How smart are you?

Quick Intelligence Test
How smart are you?

Read the following sentence:


FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.


Now count aloud the F's in that sentence. Count them only once. Do not go back and count them again. Ready?


Look here for the answer*****













*****
Answer to Quick Intelligence Test

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Did you find 3 F's in this sentence? Wrong, there are 6 F's in the sentence. Read it again!

The brain cannot process the "F" in "OF." Incredible or what? Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius. Three is normal, four is quite rare.


I got 3 (normal) :(

Afternoon Naps

Like the fog that comes on little cat feet, a good nap has to quietly sneak in and catch you unaware.


Or at least that is what I think.

If I lie down on the bed with the express purpose of napping, I will remain wide awake. If I sit in a comfy chair with my feet up and read I find myself nodding off.

Winston Churchill did not go in for the "sneaky nap.
He wrote:
"You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner, and no halfway measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imaginations. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one -- well, at least one and a half."--Winston Churchill

As Jane Brody wrote in the New York Times, short naps are restorative and are good for you.

"As a short sleeper who is rarely in bed for more than six hours a night, I'm a strong believer in naps for recharging my batteries. Sir Winston and I are in good company. Napping enthusiasts have included Albert Einstein, Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Edison and at least three presidents: John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Besides, sleep researchers have shown that regardless of how long one sleeps at night, the human body is programmed to become sleepy in the early afternoon, even without a big lunch. "






Zzzzzzzz


Zzzzzz.... Mmm? Sorry, I must have nodded off. Not a bad thing, actually - in fact I shouldn't be apologizing at all. Naps are good for us.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER: "I don't care where you think you have to go, young man. Midnight is past your curfew!"

MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY'S MOTHER: "I don't mind you having a garden, Mary, but does it have to be growing under your bed?"


MONA LISA'S MOTHER: "After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"

HUMPTY DUMPTY'S MOTHER: "Humpty, if I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"

COLUMBUS' MOTHER: "I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"

BABE RUTH'S MOTHER: "Babe, how many times have I told you to quit playing ball in the house! That's the third broken window this week!"

MICHELANGELO'S MOTHER: "Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"

NAPOLEON'S MOTHER: "All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"

CUSTER'S MOTHER: "Now, George, remember what I told you - don't go biting off more than you can chew!"

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S MOTHER: "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't youjust wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"

BARNEY'S MOTHER: "I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."

MARY'S MOTHER: "I'm not upset that your lamb followed you to school, Mary,but I would like to know how he got a better grade than you."

BATMAN'S MOTHER: "It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance is going to be?"

GOLDILOCKS' MOTHER: "I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"

LITTLE MISS MUFFET'S MOTHER: "Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S MOTHER: "But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOTHER: "The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"

JONAH'S MOTHER: "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days."

SUPERMAN'S MOTHER: "Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending somuch time in all those phone booths?"

THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"

Marley And Me

What are you reading or what have you read recently that you would recommend ?

I recently finished reading "Marley and Me", the book that Maria on "Silver Fox Whispers" recommended. I really enjoyed this story (true) about a misbehaving yellow lab and his owners trials tribulations and joy they found in loving "Marley" the big dumb ox.

After reading about Marley, I felt I wanted to learn more about the author,John Grogan, so I looked him up at the "Philadelphia Enquirer" newspaper where he is a columnist.

I read his "expose" column*** in which he ,"tongue in cheek", compares his book with the James Frey book " A Million Little Pieces" Frey has been accused of plagiarism and exaggaration.

(from John Grogan's column)

***"Marley & Me: The whole truth
In light of the scandal enveloping best selling author James Frey, who now admits his purportedly nonfiction memoir "A Million Little Pieces" is riddled with fabrications and exaggerations, the online accuracy watchdog "SmokingCanine.com "has launched an investigation into another memoir currently topping best-seller lists. We now bring you this shocking expose:. PHILADELPHIA - Credible evidence has surfaced that Inquirer columnist John Grogan might have greatly exaggerated Marley's antics"


My email to John Grogan ,
Subject: Marley And Me Expose Column

Funny I should happen upon your article about the "allegations" regarding you and Marley.

After finishing "Marley And Me" I asked my daughter, who had also read the book, if she really believed that Marley could have done all those wild and crazy things or if the author embellished some of the antics.

She said yes, she did believe every word. And then she reminded me of the black Lab mix that could have been Marley's twin separated at birth as far as behavior is concerned. Daughter tried obedience training but "Georgia" just did not get it. After Georgia ate up a 5 foot long wooden planter and part of the deck, daughter could take it no longer so she gave "Georgia" to a friend who had a farm.

On the other hand our son who had the litter mate to Georgia (he named her Allie since he and his family had found the two pups on the side of the highway on their return trip from Alabama to Georgia,) would not think of giving up his Lab who coexists with the two Jack Russells who were the original dogs in their family. We all think that Allie got more of the Lab DNA than Georgia did. I did not know until then that pups from the same litter can have different Dads.

Anyway I am not quite finished with "Marley And Me" but I know how it will end as Marley is not feeling well and has lost his hearing so I am preparing to cry at the end.

Our last dog was a Springer Spaniel named "Mollie". Smartest dog that ever graced this planet. She must have had a terrific internal clock. Every night she would get up from her favorite spot in the den and put herself to bed in the kitchen at exactly 10pm. When the time changed she went to bed at 9pm until her clock reset itself. Like Marley, our Mollie also went deaf a few years before her death. Sad.

"Mollie" died in our kitchen from smoke inhalation after lightening struck our house while we were out for the evening. Sweet dog. that broke my heart. I still miss her.

Anyway, I didn't mean to ramble but you probably know how grandmothers love to talk. I just wanted to tell you I am sorry for even thinking you might have taken poetic license about Marley.

"Marley and Me" is a great book and a fine tribute to Marley.

You really loved that big guy.

Chancy Gardner

John Grogan's Reply:

Reply: "Thanks for your note, Chancy...and yes, it's ALL true. As any Lab owner knows, these dogs do the darnedest things.

best to you, John"

Time Began In A Garden

We had a sundail that had these words on the dial:

"TIME BEGAN IN A GARDEN"
(click on picture for larger, clearer image)


http://www.typogenerator.net/index.php?new=true
(Typogenerator takes any words you type in and makes a poster from them)

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/74/74-h/p1.htmhttp://www.gutenberg.org/files/74/74-h/p1.htm

This site is amazing. Graphically it is extremely plain but the content is awesome. Thousands of books which are no longer under copyright protection are here, ready to be read on line or downloaded. They even have audio books although I have not tried these. I still prefer a book or newspaper that I hold in my hand and read but this Project Gutenberg is a treasure trove of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and many many others both fiction and non fiction.


