tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52077412600860694852024-03-07T22:21:39.940-08:00Wisdom of the Great PooBah and her MusesGrand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-62656002814132740942022-05-08T18:21:00.000-07:002022-05-08T18:21:13.674-07:00My first loves<p> It is about time I got back. I am back because of a snarky remark about my make believe everything horses. I will come clean and tell the truth. From the earliest times Imcan remember I was horse crazy. I understand now it is a thing with some little girls but fo me it was about the most important thing in my life. I read every book about horses I could find from Black Beauty, to all the Black Stallion books books to all the Golden Stallion books. I saved my allowance and pop bottle return money to by small glass horse figurines. I amassed quite a collection over the years. But most of all from the age of about seven I begged my parents for a horse of my own. Be careful what you ask for. One golden fall evening, when I was about nine, I was told to stay in my room upstairs and study. No interruptions. Finally I was called downstairs and told by my dad to look outside. I went to the screen door and saw a horse tied to the Apple tree at the top of the yard. I couldn’t believe it. I ran through the door and down to the horse and immediately threw my arms up around his neck. I could barely reach him. </p><p>Dad told me he was 199% my horse and after he would show me what to do he was my complete responsibility. Pinocchio was a retired race horse. A trotter and if any car went by he felt he had to race it. Needless to say I was not allowed to ride my horse alone on the roads until I would become a much better rider. At that point I had never even been on a horse.</p><p>From that first night when I I slept by my horse under the Apple tree he was my baby. Alone, I fed him, carried pails of water from our pump on the hill to his stall in the barn almost an acre away. I mucked out his stall every day, and put down fresh straw. Curried him and petted him every day for hours after school. He was my best friend and I told him all my secrets. I would tie him to a maple tree at thr bottom of our yard on the mornings I had school. There he would remain moviing in a large circle eating grass and contemplating his retirement. </p><p>Fall soon turned to winter and our lives became more restricted. I would have to pour hot water in the pump to break up the ice and prime it before carrying the bucket of water down to his stall, mostly through Northern New York’s snow and ice. After giving him food and water I would climb the hill to wash up and change clothes to get on the school bus. I was the only child on the bus with the senior high students because the other kids went to country school. </p><p>After school I would reverse the process; change clothes, get another pail of water and go down to muck out the stall and spend the remainder of the afternoon with my best friend. Everyone was happy to see spring come that first year. My mom’s heart was broken e struggle through the long winter with no help but I never complained. </p><p>In the spring my dad thought it was too dangerous for me to have a house that wanted to race cars so without my feedback he traded Pinocchio for Pete. He was another retired racing horse but he had been a pacer and was no longer interested in racing. I loved Pete but he was not my first love and I really never got over Pinocchio. I continued doing what I was doing for the horse thru the school year and throughout gh the long lovely summer vacation. I spent the whole summer outside with Pete and loved every minute of it. Then the school year started again. In the fall my mom had a long talk with me and convinced me I really didn’t want to go through another winter like the last one. Much as I loved having a horse it was really too much work for a little girl and I frankly had not bonded as much with Pete. </p><p>So long story short we gave my horse t Mary Rafferty, a teenager on a farm about three miles away. They also had a pinto pony as well as other livestock, so he was in good hands. I was told I could visit my horse as much as I wanted and did make several trips before the winter again closed in. </p><p>I no longer owned a horse but have never lost my love and feelings towards these wonderful, powerful, gentle creatures.</p><p> </p>Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-26613567297299180472021-05-01T16:11:00.002-07:002021-05-01T16:11:55.159-07:00Angelina 8/01/2007-5/01/2021<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> Our Little girl, Chihuahua, Angie, died today. We have returned from taking her little body to the crematorium and are trying to now accept her loss. Before I go more into her last days I want to remember her wonderful and special life. </p></blockquote><p> Maria left her me for a few weeks while she moved from her house to an apartment. It was to have been for a short time only , but as soon as Angie was left with me she began to follow me everywhere. I had to be very careful when I stepped or turned around so I would not trip on her little body. She was less than 7 lbs when she came to me and would not really eat for a few days. I finally learned she would only eat or drink from white porcelain bowls. Go figure. Maria had brought little stainless steel bowls for her. Nonetheless after trial and error we finally found it had to be white porcelain; no plastic either. </p><p> Srini was in the middle of a 4 month trip to India to help his sisters. Maria brought Angie to me sometime in January and when I skyped Srini after she came, I showed him the little dog. He thought she was very cute and he said "oh no". After a few minutes of him seeing me holding her he said maybe I could ask Maria if I could keep her. I said I didn't think she could let her go.</p><p> I did however ask Maria, and she was very relieved. She had several other dogs and a cat and she was unable to keep them all in her new apartment. So by the process of chance and good fortune Angie came to me to spend the rest of her life here on earth. </p><p> I have loved all of my other dogs and cats to distraction, but she was the first one to love me most. Srini was always the first in the hearts and minds of all the others but Angie was the first, and last, to love me best. She adored Srini and they always had very special times together. He walked her and fed her and played with her and she would not give him a minutes rest. Like Gilda Radner said "Its always something". Angie tormented Srini from the time he got her off the bed in the morning until her last snack at night; she had him wrapped around her little paw.</p><p> With me she was different. She always had to know where I was and she always had my back. She followed me when I went to the bathroom. She slept on the sofa after her walk in the morning, but she knew I was on the computer. from 9:30 to 10:00AM she would wake, want a snack, go out in the backyard and then come to sit by me in the rocking chair by the computer. She would stay as long as I was there. When I took a shower she would follow me to the bedroom and sleep on my pillow until I was done with my absolutions. Then she would jump down or later be lifted down and follow me. In the beginning of our relationship I took her everywhere with me. Because she helped me to control my breathing; I held her when I had a panic attack, The Dr. gave me a note declaring she was my service dog. In the beginning I didn't have to drag oxygen with me wherever I went. Angie was enough to help me get control of my breathing. She went from supermarkets to church meetings with me. I carried her in her little bag and strapped her into the seatbelt next to me. Everyone loved her. All my friends thought she was precious. I had Bible Study in my house for many years and Angie would greet each of the members as they came. Then she would sit on whatever lap appealed to her at the time. She was the hit of the meetings and she always participated in coffee and cake after the meetings. She got up when I got up and followed me to bed when I went to sleep. Even in her last days when she was so sick she still followed me from room to room and to bed at night. </p><p> When a stranger knocked at the door or rang the bell she was all business. She would bark like crazy, even after I let the service people in. The only way I could quiet her was to hold her. Then she relaxed cause she was protecting me. When friends came to the door she would generally not bark because somehow she knew who was at the door. We have a ring security camera and there is a ringer that buzzes in the house when anyone approaches the house. She would always run to the door to check out the ringer unless it was an Amazon delivery. Then she would not bother barking. She would even leave her food to run to the door to protect us from invaders. </p><p> We always took her with us when we went to California visiting relatives or friends, Pam and Charlie in Morro Bay. When Kumari and Nagaraj's daughter was engaged we stayed with them and they welcomed Angie. When their daughter Priya, got married in San Jose. we all stayed in a hotel. We left Angie with Pam and Charlie. She loved her stay with them and sat in the home office with Pam while she worked from home. They even took her for pictures with Santa. This remains one of my favorite photos of her.</p><p> We had many wonderful happy years with Angelina until the very last few weeks. In the beginning she sat up in bed all night. She would start to doze off and then catch herself and sit bolt upright. This happened for about two days then she seemed to go back to normal. I do not have the exact date but about a week and a half ago she suddenly swelled up in her stomach like a softball or small balloon. I panicked and immediately did my google research. there were about fourteen things which could have occurred and they were all deadly. I check again and again, from website to website. There was only one conclusion. With Angela's age, almost 17,the answer would be euthanasian. She was in no pain and followed her routines all normal. She ate, peed, pooped, all normal. She still followed me everywhere. We discussed possible outcomes and decided if she showed any pain we would immediately take her to a Vet. The only difference was until this morning she did not want to go for her morning walk. I kept checking her for signs of pain. I even palpitated she stomach and she would just look at me. Last night again she was normal and this morning she wanted to go for her walk. She went slowly with Srini to her familiar places on the block then they came home. She ate her bacon strip and waited for me to lift her onto the sofa, Srini was on the computer and I went outside to greet the morning as is my usual practice. At 6:30 AM I heard Srini say "Oh Angela". I knew from his voice there was something wrong and came immediately inside. Angela was lying on the carpet. She had jumped off the couch. She was dead.. We both waited several minutes hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Srini went and felt her little body and she was indeed dead. </p><p> I am so grateful she died at home and we did not have to make a decision to euthanize her. It was what we both had prayed for: that she could die peacefully at home. So that is the story of Angela's little life and death, since we have had her. She was actually born in Chihuahua, Mexico and I have always said she had papers because Maria gave me a little book with her first puppy vaccination's. It was from a Vet in Chihuahua. </p><p> The end of the story is we took her to a PALS crematorium in Glendale. She will be cremated separately from any other pets and her ashes will be returned to us within a week, in a small cedar box. j</p>Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-47485051794087040562020-01-02T10:04:00.002-08:002020-01-02T12:07:20.268-08:00My Goodness, it sure has been a long time. I got ill beginning January 2018. It has taken a long time to recover to the extent that I feel I might live a few years longer. Of course there are no guarantees but given the choice of letting myself and my thoughts die to the world; and going on to share my thoughts and feelings for whatever time is left, I choose to move forward. I have from time to time posted my thoughts on Facebook, in short little pieces but that is not really what I am about. I never expected to live to see 2020. Now only the creator knows how must time I still have left. As my most favorite home philosopher said this morning " Everyone, and everything, is given a certain number of moments in time to exist, within Eternity. No one knows how long that will be or can change the result." All one can really do is be unafraid in each moment and face each challange as it comes and hope one can live up to their own expectations. Fear is our only true liability.<br />
