Look What Santa Left Under The Tree

Forever Young

In light of my recent "big event" the sentiment expressed in these lyrics rings even truer. 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."

Report

Hi All
It's me reporting in from the other side...the other side of 80 that is.

December 17 came and went and all is well. My family took me out for a lovely birthday dinner at the downtown Capital City Club which was festive with Christmas decorations,huge tree and all. Complimentary eggnog in the "parlor" with finger sandwiches and pastries. We had a small private dining room for our group which numbered 10 including 4 grandchildren. I had black grouper, Belgium endive salad and ...hold on to your hats...gingerbread cheese cake. It was all delicious especially the cheese cake. A few sips of champagne for the happy birthday toasts and a wee bit of wine.

So another year has passed and I am now working toward 81. Somehow or other it feels liberating to have reached this grand old age. If I need to take my hand carved wooden cane with me when I go out walking or shopping I feel I am entitled. When I told the young man who did not stop his car in the crosswalk at the shopping center, " You are supposed to stop at the marked cross walk, he just smiled and said he was sorry and then he wished me a 'Merry Christmas". I bought this special cane on sale over 25 years ago at Neiman Marcus. Back then I did not need a cane but could not resist it's beauty.

Since November 22, our 58th wedding anniversary, then my birthday on December 17, on to Christmas Day, most of my special days come in a little more than one month, so I am celebrated out.

I am more than ready for some black eyed peas, turnip greens, cornbread, rice, (hopping John). Good old plain Southern food.

We always drop a dime(the same one, a 1935 Lady Liberty dime) in the blackeyed peas for good luck in the New Year. The dime cooks in the peas and the challenge is finding the dime before someone chomps down on it.

The turnip greens are supposed to bring prosperity. the green leafy texture I suppose.

Oh, and Buddy is growing like a weed and getting smarter every day. I don't know what we did with ourselves before we got him. I am convinced he will keep us young at heart.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.

Thanks for reading my blog
and

A great big THANKS for commenting.

Update

Buddy made it through his surgery (nip and tuck) just fine. We checked him out of the vet's office yesterday morning and he has been his old self ever since arriving back home.. You could tell he was overjoyed to be back with his own bed, toys, treats.

He has no restrictions on diet or exercize so he is raring to go for some good long walks. He also wants to play catch up with his game of chasing tennis balls down the hall here at home.

He had gained a whole pound since the last vet visit. 11 pounds and 11 ounces. I don't want him to grow too big so am considering putting a book on his head.
I want to order Buddy this cute, and useful yellow slicker raincoat with a hood attached. (He HATES GOING OUT IN THE RAIN) to take care of business. Mr C. thinks putting the raincoat on Buddy might take too long and the deed would already be done.

I think I will order it anyway.
What do you think?

Buddy progress report

Buddy is growing like a weed. Last routine trip to the vet, he weighed 10 lbs 14 ounces. Long legs and strong body. He is almost getting the hang of potty training..."almost" but at least it is better now that when we first brought him home. His worst bad habit is picking up sticks and tree bark outside and chewing on it. Bad for digestion I think. I sprayed bitter apple on sticks today and he spit stick out so maybe that will work.

Buddy is in here with me at the computer. He is carrying around an old pair of my white socks and exploring under the bed. His favorite TV program is "Football. Any team with red on their uniforms. I think he is watching football on TV to prove he is macho like Mr C. If Buddy breaks out a beer and starts scratching himself I will restrict his TV.

I am typing this real "QUIETLY" so Buddy won't be alarmed. Next Monday, December 7, "Pearl Harbor Day" Buddy is scheduled for a "SNIP" He will stay overnight at the vet and return home early the next day.


