New Wonder Drug?

Did you read this article over the holiday about the health benefits of watermelon?






By BETSY BLANEY

"Associated Press Writer

LUBBOCK, Texas — A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks going all night long.

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.


Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body's enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.

The nitric oxide can also help with angina, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, according to the study, which was paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Citrulline is found in all colors of watermelon and is highest in the yellow-fleshed types, said Penelope Perkins-Veazie, a USDA researcher in Lane, Okla.

She said Patil's research is valid, but with a caveat: One would need to eat about six cups of watermelon to get enough citrulline to boost the body's arginine level.

"The problem you have when you eat a lot of watermelon is you tend to run to the bathroom more," Perkins-Veazie said."
----------------------


This reminds me of the old Tom T. Hall song,

Old Dogs and children, and watermelon wine

"Ain't but three Things in this World
That's worth a solitary Dime,
But old Dogs and Children
And Watermelon Wine."

Blog Anniversary.

I just realized that this is the 3 year anniversary of my blog "Driftwood Inspiration." I enjoy blogging here but I think I enjoy even more reading other blogs and commenting on them.

So many interesting posts and differing points of view on a myriad of subjects. And a varied group of people. I find myself drawn to about a dozen blogs which I read several times a week and I try to comment when I have something interesting to add to the discussion.

Most of the blogs I visit I found from links on "Times Goes By" Ronni Bennett's blog. Isn't she a treasure?

So here's to all my many blogger friends. Thanks for stopping by and commenting now and then.

Have a great week and a wonderful tomorrow.

As Time Goes By--the original.

"Casablanca" is one movie that never grows old and rusty or dated. I first saw it as a 14 year old at the Palace Theater in Athens,Georgia and now whenever "Casablanca" is shown on Turner Classic Movies I settle down for a good time with a tear or two as Rick and Ilsa say farewell on that long ago foggy night

This article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution caught my eye and Jay Bookman captures the continuing appeal that "Casablanca" has for some of us.

Do you remember "Casablanca?"

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


Bookman: As time goes by, one movie's magic continues
By JAY BOOKMAN
Cox News Service

Thursday, June 19, 2008

"ATLANTA — We got there early, or so I thought. But no.

Some 4,000 people had gotten there ahead of us, forcing us to take seats in the far upper reaches of the cavernous, historic Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta. We had all been drawn out of our air-conditioned homes on a warm summer evening, pulled away from our TVs and computers and video games, by the chance to watch a black-and-white movie churned out by the studio system more than 60 years ago, long before most of us in the audience had been born.

We came to watch Humphrey Bogart lament that "of all the gin joints in all the world, she walks into mine."

We came to giggle at Claude Rains claiming to be"shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here."

And we came to hear Bogie tell Ingrid Bergman one more time that "it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."

The enduring appeal of "Casablanca" would probably startle those who made the movie, because it's such a product of a unique moment in our history. While actors were saying those now-famous lines on a Hollywood soundstage, hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers were being shipped overseas in the opening months of World War II. It wasn't melodrama to say that the fate of the world hung in the balance, giving the screenplay a power that is sometimes lost on modern audiences. Early in the movie, for example, Rick pinpoints the exact moment in time in which the events take place.

"Sam, if it's December 1941 in Casablanca, what time is it in New York?"

"Uh, my watch stopped," Sam replies.

"I'll bet they're sleeping in New York. I bet they're sleeping all over America."

The original audience knew quite well what Rick did not, that on Dec. 7, 1941, a wakeup call was coming in the form of Pearl Harbor.

"Casablanca" is many things — a date movie, a chick flick, a war movie, a spy thriller. But it is also a profoundly political movie about the importance of surrendering individual desires for the greater common good, particularly when great things are at stake. We can't all be Victor Laszlo, the charismatic, virtuous hero, but as Rick finally learns, each of us must sacrifice to do our part. That too had a particular resonance for a WWII audience.

So why does the movie still fascinate us even now, in a very different time and place? The movie supplies its own answer: Because it's still the same old story, the fight for love and glory. The fundamental things still apply.

There is also an undeniable magic to the familiar, like the old family stories that get retold every year at the holidays even though everybody already knows every line and detail. When Rick and Ilsa are first reunited, you anticipate the bitter sting of that line you know is coming: "I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue." And when it comes, it never disappoints.

At the end, after Rick walked off into the fog with Louie proclaiming "the beginning of a beautiful friendship," the audience cheered and applauded. But later, as we made our way to the car, the youngest family member remarked that she hadn't realized how silly the movie was.

Silly? One of the greatest movies of all time, silly?

Yes, she said. Silly because at the end, they made Ilsa out to be so stupid and helpless.

Oh, that. Yes, there is that.

"I ran away from you once," Ilsa says, her head lolling on Rick's shoulder. "I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right anymore. You'll have to think for both of us, for all of us."

Those are not the words of the noble, strong Ilsa we've come to know. They are the words of a screenwriter trying to wrap things up. If you look too closely, the plot creaks and groans in a lot of places, particularly in its reliance on magical "letters of transit" allowing anyone to flee the purgatory of Casablanca.

However, you learn to overlook the imperfections of old friends as you get older — you know, as time goes by."



Jay Bookman writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

High tech

We HAD to get new cell phones because my hubby lost his and we are on the same account. It was about time as ours were about 5 years old and many advances in hi tech have been made. Hubby went to the AT&T store and got 2 of the new model Nokias. He even got one with a camera phone; not that we really need that feature but most of the new ones come with camera feature.

I am the techie (lol) in our family and when he came in and we opened the boxes and got out the instructions I felt overwhelmed with all the jargon and stuff but I was giving it a game try when our 11 year old grandson came by. Hooray! He can do it with ease. (I went upstairs to take a Zanax); the techie stress of a short time of reading the instructions before he got here was grating on my nerves.

Well, in no time at all he had the cell all set up with speed dial, and all the other features, including a neat analog clock on the face of the phone.Thank heavens for our own little "Geek Squad"

This morning I was fooling around with the cell phone and becoming acquainted with it when I noticed the time on the analog clock was not right. I checked the instructions and could find no way to reset the clock.

Hubby and I went out to supper and I brought my cell phone along to show him some of the features and to show off how much I had learned during the day today

I handed the phone to him and said ""See the time is not right on this analog clock and I don't know how to reset it.I am sure when S comes back over he can fix it. I told him about the problem today"

Hubby handed the phone back to me and said. "You are looking at the clock upside down"

So much for my tech expertise.:o)

Memories of food

Memories of Food

No. Not foods that improve your memory, but the food you most fondly remember from the past.

When my husband was still working with his former company we traveled a great deal, Many cities in the US, Europe, Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Puerto Rico and points north, south east and west.

We dined in many fine restaurants during our travels. Some of the best in the world.

But when I get nostalgic about food and crave something from the past it is not a dish like pressed duck from Tour d'Argent in Paris, or Caviar and Vodka from the restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.

.

Fancy restaurants of France , DC , NYC, ...No ...I want a pipping hot dish of chicken and dumplings made by my mother in law when she was still alive. Banana pudding and sweet potato pie by my Mother. Country vegetables. Pear preserves. Corn sticks. Frances and Virginia Tearoom hot turkey and egg bread

And one of my favorite restaurant memories is of the Frances and Virginia Tearoom in downtown Atlanta during a simplier time in a slower paced city.

