway and what pale male is gonna be in charge? Who’s yer daddy?
+
"So here is the White House's Katrina Plan in a nutshell: block any independent examination of its failings, put the Einstein of damage control in charge of reconstructing New Orleans, keep the dead bodies out of sight, try to get away with general platitudes and palliatives, offer watered-down acceptances of 'responsibility' while trying to pin everything you can on local yokels and fall guys like Brownie, and let Bush's corporate cronies get fat on hefty no-bid reconstruction contracts.
So get ready for the New New Orleans -- Karl Rove's Big Easy -- featuring the Halliburton French Quarter, the ExxonMobil River (formerly the Mississippi), Lake MBNA (formerly Pontchartrain), and Eli Lilly music (formerly jazz)."
I commented:
And rename New Orleans "the Big Easy Pickings" :(
REBUILD THE BIG EASY? GOT JUST THE… UM... INDIVIDUAL…
First the NOLA disaster was all in the hands of a guy who used to monitor horse shows for a living. Got kicked outta there not for abject inexperience, wide-ranging incompetence or offensive lack of empathy, but for resume problems. Then they put NOLA in the hands of the guy who called for duct tape and plastic sheeting as a defense against anyminutenow bioterror, which there’s been a lot of. Now, to sludge along in that same sclerotic vein, the whole NOLA reconstruction effort is underway and what pale male is gonna be in charge? Who’s yer daddy?
+
"So here is the White House's Katrina Plan in a nutshell: block any independent examination of its failings, put the Einstein of damage control in charge of reconstructing New Orleans, keep the dead bodies out of sight, try to get away with general platitudes and palliatives, offer watered-down acceptances of 'responsibility' while trying to pin everything you can on local yokels and fall guys like Brownie, and let Bush's corporate cronies get fat on hefty no-bid reconstruction contracts.
So get ready for the New New Orleans -- Karl Rove's Big Easy -- featuring the Halliburton French Quarter, the ExxonMobil River (formerly the Mississippi), Lake MBNA (formerly Pontchartrain), and Eli Lilly music (formerly jazz)."
I commented:
And rename New Orleans "the Big Easy Pickings" :(
Do you remember a horror movie that sticks with you?
I like birds in their natural habitat; in the trees and their nests and the sky, I detest birds in cages in the house. Even canaries and parrots. Something about them gives me the creeps. Maybe it is because I object to seeing them fettered and caged up. But I just plain don't like to be near a bird inside flying around. Remember the old Hitchcock thriller (circa the 50's) " The Birds"? Now that was a real horror tale. Tippi Hedrin,(Melanie Griffith's mom) went to visit a male friend on a remote island near San Francisco. While she is there all the great big birds on the island go beserk and beginning attacking the residents. Everyone is helpless. Tippi keeps her cool. She is really attracted to the guy she went to visit.One funny thing is Tippi wears the same dressy clothers and heels all weekend. She never once sets her alligator or lizard purse down. and her mink stole is equally as out of place on the casual island.
I won't give away the ending since you might be compelled to rent the movie.
Horror movie that sticks with you
I won't give away the ending since you might be compelled to rent the movie.
Horror movie that sticks with you
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Quiz
DEMURE BEAUTY - You are modest, innocent, and a bit
naive. You are naturally optimistic and always
look on the bright side in whatever you do.
People are naturally drawn to you and you
probably have a lot of friends. If you're sad,
which is rare, you bounce back quickly. Your
innocence makes you see the good in all things.
You believe in second chances and are a true
idealist.
What type of beauty do you possess? (20 questions + 7 results + pretty pics)
brought to you by Quizilla
Monday, September 12, 2005
Waiting for the light of day as
all the sorrow of New Orleans floods the news.
The first word that comes to mind in thinking about the flood is HORROR. Stephen King could not have written a novel to equal that horror. Bodies floating down the streets. Poor souls in the SuperDome. Waiting .. waiting in filth for busses that did not come. Waiting. Starving babies dying of thirst. Old people dying in their wheelchairs. Waiting, uncovered, as rigor set in.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil water-way leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky--seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."