EXCERPTS FROM A DOG' S DAILY DIARY
8:00 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite
9:40 am - Oh Boy! A walk! My favorite!
10:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favorite!
11:30 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!
12:00 noon - Oh Boy! Kids! My favorite!
1:00 pm - Oh Boy! The garden! My favorite!
4:00 pm - Oh Boy! Kids! My favorite!
5:00 pm - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favorite!
5:30 pm - Oh Boy! Mom! My favorite!
6:00 pm - Oh Boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6:30 pm - Oh Boy! Sleeping in moms bed! My favorite

My Buddy

Western Union

I had a humorous experience with Western Union back in the '60's
A friend of mine entered the Pilsbury Bake Off Contest. Her recipe was for "Batter-Up Beef Pie" made with canned Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Pilsbury 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.....

My Buddy

I will be eighty years old on December 17 this year. WOW !!

I never dreamed of still being around this long. As a teen ager I used to count up and marvel at the year 2000 when I would be seventy-one. but EIGHTY ...That seemed hard to imagine.

But here I am and God willing and "the creek don't rise" I will make it as an octogenarian in December.

So what is an appropriate present for one who has achieved this milestone?

A diamond ring? No. Already have one. A new car. No, my ten year old Mercedes is still ticking along just fine. Fur coat? No. Too warm in Atlanta for the fur I already have.

Humm
What would be a swell present ?

Well,.... I don't have a puppy.

And "happiness is a warm puppy"

So enter "Buddy" my new friend.

He is an almost 4 month old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. Light brown (red) and white. Blenheim. And just precious.

We got him two weeks ago and my life has been a whirlwind of housebreaking and learning the habits of a puppy after 18 years of life without a pet.

At times during the last two weeks I have thought of having my head examined for wanting a pet to raise at my age. But the pleasure of his company has more than balanced out the bother and messes that come with puppydom.

And Buddy makes me feel young at heart again .:)

Mr. Chancy and I are more than content with this new member of our family.

Buddy likes us just fine too.

Read about the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel breed here

http://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/cavalier_king_charles_spaniel.asp

Octogenarian

I just checked on Mort R's blog "Octogenarian" and learned of his terrible recent automobile accident. His wife Sybil posted this:

"To the loyal readers of Octogenarian
This is being written by Mort's wife...About 10 days ago Mort was severely injured while driving his car out of his garage.He's had two back surgeries and has not regained mobility in one of his legs.It will take months of rehab before he's back writing on his beloved blog.I wanted to thank everyone for all of their wonderful comments over the years.They have meant the world to him and you have brought much joy to his later years.My family and I look forward to the day when he can return to working on his blog again. Sybil

If you are one of Mort's readers please go to his blog and wish him well"

http://octogenarian.blogspot.com/

click on title of this post for link

WW2

Living in a small college town in Georgia we were in no real danger during WW2 and never felt afraid. You have to know that back then we were not as mobile a society as we are now. If we traveled it was usually either in the car or on a bus. Airplane travel was not an ordinary occurrence as it is now.

People on both the west and east coast of the US were more aware of the threats from the enemy. In small inland towns we felt safe.I was 12 years old when the war started and 16 when it finally ended.

My three brothers were drafted. One saw overseas duty in Northern Africa with Signal Corps and one served in England, the Netherlands and later Germany. The third had "tough" duty in the Navy in Hollywood, Florida and then he was sent to Seattle, Washington in preparation to being shipped overseas when the war ended. They all three came home safely.

On the home front we went about our lives in a normal fashion but always concerned about those close to us who were away in the service.


A brief rundown of war time memories:

Ration Books, air raid wardens, saving foil from gum, High School volunteers picking cotton, V.E. mail, gas rationing,and rationing of sugar, coffee, News reels of the war at the picture shows, one pair of shoes, no silk stockings, painted stockings with seam drawn on back of legs. VE day, VJ day .Polio, March of Dimes, fear of polio infection from swimming pool and water fountains. .

We had blackout curtains, air raid sirens,neighborhood air raid warden, war bonds. . My brother mailed me a silk parachute from Germany,brightly painted wooden souvenir shoes from the Netherlands, English Lavender soap from London.