So I go forward with this blog for however long the urge moves me. With the hope my thoughts and experiences can prove useful, entertaining, moving, inspiring, or even worthy of mirth from my followers. <br />
I will send the occasional reminder on FB or through e-mail that I have again posted in the blog as I may not everyday. I have many plans for the coming year but still I do not have the strength I would like to accomplish all of them. Now that I can read books again(in large print or on Kindle I intend to read at least a few books a week. I have rediscovered the wonders of Amazon Prime video and Netflix and I have to contain myself when I begin to binge watch a series, I have purchased an armchair workout video (standing and holding onto chair) that I need to use at least 3 times a week. In addition it is necessary that I eat meals and entertain my husband and my little dog. Or be entertained by them, whichever comes first. Then I do have my friends, Doctor appointments, the necessity of keeping up with Facebook and politics and a hundred other small time eaters in each day. Even drinking the required amount of water and taking medicines eats into my available time. <br />
Oh Lordy, I don't think I can handle all this. We will just have to see what happens. I know a shut-ins life cannot even to begin to compare to those of you still in the workplace or living your retirement dreams. How we humans begin to accomplish all that we do in our few allotted moments is of continuing amazement, or is that amusement, for the Gods.<br />
Well I shall end this for today but I hope I have given some of you something to look forward to. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-34985728298676908052017-03-16T09:39:00.002-07:002017-03-16T09:39:34.073-07:00 A Refugee from, what was once, Red ChinaAs I think I might have mentioned before I am occasionally going to do a biographical sketch on past friends and acquaintances. I do not want the people who influenced my life in either pleasant or negative ways to ever be forgotten. At least by me. The names will be changed to protect relationships.<br />
There was a girl I knew who had escaped from Communist China named Ellen Chen. She was part Japanese but spoke only Chinese and English. As I remember she was from the mainland and her Chinese father and Japanese mother had escaped thru Taiwan with her and her brother David shortly after WWII. She was only a few years older than I; and I was born in 1943. For a number of years we were close friends. We both worked at KLM, at the time, in Manhattan. We lost touch after my husband and I left and moved to Long Island. We became close because we were both interested in the lifestyles of the other and there was some kind of instantaneous attraction to one another. Ellen was pregnant and I was invited to her baby shower at an apartment in Chinatown, NYC. Her mom and the other ladies were very sweet and gracious but spoke almost no English. Ellen didn't really have many friends her own age and none of them were at the family shower. Ellen was crippled. She had one leg bent and slightly shorter than the other and walked with quite a limp but didn't require a cane or other assistance. I never asked what had happened and she never mentioned it. Her husband had meet me at the subway when I arrived and walked me back to the subway when I left. They were very concerned that I might get lost and not find someone to guide me who spoke English.<br />
Ellen"s husband, his name escapes me now, was cold and terse but very polite. I thought he hated me but I most likely misread his reserve. I remember the apartment I was at was functional and modern with almost no nick knacks or objects lying around and the food was conventional snacks and a shower cake with a stork and baby on the front. I guess I had expected something exotic with crickets in bamboo cages, and floor seating on mats. I really knew nothing of Chinese culture at the time so drew on impressions from movies like "Sayonara", which was Hollywood Japanese. Ellen and I gabbed together through the shower and the other ladies smiled and exclaimed softly when the presents were opened. Everyone was a little off balance but a good time was had by all.<br />
Later Ellen had the most adorable little girl baby I thought I had ever seen. Again, I do not remember the child's name. I visited Ellen's apartment several more times after she had the baby. She and her husband had moved to a third floor walk-up apartment on 83rd street in upper Manhattan. This was more like a place I had pictured in my minds eye. The tiny kitchen was filled with Asian cooking vessels. Ellen and her husband were vegetarian long before I became one and I remember she made a wonderful stir fried rice dish one of the times I visited her. She never came back to work after she had her baby. She also never came to my apartment because I lived in Queens and she was nervous about traveling out of her comfort zone of Manhattan. <br />
As I mentioned we eventually lost touch but she was a dear friend and we had that sort of magical relationship that sometimes arises despite cultural and other lifestyle differences.<br />
<br />Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-43995356628103679102017-03-06T08:58:00.001-08:002017-03-06T08:58:14.546-08:00Being Human or Human....Being?????I have been giving a lot of thought to my writing lately and what I am really called to write about. I keep going down new roads trying to find what suits me and satisfies me most. I feel as a political commentator I suck. There are so many writers that I respect who are so much better and more well informed than I. I try to give my informed opinion but so what? Everyone has an opinion and I do not think I will change any minds anytime soon. When I write about God, or Being I am on much more solid ground. My degree in Philosophy, my study of comparative religions, my study of Christianity and Hinduism, and my own insights about what I write; ( which I truly believe are not just my own), have given me a lot more confidence in what I write.<br />
Of course my own experiences and those of people I know do provide a rich ground for writing. When I was a kid I was told to write about what You know. Well, unfortunately for many many years I felt I just didn't know enough about anything. Now I know a lot more but I am nearing the end of my life, not the beginning. So what and who do you know, and when did you know it becomes a question which looms large on my horizon.<br />
I was speaking to a friend this morning about consciousness. Now I believe everything is conscious to a smaller or larger degree. We all tend to equate consciousness to humans and perhaps to some extent animals, but when it comes to plants it really gets iffy for most people. I, on the other hand, believe even a rock or other supposedly dead, inanimate object is conscious.<br />
Matter is made up of atoms, protons, neutrons , electrons, particles, waves, quarks, you name it it may have it. So why not consciousness? Now, I do not have a degree in physics but it has been a life long interest of mine. If the very act of observing a thing changes it's behavior, then to my untrained mind it displays consciousness. The directional moves may be predetermined by the laws of physics, so what else is new. When I unconsciously move one of my feet, a part of my being which is conscious has caused the move. Consciousness and unconsciousness are relative terms.<br />
In my conversation with my friend this morning we were talking about universal mental consciousness. Because radio waves were recently discovered in the broad scope of history, doesn't mean they did not exist before we found them. The same with waves of consciousness. Because we cannot perceive these waves with our senses does not mean they do not exist. I mentioned that when a product or idea is found it one country it is often found at about the same time in another country or part of the world. Ideas cannot belong to one individual even though we do try to patent them. Ideas exist in the realm of consciousness, or as Plato would have said as a form. There is nothing new under the sun; it is only left to us to discover it.<br />
Therefore, and thusly and indubitably, I maintain we are humans being rather than human beings. The internal consciousness or soul, or being, as I like to refer to it, is moving and forming us as humans, rather that we humans simply being conscious.<br />
Then we have the Creator, the ultimate Being and Spirit, our little piece of the Whole. The One and it's Attributes, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Somewhere along the way is the Sacred fertile Goddess. the Holy Mother, Mother Earth. Where is this all leading? Follow along with me and perhaps we will enlighten you.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-28437193099437891342017-02-20T09:28:00.001-08:002017-02-20T10:41:22.302-08:00Pre-apocalyptic World ?I am tired of the pre-apocalyptic messages we keep getting from all sides. ( The Christian right and ultra right extremists are happy.) I think, they think, Trump and his minions were chosen by God to bring about the end of the world. If Trump kicks out and breaks up immigrant families who have made the US their home for many years, and if he ends our trade agreements, this will be a step towards massive economic chaos. If he ends our environmental protection regulations and regulatory laws our whole country will decline. If he succeeds in silencing our free press we will never find out about the collisions and atrocities which are being committed. If our Education system becomes private Lord only knows what will be taught. It could be like the Muslim extremist schools where children are indoctrinated with hatred to others, repeating and memorizing endless passages of the Koran. If he turns off our European allies and gets into secret agreements with Russia he could bring our alliances abroad to an end. If racist advisers gets their way Jews, Muslims, Blacks, racist whites, Hispanics and Asians will be pitted against one another and all our social services and social institutions will breakdown and divide against each other. Groups will be forced to grasp for private funds to help their own particular interests and forget about working together for the common good. Terrorists will reek havoc against our divided fronts. Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, state against state, country against country. Internal and external war of all against all, each trying to protect their own interests.<br />