"The Frances Virginia Tea Room became a landmark in early Atlanta, and by 1943 they were serving more than 2,000 meals. Diners celebrated the opening of "Gone with the Wind," mourned the death of President Roosevelt, and they watched the Fourth of July Parades from the Peachtree windows. In 1962 the owners toasted their retirement and closed the restaurant's doors. Millie Coleman took her memories and love for the restaurant and created this wonderful cookbook. Her Aunt Agnes, the dietician/home economist who planned the meals for the elegant Atlanta tea room, dusted her old recipe files off and painstakingly converted them to family sizes. While the focus is on the recipes, each chapter begins with a page of history or nostalgic memories.
This excerpt perhaps best describes the elegance of the tea room and the times:
"There were no written rules of behaviour, just years of admonitions from mothers and grandmothers. And for some reason, when you walked into the dining room, you immediately took pleasure in sitting properly, crossing your legs at the ankles, keeping one hand correctly in your lap"

I have the "Frances and Virginia Tearoom Cookbook" which is still in print but I could never duplicate the "yumminess" of the original dishes. Target has the cookbook if you want to check out the Target website and read about it.


What are some of your fondest memories of food?

Favorite products..what are yours?

What beauty or cleansing product can you not do without?

I adore Cetaphil Cleansing Gentle makeup remover or facial cleanser. It is great even for eye makeup and the few times I wear mascara.


Blistex lip balm (the one in the round pink tin) and Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream. Yummy for that ultra dry feeling. My nails are dry and brittle and this seems to help some. And the Burt's Bees Cream has a fresh lemon smell.


Premarin Vaginal Cream.---- (don't laugh)YEP!!! I use it on my face and have done so for at least 30 years. recommended by my former dermatologist as a night cream I do believe this has kept my 78 year old skin more wrinkle free than if I had done without it.And it feels good.

(Info from Drugstore.com)


"CETAPHIL® cleanser was formulated for dermatologists as a gentle, non-irritating cleanser for even the most sensitive skin. Unlike soap, CETAPHIL is completely non-alkaline, non-comedogenic, and fragrance free. Soothes and softens as it cleanses, helping the skin retain needed moisture. Use for face, hands, and the entire body." .


"Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream

This seasonal favorite from Burt's offers up a soothing blend of natural ingredients, including nourishing Vitamin E, for the intensive care of dry cuticles, brittle nails, and chapped, cracked fingertips"



"Blistex DCT (Daily Conditioning Treatment for Lips) combines moisturizers, vitamins and protectants to provide a daily maintenance regimen for your lips.

DCT keeps your lips in perfect conditions every day of the year, in all climates, through all activities.

Smooth & Supple Lips: DCT nurtures your lips with two proven moisturizers, Aloe Vera and Cocoa Butter, plus Vitamins A&E. DCT softens and smoothes the surface of lips to help them look and feel young. DCT helps to prevent and replenish moisture-starved cells that can occur from daily exposure to dry air and other environmental conditions."

Blog blackmail

Beards---- Oh MY

This is from "Word A Day" email for today. I hope you find it interesting. Check out the crazy beards on the link by clicking on the title of this post.





"Over the years we have featured weeks of words about words, we have had
words about birds, and now it's time for, well, words about beards.

Are bearded people irritating? While some find a beard on a man attractive,
it repels others. Like barbed wire, literally speaking. The words barb,
barber, rebarbative, and beard are derived from the same root: Latin barba
(beard). And though many bards have beards, there is no connection between
the two words.

Though most men have only a fleeting interest in pogonotrophy (growing of a
beard, from Greek pogon, beard + -trophy, nourishment or growth), growing
it now, shaving it when the fancy strikes, for some, beards are a serious
business. There's even a biannual championship event for the bearded:
http://worldbeardchampionships.com/

This week we'll see five words having to do with facial hair. They are pure
beard words as the week starts out, and like beards growing slender at the
bottom, as the week ends the connection becomes slender too.


sideburns (SYDE-burnz) plural noun

Hair grown on the sides of a man's face, when worn with an unbearded chin.

[After Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-1881), who served as a general in the
Union Army in the American Civil War, and who earned more recognition for his
side whiskers than for his military career. Eventually the term burnsides
morphed into sideburns as such a facial pattern was on the sides of a face.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=sideburns

-Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)

"Queensland paramedics claim they have been threatened with the sack
unless they shave off their beards, moustaches and sideburns."
Darrell Giles; Paramedics' Facial Hair
Threat; The Sunday Mail



If you want to subscribe (free) to Word a Day) here is the address

http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html


Be sure you click on the beards link:)

What American accent do you have?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The South   That's a Southern accent you've got there. You may love it, you may hate it, you may swear you don't have it, but whatever the case, we can hear it.
Philadelphia
The Midland
The Northeast
The Inland North
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

They pegged me right, however there are quite a few different Southern accents. Tennessee is different from Alabama and even Georgia where I live has several different regional accents.

Obama

Today it looks as if Barack Obama, is almost all set for the Democratic nomination. I had hoped to see a woman elected President of the United States in my lifetime but I guess it was not to be. Even though I was pulling for Hillary, I will vote for Obama in the general election instead.

I have read both of Obama's books and am now reading " Obama-From Promise To Power" by David Mendell,a reporter with the Chicago Tribune who covered Obama extensively during his campaign for the U.S. Senate. "From Promise To Power" reads like a novel. This extremely well written and interesting book fleshes out the candidate and is a fine companion to Obama's personal memoirs, "Dreams of My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope"

And from Amazon:

"Mendell tracks Obama's rise through the frustrations of community organizing and the rough-and-tumble world of Chicago politics to the rarefied, if no less brutal, world of the U.S. Senate. Mendell draws on interviews with Obama, his wife, family, friends, aides, and rivals, as well as his own extensive coverage since Obama's days in the Illinois Senate, to offer a nuanced, compelling look at a man of idealism and ambition intent on making history."

What kind of shoe am I?

You Are Bare Feet

You are a true free spirit, and you can't be tied down. Even wearing shoes can be a little too constraining for you at times! You are very comfortable in your own skin. You are one of the most real people around. You don't have anything to hide. Open and accepting, you are willing to discuss or entertain almost any topic. You are a very tolerant person. You are accepting and not judgmental. You should live: Somewhere warm You should work: At your own business, where you can set the rules

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Getting old is not for sissies.

It is my fault that I had not seen my old friend for a number of years. I had talked to her on the phone and knew she was not well but that was as far as I went; until today. I bought her a pretty little potted rose at the grocery store and just dropped by her house.
She has full time, round the clock care and she is bed ridden. I knew that she was bed ridden and on oxygen but I was not prepared for the sight of her in a wheel chair with the oxygen tube in her nose. Her hands and legs shook. Her face and body was swollen. But her mind is sharp.
We talked about old times. About grand children. About books, but most importantly, after she asked if I had gone, we talked about the funeral I had attended yesterday. Her ex husband had died after a long, lingering illness. He had remarried a much younger woman about 20 years ago but still, he was the father of their grown children and the grandfather of their 12 grandchildren. No matter how long they had been divorced I knew this was a difficult time for my friend but she was holding up valiently.She asked me about details of the funeral service and if the crowd was large. I filled in the blanks and told her how wonderfully their grown children had paid tribute to their father.

I know it is not customary, but it did seem so awkward and sad to me that nowhere in the funeral program or on his bio or obituary was there any mention of my friend, his first wife and the mother of their 4 adult children.Of course I did not mention this to my friend but I am sure she was aware that her contributions to his life and success were completely ignored. Almost as if she had never existed.

I am glad I went to visit with my dear old friend who is 2 years younger than I am.

I left thinking, "There but for the grace of God go I"

This short quiz pegged me 100%--Try it yourself

You Belong in the Silent Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1925 and 1942. You are a person of high values and character. Family, your country, loyalty, and hard work all important to you. You are willing to do what's right, even when it's difficult.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

Idol mistake

Do any of you watch "American Idol" Despite it's occasional cheesiness my husband and I look forward to the show each week.

On Thursday we were ready to throw an old shoe at the show when they eliminated the singer Michael Johns. He is the nice looking guy with a fine voice and stage presence. He is originally from Australia but now lives in the US. For a time, according to his bio Johns lived and worked for a time in Atlanta(Buckhead). Buckhead is a suburb which is not far from downtown.