For instance I have an ancient book "The White House Cook Book" published in 1898 which I bought in a little antique shop about 15 years ago. It is interesting to dip in and out of especially to read some of the old fashioned health tips. My copy is falling apart. I went to Project Gutenberg and lo and behold there in its entirety was "The White House Cookbook" http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13923/13923-h/13923-h.htm


Check out this site. You will like it.

Main link
http://www.gutenberg.org

Something to think about

I forget where on the internet I read this. A good lesson about anger.

"A BAG OF NAILS"

"Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the first day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won't matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', the wound is still there."

Forgetfulness

...Nothing to be embarrassed about when you forget something.

We all have spells of time when it is easier to remember the past than the present. I always have thought that someone who is creative has a more selective memory than a primarily left brained person.

For instance, our smoke alarm started malfunctioning last Friday afternoon late. Loud chirping sound like a BIG bird every 5 minutes. It was difficult for my husband to reach the alarm on the ceiling. I called our son. He said he would drop by on his way home from work and check it out. He is real handy with things like this.

We went out to dinner with friends and got back home about 10pm. Darn thing still chirping. We knew we would not sleep all night with the noise. We called son who lives about 5 minutes away.He said "OOPS".... he forgot. Then he came right over and fixed it.

Now if you or I or my husband had "forgotten" we would have said"Elder Moment" but no. He is only 41 but he is extremely creative and his mind is filled with many things.

So don't sweat it if you get to the grocery store and realize you have forgotten the list. Or if you forget a name now and then. No big deal.

However, if you put the cat in the freezer and the ice cream in the back yard you are entitled to worry .:)

--------------------------------------------------------
"Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking.

The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:

Left Brain --Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at parts --

Right Brain-- Random Intuitive Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at wholes "

"Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes "

Plain Vanilla

How did I live 75 years without knowing this? One evening about a year ago somehow the subject of conversation turned to Vanilla and its origin.My grown son said that Vanilla comes from orchids. I said no way and don't tease me. He kept on and on so I finally went to the computer and googled "Origin of Vanilla." And lo and behold he was right.
Am I the only one around who was deficient in Vanilla knowledge or are any of you surprised too


------------------------------------------------
"Vanilla originated from an orchid plant native to Mexico called Vanilla Fragrans, also known as Vanilla planifolia. A long slender pod or bean is produced from the flower of the plant. It is picked green and undergoes a curing and drying process before being made into vanilla extract. Vanillin, a crystal-like substance produced during the curing process adds to the flavor and aroma of the extract..
One Internet source mentioned that the explorer Cortez of Spain discovered the vanilla bean in Mexico and brought it back to Spain. Its use spread throughout Europe from there. In 1873 the vanilla plant was introduced to Madagascar. Madagascar and Indonesia are now the world’s leading producers of vanilla beans.Pure vanilla extract is produced when the vanilla bean pods and seeds are chopped and soaked in alcohol. Time enhances the flavor and aroma of pure vanilla extract. "------------------------------------------

I love Vanilla, that and Cinnamon are two of my favorite flavorings.

Cinnamon toast with butter, Vanilla in homemade banana pudding. etc etc Yum Yum.

So many choices

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: (yesterday)
"General Mills Introduces Cheerios as CheeriOats (1941)The introduction of Cheerios on May 1, 1941, under the name of "CheeriOats," was marked by an aggressive marketing campaign. The cereal's original mascot, "Cheeri O'Leary," was short-lived, but successful advertising and an association with The Lone Ranger led to sales of approximately 1.8 million cases of the cereal in the first year alone. In 1945, the name of the cereal was changed to Cheerios."

-----------------------

I did not realize that "Cheerios" had been around so long. When I was a child I remember Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Wheaties, Shredded Wheat and Rice Krispies. Now a stroll down the cereal aisle at the local supermarket reveals box after box and shelf after shelf of all sort of cereals. Some of which exist only to appeal to children with the free small toys inside and the high sugar content

. One of my favorites was and still is, Quaker Oatmeal ,which of course had to be cooked. Toss in some raisins and you had a breakfast fit for a queen.

Now we even have choices of musical rings on cell phones. I hardly ever use my cell phone and I recently changed my ring tone to a plain old fashioned telephone ring. Previously, when the melody I had chosen would start to play I would look around to see where the music was coming from and miss the call. I have come a long way from the old fashioned black party line telephone, the one you see in all the old movies from the 30's and 40's.

And do you remember when you could chose the color of your automobile as long as it was "Black"..
.
Oh yes. And don't forget the 101 choices our government had us wade through in order to make a decision on Medicare RX.

Ok I know what you are thinking. I should be grateful that I am still capable of making good choices. And you are right.
but still I say;

Choices, Choices ,Choices. too many choices.

Barefoot Days of Summer

Placing yesterday in a jar filled with flowers
Breathing in the scent; not counting the hours
I remember the gardens of long ago

Fields where the blue ragged robins grew
I flew my small kite; gazing into the blue
Yearning to climb on the wind to the sky.

Everywhere the wild, pink poppies thrived
The sun and the rain keeping them alive
Sharing the field with tall grasses and vines.

Years later,the wild field was replaced
A fenced boxwood garden has taken its place
Trespassing forbidden for child with a kite

KEEP OUT
CHILDHOOD OVER


by Chancy...

South Pacific

Just saw on PBS the "South Pacific’ in Concert from Carnegie Hall,” featuring Reba McEntire as Nellie Forbush. and Emile (Brian Stokes Mitchell). It was done in an entirely unique format. Like an opera rehearsal with the singers holding the sheet muxic and reading their lines.

Rather than detract from the story, this technique puts the emphasis on the show’s wonderful songs, including such melodies as “Some Enchanted Evening,” and “Younger than Springtime"

I remember seeing "South Pacific" for the first time about 1950 when a road company came to Atlanta. I have been enchanted by the music ever since. Tonight's performance was a reminder of the Broadway musicals of yesterday.

If PBS rebroadcasts this version of "South Pacific" tune in. If you love music you wont be disappointed.