Oh, I could go on and on listing scenarios for division and duplicity which could be brought about by Trump and both his conscious and his unconscious allies, but I am tired of thinking about all this. Day after day the news gets worse in a never ending cycle of division and mayhem. Like the Allstate commercials on Mayhem we seem unprepared to fight these things in a cohesive way. We are being attacked on too many fronts and people are picking and choosing their battles and causes. More and more fracturing of our American ideals broken into special interest groups.<br />
I know Evils way is to divide us against one another and cause massive self interest and civil destruction. The ending of the world as we know it. The Evil one has plenty to work with. Start a small fire here and there and soon the whole forest is ablaze. How long will it take? Can men and women of good will towards each other stop it. From the apocalyptic view, at the end Jesus comes to the rescue and divides the saved from the heathen and all is well.<br />
In real life, here on earth, no one wins. The beautiful animal and plant world will be destroyed as well as both good and evil peoples. Our fragile little planet will go on but it will be thousands or even millions of years before the toxic elements will be absorbed and new creatures perhaps unlike any we have ever known will begin to form from the deb re. Will it be a better or worse planet, no one knows? The kingdom of heaven is not here on our little planet. It is deep within each of us if we search for and find it. In the meantime Evil and Good forces swirl outside of us and it is up to each of us to decide which we choose to embrace. Our exterior world reveals our own internal battles. Like a body with cancer on the inside is more and more eaten up with disease, our external body reveals the destruction by a pale, rotting exterior often with emotions to match. Revelations happen within each of us. The ancient Bible story is true only for each individual as his soul and heart are examined It is our private battle to be redeemed or not. We should not try to project this battle outside of ourselves to innocent bystanders: human, animal or plant.<br />
A beautiful, harmonious earth can work for all of us. Let us each search our self and come to terms with our own internal heaven and hell. Leave the planet alone from our private religious battles and let the rule of order, law, nature, beauty, truth and justice prevail, however far from the ideals they might wander. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-29133187753027873122017-01-25T11:04:00.001-08:002017-01-25T11:04:36.520-08:00Civil WarWhat does civil war mean?<br />
<br />
<h3 class="r">
<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil">Civil | Definition of Civil by Merriam-Webster</a></h3>
<div class="s">
<div class="f kv _SWb" style="white-space: nowrap;">
<cite class="_Rm">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/<b>civil</b></cite><br />
<div class="action-menu ab_ctl">
<a aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" aria-label="Result details" class="_Fmb ab_button" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ7B0ISzAB" href="https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#" id="am-b1" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" role="button"><span class="mn-dwn-arw"></span></a><br />
<div class="action-menu-panel ab_dropdown" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQqR8ITDAB" jsaction="keydown:m.hdke;mouseover:m.hdhne;mouseout:m.hdhue" role="menu" tabindex="-1">
<ol>
<li class="action-menu-item ab_dropdownitem" role="menuitem"><a class="fl" href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BS3O9L4rDx0J:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us">Cached</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">1 : of or relating to citizens <<em>civil</em> rights> 2 : of or relating to matters within a country. 3 : of or relating to the regular business of citizens or government that is not connected to the military or a religion. 4 : polite without being friendly <Those men, they used to be best friends.</span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">While trying to sleep this morning (4:00), the phrase Civil War, the war of brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor against neighbor, kept hazily moving through my brain. The war of all against all; no friends, no enemies. Why, and what does it all mean? In our biblical folklore it began with Cain slewing Able. Later we have the patriarch Abraham and his two sons Ishmael and Isaac, from whom many believe became the division between Jew and Muslim or Palestine and Israel. Of course we are all familiar with the divisions between the same peoples. African tribes selling other tribes into slavery. Native American tribes at war with one another until they faced a common enemy in the new white settlers in the Americas. European boundaries shifting again and again throughout history. The peoples of Asia fighting war against each other over and over.</span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">It would appear the largest common denominator among men is their willingness to fight against their brothers, their tribes, and their peoples, spreading blood, carnage and war, whether within or against families, or the world at large. </span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">I always found it strange that a family I know which has four children I have always seen the enmity they had against one another even as little children. They always seemed to feel their mom and dad loved the other sibling better than they did the one. In the early days it was sister against sister and later brother against brother in this little family of four. They presented a solid front against the world at large but seemed to really hate each other within the little family. Christmas day used to be a nightmare as the children squabbled over who got the best presents and there were always tears and hurt feelings. This enmity, by the way, has continued between the two girls to this day. They are both born again ultra right conservatives, as are their husbands, but they can hardly be in the same room together without fighting. They say they all love each other but the emotions which separate them seem much stronger than the similarities in their belief systems.</span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">My own sister and I used to have battles and hurt feelings but I used to think it was because of the eight year separation in our ages rather than innate rancor. We fought as children and later as young adults but seem to have come to a commonality in our belief systems in our later years and we really do love each other.</span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">I have tried and tried to reason out what circumstances can cause such difference in view among the same people or tribe but I am still at a loss.</span></div>
<div class="s">
<span class="st" data-hveid="78" data-ved="0ahUKEwiq8aX_rt3RAhUB82MKHc4MBUsQ4EUITjAB">I know it is not just culture because the difference in beliefs of far right Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and other religious groups comes down to restricting the freedom of the same things. Woman's rights, music, drugs, books, sexuality, you name it. When it comes down to a difference of beliefs or opinion </span> they all act out in the same way. The same is true for Liberals or Progressives. Group think is the common ground for all parties. I really could go on and on as I have fought through these thoughts for many hours but the end of my conclusions is there cannot ever be any peace in this world. It really is not about color, religion, culture, sex or anything else. There is no reason to it among reasonable mankind. Difference and righteousness are what it all seems to be about. I know I am no different that anyone else in these groups. I hate with the same intensity and seem to find almost nothing I can agree with on the other side. <br />
Someday the lion and the lamb may indeed lie down together. If animals are protected, have enough food and territory to live comfortably they do seem to become friends. Mother cats nurse baby dogs and even mice, and chickens protect kittens under their wings. There are so many animals videos out there of dogs and elephants and even lions and men and women who raised them, never losing their love and affection for each other. I do not really understand animal behavior but I think I understand humans even less.<br />
When a people who live in the USA with all the creature comforts one needs to survive continue to work totally against one another, I can only feel there is no hope for mankind. There is enough wealth in this country to supply the highest standard of living for all of our people. We would be required however to share the wealth which is alien to almost all of us. Our differences separate us much more then our commonalities. We all bleed when we are injured and require food, water and shelter to survive. the actual differences between peoples are such superficial things as skin color, hair color, eye color, build and facial characteristics like noses, eye shape, lips etc. Except where there is a physical problem we all have two of each arms, legs, feet and hands and two eyes and two ears. I used to try and explain our differences by right and left brained people but science has proven me wrong here. <br />
All humans react in the same ways to difference, inclusion and exclusion and conservative or liberal mindsets. The extremes of these commonly held views may be labeled tea party, libertarian, progressive or even as Whigs and Tories but they all break down to the same hatreds and misunderstandings no matter how we label them. Human kind <u><b>will not</b></u> ever come together and all we can ever hope for is relative peace among our peoples.<br />
So what can we do with this dismal situation? I really believe prayer is important for each individual to come to grips with his or her own nature: and that peace can only be held by an individual who is willing to give himself up for the needs of others. Our heroic models for peace all shared one thing in common, they were willing to lay aside their own interests and sacrifice their lives for others. The rest of us are left with our shitty little self interests flawed relationships until our Creator intervenes. </div>
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-82532897792997418972017-01-09T05:51:00.002-08:002017-01-09T05:51:26.548-08:00A struggle with understandingI have recently been engaged with an internal struggle about what has happened to my sister. The past several years she has become very stressed and more and more forgetful. Of course all of us struggle with stress and it is the bane of most of us as we get older to struggle to remember names and words which only come to us later. I for one am quick to substitute words like thingy , thing a ma gig, what's it, that woman, honey or even sqigamahala (my own word for things whose names remain elusive). Of late or the last year my sister does not recognize the man she lives with as her husband of 60 years. She knows his name is Gene, but not her Gene. She will insist there is a stranger in her house and she will demand from time to time proof that he is really Gene. When she is shown papers like Drivers Licence, etc, she will insist anyone could have those made. Jackie was always a great fan of mystery stories, puzzles and crosswords and she definitely knows of what she speaks regarding fake identification. Jackie has been diagnosed with Dementia.<br />
When I call her on the phone she seems normal for the most part with an occasional lapse into forgetfulness which really seems to bother her.<br />
For my own understanding I have looked up the differences between dementia and Alzheimer's and the best short description I am quoting below:<br />