I was so shocked when Ryan Seacrest announced on Thursday that Johns was cut from the show after having received the lowest number of votes. The two women who were also in the bottom three but were not cut are not nearly as talented as Johns.

Sometimes I wonder if the show is fixed when a clear "mistake" like this happens.

Oh well, life goes on.

Happy Birthday to my favorite "Elder Blogger" Ronni Bennett of "Time Goes By"

Happy Birthday to my favorite "Elder Blogger" Ronni Bennett of "Time Goes By"

A few years ago I went to Google and typed in "old age." I thought I would find some useful information about the aging process.

Since I was already an elder I needed all the help, inspiriaton and encouragement I could get.

One of the first sites that came up was TGB.

I wandered over and became acquainted with Ronni Bennett and her refreshingly honest outlook on growing old.

What a serendipitious discovery that was.

I read Time Goes By the first thing when I turn on my computer each day.

I am never disappointed. I am always challenged to think for myself.

I grow a little bit stronger in mind and spirit each day because of "Time Goes By."

Thank You Ronni

And again

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Janet
aka chancy

Customer service?

When I read the following on the "Reader's Digest" web site I got a chuckle since it was so true of all the automated customer care non service we usually experience when calling many companies, and in my case especially our cable company, Comcast. .

This is an excerpt from a RD column by Mary Roach.

Enjoy





"Please wait, a customer-care representative will be with you shortly, or be short with you, or something. Currently all of our representatives are busy helping dilute our profits. Calls will be answered in the order in which we feel like.

Your expected wait time is 42 minutes. Your expected blood pressure is 210/130. You may hear clicks followed by silence. You may hear "Whole Lotta Love" done entirely in strings.

You may hear yourself say regrettable things, which may be monitored and/or recorded. For example, our records show that you used the phrase "gabbling nitwit" during your last call to customer care. This has been noted in your record and will be reflected in the quality of service you receive and the tone of voice of the customer-care representative, should you somehow manage to reach one.

I'm sorry, 0 is not a valid prompt, even if pushed furiously 11 times in rapid succession.

To use our express automated-speech response system, press 1. To hear our website address, press 2. To speak to someone about your anger-management problem, press 3.

3 is not a valid prompt. Thank you for calling. "

One of our own is ill

I have enjoyed a blog "Maya's Granny" which I discovered via Ronni Bennett's "Time Goes By" Granny lives in Alaska and Maya is her grand daughter who lives in California. Granny writes beautifully about interesting events from the past and present time also.

About a month ago Granny had serious health problems and was hospitalized and later had open heart surgery. Her daughter, Julie, came from California to be with her. The surgery went well but Granny is undergoing a long recuperative period now in an Extended Care Facility..

She has access to a computer for a short time each day. I know she would appreciate any words of encouragement from the blogesphere.

Since I do not know how to include a link to "Maya's Granny" in the body of my post; check out the link by clicking on the title of this post

GET WELL SOON GRANNY

What I am reading "The Funny Boys"

I love finding a new book unexpectantly at the library. One I have never heard about. A new (to me) author also. That is what happened on Thursday at my nearby branch library. I browsed the new books on a "special shelf" and came across a book. "The Funny Boys" by Warren Adler. Just by looking at the cover I could tell it was about two bit gangsters, flappers, and an entertainer. The simple black and white silhouettes on the grey and white background cover piqued my interest. I sat down and,as is my custom, read the summary and first few pages and found the book was about the 1930's era in a Catskill Mountain Hotel Casino where New York gangsters and their families spent time in the summers.

After reading the first chapter I decided that I would check it out. A good choice as I was highly entertained and finished "The Funny Boys" in two days.An enjoyable read. Not "War And Peace". Just good escapist reading. Some violence but a lot of humor.

I later found out that the author,Larry Adler,who is also a screen writer,has published several other novels, including one which was made into a movie, "The War Of The Roses" starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.


FROM AMAZON

"Mickey Fine---with a promising future in comedy. Attracted to the applause of the crowd at a lavish hotel casino in the Catskills, he gets a job as a tumler--part entertainer, part host, all funny boy. But he is naïve to the more sinister side of his audience. They are mobsters and power players of New York's scandalous underbelly--men with whom Mickey had run-ins during his childhood.

When Mutzie Feder, a Jean Harlow-esque gangster girlfriend, gets into the act with dreams of escaping her brutal reality, sparks fly between her and Mickey. But as their circumstances start to catch up with them--and the body count starts mounting from the rough crowd they're running with--Mickey and Mutzie start angling for a way out. That, of course, isn't as easy as it sounds.

With film rights already optioned to a major producer, Funny Boys is a timeless love story and a sweeping American tale told as only Warren Adler could tell it. Smart, wry, and beautifully written, it's as unforgettable and authentic as anything Damon Runyon or Ring Lardner ever wrote, from a writer with a keen eye, an acute ear, and a very big heart."

The Atlanta tornado missed us

Last Friday night my husband and college age grandson and I were watching the NCAA championship basketball game between Alabama and Mississippi State. Our grandson had stopped for the night on his way home from the University of Alabama to South Carolina for spring break.

It was an exciting, close game and the two guys were glued to the TV hoping for an Alabama win. Suddenly everyone in the stadium of over 20,000 people started looking up toward the ceiling of the dome as the roof started swaying and pieces of the roof tore off. There was a loud noise that was later described as sounding like a freight train. Those seated highest up in the "nose bleed" section started making their way down to safety. The sports announcers and several cameramen were visibly shaken as they recounted what had happened. And one of the cameramen who was perched in a swaying basket like filming structure near the roof said he rushed down a ladder to safety as fast as possible.

No one knew exactly what had happened. The game was delayed for over an hour as the officials accessed the situation. Tornado or high winds they decided.

As it turned out it was indeed a tornado that had struck downtown Atlanta, the CNN Center, Georgia World Congress Center, skimming directly over the Georgia Dome with all those fans inside. What a close call for them. The sports announders said that the security and officials in the Georgia Dome did a great job of maintaining calm; thus avoiding a stampede for the exits.

We live within 5 miles of the area where the tornado hit but we were not directly affected. We did have high winds, heavy rain and lightening and thunder Our weather radio alarm kept going off with tornado warnings but thankfully our area was sparred the direct impact.

"ATLANTA (AP) - Alabama and Mississippi State were locked in a thrilling game at the Southeastern Conference tournament. Suddenly, everyone started looking toward the roof of the Georgia Dome, wondering where that rumbling sound was coming from.

What they saw was terrifying.

Metal scaffolding and a temporary video board swaying back and forth. The huge fabric roof flapping like a flag in a stiff breeze. Two large panels above the upper deck starting to peel away. Small chunks of insulation and debris drifting toward the court."

No Country For Old Men-(-and old women)

We went to the movies on Friday. This was our first one in about a year and we chose the Academy Award Winner, "No Country For Old Men."
We had talked about going earlier since Sam had read the book by Cormac McCarthy and liked it but we delayed and then the film was gone from our neighborhood theater. Lo and behold after the Academy Awards, NCFOM came back so we went.

I cannot say I "enjoyed "No Country." But it was a movie I will never forget as many ot the Coen brothers films like "Fargo" tend to be. Their films have a way of sticking in my mind and they make me think. This one was extremely violent but I soon got used to that aspect of NC and relaxed into the story of a drug sale gone bad in the deserted Texas countryside.

From IMDB:

"Moss decides to simply take the two million dollars present for himself. This puts the psychopathic killer, Anton Chigurh, on his trail as he dispassionately murders nearly every rival, bystander and even employer in his pursuit of his quarry and the money. As Moss desperately attempts to keep one step ahead, the blood from this hunt begins to flow behind him with relentlessly growing intensity as Chigurh closes in. Meanwhile, the laconic Sherrif Ed Tom Bell blithely oversees the investigation even as he struggles to face the sheer enormity of the crimes he is attempting to thwart"


I was still trying to figure out the ending of this movie after I got home so I finally went to IMDB and read a plot synopsis and then I sorta understood.