And Reba was outstanding as "the little girl from Little Rock"

For more information click on title of post for PBS

They've got to be kidding..songbirds and grammar

I can't believe it. Another study . But this is one we really, really needed.
Notice that the researcher made 15,000 attempts before success.
Now the birds no longer tweet "I ain't singing" but they use proper grammar and sing " I am not singing"


Songbirds May Be Able to Learn Grammar
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer


The simplest grammar, long thought to be one of the skills that separate man from beast, can be taught to a common songbird, new research suggests.

Starlings learned to differentiate between a regular birdsong "sentence" and one containing a clause or another sentence of warbling, according to a study in Thursday's journal Nature.
It took University of California at San Diego psychology researcher Tim Gentner a month and about 15,000 training attempts, with food as a reward, to get the birds to recognize the most basic of grammar in their own bird language.
Yet what they learned may shake up the field of linguistics.But after training, nine out of Gentner's 11 songbirds picked out the bird song with inserted warbling or rattling bird phrases about 90 percent of the time.

Two continued to flunk grammar.

"We were dumbfounded that they could do as well as they did," Gentner said. "It's clear that they can do it."

Ref Desk

I have posted once before some time back about this incredible resource, "Ref Desk" A smorgasbord of information, quotes, newspaper links, magazines, games, you name it and it is there. Take a peek and bookmark it.
And don't hold it against RefDesk's owner that he is Matt Drudge's father. ;)


"On the Internet since 1995, refdesk indexes and reviews quality, credible, and timely reference resources that are free and family-friendly."

">Link http://www.refdesk.com/

Spring is here

Most of our small front yard at the townhouse is planted already with shrubs, liriope, dwarf mondo grass and ferns. The azaleas have just finished blooming, and are on the wane. They are a lovely deep pink color and were real showy for about two weeks. We also are blessed with 2 full grown red japanese maples and a large birch tree.

The guy who does our two seasons flower planting brought a combo of impatiens, blue pearl, white and a lavender pink color. In a few weeks they should be showing many blooms that will last throughout the summer. .This one small flower bed is by the front walk where we can see it from inside and enjoy it on our way outside.

Spring is really here.

Pulitzer Prize

Mike Luckovich, the editorial cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, our local newspaper, won his second Pulitzer prize today for his editorial cartoons. Several of Mike's editorial cartoons were submitted but I suspect this one tipped the scales in his favor with the committee.

"including his Oct. 26 cartoon in which the letters in the word "Why?" are formed by the names of 2,000 American soldiers who have died in Iraq. Luckovich won his first Pultizer in 1995"

I noticed on the enlarged version of the WHY cartoon; third column over about 6th name from top is Casey Sheehan, Cindy Sheehan's son.

Luckovich's cartoons :


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5346807
">Link http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5346807

Ordinary days

"Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” The tragedy is that we ignore so much of it in the interest of getting to the real stuff. Never confuse the ordinary with the simple, the static, or the boring. Living an ordinary life well can be a very complicated thing to do. It takes great talent to make a great life out of a routine one. "**


Joan Chittister, OSB **

Christ Church St Simons Island,Georgia

This is Christ Church, St Simons Island Georgia. church. It is tiny, with lovely little stained glass wondows. The stained wooden beams and ceiling are stunning in their simplicity. The church is surrounded by massive old live oak trees, draped with Spanish Moss. A cemetary with graves dating back to the late 1700's add to the sense of history .

Eugenia Price who lived and wrote on St Simons Island is buried here. She wrote many novels and one that featured this church and it's first minister.

No matter what your religion, to sit awhile in Christ Church in silence is an enchanted time of beauty and serenity

Christ Church's beauty and romantic history have lured the attendance of four American presidents -- Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, Jimmy Carter and George Bush. The building, cruciform in design, features stained glass windows given as memorials to the church, including a Tiffany. They depict the life of Christ and the early history of the church.

(

To see the Earth as it truly is:

Let me describe part of my "computer habitat." I sit at a pecan wood desk with a black leather top. To my left on my desk is a framed black and white photo that I cut out of a National Geographic about 1969 during one of the early moon /space flights. It shows the earth from deep space. In the picture the earth appears to be no more than a large black and white round marble. A black background and below the earth is a poem by Archibald MacLeish .

"To see the earth as it truly is, small and blue
and beautiful in that eternal silence where it
floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth
together, brothers on that bright loveliness
in the eternal cold--brothers who know now----
they are truly brothers."


Archibald MacLeish.

Useless and expensive studies

Saturday,April 8, 2006
The Daily Canard
By I.B. Afulu

Researchers charged with wasting federal funds studying the boring habits of carpenter bees and the television watching habits of elderly women.

Could researchers be experiencing brain shrinkage by focusing on the boring habits of carpenter bees and the TV watching habits of elderly women.

A new study sponsored by the "Friends of Carpenter Bees of America" and financed by the federal government to the tune of $500,000 has reached a startling conclusion about the effects of insecticides on the wood boring abilities of carpenter bees in Marlin County California.

Instead of diminished depth of drilling into wooden decks, porches, shingle roofs and other wooden structures, a new insecticide "Deeper" has enhanced the carpenter bees ability to bore.

Measurements have been painstakingly taken by teams of 50 etomology investigators and their findings prove that "Deeper" is having the opposite effect from what was anticipated.

The wooden holes bored and tunneled by the bees have consistently measured 3 inches deeper than in years before "Deeper" was introduced into the California market.

In the new study, conducted over a period of 2 years, etomology researchers studied data from a 1996 study of healthy carpenter bees in California.

The researchers also took tests that measured their own memory, decision-making abilities and other cognitive skills before and after participating in these two studies.

49 out of the 50 researchers scored 20 points lower than the norm for a 6 year old child; suggesting the truth of this old joke:

Q: Why do bees hum?
A: Because they've forgotten the words!

Chancy :)

Of course I fabricated this "news article and study but it is no less ludicrous that the following article and the study it cites.


And now for a REAL NEWS ARTICLE that made my blood boil and wasted a bunch of our tax dollars.



Soaps, Talk Shows May Dull Aging Brains
By Randy DotingaHealthDay ReporterMon Mar 20, 5:07 PM ET
MONDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) --

Could Oprah and General Hospital be bad for your brain?