" <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , serif; font-size: 14px;">According to the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a href="http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-bottom-color: rgb(241, 196, 15); border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-style: none none solid; border-top-color: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;" target="_blank">Alzheimer’s Association</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "merriweather" , serif; font-size: 14px;">, Alzheimer’s Disease is a specific type of dementia caused when high levels of certain proteins inside and outside brain cells make it hard for brain cells to stay healthy and to communicate with each other. This leads to the loss of connections between nerve cells, and eventually to the death of nerve cells and loss of brain tissue.</span><br />
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
"Here's the <a href="http://www.alzheimers.net/difference-between-alzheimers-and-dementia/" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-bottom-color: rgb(241, 196, 15); border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-style: none none solid; border-top-color: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;" target="_blank">major difference</a> between Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia — when an individual is diagnosed with dementia, they are diagnosed based on their symptoms without actually knowing what's behind the symptoms. In Alzheimer’s disease, the exact cause of the symptoms is understood. In addition, Alzheimer's disease is not reversible, whereas some types of dementia, such as those caused by nutritional problems or a drug interaction, can be reversed." I only wish my sister's disease which has been diagnosed as dementia could be, at least partially, reversed. I have had extremely vivid dreams the last 10 years. They are like stories which can be interrupted and continued. If I wake in the middle of a dream to go to the toilet, when I return I can go right back into and continue my dream. The dreams are extremely realistic and most often involve people I know or family members. There are a large number of themes and they keep recurring. I will list only a few: my mom is alive and alone and living is a specially constructed house in upstate NY. She is divorced from my father, who sometimes has remarried, or is sometimes still married to mom. Sometimes I have gone to visit my sister, in a sprawling estate which encompasses a lot of acres of woods and mountains. Sometimes this property is in NY State and sometimes it appears to be in a state like the Carolina's or Tenn. The actual house is always in disrepair, filled with unknown distant relatives, Jackie has gone out shopping or some kind of cult religious meeting with her daughter. I am trying to clean the kitchen, find food and deal with various relatives I don't know. As I mentioned before there are several dozens of themes and settings but they keep recurring and are rich with details and conversations and locations. They always take different forms regardless of the particular theme and often involve arguments and conversations with relatives I have experienced problems with. I am always fascinated with these stories in my dreams and I want to go back into them to see how they come out or what is going to happen next. They are extremely clear when I am in them but when I try to explain a dream to others I can only remember a few details and they are confusing. When I was speaking to my Nephew the other day and he was explaining what Jackie sometimes experiences as her reality, I was struck by the similarity to my dreams. It occurred to me that it sounded like she was experiencing some sort of a dream or fugue state. She recognizes the characters in her state but their reality is different. She sees as if through a fog or dream and her people are sometimes who they really are and are sometimes very different from the persons she has known and loved. This can be in the same waking time frame. she will recognize, remember and talk to Kenny or Debbie and yet not recognizer Gene. Even when they are sitting and eating at the same dinner table. Gene is a nice man but simply not the Gene she was married to for 60 years. In my dreams the people are not the same ones I know in my waking life either. They are either much nicer or nastier and appear in different settings than I have ever experienced waking. Can this be somewhat like string theory or parallel lines which never meet, but in reality do meet??????? <br />
<span style="font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">I guess this is my theory to integrate reality, fugue states and dementia, a tapestry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">What is string theory in 10 words or less, by </span><a href="http://bgreene.kinja.com/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #28ade6; font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">bgreene</a><span style="font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">"It's an attempt to unify all matter and all forces into one mathematical tapestry." </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 636px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-break: break-word;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: ElizabethSerif, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 636px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; word-break: break-word;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 14px; list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 24px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-6979633104923233352017-01-03T09:16:00.001-08:002017-01-03T09:16:36.434-08:00New Year, New OutlookI have often posted, in the past, of things which happened, my opinions, my beliefs, etc. Now I want to blog my thoughts with a new perspective. I have never posted anything which I did not believe was true, at least at that time. For the coming year I want to have a little different approach. I will post mostly what I believe but also what I feel I am directed to post from a higher authority.<br />
This will be a post which might not be provable or believable by most , but which is my inner belief. I have decided to do this because such magical things continue to happen to me. <br />
My fantasy's keep coming true, one by one.<br />
My faith in God which has always been strong is becoming more and more heartfelt. Everywhere I go, what ever I do, if I remember to ask him to take control, only the best outcomes occur. I am not discussing things, I am talking about situations, circumstances, occurrences, etc. I keep saying over and over how much I am blessed.<br />
I have noted many people say this as a catch phrase. They say it when I say it. They say it like they would hope to believe it. even though all their talk and actions deny it. They say it with a hope they could truly feel blessed just by saying it. Of late when I say I am blessed or "Thank You, I feel so blessed", a strange feeling occurs inside me. I feel lighter and a warmth pervades my being. I feel blessed from the inside out and it may have nothing to do with what is right in front of me. It is a different form of reality.<br />
I so wish everyone of my friends and family could share in this kind of blessing. Especially all the good people I know who try in vain to seek earthly satisfaction, and pray it will be God granted. I feel sometimes this can be why some folks are so dogmatic in their view of their religion and Christ Consciousness. They are so afraid to deviate from their rituals and what ceremony or occurrence brought them to God. Some believe if they let their God given reason sort through various other religions or religious beliefs, that they will somehow be corrupted and will be unable to get back their original feeling of conversion or being "Born Again". Somehow they feel their God or Jesus is so vindictive that if they even heard or entertained another thought or belief they would lose their presumed Grace and be damned forever. They hang so tightly to their brand of religion or dogma or ritual that they become bound in superstition and True Glory continues to be denied them even as they protest how happy and fulfilled their religion is for them. They answer Alter calls again and again and demand to know the time and day and year you too, were Born Again. I may address this again in more depth at a later time but suffice to know that from my childhood, alone, looking at the night sky, on my back, pondering infinity, eternity, and indivisible, I have been walking with God. This walk has continued throughout my life and has taken many turns and fancies. I have taken my God given reason and let it explore many dark and dangerous places. I have also explored the light and fanciful places and ever my Lord has walked along with me. Sometimes leading, sometimes following behind as I explore, but mainly remaining by my side (and inside), and he has ever protected me from evil and dark influences.<br />
Now I am learning it is my call to pass onto others what my travels with destiny have led me to discover. " Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil: you are with me: your rod and your staff comfort me "<br />
And so a New Year begins with my Savior by my side and inside, as always. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-6022231536144785452016-12-06T07:24:00.003-08:002016-12-06T07:24:57.930-08:00I've been led.....I have not posted recently but once again I feel led to say what is on my heart.. I was reading my Devotional "Jesus Calling" this morning for December 6. What was said really hit me. The Bible references the devotion was based on were Deuteronomy 6:5; Colossians 3:23; and Psalm 16:11. To paraphrase both the author and the Bible passages: Man creates duties and rituals to give God money, time and work but neglects to give God what he really wants which is our hearts. By performing ritualistic, mechanical and habitual actions, over and over, they come to require no thought. "the soul becomes comatose."<br />
What God really wants and what he created us for is our presence with him and our joy in his creation. God does not want or need money, sacrifice of lives, ritualistic prayer, robotic-ally performed duties for the church, the poor, the sick, or the hungry. What he wants is for us to pray, love and give with joy and wonder. He desires our hearts and thankfulness for the blessings we have received; and the relationship we continue to develop with him.<br />
How indeed can the creator of the universe be in need of anything. He has it all. Except he gave us free choice. Each of us can choose to be in relationship with this Awesome Being whom we cannot approach physically, but only with our hearts and minds.<br />
It is as if one has a child who offers his parent blind obedience and respect, in his presence; but once out of sight, merrily pursues his own appetites and desires with no thought or concern for who he hurts or kills in the process. What Parent could hold such a child in esteem when he learns his child has cast his values and principles into the mud and then stomped on them. What Parent could be proud when he learns his child has deliberately stolen, raped, maimed, brutalized, and destroyed the very home and persons, with whom and into which, the child was lovingly born and raised. <br />
When we care more for our own interests then for the Parent who gave us life and raised us, then we trample on sacred ground. We pay homage to the god of self and try to buy off the Creator of all that is and has been and will be. We offer meaningless rituals, prayers and offerings, never touching and engaging with the Blessing of Creation.<br />
Yes, I am a Creationist, but not in the common meaning. The Creator of all the laws and principles which yields us insights into Being and science is the Creation I believe in. The God of Love who holds all of his children in the center of his Being and infuses those who choose to listen with knowledge and joy, and his Eternal presence within.<br />