. a belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."
He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect. He inspired uneasiness. That was it!"
Bush
The first word that comes to mind in thinking about the flood is HORROR. Stephen King could not have written a novel to equal that horror. Bodies floating down the streets. Poor souls in the SuperDome. Waiting .. waiting in filth for busses that did not come. Waiting. Starving babies dying of thirst. Old people dying in their wheelchairs. Waiting, uncovered, as rigor set in.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil water-way leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky--seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."
. a belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness."
He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect. He inspired uneasiness. That was it!"
Bush
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Do you hear what I hear?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Either my hearing is becoming keener with age or the world is getting louder. I could stand to acquire a little deafness these days"(from the blog (Timegoesby)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hearing is NOT what it used to be but I remarked recently:
"What I think I hear is often more interesting than what is actually said"
For instance, today at lunch with two friends in a noisy restaurant,I understood one to say
"Last night I sat her dinner down in front of her and she only ate 4 asparagus"
I replied
" Won't that make her sick?"
Thinking that the "her" was the friend's West Highland White Terrier Dog who had JUST been the topic of conversation
Friend two replied
" No. She always eats that way. She wants to stay a size two forever"
We all had a good laugh as they explained they were talking about Edith, another acquaintance, and not the puppy.
"Either my hearing is becoming keener with age or the world is getting louder. I could stand to acquire a little deafness these days"(from the blog (Timegoesby)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hearing is NOT what it used to be but I remarked recently:
"What I think I hear is often more interesting than what is actually said"
For instance, today at lunch with two friends in a noisy restaurant,I understood one to say
"Last night I sat her dinner down in front of her and she only ate 4 asparagus"
I replied
" Won't that make her sick?"
Thinking that the "her" was the friend's West Highland White Terrier Dog who had JUST been the topic of conversation
Friend two replied
" No. She always eats that way. She wants to stay a size two forever"
We all had a good laugh as they explained they were talking about Edith, another acquaintance, and not the puppy.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Boot me out
I got good news and bad news yesterday at the foot doctor's. I can now take off the knee high boot cast and only wear it part of the day. And the swelling is gone in my ankle so it seems to be getting better. That is the good news.
If the boot and the new orthotic in my shoe don't hold the tendon steady then the next "step" would be either a brace inside my shoe and up my leg or EEK ---surgery. I go back to Dr Beskin in two months for a recheck. So let's hope for the best.
Chancy
If the boot and the new orthotic in my shoe don't hold the tendon steady then the next "step" would be either a brace inside my shoe and up my leg or EEK ---surgery. I go back to Dr Beskin in two months for a recheck. So let's hope for the best.
Chancy
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Trying something new
My Mother's favorite drink
She lived to be 91 and every day of her life she had to have her Coke. In Georgia, during her lifetime,it was known as "Co-cola"..and it came in those old fashioned, green glass bottles that kept it so cold and frosty. Not like the cans of today.
After she entered the nursing home, when I would go visit her and take her a new sweater or new nightgowns, I always stopped by the cafeteria and dropped in my quarters in the vending machine and bought her a "Co-Cola". She was always so grateful and she enjoyed the refreshing taste. I suppose "Coke" itself at that time was as old as Mama. She was born in Hall County Georgia,in 1893, and Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time on March 12, 1894. It was sold at a few soda fountains prior to that.
In 1985. The Coca-Cola Company came out with "New Coke"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"In 1985, Coca-Cola, amid much publicity, attempted to change the formula of the drink. Some authorities believe that New Coke, as the reformulated drink was called, was invented specifically to respond to its commercial competitor, Pepsi. Double-blind taste tests indicated that most consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi (which has more lemon oil, less orange oil, and uses vanillin rather than vanilla) to Coke. New Coke was reformulated in a way that emulated Pepsi. Follow-up taste tests revealed that most consumers preferred the taste of New Coke to both Coke and Pepsi. The reformulation was led by the then-CEO of the company, Roberto Goizueta, and the President Don Keough.