New research suggests that elderly women who watch daytime soap operas and talk shows are more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment than women who abstain from such fare.
Researchers stress that it's not clear if watching these TV shows leads to weaker brainpower, or vice-versa. And they say it's possible that another explanation might be at work.
But there's definitely "something going on with those two types of television programming," said study co-author Joshua Fogel, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
Fogel launched the federally funded study after wondering how television affects the brains of older women, many of whom are avid watchers of the tube. Previous studies had already looked at possible connections between TV watching and senility, but came up with differing results, Fogel said.
In the new study, Fogel and a colleague looked at data from a 1996 study of healthy women in Baltimore aged 70-79.
The researchers asked the women about their favorite types of TV shows, offering a list of 14 options including news, soap operas, comedies and game shows, among others.
The women also took tests that measured their memory, decision-making abilities and other cognitive skills.
Fogel and his colleague looked for patterns linking cognition abilities and the women's favorite TV shows. Their findings appear in the March issue of the Southern Medical Journal.
Women who watched talk shows were 7.3 times more likely to have long-term memory problems, the researchers said, while those who watched soap operas were 13.5 times more likely to have problems with attention.
The researchers didn't find any evidence that TV shows helped improve cognitive abilities in the women studied, either.
What's going on? The study can't and doesn't answer that question, Fogel said, leaving it unclear if a preference for soaps and talk shows is a cause of cognitive difficulties or a symptom. "One possibility is that people are unable to watch the other shows because they're too cognitively stimulating," Fogel said.
One researcher who has studied the effects of television watching on children said the study suggests that, "viewing television in a way that reduces active mental engagement may lead to poorer cognitive outcomes in older people."
Frederick Zimmerman, director of the University of Washington's Child Health Institute, added that the findings are significant because the apparent effects of television watching are quite striking. He said he's also found evidence that excessive television watching hurts kids' academic and cognitive development.
But Zimmerman cautioned that "it would be premature to tell Granny to turn off the soaps on the basis of this study."
And in his editorial, Albert Einstein College of Medicine neurologist Dr. Joe Verghese said that, "depending on the program, television viewing might even have cognitive benefits. Generations of children have grown up learning their alphabets, and presumably increasing their cognitive reserve, from programs such as Sesame Street. Television viewing may also help reduce chronic stress levels."
Fogel believes the study findings are more than just a curiosity, however. In fact, he thinks doctors should take them into account when they evaluate patients.
If an elderly woman says she enjoys watching talk shows or soap operas, Fogel said, that might be a sign that she's having cognitive problems and should undergo special screening.


More information
For advice on healthy aging, head to the U.S. National Institute on Aging.

">Link

Happy Birthday Ronni

Serendipity ...( The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. )


One fine day I packed a picnic lunch and set out on a ramble to search for blogs and articles on "Aging" . I wandered over to Google and quickly came across "Time Goes By", the blog on positive aging by Ronni Bennett. As I lingered there I came across a group of people, friends, comrades in arms gathered around a wise elder blogger. I pulled up a tree stump and sat down around the camp fire and felt the warmth of good fellowship as I read the diary entries and comments.

I lingered in the forest, absorbing the camaraderie, advice, issues, concerns, and just plain old fashioned horse sense. Soon I could no longer allow myself to simply lurk behind a tree on the periphery and read; I jumped in and commented occasionally.

From the central point in the woods of "Time Goes By" I followed the path that Ronni had pointed out in her links. This path has taken me to Japan, Scotland, France, England, the North, South, East and West of the US. I became acquainted with bloggers from all over the world. Still, I always come back to the incandescence of Ronni's "Time Goes By"
,.
Thank you Ronni for sharing your many talents with us all and leading us into the realm of positive aging.

Happy Birthday from
Chancy





















">Link

Exercise for elders.

I came across this exercise suggested for seniors, to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It seems so easy, so I thought I'd pass it on. The article suggested doing it three days a week.


Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax. Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb. potato sacks. Then go to 50-lb. potato sacks and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

Once you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks
………………………………………………………………


Chancy >:0]--<
">Link

Medicare Part D My rant

My husband and I have been on Medicare for about 10 years now and the program has worked well for us and was easy to sign up for and understand. Most doctors accept Medicare assignment and file the paper work.

And then "along came Medicare Part D" prescription drug benefits. I consider myself more computer savvy than the average 76 year old but navigating the Medicare.gov web site trying to make an informed decision about signing up for Part D. was extremely difficult. We would have chosen to remain on the Blue Cross Medicare supplement policy (plan J) that covered,to some extent, prescription drugs but after reading and talking with Blue Cross we decided that (1) The already expensive premiums would increase soon and (2) The penalty phase of Medicare part D would kick in if we did not go ahead and sign up.

So we held our noses and joined (AARP) United Health Care's plan. Time will tell if we mde the right choice.

Some polititians are claiming that those in Medicare Plan D will save money. Initially that is true but after one reaches about $2200 dollars in prescription drug costs, then there is a donut hole (nothing is paid on drugs) until drug expenses reach over $5000. For the average elder the "donut hole will come in about 6 months or less. Many elders who signed up and started using the Plan D should reach the "Donut Hole" just about election time this November. Won't that be interesting.

I am incensed that our government made no attempt to negotiate with drug companies as is done in Canada for instance to reign in the cost of prescriptions drugs. As usual Congress and the POTUS were catering to big business interests and to heck with the average citizen.

My rant is over. Move along. Nothing to see here. ;)















Link

Addendum to Quilts

Claude of Blogging in Paris http://covonline.net/

wrote as a comment
"I read your post yesterday, just after I had spent a few hours with Parisian quilting ladies. I am totally hopeless at anything like sewing or quilting, but I like looking at the way they are working and took quite a few photos. Sent the address of your blog and post to my quilting friend. She loved the story and is going to buy the book"

So I wanted to share some additional information from another blog that I just stumbled across. By happenstance, while wandering around on the internet I found another interesting site about that mentions the Gee's Bend Quilters and small world this blogger lives in Atlanta and has been to the exhibit of the quilts at the High Museum in Atlanta.

The Enlightened Hillbilly
A blog by Southerners who sometimes fit the stereotype, but mostly don’t.


Lord We Need Cover

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I’ve been lazy. When we started this blog back in November, I got involved for several reasons, but the main one was the fact that I was getting really pissed off reading the newspaper every morning. Writing through that pissedoffedness helped me feel better. Helped me get through the day.

But I kinda took a holiday over the holidays. After the holidays were over, I started reading the newspaper again, and I’d see one more bomb in Iraq, more people dead, more stupid responses from the White House to anything and everything. And I just didn’t care. My brain said, “Oh, yeah, that again.” Even Dick Cheney shooting a rich Texas Republican in the face didn’t get the blood flowing to my typing fingers again.