So say I, PooBah, on this glorious and God filled day. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-50476321778390754742016-11-09T09:24:00.001-08:002016-12-17T07:19:26.989-08:00Reflections on the election of 2016Well, it is now the day after election day and Donald Trump won fairly and squarely, against most odds. Lord, how I dislike pundits..<br />
The American people have spoken, and I, for one, accept their decision. I am grateful to God that I was born in and live in the United States of America. I have loved this country for as long as I can remember; " <span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">For purple mountain majesties, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1e1e; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Above the fruited plain,".</span><br />
As a child I won a civics award, for best composition on the American Flag. In the piece I wrote of our horrendous treatment of American Indians, slavery, the women's vote, the depression and the wars we fought and the tremendous toll it took on our country and soldiers. I spoke of my faith in the American people and how as a country we always attempted to correct our wrongs. I spoke of the strength of our Constitution and Bill of Rights and how regardless of our differences we were a strong, proud and good people and our flag would forever fly as a beacon of freedom to immigrants,and to other countries in the world. You might wonder how I remember all of this from an eighth grade composition. I remember because these are the things I have always stood for. My eighth grade teacher told me, "Claire, you have to continue to write, of course no one will ever be able to read it"( he was commentating on my spelling which I am proud to say has improved dramatically due to spell check).<br />
As I said, I love our country and its diverse peoples and I have every expectation that regardless of who is President, we are bigger and better than an individual or group of policies.<br />
I grew up in the tip of northern New York near the Canadian border in a small town called Potsdam. I know the upstate peoples and the struggles they have encountered. My dad worked for Alcoa Aluminium. and was always a union man He worked as a construction worker to help build the Seaway. He worked for Putnam Hawley, (our local Home Depot), cutting lumber and loading and unloading trucks. He was a union carpenter and a jack of all trades. I mention this because I know what it like to be poor in an unforgiving, cold, upstate county where jobs were scarce, where Native Americans lived on reservations,and Blacks and Latinos were few and far between. Even Jewish people were few back then in Potsdam and my Jewish schoolmates went to Massena to worship<br />
I also know what prejudice is like because it was present in the rarefied air we breathed. Prejudiced against anything or one who was different. If you were poor you were looked down on because the chamber of commerce and the country club set had their own values and restrictions. I remember my mom writing letters to the bank with five dollars to put down on the mortgage, saying to please wait until next month to foreclose as she could then make a larger payment. She wept as she made calls to her relatives to once again ask for a loan. My dad worked very hard at every job he had but was prone to injuries and frequently lost jobs to heal. There was no paid health insurance in those days and we certainly could not afford doctors and hospital bills. We always said my dad was an accident waiting to happen. My uncle Jerry bailed my dad out countless times, recommending him for jobs and slipping him pocket money for gas to go for an interview.<br />
Ok, so I know what it is like to be poor and to have baked beans and mac and cheese the night before payday and there was no meat left in the house. I remember in high school our home ed teacher, asked us what our favorite meal was and I said baked beans and mac and cheese. She was horrified. She said "there is no Meat!!!!!" I laugh today as a vegetarian, because it was a very high protein meal, but then I was just embarrassed.<br />
My new clothes came from Fishman's, (the 5 and 10 cent store), or mama laboriously made them as she hated to sew, and worked full time as a teacher, and later a social worker.<br />
I say all of this because I know the rural areas of the US and understand that if you are not among the favored few, life and Washington seem stacked against you. When there were large industries around and steel and aluminum plants, and manufacturing plants, and the auto and coal industries; at least you could find some kind of work. Today those jobs are few and far between because most of our industries have gone east to China. In this country today the rich and business' have gotten richer and richer through foreign investments and offshore bank accounts. Even if the common middle class worker has a has a savings account they are lucky to earn 1% ROI.<br />
So all in all, to sum it up. I understand the rural mentality and it's desire for change regardless of the cost. I know I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. There was no room for a bleeding heart liberal like me in the beautiful farm country, unless I went to be a forest ranger in my majestic Adirondack mountains.<br />
I know the rural vote is now in control and hope and pray the alternative right and the hate groups will continue to be disavowed by Trump and his soon to be formed cabinet. We are going into unknown territory and we must bring our better angels to the foreground, and trust in our Constitution with its separation of powers and Bill of Rights, and the goodness and strong will of our generous American people.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-28948762866516832092016-10-28T09:09:00.004-07:002016-10-28T09:09:49.882-07:00Why I write this Blog I have often wondered why I expose my inner most thoughts to the public and friends through this blog. I believe it is because I am crying out to people to really know and love me. With all my thoughts, warts, bumps, inadequacies, and every other unnameable thing that occurs to me. <br />
Actually, in truth, I do not expose my inner most thoughts and feelings. Those I save for God alone. So even here I wear a mask. There are some things/thoughts that are unspeakable. Not bad, just unspeakable. A voice crying out in a wilderness, but masking his true identity. <br />
Do you too mask your true identity? Do you too cry out for fellowship you may never have, with people you will never know. Is this a common experience or is it only me? <br />
Internally my God is all to me. He walks slightly ahead of me everywhere. holding my hand but stepping out first so he can both protect me and lead me in the way he would have me go. The Lord is my Shepherd and I am a pretty dumb ewe. But I do know enough to follow him. Sometimes I forget to request his/her companionship but he is there anyway, watching me make my mistakes and blunders, and falling down. The Lord is ready, always ready, to pick me up when I ask. I truly am never alone.<br />
But in my external world I seem to need fellowship, understanding, congruence between my inner and outer worlds. I make a fool of myself reaching out to Facebook friends who never answer me. Oh they may like or love something or post a three word comment. but they never relate to my advances in a real way. I send them a long message telling them about myself and asking about them and I get back bupkis. My one friend,Eileen, and my one niece, Margo,answer me. I already know them. <b>I want to know you. </b>I want to know about your life, your family, what you think and what you believe. I want to engage in real conversation. I am basically a shut in, with supportive Church friends, a wonderful husband, but few other people I can really connect with. I keep reaching out. Like a damned fool. Or a fisherman casting into the water, but I only get nibbles. No bites. <br />
I am getting tired of it and myself so I am thinking of not doing this any more. I can put my photos in order or scrapbook instead: for people who will only throw them all out when I die.<br />
I know this is a rather dark post but I am a needy person. I need feedback. Who is it that is out there in France, Germany, and China, who is reading my blog? Why are you reading it and can you not comment? Who is it on Facebook, or is responding to my blog update emails? <br />
Where are you? Who are you? Why do you keep coming back?<br />
It is all a great mystery.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-15197763405575639632016-10-21T12:13:00.001-07:002016-10-21T12:13:02.953-07:00Moody and Sarcastic, says who?All of my illusions about myself have been shattered once again. I have been married 52 years and counting. December makes it 53. You would think by now you would have a good idea of who you are and who you are married to. I would have thought by now I would have known how my husband and others see me. Instead this morning I was brought up sharp with an answer I NEVER EXPECTED.<br />
I was taking a quiz on Facebook to find out what kind of cat I would be. I encountered the following question and four possible answers:<br />
What kind of person are you<br />
1. Kind, caring and sweet<br />
2. Sarcastic and Moody<br />
3. Relaxed and laid back<br />
4. Fiery and Aggressive<br />
<br />
I was having difficulty deciding between # 1 and # 4 so I ask my beloved husband. Well, don"t you know he chose # 3, Sarcastic and moody. I could not believe it. I said " Really, you really think I am sarcastic and moody"? <br />
He said " yes, you are always making rude faces and yelling over the simplest things and making sarcastic remarks to me and about others."<br />
I just could not believe it. I realized then I had no conception of the effect I had on others. Suddenly I could see why all my former friends had deserted me over time and why some people said I was hard to get to know at first. I must come off as a super bitch to most people. And I talk about moody people, oh my God, who am I. <br />
My inner reality about who I am seems to be just a facade and my outer self is completely different.At least with regard to how I feel about and see myself. <br />
I was so sure I was kind and caring and sweet and became fiery and aggressive only when defending others I felt have been wronged. Now I see the illusion I have been laboring under.<br />
So please try and forgive me, both my friends and my enemies. I will be observing myself and my words and actions even more carefully from now on and will try to bring more cogency to my inner and outer realities.<br />
P.S. I came out a Maine Coon Cat in the quiz.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-18340629056883562412016-09-24T10:25:00.000-07:002016-09-24T10:28:49.847-07:00Death and it forerunnersToday's topic is not too cheerful but we must all face the subject in our life.<br />
When I was a child I once regaled a friend's mother with an ad hoc list of all the ways one could die: from a safe falling on one's head from an upper story window, to an infection from a dog bite, to car accidents, etc,etc,etc. She got so angry with me but I just would not stop listing every conceivable way to die I could think of. She was baking and my friend and I were watching her while I chattered on. Finally she had enough and banished us from the kitchen. She later asked my sister what was wrong with me.<br />
I remember running like a banshee through the basement of the funeral home with my cousins at my Father's mother's funeral. We had the best time ever until we were apprehended by an an angry uncle. Whenever I got angry with someone as a child I would wish they would die. This seemed to be the only way to permanently remove the troublesome people in my life. It seemed so easy and final...Wam! your dead...no more problem. Otherwise, difficult people remained a continuing problem in one's life. <br />