I think .:)

.

The "Beagle" has landed

Did you happen to watch the Westminister Dog Show last week? The Beagle won. The first time in the over 100 year history of the dog show that a beagle has won Best In Show.

Uno is his name and he was regal and spirited and quite a ham. When the judge called Uno out to the center and presented the trophy to his handler the crowd went wild and roared. With that, Uno could no longer retain his show ring composure. He stood on his hind legs, leaned against his handler and barked; then threw his head back and howled.

Bless his heart.

And don't you know Charles Schultz and Snoopy were looking down from heaven grinning from ear to ear.

24/7 news

and a quote about how discomfited we can become with too much exposure to a daily diet of bad news.

"When I was a child people simply looked about them and were moderately happy; today they peer beyond the seven seas, bury themselves waist deep in tidings, and by and large what they see and hear makes them unutterably sad."

~ E. B. White

Conversation.

I happened upon this quote by the Dalai Lama:

"Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, his/her conversational skills will be as important as any other."

Sam and I have been married for 56 years and we still love to talk to each other. From the very beginning we have been able to enjoy each other's company and good conversation.


I always think it is so sad to see an older couple having dinner out and sitting in complete silence during the entire meal with nothing left to talk about.

We are blessed.

The big snow of '08

Atlanta got a bare sprinkling of snow today. It was just enough to excite the little ones who are snow starved here in the deep south. It was pretty for about an hour and looked like someone had lightly sprinkled powered sugar around on the shrubs and grass.

When we turned on the national news tonight at 6:30 we were startled to discover our local station had preempted Brian Williams NBC national news for 30 minutes of local coverage of the "severe weather alert"

We got a good laugh out of this but decided our poor weather guys have gotten so sick of reporting the weather news for the last year when all it has been is "Drought. Dry, No rain" that they deserved a half hour in the spotlight.

Cya ...gotta go sledding now,,, :)

"A Far Cry From Weak"

When I read this editorial in this morning's Atlanta Journal Constitution I had to agree 100%
Here is the pertinent excerpt. I especially agree with paragraph 3:


Clinton a far cry from weak

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/11/08




"Did Hillary Clinton cry, tear up or just get something in her eye during a meet-and-greet with voters in a New Hampshire cafe?

There's been more discussion this week about whether Clinton cried than about her health care plan or her strategy for Iraq. According to the post-mortems of her unexpected New Hampshire victory, Clinton's misty eyes humanized her and caused hundreds of women in New Hampshire to cast their vote for her rather than Barack Obama.

Debate still rages over whether a teardrop actually fell. But if a tear had fallen, does that mean Clinton is unfit for the White House? Given the looming recession, the collapse of the real estate market and the war in Iraq, it's a wonder more Americans aren't weeping."

In writing off Clinton and then crediting her resurgence to tears, pundits underestimated the candidate as well as the voters. It's ridiculous to proclaim that legions of female voters could be swayed by that hint of a tear. After all, Mitt Romney has choked up during the campaign — to no avail.

Perhaps the New Hampshire women who were forecast as Obama voters switched to Clinton after watching her debate the other candidates or answer questions at campaign events. Pundits drubbed most of Clinton's public appearances in New Hampshire, saying she was wonkish and bogged down in detail, while Obama was inspirational."

Maureen Downey, for the editorial board


The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/11/08

A simple quiz

And just to keep us sharp and on our toes here is a simple quiz. Answers below but no peeking. :)


A Simple Quiz




Answers below

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get catgut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?

9) What country do Chinese gooseberries come from?

10) How long did the Thirty Years War last?

ANSWERS:
1) 116 years, from 1337 to 1453. 2) Ecuador. 3) From sheep and horses. 4) November. The Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours. 5) Squirrel fur. 6) The Latin name was Insularia Canaria - Island of the Dogs. 7) Albert. When he came to the throne in 1936 respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert. 8) Distinctively crimson. 9) New Zealand. 10) Thirty years, of course


(I MISSED 8 -- HOW ABOUT YOU??)

Positively Honest

This story reminds me of something similar that happened when we moved 5 years ago into our townhouse.

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

Woman loses ring in fudge, gets it back Sat Dec 29, 8:14 PM ET



LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A woman whose diamond ring vanished while she was making fudge for a bake sale was despondent after scouring her home and finding no sign of it.



But Linda Vancel recently got a sweet surprise: A relative of the woman who bought the fudge found the ring when he bit into a piece of the candy.

"It's a very sentimental ring," Vancel said of the white gold ring her mother, who died 15 years ago, wore for 50 years before passing it on.

Linda Rhoades bought the fudge during a bake sale in West Lafayette. She took some of it to her sister-in-law's father, Charles "Red" Matson, in hopes of cheering him up after recent health problems.

When Matson snacked on a piece of the fudge, he bit into something hard — the ring.

Rhoades said Matson called her and said, "Well, Linda, it's got chocolate all over it, but it doesn't look adjustable. It's got a stone that's really shiny."

Vancel said she had scoured her home, even dumping the trash can on the kitchen floor to sort through the rubbish for the ring. Finally she thought to track down Rhoades and sent her a long-shot e-mail, which Rhoades returned as soon as she got back from vacation.

"It renews your faith in people," Vancel said. "Sometimes there's so much negative in the world, to hear a story like this is reassuring."
-------

When we moved into our townhouse we did some extensive remodeling and the counter tops and cabinets in the kitchen were covered with a lot of fine sheet rock dust. We hired some cleaning ladies to come in and help clean up the mess through out. One of the ladies is the wife of a moving company employee and she runs a small cleaning company. They all immigrated from South America as few years back. The moving company, "Truck And I," has achieved good success with hard work and perseverance. Except for Hazel, the boss and owner of the small cleaning company, the other two ladies were strangers to us.

As they worked hard at wiping out the insides of the cabinets, one of them, called me to come into the kitchen. She held out her hand and showed me a ladies ring, gold and set with some lovely stones. I could tell at once it was valuable. I told her "This is not my ring.The previous owner must have accidently left her ring in the cabinet."

I thanked her and praised her for her honesty and proceeded to call Mrs T, from whom we purchased the house.

Turns out it WAS her ring and she had not missed it in the hustle and bustle of their moving. She has three small children and was distracted by all the packing as they were planning to move to Canada where her husband was opening a branch of an Atlanta company

Mrs T came by immediately and retrieved her ring. She said it had great sentimental value. It was her engagement ring.

I have always thought this was a lovely story. Mrs T asked for Hazel's phone number so she could call and send a reward to her honest employee.

Isn't this an inspirational story. Do you have any similar positive experiences you can remember?

"It renews your faith in people," Vancel said. "Sometimes there's so much negative in the world, to hear a story like this is reassuring."

HAPPY NEW YEAR

New Year's Resolutions:

Since New Year's Resolutions are so hard to keep here are some easy ones:



"Are you sick of making the same resolutions year after year and yet you never keep them? Here are some resolutions that you can actually accomplish! Enjoy! :-)

10. Read less.


9. I want to gain weight. Put on at least 30 pounds.

8. Stop exercising. Waste of time.

7. Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff.


6. Procrastinate more.

5. Drink. Drink some more.

4. Start being superstitious.

3. Spend more time at work.


2. Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more.

and last but not least...

1. Take up a new habit: maybe smoking!"

Annual Christmas Message

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

"In Hoc Anno Domini'
Vermont Royster's annual Christmas message.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST

"This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.

When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.

But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression--for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Christmas Tree Update

.

I did get a "real tree"

Yesterday, when I went to the Publix Grocery store, this pretty little 3 ft tall green fir tree with a red bow on top had my "name on it".

We put it on the front stoop. With the red bow on top and one lone keepsake Snoopy ornament, it is now my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree..

My husband,Sam, teased me when he saw it and said. "You JUST had to have a REAL tree didn't you?"