FDR fireside chats, Churchill, December 7 1941. VE day FDR death, VJ day, DDay I wore bobby socks and saddle oxfords, the songs "Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover", "Nightingale Sang In Barclay Square."

What are your wartime memories if any?

Down Memory Lane

Recently I have been reminiscing about my childhood. I think this was spurred by an old 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 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. 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.:)

Atlanta Flood

Our son and his neighbor took this video from a canoe not far from their homes. It is of a neighborhood club with the playground and pool completely submerged. Their homes are on higher ground and are OK.

This is near the Chattahoochee River in the close in suburb of Vinings, Ga. The rains were unreal and came down in torrents. The river and the local streams all overflowed their banks.

Our townhouse is fine. No water. The sun was shining today. It rained for days and days. The Atlanta metro area got 19 inches of rain in 24 hours. A record.

Incredible.

I feel sorry for the people whose homes were flooded. And 8 people lost their lives.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHDWhwXtDew

There's Always Something

Yes there is:



But this is one I never expected.



I have a tendency to high blood pressure, hereditary I think, and I have been on two HBP drugs for some time now. The last time I saw my doctor, my BP was still too high so he put me on an additional drug, an ACE Inhibitor, Lisinopril.



I got it filled at Kroger for just $4.00 as it is on their list of less expensive drugs. The helpful pharmacist asked me if I wanted to know the possible side effects and I said yes. She told me that a common side effect of this drug, Lisinopril , is a dry cough.



I had been taking this medicine for about 3 weeks now and at night I did have a slight dry cough but I decided I would not concern myself with that and just popped in a Hall's Honey Menthol cough drop and went to sleep.



Then night before last I got up for a routine pit stop and decided my bottom lip felt strange. I turned on the bathroom light and sure enough my lip was slightly swollen on one side. Hmm, I thought could it be the cough drop or what?



The next morning when I woke up I could tell before I looked in the mirror that the lip swelling was worse.



I looked in the mirror and I was HORRIFIED



My cheek was swollen. My lips were swollen at least 6 times normal size.



I showed hubby and he said ice it and call the doctor.

I waited a couple of hours until the lip swelling had reached GIGANTIC proportion and then called and went right in.



I took the Hall's cough drops, a box of probiotics I had just started taking and the Ace Inhibitor pills because by then I felt it must be an allergic reaction to a medication. The meals I had eaten the day before was just normal standard food.



Dr G. took one look at me and the bottle of medicine, Ace Inhibitor, I had brought in with me and he said this is the culprit.



He said this only happens rarely maybe one in a thousand cases. But it was good I came right in because otherwise my entire face might have doubled in size. He said he rarely sees this sort of reaction, maybe once a year if at all. It is possible, also, to have airway swelling and constriction and breathing difficulity which I did not have.



He immediately gave me a cortisone shot and an anti allergy shot of some type and of course said to discontinue the Ace Inhibitor med. He prescribed oral cortisone for 4 days.



Today the lip swelling is somewhat better but not gone. I have a lingering hoarseness and feel a bit under the weather.



From what my doctor said this reaction can happen right away with Ace Inhibitors or years later while on the medication.



Just thought I would bring this to your attention if you are ever prescribed this medication. I would say,



"Just say no"



PS: I just read an article by a reasearch MD at Vanderbilt who said drug companies do not do enough follow up on side effects of drugs after they are given the initial FDA approval and released to the public.

And from
From WebMd.com:
"An allergy to ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers can cause dangerous swelling of the face and of the throat that blocks airways, referred to as angioedema. "It's a generalized, sudden swelling, usually beginning around the lips and face, sometimes with shortness of breath and wheezing," says Jones. "It's life threatening. The patient needs to get to the emergency room."

Ancestors

Johann Adam and his wife Catherine traveled up the Rhine river to Rotterdam and there boarded the Griffin, a ship bound for the New World.



Their two small children skipped and shouted as they walked up the gangplank.



“Shush”, said Mama, you be quiet or they will throw you in the water.”