I guess I have always had thoughts of death on my mind, because again as a child, I used to pray my Mom not die until I was at least thirty years old. I thought by then I would have it together enough to deal with her loss. Alas, it was not to be the case as she died when I was only twenty one. I found it impossible to deal with and despite the fact I was married, I cried and had nightmares of my mother leaving me for at least six months. My husband told me later he did not know if he would ever get back the girl he married. I was depressed, always crying, gained weight and I quit a good job to get a horrible little job in Uniforms For Industry. I was tallying load sheets and keeping inventory of how many uniforms went out and how many came back. I worked with an extremely crippled man named Charlie, who taught me to use a calculator without looking; and a older woman named Charlotte who had severe scaring from acne, and used to come to work with a parrot on her shoulder. It was a dark period along factory row in Jamaica, N.Y., but it gave me time to heal my soul among people who had far greater problems than I had ever dealt with. I learned to love my co-workers and value the time I spent with them. I visited their homes, met Charlies mother, and was surprised by Charlotte's cosy little world among her birds and antique treasures. Her windows, in an extremely poor area, were willed with light and wind chimes. Both of my friends were safe in the environments they created for themselves.<br />
But back to death. It all my preoccupations with death in my youth I never was afraid for my own life. I felt invincible. I could go anywhere and get involved in any situation and never fear the outcome. Someday I will write about some of the scary situations I got myself into and out of, but until later I never was afraid for myself. Each situation was a challenge that I thought I could get myself out of. I always believed in God and had felt with him by my side there was nothing to fear. <br />
I realise now the reason death never scared me. I know that when one dies, for better or for worse, change is inevitable. We either go from a living state to no state at all, a profound change; or we experience a change to another whole existence. Heaven, reincarnation, time travel to the place we originated from, who knows? There are those who claim to know but they can offer no proof. So we trust our reason, our God, or we fear death because it is unknown. I have always welcomed change, both in the physical world and circumstances or in the mental with new thoughts and ideas.<br />
I do not still fear death, but I do fear very much living in pain and physical and mental deterioration.<br />
Some of my worst fears are of being enclosed. I have claustrophobia and in later years developed a great fear of heights. I have a deep fear of being unable to breath. My COPD has most likely increased this fear, but one of my worst fears from long ago was of drowning. I truly fear torture and all the books I have read about prisons, concentration camps and bondage situations have fed these fears. I have a vivid imagination and empathy with others so I experience a lot of what I fear. I also fear pain, pure and simple. I know when we feel pain we know we are alive but still I do not at all enjoy the sensation. Worse, perhaps, is not being able to move or feel anything. Being trapped in one's own body must be one of the worst sensations. Once I was prescribed a sleeping pill. As I drifted off to sleep I felt I was unable to move my limbs or turn around. I was terrified. I swore I would never take a sleeping pill again. I once read a book called "Johnny Got His Gun", about a soldier who was trapped in his body and unable to communicate in any way. He was completely conscious and remembered everything and the book was a stream of consciousness story. I have never forgotten this book although I was eighteen when I read it.<br />
So all in all I conclude it is not death that I fear but rather the process of losing life. Losing the mind/body connection, with which I have lived my life.<br />
So now I must begin to master the process of dying so it will not be so fearful. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-7561424506480983172016-09-03T10:34:00.002-07:002016-09-05T08:41:57.675-07:00Imagination<br />
<ol class="_2t4u clearfix" data-pnref="story" data-referrer="pagelet_timeline_recent_ocm" id="u_0_19_story"><div class="_5pcb _4b0l">
<div aria-labelledby="js_8 js_9 js_a js_b" class="_4-u2 mbm _5jmm _5pat _5v3q _4-u8 _x72" data-ft="{"top_level_post_id":"10210762595927795","tl_objid":"10210762595927795","fbfeed_location":10,"thid":"1436910374:306061129499414:2:0:1475305199:-6944222282199113040"}" data-fte="1" data-insertion-position="1" data-time="1472873073" id="tl_unit_-6944222282199113040">
<div class="_3ccb" data-gt="{"type":"click2canvas","fbsource":703,"ref":"nf_generic"}" id="u_0_2a">
<div aria-label="Story" class="userContentWrapper _5pcr" role="article">
<div class="_1dwg _1w_m">
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_b">
Imagined adulthood.<br />
Gained adulthood. <br />
Lost imagination.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</ol>
This was posted on Facebook by a special friend and really amused me. It did get me thinking though.<br />
I truly believe that, except for the soul, imagination is the most important aspect of a human being. Oh I know reason, creativity, consciousness, and all the additional parts of our beingness that we experience, are important. For me, however, imagination holds the key to our highest states of consciousness and our very worst nightmares. Inspiration and fear both come from our active imagination. I have no clue if other beings experience imagination. An animal can be very intelligent and obviously is able to reason. I know our little chihuahua, Angie, can play pretend cat. She will sniff under a bush or look under a car and then jump and run about as if she is chasing a kitty. We always get so amused when she does this because it is exactly how she will play with a real cat. Both humans and animals participate in play which I feel is an acting out of imagination. ( I think this may be why athletes get better in the off season for their sport because they visualize the activity and are ready to begin acting it out when the season's training comes.) I know as martial artists we were taught to visualize moves and situations in resting states so we would be prepared if the real situation were to arise.<br />
This is how I overcame my fear of going home alone by subway after the rush hour has ended in NYC. I would visualize an attack by one or more assailants and then practice my moves to evade or control the situation using either force or reason. Oddly enough I never had to experience anything I had worked out before in my imagination; but my fear was replaced by calmness and control. There were instances which could have become dangerous but I really believe my demeanor and lack of fear kept things from being realized. By the way I also believe that a Godly person also repels attacks that might occur by nature of his or her sense of protection by God. Mother Theresa went into the most horrific and dangerous situations with no fear and she was never attacked.<br />
Every safety expert will tell us: to be aware of our circumstances, have one's keys ready in one's hand when going to the car in a parking lot, do not be testing or on the phone, if you feel any thing might be suspicious to go back into the store and get an employee to accompany you to the car, ete, ete, etc.<br />
All this preparation can inspire fear rather than negate it. What they neglect to tell you is one who is confident and self assured is rarely attacked. Criminals look for nervous, or unaware victims. Sometimes we are told not to look people in the eye and to keep our eyes down. I have found that recognizing others as people and individuals can be a good tactic. Acknowledging others and nodding pleasantly shows you are confident, at ease, and able to deal with situations which might arise. . <br />
But back to imagination. I think I could write a book about my imaginary experiences, both waking and sleeping. This however would be for another time. For now I simply want you all to begin thinking about imagination and how important it can be for human development.<br />
John Lennon:<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<div class="video-link">
<br /></div>
<div id="songLyricsDiv-outer">
<div class="songLyricsV14 iComment-text" id="songLyricsDiv" style="left: 0px; position: relative;">
Imagine there's no Heaven<br />
It's easy if you try<br />
No Hell below us<br />
Above us only sky<br />
Imagine all the people<br />
Livin' for today<br />
Imagine there's no countries<br />
It isn't hard to do<br />
Nothing to kill or die for<br />
And no religion too<br />
Imagine all the people<br />
Livin' life in peace<br />
You may say I'm a dreamer<br />
But I'm not the only one</div>
I hope someday you'll join us<br />
And the world will be as one<br />
<br />
Imagine no possessions<br />
I wonder if you can<br />
No need for greed or hunger<br />
A brotherhood of man<br />
Imagine all the people<br />
Sharin' all the world<br />
You may say I'm a dreamer<br />
But I'm not the only one<br />
I hope someday you'll join us<br />
And the world will live as one</div>
</div>
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/john-lennon/imagine-lyrics/#0QkHZBtiG8ZxflXx.99(Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-20248344498777190322016-09-02T09:50:00.000-07:002016-09-02T09:50:47.255-07:00Friendship Lost and FoundI started this post on Sept.1, but it carried over into today..Aw well, sigh!<br />
I wanted a new friend so badly it hurt. I wanted someone to share every adventure with and who understood all my varied moods. I have reached out so many times in the last years and months and no one very special was there. I asked God and he kept reminding me that he is there. I know that dear God, and I love you so much, but that was not the same as having a living breathing human friend to do things with. I love Srini so much also,and he is my dearest love but doesn't share my same interests or like to go to the same places with me. My little dog Angie is a poor companion at best. I love her dearly but she is not a real companion to me. She is a bit of a loner but has drawn more close recently.<br />
What to do? What to do? <br />
At least when I worked, until that last year, I always had someone to hang with, and joke with, but that was all in the past. When Char moved away, part of my heart moved with her. The same with Pam. When she and Charlie moved to Morro Bay part of my heart moved with them. I had tried to substitute Facebook friends but they seemed too far removed and when I did not post they seem to forget about me. Even if they were there, when I signed off I was alone again. <br />
I knew my husband had the same problem and some days he really stewed about the fact he never had a real friend who had not turned on him. Of course his experience was different than mine and we handled it differently. He is much more active than me and is not as introspective. He has always kept busy with friends on the telephone (his former students and now friends) and his exercise, guitar, and wood working projects. He also loves to read but is too active and spends a lot of time learning more about his hobbies on line than reading. We both love the Robert Crais books because Elvis and Joe, the main characters, are true friends and always have each others backs. This is the kind of friendship both of us felt we yearned for and needed in our lives.<br />