It is unclear what part long-time company president Robert W. Woodruff played in the reformulation. Goizueta claims that Woodruff endorsed it a few months before his death in 1985; others have pointed out that, as the two men were alone when the matter was discussed, Goizueta might have misinterpreted the wishes of the dying Woodruff, who could speak only in monosyllables. It has also been alleged that Woodruff might not have been able to understand what Goizueta was telling him.
The commercial failure of New Coke therefore came as a grievous blow to the management of the Coca-Cola Corporation. It is possible that customers would not have noticed the change if it had been made secretly or gradually, and thus brand loyalty could have been maintained. Coca-Cola management was unprepared, however, for the nostalgic sentiments the drink aroused in the American public; some compared changing the Coke formula to rewriting the American Constitution."
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As soon as New Coke came out I took one out to the nursing home for Mama to try. I did not tell her that "Co-Cola" had been reformulated and just asked her "How is your Co-Cola, Mama?
She sounded disappointed when she replied "It's all right" Then I told her about the new version of Coke. She wanted to stick with the old standby that had served her well for almost 90 years.
COKE
COKE
She lived to be 91 and every day of her life she had to have her Coke. In Georgia, during her lifetime,it was known as "Co-cola"..and it came in those old fashioned, green glass bottles that kept it so cold and frosty. Not like the cans of today.
After she entered the nursing home, when I would go visit her and take her a new sweater or new nightgowns, I always stopped by the cafeteria and dropped in my quarters in the vending machine and bought her a "Co-Cola". She was always so grateful and she enjoyed the refreshing taste. I suppose "Coke" itself at that time was as old as Mama. She was born in Hall County Georgia,in 1893, and Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time on March 12, 1894. It was sold at a few soda fountains prior to that.
In 1985. The Coca-Cola Company came out with "New Coke"
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"In 1985, Coca-Cola, amid much publicity, attempted to change the formula of the drink. Some authorities believe that New Coke, as the reformulated drink was called, was invented specifically to respond to its commercial competitor, Pepsi. Double-blind taste tests indicated that most consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi (which has more lemon oil, less orange oil, and uses vanillin rather than vanilla) to Coke. New Coke was reformulated in a way that emulated Pepsi. Follow-up taste tests revealed that most consumers preferred the taste of New Coke to both Coke and Pepsi. The reformulation was led by the then-CEO of the company, Roberto Goizueta, and the President Don Keough.
It is unclear what part long-time company president Robert W. Woodruff played in the reformulation. Goizueta claims that Woodruff endorsed it a few months before his death in 1985; others have pointed out that, as the two men were alone when the matter was discussed, Goizueta might have misinterpreted the wishes of the dying Woodruff, who could speak only in monosyllables. It has also been alleged that Woodruff might not have been able to understand what Goizueta was telling him.
The commercial failure of New Coke therefore came as a grievous blow to the management of the Coca-Cola Corporation. It is possible that customers would not have noticed the change if it had been made secretly or gradually, and thus brand loyalty could have been maintained. Coca-Cola management was unprepared, however, for the nostalgic sentiments the drink aroused in the American public; some compared changing the Coke formula to rewriting the American Constitution."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as New Coke came out I took one out to the nursing home for Mama to try. I did not tell her that "Co-Cola" had been reformulated and just asked her "How is your Co-Cola, Mama?
She sounded disappointed when she replied "It's all right" Then I told her about the new version of Coke. She wanted to stick with the old standby that had served her well for almost 90 years.
COKE
COKE
Friday, July 29, 2005
My left foot :)
Ok I am almost finished with my second week with "THE BOOT". Getting used to it now. But it is still like dragging around a small monkey wrapped tightly around my leg that won't let go.
I went to get checked out for orthotics for both feet today. A mold was made and in two weeks I will have the devices to insert in walking shoes. It surely will beat the alternative of ankle surgery if all this works to stabalize the foot.