Ah, but spring is here, and there is new inspiration — but not from politics.

Tonight, my buddy Dan and I went to the members’ preview of a new exhibition at Atlanta’s High Museum called “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend.” If you haven’t heard of the little community in Southwest Alabama known as Gee’s Bend, it sits (as you can see from that map link) in a bend of the Alabama River. It’s an isolated place — a former plantation established by a slave owner named Joseph Gee, now inhabited primarily by descendents of the slaves who toiled there, many of whom carry the family name of slave owner Mark Pettway, who bought the plantation from the Gee family in 1845.

Going back four generations from the present, the women of Gee’s Bend have made quilts. But their style is entirely distinctive. Developed in the isolation of that river bend, it defies the conventions of the quilts we typically see. My wife, who with her best friend and her mother spent a weekend hanging out with the Gee’s Bend quilters a year or so ago, says the quilts look like “jazz come to life” on fabric. I don’t know how much time the Pettway women spend listening to Miles and Trane, but I agree with my darlin’ wife.

These quilts historically were made out of necessity. The High exhibition offers many of the women’s verbatim descriptions of their work. One of them relates a story how her grandmother essentially forced her to learn quilting. “You’ve got to learn,” she said, “because you’re gonna need cover.”

Tonight at the High, many of these wonderful women were in attendance: China Pettway, Arlonzia Pettway, Nettie Young, Gearldine Westbrook and many others. They wandered among the museum patrons, answering questions about their work, telling stories about how this fabric used to be part of a daughter’s outgrown school dress, or how the pattern on the first quilt one woman ever made from new fabric (as opposed to the typical well-worn hand-me-down clothes) came from her notion that she wanted to capture the moon and stars, the entire night sky, on a quilt.

And then, entirely unexpectedly, China and Arlonzia Pettway, along with a few of their friends, began to sing. They clapped their hands to keep time and sang a song that I think, judging from its refrain, was called “He Brought Me Over.” It was simple and beautiful, a declaration of faith in a God who had brought them over sickness, troubles and trials. If you want to see it for yourself, here’s about 30 seconds, caught on a crappy camera phone.

Their declaration of faith in something greater than themselves was public, but done without pretense and proselytizing. It wasn’t the harsh words of the preacher who wants to dictate how you should live your life. Instead, it was beautiful music that did nothing more than invite curiosity about the source of the wonders it portrayed. Their art, hanging all around them on the walls of this great, newly expanded museum, was evidence that life’s most basic necessities — such as the need to ward off the cold and to make waste of nothing — can, with a little skill and persistence, be turned into honest-to-God art for the ages.

I think that this year, I want to learn from them. We’d all do well to do that, I think. We’ve spent so much time learning from those who tear down, those who bring greater trial and turmoil to a world already beset with woe. This year, let’s learn from the folks who, as the Rev. Joseph Lowery said at Coretta Scott King’s funeral this year, turn words into “deeds that meet needs.” The magnificent women of Gee’s Bend turn their scraps and their necessities into things we need — like music and beauty and a nice warm cover on the bed at night.

Let’s learn from them. We’ve got to. Because, in today’s world, Lord knows we’re gonna need cover.

Tag: Gee’s Bend
Tag: Quilts

Link

Quilts of Gee's Bend

The Ladies of Gees Bend are quilters who have recently been "discovered" in Gee's Bend Alabama. The quilters came to my grandchildren's elementary school last week and talked about their quilts and the history behind them. The Art Museum here in Atlanta is having an exhibit of the quilts. They have been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and other museums. My daughter said that before the Ladies of Gees's Bend were discovered by an Atlanta folk art enthusiast the quilts many times were given away or sold for little or nothing. That has all changed now as have the lives of these quilters. The amazing part of the story of the quilters is their patterns which have been handed down from generation to generation at times and are extremely modernistic. And most all of these ladies had never been out of Gee's Bend much less to a museum so the ideas for the patterns came from their ancestors and from their hearts.

Collective History
Gee’s Bend is a small rural community nestled into a curve in the Alabama River southwest of Selma, Alabama. Founded in antebellum times, it was the site of cotton plantations, primarily the lands of Joseph Gee and his relative Mark Pettway, who bought the Gee estate in 1850. After the Civil War, the freed slaves took the name Pettway, became tenant farmers for the Pettway family, and founded an all-black community nearly isolated from the surrounding world. During the Great Depression, the federal government stepped in to purchase land and homes for the community, bringing strange renown — as an "Alabama Africa" — to this sleepy hamlet.

The town’s women developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional American (and African American) quilts, but with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Amish quilts and modern art. The women of Gee’s Bend passed their skills and aesthetic down through at least six generations to the present. In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in partnership with the nonprofit Tinwood Alliance, of Atlanta, presented an exhibition of seventy quilt masterpieces from the Bend. The exhibition, entitled "The Quilts of Gee’s Bend," is accompanied by two companion books, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, and the larger Gee’s Bend: The Women and Their Quilts, both published by Tinwood Media, as well as a documentary video on the Gee’s Bend quilters and a double-CD of Gee’s Bend gospel music from 1941 and 2002.

And This

Art critics worldwide have compared the quilts to the works of important artists such as Henri Matisse and Paul Klee. The New York Times called the quilts "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced." The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is currently preparing a second major museum exhibition and tour of Gee’s Bend quilts, to premiere in 2006.

Click on title above and read about the "Quilters of Gee's Bend"

Also go here http://www.high.org/ to read about the quilt exhibit here in Atlanta.

About the Exhibition

"The Quilts of Gee's Bend" celebrates the artistic legacy of several generations of women quilters in the isolated, historically African American community of Gee's Bend, Alabama. This nationally acclaimed exhibition of over 60 quilts provides a fascinating look at a group of 45 20th-century artists whose innovative use of materials and bold command of design have resulted in what The New York Times has called, "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced."

The quilts, dating from the 1920s to 2000, represent four generations of artists who took fabrics from their everyday lives-corduroy, denim, cotton sheets and well-worn clothing-and fashioned them into compositions that more closely resemble modernist abstract paintings than familiar quilt patterns. The women learned the craft from their mothers or grandmothers, but placed special emphasis on individuality and innovation with each new work. The quilts' vibrant color schemes and abstract compositions vary widely from the ordered regularity associated with traditional Western quilt making, and most are of the type known as piece, strip or patchwork

Link

MARINES.... THE FEW THE PROUD.