We were stumbling along and I kept yearning for a real true friend who would never leave until one or the other of us died. My dear sister, with whom I shared a love, and not so much love relationship,was stumbling into deeper dementia, and was not able to even reminisce with me.<br />
Then, out of the blue I had an epiphany. I cannot describe it as anything else. Certain things happened with certain friends, and I received wonderful feedback from several other dear friends and I suddenly realized what a real fool I had been. Mooning about lost or missing relationships and not valuing enough the real relationships I have and enjoy.today.<br />
I have a larger group than most people, who really love and care for me. All of these dear ones in my life seemed to have converged around me in the same time frame and I realise how truly blessed I am. <br />
There is no special "Best Friend" any more and in truth I don't think I could handle one today. The relationship always becomes too exclusive and excludes others who mean so much. In truth I am a very slow learner and it has taken me 72 years to have this insight into relationships. I always<br />
knew that three people could not be best friends because two always eventually excluded the third and feelings would be hurt. This happened to me in early highschool so I learned to count on one special friend only.<br />
Fast forward more than sixty years and I finally learn that dear and very special friends surround me always and not one, but many people are there to watch my back and catch me if I falter or fall. Among my many dear friends are several gentlemen both here and abroad, in India, and other far countries; who always watch out for and care for me. Add to them my many Facebook friends who are further away and Church friends who are both on FB and also near to me and I already have a very large group. Then add to this several other dear friends who live in Phoenix but whom I have neglected far too long but am gathering close again. . I cannot count all my friends with both finger and toes and even limbs and orifices. They seem countless like the stars and one or another pops up and then recedes for a while, whenever I have a need for companionship or help.<br />
I have to say it again. I AM SO BLESSED> I have so many very dear and special friends and I pray I never again devalue them by searching for a special one. The Creator is my first and special One and I vow from now to love and value others as he/she, has valued me.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-52984251192847754602016-06-28T08:54:00.002-07:002016-06-28T08:54:58.215-07:00I been Thinkin !!!! Again... very dangerousIt is a rare but interesting thing to reflect on a specific point in my past and try to bring some clarity as to how it has influenced me today.<br />
I remember the summer before I went to college my mother, my grandmother and I sat on the front porch in Punxsutawney Pa. We had been talking about what things I would have to bring to the campus in Geneseo as I was to room with two other girls in the dormitory. After a lively discussion filled with memories and jokes about what mama had taken to her dorm when she went to Elmira; my mother injected a serious question to my grandmother. "What advice do you have for Claire when she gets to college and meets new friends and joins clubs and groups?"<br />
My grandmother got very serious and reflective and her words of advice were completely unexpected to a teenager leaving home for the first time. She did not off er advise about smoking, drinking, or sex with boys. Instead she addressed a topic which has stayed with me up until now and that I remember so succinctly. I will have to paraphrase but the driving and clear intent has remained etched in my mind.<br />
My grandmother told me to be very careful of any groups I joined, political, moral or social because the ramifications of the beliefs held by the groups could have a negative impact years later. It was 1961 and we were still dealing with the effects of the McCarthy era. <br />
<br />
<h1 style="color: #214ca4; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; font-stretch: normal;">
53a. McCarthyism</h1>
<div class="picr" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; float: right; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 11pt; margin: 5px 0px 15px 15px; padding-bottom: 4px; width: 158px;">
<br />
"Our job as Americans and as Republicans is to dislodge the traitors from every place where they've been sent to do their traitorous work." -Joseph McCarthy, speech before the Republican National Convention (1952)</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
"Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist party?"</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
In the 1950s, thousands of Americans who toiled in the government, served in the army, worked in the movie industry, or came from various walks of life had to answer that question before a congressional panel.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<span class="term" style="font-size: 9.6px; font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY</span> rose to national prominence by initiating a probe to ferret out communists holding prominent positions. During his investigations, safeguards promised by the Constitution were trampled.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
Why were so many held in thrall to the Wisconsin lawmaker? Why was an environment that some likened to the <span class="term" style="font-size: 9.6px; font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">SALEM WITCH TRIALS</span> tolerated?</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
My grandmother was well aware of the lives which had been ruined by the relentless probing of the most innocent associations in Politics, the movie industry and even employment and social circles. </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
She was stern as she told me to investigate carefully before joining any political group and even sororities and clubs like theater and music could be subject to misinterpretation. </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
Her words and examples chilled me and I was subsequently very careful about what I joined.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
Caution has followed me through the years. I have always been outspoken among friends and family but was careful of my words and actions. I have never gone to or participated in a March, or Sit-in, or Political Rally. I have never been active in a political party and have always been somewhat secretive about whom I voted for. At work I had many political discussions but was careful to note I was being the "Devil's advocate" iso owning to my somewhat radical, liberal and even Progressive views. It has only been in the context of human rights that I have stood up and spoken my piece. Regardless of how fearful I have been in other areas, when it comes to my fellow human beings I know no fear. I have tried always to recognize everyone's dignity and beliefs. </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
I have always regretted being so cowardly in the paths my grandmother warned me about, but in my old age I have become much more open in expressing myself and my beliefs. " </div>
<ol aria-label="Search Results" id="b_results" role="main">
<li class="b_algo" data-bm="6"><div class="b_caption">
— ‘<strong>A coward dies a thousand</strong> times before his <strong>death</strong>, but the valiant taste of <strong>death</strong> but once. ... ― <strong>William Shakespeare</strong>, <strong>Julius Caesar</strong>.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<b>My concern is that we are again entering an age of insulation and isolation and that if we are not very careful idiots like McCarthy and other radicals could rise once more among us.</b></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">
<br /></div>
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-65546436845834156792016-06-23T12:40:00.002-07:002016-06-23T12:40:45.950-07:00This is a political rant-beware of ANGERI have been trying so hard to keep my political feelings off this blog as I know whatever I say will not change any minds which are made up and opposite to mine. Last night and this morning creamed it for me, however, as I am truly angry and I do not care who knows it. <br />
John Lewis is a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement and a true gentleman. He was one of the "Big Six" in the Civil Rights Movement and was beaten to a pulp and got a fractured skull from state troopers for leading a peaceful march from Selma, Alabama. This came to be known as "Bloody Sunday", and was directly responsible for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1987 and has served there ever since. He is 76 years old.<br />
He has always been one of my hero's and to hear the little guttersnipe President of the NRA, call him a terrorist, is beyond the pale.<br />
John Lewis has always been a man who stood for and still stands for peace, but he will not back down or give up what he believes in. His speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 15, 2016 was polite and firm and quietly made. He then ended his speech by staging a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House. He vowed to remain there until some form of gun legislation was brought forward so all the legislators to vote on, and have their vote recorded. He did not say the legislation had to pass; but only to be submitted for vote.<br />
Paul Ryan then returned to the floor at about 10:00PM and called for a vote on a piece of Wall Street legislation, which Obama had vetoed, and which subsequently failed, then he called it a day. The morning of June 17, Paul Ryan dismissed the House early for their 4th of July holiday. <br />
John Lewis has vowed to carry on struggle when Congress returns after the 4th. I will quote some of his words below: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2022; font-family: Helvetica, Roboto, "Segoe UI", Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;">We have turned deaf ears to the blood of the innocent & the concern of our nation. We will use nonviolence to fight gun violence & inaction".</span><br />
<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2016-06-22T16:18:19+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/repjohnlewis/status/745652145429553152" style="font-family: Helvetica, Roboto, "Segoe UI", Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">9:18 AM - 22 Jun 2016</a><br />
In truth I am so sick of the lack of any positive action in Congress, but what truly bothers me is the attempt to discredit honorable men and women simply to force an agenda.. People should take a peaceful stand for what they believe in. All the name calling in the world will not and cannot besmirch the reputation of a man like John Lewis. For those who do not know who he is and what he stands for I find myself attempting to set the record straight.<br />
I am done for nowGrand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-30329031622300605982016-06-21T08:56:00.002-07:002016-06-21T08:56:42.180-07:00Why Move to Phoenix?I have wondered every summer when the temps hover at 110" or hotter, why in the hell I ever moved to Phoenix. It's complicated. Where does one go when one knows they can no longer live in India...? Why to a place that is hotter of course.<br />