Fingers and toes are crossed in hopeful anticipation.
I went to get checked out for orthotics for both feet today. A mold was made and in two weeks I will have the devices to insert in walking shoes. It surely will beat the alternative of ankle surgery if all this works to stabalize the foot.
Fingers and toes are crossed in hopeful anticipation.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
From the Vent :)
in our local newspaper
The best treatment for wrinkles? Soft lights and older friends
The best treatment for wrinkles? Soft lights and older friends
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Oh well
I was hoping that the foot doctor I saw yesterday could just give me a quick shot of cortisone or something and immediately cure my problem ankle which has been paining me for about 6 months now. It usually only hurts as I am descending stairs. Something about the toe lift motion. So I had accomodated my life in a three story townhouse to compensate. I simply set my left foor down flat footed and did not bend my ankle at all on the stairs. But I decided I needed to go get the ankle checked out. Dr Beskin X-rayed. ( did not show up much but ruled out some possibilities for the pain and discomfort.) With a visual exam and with local examination, he diagnosed my problem as a torn tendon and he said he sees this frequently in women of a certain age and it is usually the left foot. The foot we seem to step out with. Perhaps it has something to do with right handedness??
Anyway, surgery is usually a last resort with this sort of problem so he put me in a knee high rigid boot with a stiff plate and air pockets that can be inflated and deflated for tightness and support. It is very much like a leg cast from knee down over foot. I am supposed to wear this contraction for 6 to 8 months( revisit Dr Beskin in a month) and hope for the best as the tendon heals itself with immobility. And also get a custom insert for my shoes for support. Problem is, we are going to the beach for our one week annual vacation with family and it will be a problem as I cannot get down to the beach and through the sand,with the leg boot-brace on.
I have been feeling sorry for myself today but I will get over that and just deal with the situation. I have no other choice. The alternative is either surgery which has an extremely difficult recovery period, or a foot that rolls completely inward eventually with stiffness, flat footedness and arthritis in the heel and difficulty wearing shoes.
Getting older has some downsides and this is one.
But the upside today was my 6 year old sweet and empathetic grandson who was trying to comfort me when I got so frustrated wearing the boot-cast that I cried a little. He hugged me and said "Don't cry, Bebe. I love you. You look just the same to me in that boot as you did before." :)))
So dear. Love in the eyes of a grandchild makes life worth living.
Anyway, surgery is usually a last resort with this sort of problem so he put me in a knee high rigid boot with a stiff plate and air pockets that can be inflated and deflated for tightness and support. It is very much like a leg cast from knee down over foot. I am supposed to wear this contraction for 6 to 8 months( revisit Dr Beskin in a month) and hope for the best as the tendon heals itself with immobility. And also get a custom insert for my shoes for support. Problem is, we are going to the beach for our one week annual vacation with family and it will be a problem as I cannot get down to the beach and through the sand,with the leg boot-brace on.
I have been feeling sorry for myself today but I will get over that and just deal with the situation. I have no other choice. The alternative is either surgery which has an extremely difficult recovery period, or a foot that rolls completely inward eventually with stiffness, flat footedness and arthritis in the heel and difficulty wearing shoes.
Getting older has some downsides and this is one.
But the upside today was my 6 year old sweet and empathetic grandson who was trying to comfort me when I got so frustrated wearing the boot-cast that I cried a little. He hugged me and said "Don't cry, Bebe. I love you. You look just the same to me in that boot as you did before." :)))
So dear. Love in the eyes of a grandchild makes life worth living.
Monday, July 11, 2005
Growing older
George Burns expressed it well and he lived to be 100...
"You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old."
George Burns
And I had this thought when I saw a woman of about 80 having the time of her life blowing out the candles on her birthday cake at a birthday dinner celebration ...
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HAVING BIRTHDAYS MAKES YOU OLDER.
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS MAKES YOU YOUNGER...
"You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old."
George Burns
And I had this thought when I saw a woman of about 80 having the time of her life blowing out the candles on her birthday cake at a birthday dinner celebration ...