Mar 24, 2006 11:44 pm US/Pacific

Santa Clarita Woman, 78, Asked To Enlist As Marine






(AP) SAUGUS, Calif. Sonia Goldstein was flattered by the nice recruiting letter asking her to consider becoming one of "the few, the proud."

But at age 78, she thinks she may be just a little old to enlist in the Marine Corps.

The letter told her the corps could use her unique language skills, but also warned that life as a Marine would test her physical and mental abilities.

Goldstein says she'll do whatever she can for her country, but this is kind of stretching it

The Marines ordinarily recruit people 18 to 27, says Major Joseph Kloppel, a Corps spokesman. He says the letter must have been sent by mistake.


(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Today's email from Garrison Keeler

This is an interesting site, Garrison Keeler from his NPR program. To get the daily "Writers Almanac" go to the link above (title of post) and click on Newsletter.

Here is the poem and interesting info for

TODAY MARCH 22, 2006






Poem: "Morning" by Billy Collins from Panic, Lightning. © University of Pittsburgh Press. Reprinted with permission.


Morning

Why do we bother with the rest of the day,
the swale of the afternoon,
the sudden dip into evening,

then night with his notorious perfumes,
his many-pointed stars?

This is the best—
throwing off the light covers,
feet on the cold floor,
and buzzing around the house on espresso—

maybe a splash of water on the face,
a palmful of vitamins—
but mostly buzzing around the house on espresso,

dictionary and atlas open on the rug,
the typewriter waiting for the key of the head,
a cello on the radio,

and if necessary, the windows—
trees fifty, a hundred years old
out there,
heavy clouds on the way
and the lawn steaming like a horse
in the early morning.


Literary and Historical Notes:

It's the birthday of the lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim, (books by this author) born in New York City (1930). He was twelve years old when he became friends with a boy named Jamie Hammerstein, whose father was the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein. Sondheim's parents had recently divorced, and he spent as much time as possible at the Hammersteins' house. He wrote his first musical when he was fifteen.

As a young man, he got a job in Hollywood as a scriptwriter for TV in the 1950s, but he really wanted to be working on musicals. Then, one day, a he met a guy at a party who asked him if he would be willing to write the lyrics for a modern-day retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story set in New York City. Sondheim wasn't sure he wanted to write lyrics without music, but he decided to take the job anyway, and the result was West Side Story (1957), which got mixed reviews on Broadway but became a huge hit as a movie.

He went on to compose the music and lyrics for many more musicals, including Sweeney Todd (1979) is about a murderer who makes meat pies out of his victims, and Sunday in the Park with George (1981) about the relationship between the painter George Seurat and the people in his own painting.



It's the birthday of the poet Billy Collins, (books by this author) born in Queens, New York (1941). He's one of the few modern poets whose books have sold more than a hundred thousand copies. He thinks that too much modern poetry lacks humor. He said, "It's the fault of the Romantics, who eliminated humor from poetry. Shakespeare's hilarious, Chaucer's hilarious. [Then] the Romantics killed off humor, and they also eliminated sex, things which were replaced by landscape. I thought that was a pretty bad trade-off, so I'm trying to write about humor and landscape, and occasionally sex."

He was in his forties when published his first book The Apple That Astonished Paris (1988), but by the end of the century he was arguably the country's most popular poet. His collection Sailing Alone Around the Room (2000), has sold more copies than any other collection of poetry in the 21st century.



It's the birthday of novelist Louis L'Amour, (books by this author) born in Jamestown, North Dakota (1908). One of the hardest working and best-selling novelists ever, he wrote a hundred and one books in his lifetime.

He knew he wanted to be a writer from the time that he could walk. So L'Amour quit school when he was fifteen and traveled around the West working as an animal skinner, ranch hand and lumberjack. Wherever he went, he got people to tell him their own stories and whatever stories they knew about the Old West. Once, he met a gunman who had ridden with Billy the Kid and who had gone on to sell real estate.

In the early 1930s, L'Amour hopped an East African Schooner and made his way from Africa to Asia. He lived with bandits in the mountains of China and then started boxing professionally in Singapore. He won thirty-four of his fifty-nine boxing matches by knockout.

When L'Amour got back to the United States he started writing for pulp fiction magazines because he needed money and the pulp magazines paid him the fastest. He wrote all kinds of adventure stories, but eventually settled on westerns. L'Amour's first big success was Hondo (1953), about a love triangle between a cowboy, an Apache warrior and a young widow living on a remote Arizona ranch. It begins, "He rolled the cigarette in his lips, liking the taste of the tobacco, squinting his eyes against the sun glare."

In Ride the Dark Trail (1972), L'Amour wrote, "I just pointed my rifle at him ... and let him have the big one right through the third button on his shirt. If he ever figured to sew that particular button on again he was going to have to scrape it off his backbone."

L'Amour said, "I write about hard-shelled men who built with nerve and hand that which the soft-bellied latecomers call the 'western myth.'"
















Link

Art Linkletter on aging

On my previous post I said I might have to remain "Link Less" if I could not figure out how to add links to this blog. This reminded me of Art Linkletter who had a tv show years ago "Kids say the darndest things". I went to Google and found this USA Today article about Art Linkletter at the age of 90.

Linkletter says the darndest things about aging
By Adele Slaughter, Spotlight Health, with medical adviser Stephen A. Shoop, M.D.
Over the past 60 years, Art Linkletter told us that kids say the darndest things. Now the Emmy award-winning performer is speaking up about aging and keeping your brain healthy.

Art Linkletter advocates keeping mental fitness a priority later in life.


"We know that the brain continues to grow just like everything else in the body, if it is used," says the 90-year-old Linkletter. "That is why I am so active and have espoused the cause of lifelong learning — not necessarily a formal education — but whether you do a crossword puzzle or you collect peanuts from Madagascar, do something that keeps your brain active."

To that end, Linkletter gives over 70 lectures every year, and even has booked a lecture on his birthday in 2012 when he will turn 100.

"I go out speaking mostly to large audiences of seniors, without notes, for an hour to an hour and a half on different scientific subjects," says Linkletter. " 'Old' often means a sinking back into oneself because you don't hear as well, and you don't talk to anybody, and so you regress. And while that is not brain death, it is brain disuse and misuse."

Finding ways to keep the brain healthy longer is a growing concern because people are living longer, and there is no current way to replace or repair damaged brain tissue.