I had not thought of that aspect of my purchase but subliminally perhaps he is right.

Anyway, I now have the best of both worlds.

Merry Christmas to ALL!!
&
Happy Holidays

The search.

For over 50 years I have been a purist, pure as the driven snow as the old cliche goes. Or as the old Coke ad sang"It's The Real Thing".

Every year about this time my husband and I would set out, first just the two of us and then when the children started arriving into our lives we would all head out in search of perfection. We hardly ever found it. The years passed and the children grew up and moved on with their own lives and personal searches. Then we would, again, just the two of us set out on our search. . After awhile a grand child or two would accompany us on our yearly adventure but soon they too were tied into their own families' searching.

How to break the addiction? This search for perfection? If we dared to branch out would the world stop spinning on it's axis? What would the neighbors think? Then out of the blue I mentioned to my good friend ,Vi, what I was contemplating. And lo and behold she had already beat me to the punch. She had already branched out into virgin territory. Now you would have to know Vi to appreciate the wonder of her personal decision to make such a radical change at her age. She is an arbiter of taste. She has relatives in Charleston SC, the old genteel , society Charleston. She attended the St Cecilia Ball there. She is an artist with impeccable taste.

When I first learned of the change Vi had already made in her lifestyle I was anxious to follow suit. I admired her courage. She is my age and it takes guts to adopt a brand new lifestyle at our advanced age. She directed me to an out of the way warehouse in a somewhat seedy part of town. Normally only open to the "Trade" this spot is now open to the public because the business has been sold and they are liquidating.

Sam and I arrived and walked into the back of the warehouse. Eureka ! There it was. Our search was finally over. As we were looking and walking around it a cheerful grey haired gentleman walked up and told us he had a similar one and his family loved it. He showed us all the features and told how easy his life was now that he had taken the plunge.

He even said with a twinkle in his eye, " I tried to get you an additional discount since that one is the last and is a floor sample but Scrooge here said no deal"

It was already a bargain and so beautifully constructed, even though it was made in China. We brought it into our home and quick as a wink the project was complete.

After finishing we sat down with a nice cup of spice tea marveling at the beauty of this newcomer into our lives.

Our search was over.

We have finally found the Perfect Christmas Tree.

The only problem is this. The tree is guaranteed for 15 years and by then I will be 93.

I need to call a lawyer and change my will.

.

Movie night.

Last night I happened upon an excellent movie on Comcast On Demand. This one is NOT a light holiday film but you might want to consider watching it when you are in the mood for riviting dramatic escapism.

"Notes On A Scandal" is an engrossing story about the relationship between a spinster British school teacher and the new young art teacher. The action turns violent when the spinster, played by Judi Dench threatens to tell the authorities about the younger teacher, Cate Blanchett's torrid love affair with a 15 year old boy at the school.

I know this doesn't sound like the sort of movie one would seek out because of the story line but it is the edge of your seat suspense which hooks you like a book you cannot put down. In "Notes On A Scandal", portraying Barbara Hart, all Judi D. has to do is raise an eyebrow or breathe in silently to evoke an entire range of mostly macabre emotions. Judi Dench is outstanding in her portrayal of the love starved neurotic spinster. So different from Dench's demure portrayal of another unmarried older woman in "Ladies in Lavender."


"Notes on a Scandal" received several Oscar nomination and Judi Dench won the Oscar in "07 for best actress.

Cate Blanchett is also masterful in her role of Sheba, the new art teacher.

From IMDB:
"In her juiciest role since "Mrs Brown," Judi Dench brings an element of sympathy to Barbara, a closeted, self-loathing lesbian school teacher attracted to the new art teacher, Sheba, played by Cate Blanchett. Madly hoping to wrest the heterosexual Sheba from her husband and two children, one of whom has Down Syndrome, Barbara stumbles upon Sheba's sexual dalliance with a 15-year-old student. In a Machiavellian turn, Barbara hopes to manipulate Sheba by maintaining her secret . . . with strings attached. Need I add that all does not go well?"

Down Memory Lane In Slacks.

One of the many things I am thankful for is slacks for women. I live in pants and very seldom do I struggle into panty hose and a skirt. I have several nice skirts and I may perhaps wear them with tights this winter but my apparel of choice is a comfy pair of pants and a top and perhaps a cardigan or pull over sweater layered.

I remember when I got my first pair of blue jeans. I was 15 years old and my two girlfriends and I went downtown and shopped in the boys department for a pair of Levis. We felt slightly risque as we rolled the pants legs up to just below the knees and reveled in our new wardrobe. Those jeans lasted forever and ever. I wish I had saved them since a pair of Levis from 1944 would probably help finance our retirement. Collectors item.

I suppose the advent of pants for women harkens back to WW2 and the women who were called upon to work in defense plants. Prior to that only "daring, avant guard actresses like Katherine Hepburn wore slacks.

Just notice in old movies from the 40's and many times even the 50s women were dressed in skirts or dresses most of the time.

Many of you are not old enough to remember the times of which I write but you probably are also thankful for the freedom of slacks also.

I say Hip Hip Hooray for the comfort and freedom of slacks.

The times they sure are a' changing.

An Incredible journey.

Thinking back on the time when I was clueless about computers and the Internet and how I got started:

10 years ago my hubby and I got our first computer and we were both greenhorns. Our grown son set the contraction up for us and gave us rudimentary lessons about how to use it. In demonstrating the wonder of this (new to us) technology he typed into a search engine "lemon and sex" as an example of how much information was out there in cyber land.:)lol He got hundreds of web sites and I thought it was incredible. For instance here is one site that appeared.

"Lemon Cake
This is my lemon version of the famous Better Than Sex Cake. ... Cover cake with cool whip mixture and arrange 24 lemon "fruit slice" pieces on top.":)

I took to the computer like a duck to water and my first venture online was to a Chat Room. Humm I thought, I will never be able to chat with a hunt and peck typing system. So I forced my fingers and brain to remember my typing skills from 50 plus years ago and soon I was "chatting away" fluently without looking at the keyboard

I have tried many games like Hold 'em Poker on Yahoo and Scrabble and a form of Scrabble, "Bookworm. For awhile I was entertained with blackjack on Yahoo and also the Yahoo current events chat rooms. Other activities includeded "Groups" that I participated in later forming my own group.Also email, research, current events and political blogs and many other blogs. Finally about two years about I took the plunge and started this blog.

I now concentrate mainly on reading and commenting on the many "Elder Blogs" which I found links to on Ronni Bennett's excellent blog, Time Goes By"



I cannot imagine a time without the computer and the windows on the world this technology provides.The access to newspapers and even radio from all over the world, the instant news,and all the information at my fingertips is still a wonder to me.

How long have you been online and what started you on this incredible journey?

How did we survive?

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ
ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED

"TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!"

"First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't
get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby
cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and
when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we
took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special
treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NOONE
actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made
with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were
back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride
down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into
the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no
surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no
Internet or chat rooms.......
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in
us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks
and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not
put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or
rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them !

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem
solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW
TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them CONGRATULATIONS !

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of
our lives for our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave
(and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?! "

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a
good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance ?"

I am slap dab out of ideas

For a post so I thought about this joke:




"An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy
should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young men, the
boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too
concerned about it. One day, while the boy was away at school, his father
decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his
study table four objects:
> - a Bible,
> - a silver dollar,
> - a bottle of whiskey and
> - a Playboy magazine

"I'll just hide behind the door," the old preacher said to himself, "when
he comes home from school this afternoon, I'll see which object he picks up.
If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing
that would be! If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a businessman,
and that would be okay, too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to
be a no-good drunkard, and, Lord, what a shame that would be. A nd worst of
all, if he picks up that magazine he's gonna be a skirt-chasin' bum."
The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's footsteps as he
entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his
books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects
on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.
Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up
the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle
and took a big drink while he admired this month's Centerfold.
"Lord have mercy," the old preacher disgustedly whispered, "he's gonna run
for Congress!"