After 4 long weeks at sea they arrived in South Carolina to start a new life in the New World.


And almost 270 years later, here I am.

Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon

Bright red
Strong and sturdy
Childhood companion

Pull me
Please

Let ME pull it
Now

Look
I can walk
And pull

He toddled on
Short chubby legs

Up the
Steep,steep
Driveway.

I can do it
He said.

Up he went.
Slowly
Slowly

Pulling
Pulling

Uh Oh
Uh Oh

Little red wagon
Got away.

Look at it go......
Wheeeee.......
Look at it go......

Over the hill

Over the wall

On to the sidewalk

Below.

Is it broken Papa?

Run and see

Why no.
Landed on its wheels

Good as new.

Little red wagon
Strong and sturdy.

Little boy
Strong and sturdy
Too

chancy(janet)

"Fibrillations"

In the current New Yorker magazine there is this witty piece of satire about "health insurance"



That is ; I guess it's satire...could be true to life.



Excerpt below:






"Fibrillations
by Bruce McCall September 7, 2009

"Health Insurance;


"Welcome to the monthly newsletter about your health-insurance problems, not ours.


Note: Charges for the enclosed Supplementary Health Insurance Reminder will appear in your next billing cycle, for which payment is now past due.


Something to Think About: Contracting a serious illness can mean days off work just lying in bed, new adventures of the mind and body through medication, overdue personal attention from loved ones, and new friends in the hospital ward and the clinic waiting room.



And you may be the one who catches a disease that’s making world headlines and brings television crews to your bedside.





Sentences set in small type make a handy eye test.
If you can read this without difficulty, your eyes may be too strong and you will need the prescription drug Corneac R (dollarmycin-B) to return your vision to normal. Consult your pastor about the choice between sightlessness and personal bankruptcy.


Policy Updates
—All of you “Far Horizons” Fifteenth Tier Plan subscribers may now choose any doctor you like, who will then refer you to the list of approved cheap doctors, ex-doctors, doctors-in-training, and veterinarians.


—“Near Horizons” Sharing & Caring Plan members: Some misunderstandings about this plan have arisen lately. Sharing your hospital bed does not reduce the per-day costs of your hospital stay, and you will be legally liable if your bedmate contracts a communicable disease.




—Be sure to ask about the new “Invisible Horizons” Plan, providing discounts and a free ballpoint pen on hospital bills of more than a million dollars per week for any fifty-two-week period when you cannot get out of bed.
.
Explanation of Benefits
Skip this section. No benefits are included."

to read more go here:

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/09/07/090907sh_shouts_mccall

Rest Well Teddy

Well, they laid Senator Ted Kennedy to rest.

The rainy day scene outside the old Mission Church in Boston as the mourners arrived, dressed in black and sheltered with almost identical large black umbrellas reminded me of one of my favorite French paintings of a rain scene, circa 1877 in Paris.

Painted by Gustave Caillebotte the people in this painting are walking down a cobblestone street in a fashionable section of Paris. Many are dressed all in black and they all carry large black umbrellas to protect them from the rain. The cobblestones glisten with light as the rain seems to be stopping.

http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/20684

I wondered as I watched the crowds arriving at the Kennedy funeral "how did the hundreds of mourners, mostly dressed in black, know to carry almost identical large black umbrellas.
"Who got the memo out) ;)"

The events of the day went almost perfectly until the end when darkness descended over Arlington National Cemetery as the final minutes of the graveside service were plunged into almost total darkness.

The day's services and the transport from Boston to Washington D.C.had run long past schedule as night fell on the longest day. And yet, it was hauntingly lovely and powerful when the lone trumpeter outlined darkly against the sky played taps; the lighted Robert E Lee Mansion in the background.

The poignant voices of four of Ted's young grandchildren saying good bye to "Grampa" at the grave site was touching.

Now I have watched all 3 Kennedy brothers funerals. Remember Jack's sad cortege with the riderless white horse down Pennsylvania Ave. John John and Caroline.Bobby,Ted and Jackie.