"Art Linkletter is a very interesting guy," says Gary Small, professor of psychiatry at UCLA. "First of all, he probably has some good aging genes, and he's an amazing man and has been active and involved throughout his life. At 90, he's incredibly sharp. He's someone who 'lives better longer,' which is the motto of the UCLA Center on Aging."

Go to the link in the title above and read the rest of this good advice.

I give up

I have tried and tried to figure out how to use Blogspot to add a link list but either my head is too thick or their directions don't make sense. I want my links to be in the sidebar over where it says Google News and Edit Me but I can't do it so I will remain link less.

Down Memory Lane

Recently I have been reminiscing about my childhood. I think this was spurred by a movie video I bought at our library branch's book sale. "Bright Eyes " with Shirley Temple, filmed in 1934.

I bought it so the grandchildren could watch it when they come over. The littlest one,M,who is 9, reminds me of Shirley Temple. Same blonde curls and dimpled smile. I love and adore M but when I was little I detested Shirley Temple. My hair was brown, stick straight, and cut in a Buster Brown hair style with bangs. I always wanted Shirley's curls. I wished and wished for blonde curls.

Once when I was about 6 the merchants in Athens had a "Shirley Temple look alike contest on the stage of the Palace Theater. My mother "curled" my hair with a curling iron and topped my "curls" off with a bow ribbon.I competed and lost. A tiny 3 year old girl with "stick straight brown hair" won the prize which was a new outfit.

Not long after that, my mother let her beauty parlor talk her into bringing me in for a "Permanent Wave." Now don't think of rollers, end papers and a solution. That is a "cold wave" and had not been invented yet. Think of a machine with wires and clamps,resembling an electric chair or some invader from outer space with tentacles. The wires and clamps were attached to my head-hair and the juice was turned on. I remember the smell of sizzling hair.

Boy, was I scared. Finally the ordeal was over. When I looked in the mirror I started crying. My hair had turned into a frizzy, scary steel wool mess.

I managed to "live" until I had enough haircuts to get rid of the mess. I never had another perm until the "Toni Home Perms" (cold wave) came out and my girlfriends and I curled each other's hair.

Now, after all these years, my hair has decided to curl on its own. I suppose it is the texture of the grey hair that lives underneath all the sandy blond "Miss Clairol" I get now at the beauty salon.

Wait long enough and wishes can come true......:)

PS: This Thursday I have an appointment for a "body wave" which is what they call perms now. This is the first perm I have had in about 5 years or so. It is not that I am still desperate for curls at my "advanced age." My hair,especially on top has thinned and will do nothing but lay flat.

Wish me luck.:)

A reference site that has it all

REFDESK is the one stop site for reading, learning, researching, goofing off, using time wisely and whatever you want to use it for. Even though REFDESK is run by Matt Drudge's Dad, it is nevertheless an interesting site.

I can't get the link to work but just go to

www.refdesk.com

Trees.-"The tree that owns itself"

When I was growing up in Athens Georgia, one of my favorite things was walking or roller skating down Prince Avenue near the street where I lived. Prince Avenue was lined with large old magnolia trees in the front of several antebellum houses, white columns and all. While in grammar school one of my teachers took us on a class walk and told us all abut the history of the houses and pointed out the type of columns and the architectural details. I grew up loving trees and many times heard the story of "The Tree That Owned Itself" in Athens. Some years ago we built a home in Atlanta and planted 6 magnolias in the front yard to line the driveway. They have now grown to at least 50 feet tall. We have since moved to a townhouse but the magnolias still carry on proudly

Mighty Oak Enjoys Golden Years
Tree's Descendant Continues Legend

By Derrick Dorsey



Dan Magill, who in 1946 proposed that his mother's garden club give new life to the legend of "The Tree that Owns Itself," presided over anniversary celebrations in 1996.
Photo by Rob Carr/Staff

More than 50 years ago, an Athens legend was reborn.
In 1946, the newly formed Athens Junior Ladies Garden Club was in search of an idea for a first project. A young man by the name of Dan Magill, whose mother was a member of the club, suggested the women plant a tree for their project. But not just any tree.

As most Athenians, young Magill was aware of the story of "The Tree That Owns Itself."

The tale dated back to 1890 when the Athens Banner, predecessor to today's Athens Banner-Herald, reported that Col. William Jackson, a professor at the University of Georgia, had willed possession of his favorite tree and eight feet of earth around it to the tree itself. It was said that Jackson left the tree to itself because of the love he had developed for the large white oak over the years.





As a child, he had played many a day underneath the tree's ample shade, and he had continued to visit the tree, located at the corner of Finley and Dearing streets, many times as an adult, whenever he needed a quiet place to read or relax.

In 1906, several years after Jackson died, philanthropist George F. Peabody -- famous today for the Peabody Awards given annually in his name -- donated a marble marker to the tree. The marker informed passers-by of the tree's unique history.

The Tree That Owns Itself stood for many years after the first stories of its ownership of itself began to surface, and it continued to attract a steady flow of curious visitors as the decades passed.

However, as all things must, Jackson's beloved tree died in 1942 after being blown over in a windstorm. The 150-year-old tree had suffered for some time from root disease, and the high winds proved more than it could bear.

For four years after the fall, the site marked by Peabody's marble monument stood empty except for the weeds that soon took over. It was in this same empty plot of land that Magill wanted his mother's garden club to plant a tree in 1946.

The members of the club took up Magill's suggestion, and soon had spread the word about town that they were looking for a descendant from the famous oak to plant in its place. As it turned out, there was more than one family in possession of progeny from the original tree.

The club chose a sapling belonging to Capt. and Mrs. Jack Watson because of its size and likelihood for survival. The Watsons' tree was said to have been grown from an acorn that had fallen from The Tree That Owned Itself.

On Dec. 4, 1946, the tiny tree, standing three feet above ground, was planted in the same spot its parent had occupied for a century and a half. Athens Mayor Bob McWhorter christened the seedling at an official ceremony, and when all was said and done, the town again was home to a Tree That Owns Itself. More than 50 years have passed since the replanting. The white oak now stands 50 feet tall and is one of the most popular attractions for tourists and new residents

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot defend themselves or run away. And
few destroyers of trees ever plant any; nor can planting avail much toward
restoring our grand aboriginal giants. It took more than three thousand
years to make some of the oldest of the Sequoias, trees that are still
standing in perfect strength and beauty, waving and singing in the mighty
forests of the Sierra. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer
(1838-1914)

Word a Day

If you love words and enjoy learning about them then go here and sign up for the free daily email.http://wordsmith.org/awad/sub.html




" The magic of words -- that's what A.Word.A.Day (AWAD) is about.
We are a community of more than 600,000 linguaphiles in at least 200 countries. You too can join us."