It tastes like chicken!

I know our ancestors here in the USA used to eat squirrel, especially when making dishes like Brunswick Stew but I personally can not stand the thought. I guess the most unusual dish I have ever eaten was a taste of Frog Leg, and it did taste like chicken.
Oh no! I take that back. When we were in Portugal some years back with another couple. we had a car and driver. Our driver wanted to treat us to an authentic Portugese dish so he stopped at a truck stop. He ordered stewed cowbelly and beans and insisted we all taste it. I was the only brave one and it was not half bad.

Tasted like chicken:)

What is the most unusual food you have ever tried?



From the Dailymail.co.uk
"I haven't tried grey squirrel but people I know who have say it tastes like chicken used to taste when it tasted like chicken."






Top Lakeland restaurant serves up Peking duck-style squirrel pancakes




Nuts: Grey Squirrel is served in canapes

A top restaurant is serving up free grey squirrel pancakes to hungry diners.

Peking duck-style squirrel wraps are being offered to diners at The Famous Wild Boar Hotel.

The restaurant at Crook, near Windermere, in Cumbria, is giving diners the chance to try the canapes free of charge.

The grey squirrels were caught in the hotel's 72-acre woodland grounds and have been prepared by head chef Marc Sanders.

Hotel general manager Andy Lemm said: "Although we do still have red squirrels, the greys are everywhere.

"Our diners seemed to enjoy the squirrel pancakes and I thought they tasted rather nice, a bit like rabbit."

Scroll down for more...


Nibble: Wild Boar Hotel head chef Marc Sanders with the Peking duck-style squirrel treats

Lord Redesdale's Red Squirrel Protection Partnership specialises in trapping and despatching greys to protect the reds.

The partnership has killed 4,521 greys since January, and Lord Redesdale said: "The problem is that when we catch and despatch greys, there is nothing we can do with them.

"We would like to be a supplier of grey squirrels. With an estimated five million greys in the country, there are enough of them to go round."

James Cookson runs the Flying Fox sales and marketing venture for food and rural businesses, based near Morpeth, Northumberland, which also features the Comfort at Meldon Park restaurant.

He said: "Grey squirrels can be eaten and there is no reason why they shouldn't be eaten.

"It makes sense if you are catching something to make use of it.

"We have some grey traps set at the moment and I would be willing to try it, without a doubt.

"If we could get enough greys and a suitable recipe then I can see no reason why it shouldn't be on the menu.

"Our reds are disappearing, and perhaps the more greys that are eaten, the better it is for the reds."

Scroll down for more...


Endangered: Red Squirrels are under threat because of a burgeoning population of greys

Carri Nicholson, manager of the Save Our Squirrels project based at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "It is far more ecologically and environmentally sound to find a use for what is being trapped.

"A number of places in Northumberland are thinking of having grey squirrel on the menu.

"I haven't tried grey squirrel but people I know who have say it tastes like chicken used to taste when it tasted like chicken.

"The Americans have numerous recipes for grey squirrel, with the most popular being Brunswick Stew, which is casseroled squirrel."

Last year Lord Inglewood, who lives near Penrith in Cumbria, warned the red squirrel will soon become extinct if the non-native grey population is allowed to go on increasing.

He suggested then that one way of dealing with the problem would be to foster a market for grey squirrel meat.

He said: "What about celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver promoting it for school dinners? I have never actually eaten a grey squirrel but I am prepared to give it a go."

(one of the comments about this article)
"Here in NY grey squirrel pancake is better known as roadkill."

(click on title of this post for link and for photos of the "cute squirrels")

Super Bug

Please click on the title of this post for a link to a very important Reader's Digest Article about the "Super Bug" that is becoming alarmingly frequent throughout the country. It is resistant to most known antibiotics and can strike anyone, but children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.

If you have grandchildren, even teen age ones, please send this link to their parents so they can be informed and know the symptoms. You can email the RD article from the RD site.

A good friend and classmate of my 11 year old grandson is extremely ill with this condition. He has been in the hospital for over 3 weeks and has just come off the heart lung bypass machine. He remains in a medically induced coma while they try to build up his strength and get his lungs operative again. They do not know how he contracted this. He did play football and he may have had an injury.

His parents took him to the emergency room three seperate times and the ER sent him home thinking it was the flu. He progressively got worse and as his condition deteriorated, they had to helicopter him to another hospital here in Atlanta that had the heart lung machine to keep him alive.

We are all praying for him and his family.
Poor little guy.

Read in the New York Tmes

Ronni Bennett,of "Time Goes By" has recently posted a blog about what we Elders give up as we age. I thought this was a good example:

From the New York Times:

"Youthanasia / (yooth en azhe) / n. / a neologism for the controversial practice of performing a battery of age-defying medical procedures to end lifeless skin and wrinkles; advocated by some as a last-resort measure to put the chronically youth-obsessed out of their misery: “My doctor was on the fence about youthanasia, but I whined so much that he finally agreed to perform my abdominoplasty, mammoplasty and rhytidectomy, all at once. Think of it as mercy lifting."

"A Thousand Splendid Suns"

"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
by Khaled Hosseini


I had not planned to read this book but there it was on the new books shelf at my
neighborhood public library and I said to myself, "Why not"

I hesitated because of the locale and what I had perceived as serious subject matter. Afghanistan. A saga with the Soviet invasion, civil war, the Taliban. To my surprise this book turned out to be the story of two women and their indomitable spirit in the face of unimaginable hardships and tragedy. I highly recommend this book You will not be able to put it down and you will not soon forget it.

From Amazon Reviews:

"A Thousand Splendid Suns is an absolutely wonderful story about the things that keep us going, even when our world falls apart"


"Splendid Suns follows the lives of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, as they move from children to adults. The book spans 30 years, beginning with the Soviet invasion and ending with the overthrow of the Taliban. A Thousand Suns is a moving story about the power of love, the bonds of friendship, the love of country, and the struggle to survive.


BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004.

While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner, in March of 2001. In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and has since become an international bestseller, published in 38 countries. In 2006 he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency. His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May of 2007. He lives in northern California.

Glutton for Punishment

I guess it is that time of year since it seems I get all inspired to get all my ducks in a row and get everything checked in the fall. As you know I got my flu shot, blood checked and eyes checked last week.

Yesterday I saw the ear Doc for a clean out job and hearing test. I had a hearing test about 10 years ago with some hearing loss but in the last few years I seem to be turning the TV up louder, not hearing all of what is said. So it is now official. I am a "good candidate" for a hearing aid".

I can go back and see the audiologist at the Doc's office anytime and get fitted with one. Trouble is I have read enough to learn that hearing aids are very expensive and not easy to deal with.

Do any of you have any experience, either you or family member with hearing aids.

(I am almost persuaed to put it off until next year.)

PS: It is a lovely fall day and the temp will be in the 40's tonight so we have finally broken the back of the long hot summer. Now what we need is about 3 weeks of solid rain to ease the drought.

My Day

At almost 78, I have been ruminating about getting old and I am not sure I like it.I used to be the youngest. Youngest in my family. Youngest in my class with a December birthday. And I am always younger than my hubby Sam who was born in March. But dang it, suddenly I feel O-L-D.



On top of that, today was tiring. First I went to the doctor for a simple blood test for cholesterol and also got a flu shot.After the doctor, and since Target is nearby, I stopped in and picked up a few things. Since I had to fast for the blood test I bought a Snickers bar and ate it on the way back from Target.

I was home for about an hour and then I left for a routine appointment with my eye doctor for a six month check up. I never like to make two medical type appointments on the same day but this one was unavoidable since my eye doctor had to reschedule since he was leaving town,

My appointment was at 2:40 PM. I left my home at 2 PM for a 30 minute drive to the medical office. I had to sit and wait and wait and wait in the doctor's office as he was overbooked. I began to get woozy and I remembered I had not really eaten all day so I had to ask the nurse for juice or candy for a quick blood sugar fix. I am not diabetic. Just hypoglycemic.