But despite times of self destructive behavior in the ensuing years, Ted endured. He was a father figure for the 10 young Kennedy children who were lest fatherless after the murders of his two remaining brothers.


Teddy survived his brain tumor for almost fifteen months and he was mercifully given time to prepare for a "good ending."

Every detail of this day and last night's wake was planned by Teddy Kennedy himself and carried out with grace and dignity by his widow Victoria Reggie Kennedy.

SMOOTH SAILING TEDDY
AND
REST WELL.

Old Time Radio and TV

Suzzwords
Laughter is one of the best parts of life.It's what makes the hard parts easier to endure.
Friday, August 14, 2009

Suzz at Suzzwords struck a cord of memory with her post about an old time local radio show "Daddy Rabbit" I did not remember that show but I did remember this one:


MY MEMORY

I don't remember Daddy Rabbitt. But DO I remember Miss Debbie. She was a TV local children's show hostess in the Atlanta market. My four old daughter watched Miss Debbie everyday and was especially thrilled when Miss D looked in her magic mirror and, looking straight at the camera said....I see little Mary and Sammy and Joyce and Betty.

Oh how Jan ,my little girl, yearned for Miss D to speak directly to her thru the "magic mirror.

Well what do you know. Hubby and I went to a New Year's Eve party at a business associate's house. Lo and behold who should be there but Miss Debbie in PERSON. Nice attractive gal.

Early in the evening I spoke with Debbie and asked her to look for Jan in the "magic mirror "on tomorrow's show. she graciously said yes she would.

A good time was had by all.

Around eleven pm we missed Miss Debbie and we heard crying and moaning in the kitchen.There sat MISS DEBBIE DRUNK AS A SKUNK and slobbering all over her date.

I told hubby on the way home Miss Debbie won't even make it to her show tomorrow she will be so hung over.

The next morning we. (Jan, hubby and I) turned on the TV to Miss Debbie. There she was chipper, and perky and looking great as she held up her Magic Mirror and said

"I see JAN."


I guess"The show must go on"

Dog and Cat

WHERE DOG AND CAT CAME FROM

A newly discovered fragment from Genesis 3:25:

Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now, I do not see you anymore. I am lonely here, and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create an animal who will reside with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how often you are tempted to forget me, or be selfish, or how unloveable you behave, this companion will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam, and it wagged its tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in thr kingdom, and I cannot think of a name for this new animal." And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, its name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call it DOG."

Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him and obeyed him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged its tail.

After awhile, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock, and he believes that he is worthy of adoration. Dog has, indeed, taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. This companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration." And so God created CAT to be a companion to Adam.

And Cat would NOT obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he is not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was happy, and wagged its tail.

And the Cat didn't give a shit one way or the other.

Bummer

Are you ready for a vent.

If not then read no further!!!

In addition to my two bum knees I have been having a problem with balance and pain and stiffness upon arising after sitting for any length of time. My internist, the best doctor God ever put on this earth,recommended I see an arthritis specialist. I went today.

This arthritis doctor was a real dud. His Physicians Assistant took all the info. Then Doctor came in with this greeting:

"Hello young lady and young man" ( I hate that condescending tone)

Within 3 minutes he determined that I did NOT have arthritis. He basically said that I was "OLD and OUT OF SHAPE" Duh !!!!!

He wrote script for physical therapy. He must have mentioned old or aged or in your 70's and 80's a dozen times.I was hopping mad before I got out of there.(I will be 80 in December)

DOPE!!!!

Will not go back to him..At least I don't have arthritis. How he could make a diagnosis in 3 or 4 minutes I don't know.

Holier than thou and abrasive.
Couldn't wait to get out of there.

I have an appointment to see another knee doc in September and between now and then I will work on loosing weight, walking and try to"heal myself"




PS:
I am going to drink the gin and throw away the gin and raisins.

Cheers