"

And then this from Eric Shakle's ebook

At 76 I have 4 more years to go before I make it to 80......so I have all this to look forward to. ,,,:)---< CHANCY



LIFE BEGINS AT 80

By Frank C. Laubach

I have good news for you. The first 80 years are the hardest. The second 80 are a succession of birthday parties. Once you reach 80, everyone wants to carry your baggage and help you up the steps. If you forget your name or anybody else's name, or an appointment, or your own telephone number, or promise to be three places at the same time, or can't remember how many grandchildren you have, you need only explain that you are 80.

Being 80 is a lot better than being 70. At 70 people are mad at you for everything. At 80 you have a perfect excuse no matter what you do. If you act foolishly, it's your second childhood. Everybody is looking for symptoms of softening of the brain.

Being 70 is no fun at all. At that age they expect you to retire to a house in Florida and complain about your arthritis (they used to call it lumbago) and you ask everybody to stop mumbling because you can't understand them. (Actually your hearing is about 50 percent gone.)

If you survive until you are 80, everybody is surprised that you are still alive. They treat you with respect just for having lived so long. Actually they seem surprised that you can walk and talk sensibly.

So please, folks, try to make it to 80. It's the best time of life. People forgive you for anything. If you ask me, life begins at 80.

Reprinted by permission of the Laubach Family Association

Eric Shakle

Eric Shakle began his "ebook" some years back when he turned 80.
Read what he had to say:

"

Like most of my generation, I used to regard the Internet as a fearsome monster rapidly devouring the world we knew. Then at the age of 79, I bought my first computer, studied David Pogue's hilarious book The i-Mac for Dummies, and began a new life. Captivated by the magic of the World Wide Web, I began writing freelance articles about my discoveries. Some of them have been published by the New York Times, the Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada), the Straits Times (Singapore) and the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) plus other newspapers and magazines around the world.

"

And also what his son said about him:

I thought that I would never see
My father grasp technology.
Now his thoughts rush 'round the world
A brain let loose like flags unfurled.
Ian Shackle, Frog Rock, New South Wales, Australia

http://bdb.co.za/shackle/ebook.htm



http://www.mayyoubeblessedmovie.com/

Just for lent no more "nagativity"

Yesterday I decided that I have gotten way too negative recently in my thoughts, self talk and my conversations with my husband and others. So--------------------I have decided to give up "negativity" for Lent.
Today I have caught myself dozens of times getting ready to come out with a negative and I backed up and started over or said nothing at all. Plus I am thinking positive thoughts when a negative comes to mind. Maybe the "nagativity"( but I love my new word)..... has to do with this bronchitis I have been fighting that drained me. I am feeling 98% better today so that's a plus.

We'll see how it goes.

Why?

The original Medicare plan that I have has worked well and is fair and efficient. Easy to sign up for, easy to understand and for the most part efficient .Most doctors take assignment and file for their patients..

By contrast, the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan D is indeed a convoluted mess. I consider myself computer savvy enough to utilize the www.medicare.gov web site and I have compared plans. With all the road blocks, sign up hurdles, donut holes, hidden costs and kowtowing to the drug companies it defies logic that Congress allowed this plan take effect.

My main gripe with those who produced this new "Drug Benefit" is this: WHY DID YOU MAKE IT SO COMPLICATED?

TVSeries

What is your favorite TV show? Right now my favorite is "Boston Legal" At times the story line can get far fetched but that is just the nature of the beast of a TV series. I especially like Allan Shore and Denny Crane and the nightly ritual of musing over their day as they enjoy a brandy or a beer and cigar on the balcony of the law firm's building. In many ways James spader ( Allan Shore ) reminds me of Charles Laughton in some of the old black and white films. His mannerisms and the pacing of his dialogue are similar to Laughton's. He and William Shatner make a good team. Good writers superior direction and writers make this an interesting series. And on occasion they throw in some gentle digs at the Bush administration which I enjoy.

Pull a rabbit out of your hat. That's the secret both to trial law and life." - Denny Crane



"You have a job to do, and
so do it. Yours is to sell
socks and suspenders. Mine is to cross examine people like you and crush them."
- Alan Shore

Today

February is such a humdrum month. Schizoid weather patterns abound this month in Atlanta with 60 to 70 degrees one day and then a few days later we get 28 degrees with freezing rain. The daffodils are coming up and blooming...then the freeze gets them. The pansies seem to like the changes in temperature and are blooming their little heads off in riots of color.

So, Hooray for the stalwart pansies.

Western Union sends last telegram

I had a humorous experience with Western Union back in the '60's

A friend of mine entered the Pillsbury Bake Off Contest. Her recipe was for "Batter-Up Beef Pie" made with canned Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Pillsbury flour and so on.
She had my husband and I over to taste test it and it was not bad but we did not think she had a chance of winning.

Lo and behold Caroline did win the regional bake off and won a trip to Los angeles for the nation wide "Bake-Off. We were frankly surprised. One reason being Caroline looked like Eva Gabor and was very glamorous. Not your typical picture of a bake off winner.

The day of the Bake Off, we sent Caroline a dozen roses and a telegram saying:

"Everything's coming up roses. Good luck."

The next day, after losing the Bake Off, Caroline called Western Union to reply and said:

"Roses dead. So is Stew"

The shocked Western Union Operator interrupted and said:

"Oh I am so sorry. How did they die?"

(Easier to communicate in writing than over the telephone :))

Caroline did win a new stove and the trip to LA.....

"Forever Young" by Bob Dylan

I just found this on the internet. The sentiment expressed in these lyrics is so true. The secret to eternal youth is not in creams and potions but in attitude.





FOREVER YOUNG

BOB DYLAN

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

Me

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.

Lots of wisdom here

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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.

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/

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."

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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.

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" :(

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

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

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.
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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

Do you hear what I hear?

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"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)
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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.

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

Another from Mandarin Designs

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"
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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."
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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

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.

What type of intelligence am I quiz :) Fun quizes

7 Types of Intelligence - Which is yours?
brought to you by Quizilla

From the Vent :)

in our local newspaper

The best treatment for wrinkles? Soft lights and older friends

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.

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...

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.