Finally,after having my eyes dilated, examined, photographed, pressure measured and getting a report that all is well with my eyesight for the next 6 months I went out into the bright sunlight which blinded me for a time even with sunglasses. A pesky detour on my normal route home (new sewers construction) made the drive less than pleasant.

When I finally arrived back home after 3 grueling hours all total, I rushed in and had hubby fix me a quick PB&J sandwich and a glass of milk. After about 30 minutes I felt better.

I learned three lessons today

Always eat some protein
Do not make two doctors appointments on the same day

AND
Old age is not for sissies

A meme using my real first name "Janet"

I found this on another blog. Try it with your name.

"Go to Google, enter "[your name] needs" in quotes, and post the top ten results. I seem to recall doing this before, but the answers are different now, and funnier. My comments are in [brackets]."


Janet needs our help
she was bold enough to paint an entire wall a warm purple cover.
[UH OH..not a purple wall.]

Janet needs a maid.
[Well now wouldn't that be swell]

Janet needs one of those ankle bracelets that tell her that she’s yo-yo dieting
[Rushing out to Walmart to buy one]


Janet needs to review medicine procurement and the supply chain
[I think I will just stick with my friendly Publix pharmacist]

Janet needs a slap in the face
[Ouch]

Janet needs craft and motivational articles
[Artsy crafty aren't I]

Janet needs to take her car to the shop for an oil change.
[Oh bother]

Janet Needs Another Cat.
[I don't have the first cat]

Janet Needs To Re-Invent Herself,
[Ok. From now on I am "Chancy"]

Janet needs to stop dressing like she's still 20 years old
[I'll drink to that]

Janet needs to be removed today. We had enough of circus for one day
[And I thought you all liked me]



PS: (I had to ignore some of the "Janet needs" because many were in reference to Janet Jackson and her wardrobe malfunction....:))

When the going gets tough

I borrowed this from Roger @ his blog "There's Always Something"


When the Going Gets Tough...


"A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck the mule. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up. It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him, all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

That's life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us. Remember that forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise and hope are all excellent ways to "shake it off and step up" out of the wells in which we find ourselves."

-- Father Joe Sica


click on title of post to visit Roger's blog "There's Always Something

Autumn Nostalgia

Fall is in the air. Today is a beautiful sunny day. Slight breeze, mild temperature. Autumn always makes me nostalgic. I remember when my children were small and this was the time of year to buy new clothes and send them off to school again. And then the leaves would begin to turn lovely colors and before we knew it they covered the ground to be raked up or blown away.


Autumn Memories.

Remember the pure joy of a beautiful, sun kissed fall day when you raked the leaves
And your small children watched in delight as the pile of leaves grew to tower height .

They ran down the slope as fast as they could, squealing and jumping into the big leaf pile
Burrowing deep into the brown, red and golden days of autumn.



What are some of your favorite Autumn memories

Joke Time

A little levity is in order. Enjoy.

GOTTA LOVE THE DRUNK

A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o'clock in the morning by a loud
pounding on the door.
The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing
in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.
'Not a chance,' says the husband. 'It is 3 o'clock in the morning'. He
slams the door and returns to bed.
'Who was that?' asked his wife. 'Just some drunk guy asking for a push!'
'Did you help him?' she asks.
'No. I did not. It is 3 o'clock in the morning and it is pouring rain
outside!'
His wife said, 'Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke
down and those two guys helped us? You should be ashamed of yourself!'
The man dutifully shamed, gets dressed and goes out into the pouring
rain.
He calls out into the dark, 'Hello. Are you still there?'
'Yes,' comes back the answer.
'You still need a push?' calls out the husband.
'Yes! Please!' comes the reply from the darkness.
'Where are you?' asks the husband.
'Over here on the swing!' replies the drunk.

In Concert

It was 1979, and I had never heard of Luciano Pavarotti when my classmate at Georgia State University, Julius, asked me if my husband liked music. I was trying to think of something special for my husband, Sam, for his 50th birthday. I casually mentioned the occasion to Julius, a delightful and. friendly fellow who was himself a vibrant 70 year old student auditing the Philosophy class under a program of free classes for those over 65 years of age. I was nearing 50 at the time myself and was delighted to find another wise head in the sea of 19 to 25 year olds which surrounded us.

I told Julius that my husband adored music, had an excellent tenor voice himself and sang in the church choir. Julius then suggested a fine idea for a birthday surprise.

"Luciano Pavarotti is in concert at the Fox Theater here in Atlanta on this coming Saturday night. Why don't you get tickets and take your husband to hear him. Pavarotti has one of the finest tenor voices of the century and is quite a showman."

I always enjoy any concert at the Fox Theater which was built in 1929 and is one of the last remaining "grand old theaters " remaining in the US. The acoustics there are the best anywhere providing near perfect sound for any musical concert.

I decided to take a chance on the suggestion Julius made and I ordered tickets to the Pavorotti concert.

Sam and I were overwhelmed and overjoyed to be in the audience at the Fox Theater that night.There is no way to adequately describe Pavarotti's voice and stage presence and pure joy of singing and sharing of his rare talent.

We were blessed.

We ran into Julius, my classmate, in the lobby of the Fox as we were leaving the concert. Julius took me my the arm and said.
"Don't leave yet!! Pavarotti always comes back on stage and sings many, many encores."

We rushed back to our seats and basked in the wonder of Pavarotti singing, among other numbers, " Ave Maria."

The memory of that night lingers on....We ARE blessed.

But now that magnificent voice is stilled and silent.

Goodnight Sweet Prince. Sing with the Angels.

CLICK ON TITLE OF THIS POST FOR LINK TO YOUTUBE AND PAVAROTTI SINGING.

Music, the common denominator

I got a kick out of this from today's New York Times "Metropolitian Diary". I think you might like it too.



September 3, 2007
Metropolitan Diary

DEAR DIARY:

"I had on my iPod when I entered Dan’s Key Food supermarket in Riverdale several weeks ago, bopping as I grabbed a food cart.

A woman who looked to be around 70 years old, also with an iPod, tapped my shoulder. Smiling at me, she asked: “What are you listening to? I see you bopping and it makes me want to bop too.”

I told her that I was listening to the Black Eyed Peas.

She said, “I love them.”

I asked her, “And you?”

“The Gipsy Kings.”

She took off an earpiece and passed it to me, and I took of one of my earpieces and passed it to her. Smiling with nods of approval, we then switched iPods and shopped together. When we got to the cash register, we returned our respective iPods. She told me that she had enjoyed my music, and I said that I had also enjoyed hers and would look to pick up a CD. She made a few suggestions.

I hope to be as spry as this woman when I am 70, as she gave “elderly” new meaning. Age is just a number."

Marie Torrisi

Old age is a gift

This was emailed to me recently and I agree:

"The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.


Old Age, I decided, is a gift.


I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.


I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.


I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.


Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?


I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.


I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.


They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.


Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.


I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.


As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.


So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)"

Author Unknown

Another Time, another place.

The Front Porch

The house was built about 1919, a classic, small, one story Victorian with a half wrap around porch. The balusters and railings were painted a light grey and the porch floor was a darker shade of grey.


Steep concrete steps rose up the front yard bank then wooden steps led onto the porch itself which provided a birds eye view of the street and the houses across the way.

A porch swing suspended by chains from the ceiling seated two and squeaked gently as it swung back and forth. There were two wooden rocking chairs on the porch but the swing was the favorite spot for daydreaming

The air was fresh and warm, sweet smelling, clear of toxins and gas fumes. Not many people owned cars. No jets flew over . Many peaceful hours could be spent sitting on the porch steps or on the concrete steps where the walkway ended at the street. There was no air conditioning back then so the porch breezes were a welcome respite from the summer heat.