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HAVING BIRTHDAYS MAKES YOU OLDER.
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS MAKES YOU YOUNGER...
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Everyday thoughts.
Tonight--lots of rain. Torrents of rain on the expressway as we drove to dinner downtown. Heavy traffic. I do NOT like the expressway in the rain with poor visability. In fact I do not like the expressway ---period...
Florida is bracing for hurricane Dennis and we in Atlanta are getting unsettled weather from the disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. Those poor people in Florida have had a hard time in the past year from storms. Many are evacuating now.
Today, before the rain started was beautiful and filled with sunshine. I sat by the pool for a while and watched our little grandchildren play and swim with their daddy(son-in-law) He surprised them by dunking them in the water when he tipped over the rubber raft they were sitting on. They squealed with delight. They wore him out but they still wanted more.
Dinner was delicious. We met our son and daughter- in -law for the "roast beef" dinner special at the City Club. They also had special crab claws on the buffet along with country veggies and salad, onion rings --the whole nine yards. Peach cobbler for dessert. Such fun. Good company. Good food. and even a jazz combo in the lounge as an extra treat.
Life is good.
Florida is bracing for hurricane Dennis and we in Atlanta are getting unsettled weather from the disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. Those poor people in Florida have had a hard time in the past year from storms. Many are evacuating now.
Today, before the rain started was beautiful and filled with sunshine. I sat by the pool for a while and watched our little grandchildren play and swim with their daddy(son-in-law) He surprised them by dunking them in the water when he tipped over the rubber raft they were sitting on. They squealed with delight. They wore him out but they still wanted more.
Dinner was delicious. We met our son and daughter- in -law for the "roast beef" dinner special at the City Club. They also had special crab claws on the buffet along with country veggies and salad, onion rings --the whole nine yards. Peach cobbler for dessert. Such fun. Good company. Good food. and even a jazz combo in the lounge as an extra treat.
Life is good.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Blog names
It seems every "great name I thought up and tried to get on "Blogger" was already taken so I just picked up a copy of the magazine"Southern Living" and turned a few pages and came up with "DriftWood Inspiration" so there is no particular significance to the name.
Mainly this blog will be about my thoughts on living to age 75 and still staying active, alert and interested in many things. I came to the computer and the internet at age 68 and have taken to this "new" medium like a duck takes to water. I even relearned to type after a 50 year hiatus. It seems typing is stored in the brain and you never forget. At first it was hunt and peck but then I forced myself to try to remember where my fingers went on the keyboard and then started to type without looking at the keys. The many hours I spent in chat helped my typing tremendously but after a few years I tired of chat and moved on to games, Black Jack, Texas Hold'em Poker, Scrabble, and then Blogs. I have several favorite blogs but I do not yet know how to link to them from here so I will just list a few of my favorites:
www.asenseofplace.net
www.timegoesby.net
www.pureland.blogspot.com
http://stuarthughes.blogspot.com
www.tpmcafe.com
http://mediamatters.org/ ( I do not know if this would be classified as a blog)
Chancy
Mainly this blog will be about my thoughts on living to age 75 and still staying active, alert and interested in many things. I came to the computer and the internet at age 68 and have taken to this "new" medium like a duck takes to water. I even relearned to type after a 50 year hiatus. It seems typing is stored in the brain and you never forget. At first it was hunt and peck but then I forced myself to try to remember where my fingers went on the keyboard and then started to type without looking at the keys. The many hours I spent in chat helped my typing tremendously but after a few years I tired of chat and moved on to games, Black Jack, Texas Hold'em Poker, Scrabble, and then Blogs. I have several favorite blogs but I do not yet know how to link to them from here so I will just list a few of my favorites:
www.asenseofplace.net
www.timegoesby.net
www.pureland.blogspot.com
http://stuarthughes.blogspot.com
www.tpmcafe.com
http://mediamatters.org/ ( I do not know if this would be classified as a blog)
Chancy
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