You could sit on the steps at night with your brown and white beagle mix dog and count the stars and see the big dipper and the milky way. In the summer night time you could catch lightening bugs and put them in a glass jar. Or you could simply get up and you and your dog could walk up the sidewalk and enjoy the evening. No crime to worry about. No one locked their doors. No one used a key to the house. Did a key even exist ?

Your childhood friend might come sit with you on the porch steps, then the two of you, barefoot and skipping over the hot sidewalk pavement, would run down the street to her house and play Monopoly. Later she would show you the souvenirs her parents had brought back from the 1939 World’s Fair.

Neighbors would look up and call to you on the porch as they walked by headed for the market or up the street to a friend’s house or to the Baptist Church about a half mile up on the nearby main street, or perhaps they were walking to the down town picture show.


You might sit in the swing with your white haired grand daddy who talked with you as he whittled a stick into a whistle.

Years earlier grand daddy had sat in the swing with his hand resting on his chin watching silently as you had your 4 month old baby picture made. In the photo your older brother was in the yard below the porch holding you gingerly and looking down at you. You had a fat faced look of contentment as you gazed directly at the old box camera. Your chubby little cheeks and your dark fuzz of hair showed up really well in the photograph which would gradually fade with time but would remain viewable..

You were born in the bedroom to the left of the front porch. Babies were born at home in those days and not in the hospital. You were the last of 10 children but all but 3 had grown up and left home before your birth. You were the caboose.


Sitting on the porch was the perfect place to listen out for the bell of the ice cream truck as it made its’ way slowly down the street. When it got nearer you could run down the porch steps and stand on the side walk and gaze longingly down the street as you decided how you would spend the Buffalo nickel you mother had given you.


The handsome dark haired postman who sang bass in the church choir walked up the porch steps with his extra large well worn brown leather mail satchel to place letters in the small metal mailbox attached to the porch wall at the front door



You walked down the front porch steps and walked to school when you began kindergarten. And up again when the school day was over with much to tell mother about your school day.


You drank lemonade and ate cookies while sitting in the porch swing. Your brother taught you songs like “My Darling Clementine” there. This was before he went off to the US Navy after the beginning of World War 2. He came home safely, thank God so no bad news telegram was delivered to the front door.


After your dog followed you to town and got run over, the lady who hit him drove you home with your dying dog in the back seat and gently placed his lifeless body on the front porch by the door. You cried when the truck came to carry his sweet body away.

To get away from the sadness of the afternoon you and your mother walked down the porch steps to the end of the street.The two of you stepped onto the city bus and rode and rode and talked about your dog and how sad you were. You reminded her the dog first belonged to your brother before he went off to war and you were sad you did not take good care and let him get run over. Mother said it was not your fault. Your brother would understand. She said there will be other dogs but this one was special.


You grew up, finished high school and moved away. Saying good bye to the porch and swing, you tucked your treasured memories away and walked down the front porch steps for the last time, glancing back with longing and regret that the tender simple pleasures of porch days were over.

Hot as Hell

I am not kidding. It is hot here. Temps have been hovering around 100 degrees for about a week now with the heat index at around 106 some days.

And guess what? Guess what our UPSTAIRS air conditioner decided to do last Saturday in 100 degree heat. Well it froze up and died. The AC's passing was not entirely unexpected as it was original equipment and our town house which we bought 4 years ago is about 20 years old.We replaced one AC at that time and crossed our fingers on the other.

So the service guy from the AC company came out on Saturday afternoon, (bless his little pea picking heart). He worked and worked trying to correct the problem but to no avail. It was terminal and he had to pull the plug.

Our bedrooms are upstairs so of course hubby and I had to make other plans for sleeping. The temp upstairs was reading out 93 and up and we did not relish being fried in our sleep. I chose the den sofa and Sam chose the sofa bed in the downstairs playroom.We managed remarkably well and even felt like real troopers. Almost like camping out. At least we were cool.

So then,today, the AC company came to install the new equipment. They worked and worked and demolished the old furnace in the upstairs attic and carted off the old outside unit and installed the new stuff.

But UH OH. The new outside Carrier AC had a "defective coil: The servicemen went to pick up a replacement coil to reinstall on the brand new unit. While they were gone Sam and I confered and decided we do NOT want an expensive air conditioner right out of the box with a defective part. After some tough talk with the salesman who sold us the equipment we got the promise of a brand new unit ASAP.

In the meanwhile, the serviceman comes back with the new replacement coil (made in Mexico), installs it and then discovers it was not the coil after all but somehow the compressor had overheated and shut off. He fixed the problem and now it is getting cooler upstairs where I am now sitting at my computer venting.

Why oh why does nothing work right the first time anymore?



Don't get me wrong,I am extremely thankful for the cool air that is wafting down from the overhead register but I just wonder whatever happened to good old Yankee know how and ingenuity.

I read this when I googled AC in the South and I agree 100%

"I am not the least bit sentimental about my un-air-conditioned Georgia childhood, especially my nocturnal summertime tossing and turning at the foot of the bed, praying to catch a breeze through the nearby window before the rooster started sounding off. Suffice it to say, if cranking up the A/C constitutes an unnatural act, put me down as a habitual and unrepentant offender."

and this

As air-conditioning was reshaping the way we lived, it was also helping to change the way we made our living. Without it, most of our bigger, heavier, and more complex industries would surely have never headed South after World War II, nor would many of the people who worked in and managed them, or the retirees who jumped at the chance to luxuriate in air-conditioned comfort while telling us how they used to do it in Ohio. Overall, the air-conditioner was crucial to reversing the South's historic pattern of out-migration and to the explosive growth of the "Sunbelt" in the 1970s."

http://www.uga.edu/gm/902/FeatBack.html


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

I want to be six again

I thought that now in the miserable dog days of summer we might want to consider this:


To Whom it May Concern

"I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult, in order to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old. The tax base is lower. I want to be six again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think it’s the best place in the world to eat.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make waves with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money, because you can eat them.

I want to play kickball during recess and stay up on Christmas Eve waiting to hear Santa and Rudolph on the roof.

I long for the days when life was simple. When all you knew were your colors, the addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but it didn’t bother you, because you didn’t know what you didn’t know and you didn’t care.

I want to go to school and have snack time, recess, gym and field trips.

I want to be happy, because I don’t know what should make me upset.

I want to think the world is fair and everyone in it is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.

Sometime, while I was maturing, I learned too much. I learned of nuclear weapons, prejudice, starving and abused kids, lies, unhappy marriages, illness, pain and mortality.

I want to be six again.

I want to think that everyone, including myself, will live forever, because I don’t know the concept of death.

I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want television to be something I watch for fun, not something used for escape from the things I should be doing.

I want to live knowing the little things that I find exciting will always make me as happy as when I first learned them.

I want to be six again.

I remember not seeing the world as a whole, but rather being aware of only the things that directly concerned me.

I want to be naive enough to think that if I’m happy, so is everyone else.

I want to walk down the beach and think only of the sand beneath my feet and the possibility of finding that blue piece of sea glass I’m looking for.

I want to spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike, letting the grownups worry about time, the dentist and how to find the money to fix the old car.

I want to wonder what I’ll do when I grow up and what I’ll be, who I’ll be and not worry about what I’ll do if this doesn’t work out.

I want that time back.

I want to use it now as an escape, so that when my computer crashes, or I have a mountain of paperwork, or two depressed friends, or a fight with my spouse, or bittersweet memories of times gone by, or second thoughts about so many things, I can travel back and build a snowman, without thinking about anything except whether the snow sticks together and what I can possibly use for the snowman’s mouth.

I want to be six again."
Author Unknown

Millie on ABC

Hooray for our Millie Garfield. She and her blog were just on ABC evening news segment about elder bloggers. Run on over to Millie's blog and congratulate her.

Click on title of this post to be linked to

http://mymomsblog.blogspot.com/