That is not how it really happened but it sounded good for the moment. When my husband and I realized we could no longer take the discomforts of living our dreams we had to find a place to move to. There were some discomforts of Bangalore living we were just not willing to face, until they improved. Like no power for four hours either AM or PM. The AM/PM alternated each month. Random problems with our bore well which supplied our house hold water. Huge traffic congestion and few traffic lights. Four way stops where everyone kept going in their own direction and no stopping. Pollution everywhere in what used to be known as the garden city. Industries galore and unimpeded growth,. Good for the country but bad for gracious living. In short, everything had changed since we had decided back in 1969 to move to Bangalore when we retired. We absolutely still loved the country, the people, the food, our family, my husband's students, etc. We simply could not face the discomforts for the rest of our lives. Had we been either richer or poorer we might have stayed and dealt with the situation and been happy. Being who we were, however, we decided to return to the States and seek a final home. <br />
I came to Phoenix because like the bird I felt we could rise from the ashes and recreate ourselves. Instead we live every summer with the ashes floating over the valley from our magnificent forests burning,relentlessly with wildfires caused mostly by humans.<br />
The pollution from the cars, industry, blowing dust, burning ash, combined with heat above 110" make leaving our homes in the four bad months of summer a terrible challenge. For someone like me, with COPD, it becomes almost impossible. Half of May, June, July, August, and half of September, make for four home-bound months for me. God forbid if the air conditioning goes out in either our house or our car. This, thus far has not happened because we keep the conditioner and cars very well maintained. We are on our third home air-conditioner since moving to this house. We replace it at the first sign of trouble. <br />
My husband and I have made a life of cocooning during the summer months. It is a time for indoor exercise, guitar playing, reading, cleaning house and a myriad of other activities which can be done after 10:30 AM until the next morning at 5:30.<br />
We have adjusted to this Hell on earth during the summer months and stunning loveliness the remainder of the year. Housing is affordable, taxes are low, the streets are wide and many are lined with graceful palm trees. In any direction we drive we can see mountains in the distance. There are horse farms a few blocks away from where we live. The vegetation is wild and colorful and who can resist the "Sentinels of the Dessert", the Saguaro Cactus. Almost any flower or vegetable can be grown during the winter months and the landscapes are filled with living color due to wildflowers in the spring. People used to move to Arizona when they had asthma or allergies, but no longer. There are many days with unacceptable air quality and the vegetation such as olive trees and others, are murder for allergies.<br />
I am still not quite sure why we came here. It is indeed a dry heat. It will dry out your very blood if you let it. The buzzards are always circling over the dessert but here in the Valley of the Sun, life can be livable if you are willing to adapt and embrace the life one has finally chosen. For better or worse, until death do us part. Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-33253642184891354532016-06-15T09:09:00.001-07:002016-06-15T09:09:04.526-07:00It's all about the bass?When did this fascination about asses begin? When I was a kid the only asses we talked about were jackasses. Guys don"t make passes at girls with big asses. Oh, for the good old days. Now the Booty is the thing. No one cares anymore about breasts or lips, or legs. Every girl now wants a big bum and every guy seems to only notice the hind side of a woman<br />
Where did it all begin? I think the beginnings go back far into human history. Consider the baboons and monkeys with bright red bottoms to make them sexually attractive to their mates. Can humans do any less?<br />
Beyonce', Rihanna, Jenny from the block, Lopez and the Kardashians, all exemplify the big ass boom, but they didn't start it. Three of them were most likely born with the feminine pulchritude they carry but then enhanced what is natural more with tight and suggestive clothing. I have no idea where Kim got her booty but I am willing to bet it ain't natural<br />
Everywhere we look we are finding dresses and skirts with stretchable fabric that cups the buttocks and makes women look like they have balloons tucked in their skirts or pants. Gently rounded curves are replaced by caricatures of bulbous comic book women. Girls are getting collegian injections and fat injections and padded underwear to try to fit into the craze.<br />
It is so sad we cannot accept the way we are individually and wonderfully made, We need to be role models for young girls and do the best we are able to keep our bodies fit and active. We need to tell them unnaturally big butts can lead to sway back and other back issues that no one finds attractive. We need to tell out young men, not to gawk and make fun of women with excessive anything. Consider the whole package of femininity, physical and mental and not to be so attracted to image as opposed to substance.<br />
Girls will be girls and boys will be boys. However as a society we should be more judicious of the trends we get caught up in. <br />
If you think these are the opinions of an ancient ugly woman you would be right, but who cares. I am what I is for all time.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-18700352545630662782016-06-07T09:30:00.001-07:002016-06-07T09:30:05.880-07:00Ever more dependent and resentful of it.....This is a quickie for those who miss me. I have been too sleepy in the mornings and have lacked energy to post. I think everything is beginning to go south. I cannot stand the hot weather so I have not gone outside for 5 days except for church on Sunday. Srini drove me and picked me up then, because I cannot get into a hot car after it has been standing several hours, Even when I have my oxygen on I feel I cannot breathe. Too bad, so sad. So many people have worse problems than I that I really should not complain. <br />
I have found that the more you feel sorry for yourself the deeper you go into depression. I try to be thankful for everything. All the conditions and small problems I have in my life are an impetus for me to learn and grow and find what I am capable of; or not.<br />
I find it extremely difficult still to ask for help. I feel that even my dearest one's resent it when I feel forced to ask for something. I wish I could continue to do for myself with only God"s help. I am afraid that becomes more and more impossible to go it completely alone. I do occasionally ask someone other than Srini to pick me up or drop me off, but continue to feel my friends resent it inside. When I hear them talk about others who are now more dependent I really understand what an imposition it is to do for others. Even the simple things.<br />
I wish I could afford to have a personal assistant and a driver for hot weather but unfortunately cannot. I only have energy before noon each day. This is my window for accomplishment. The rest of the time I can only read, watch TV or play on the computer. I guess I am lucky I still have the mornings for activity but this is why it is hard for me to keep up the blog. It is precious AM time when I should be taking advantage of my energy flow.<br />
Oh woe is me. Is this a pity party or what? <br />
I really am so thankful I can continue to do what I do . I also know the Lord keeps me humble by making me ask others for help. I have always been so, as my father would say about me, "so G' damn independent"<br />
So with age comes dependence but also insight into character flaws. <br />
Until next time, my friends, or not so friends, I bid you farewell.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-19994596330073895412016-05-29T08:26:00.000-07:002016-05-29T08:28:16.387-07:00Walk with DeathMy walk this morning led to some rather deep thinking about life and death. My husband has always said we are attached to this life by a thin narrow, invisible thread holding us from the top of our head. At any moment or at any time this thread could snap and we would be here in this place no more. From the time I can remember I have thought about death.<br />
As a child I never worried about my own death but was very concerned about the death of my mother. I loved her so much and just did not feel I could ever go on without her. In fact I used to pray in my evening prayers that God would let her live until I was at least thirty years old. I thought by then I would be more grownup and better able to accept her death. My prayer was not realized and she died of acute leukemia when I was only 21. I was totally devastated. I was in India for the first time and we were to stay for 3 weeks. We had planned to go upstate to visit mama and daddy before we went to India but at the last minute before going changed our plan. I felt it would stretch our finances too much so decided to wait until we came back. In the middle of our third week in India I woke with a nightmare. I told my husband I could never move to India to live because I could not leave my mother. In my dream she was dying and I could not leave her. The next morning we received a telegram that mama was extremely ill in Strom Memorial Hospital in Rochester N.Y. We had no home phones in the house in Bangalore at that time so my family there hailed auto rickshaws. The men of the family ( Srini, his dad, and his two brothers), and I, went to the Bangalore Telegraph and Telephone office. It took forever but we were finally able to get connected to the Hospital. I asked for the room of Margaret Pierce and was told she had died a few hours earlier. I asked how she had died, and was told they could not give out that information over the phone; even if I was a daughter calling from abroad. I then asked to have either my father or sister paged, which they did. They had already left the hospital. To make a long story short I could reach neither my father or sister at their homes. Srini called Pan American World Airlines and arranged for us to leave Delhi the next day for NYC. He then called the local airline to book an evening flight. to Delhi. We went back to the house, cried, packed, and left for the airport. Srini's family were absolutely wonderful and his Mom and sisters cried with me as they helped me pack.<br />
When we reached New Delhi, PanAm put us in first class for the flight home, which made 5 stops in 5 different countries. I was sick with nausea and bathroom issues and crying jags so it was a blessing we were in first class near the bathroom. When we finally landed in New York on Sunday morning I called my father and learned the funeral for Mama was the next day. Srini booked a flight for us to Massena N.Y. for the first flight Monday morning. My Father and Uncle Jerry picked us up at the airport there and drove directly to the funeral in Potsdam.<br />
I subsequently learned Mama developed a very sore throat three days after we left for India. a blood test showed her white blood cells were extremely high. They rushed her by ambulance to Strom Memorial and she died there a week later. As near as we could calculate with the time difference, it was at the time of my nightmare. <br />
From this earth shattering experience, for me, I learned all the praying in the world could not stop or delay death The thread could break at any moment, and our happiest moments could become part of our worst nightmares. The difference between life and death is a moment in time and we have to try and make the best of that moment. I also learned you can live beyond the death of a beloved. I grieved very hard for at least six months. I cried, had nightmares, gained weight, quit the job I had, let myself go........all the worst things people do when they grieve. Srini tells me he hardly recognized me during this time. All my joy was gone. Eventually I came back but I never tried to hold as tightly to anyone again. I knew they could and indeed might leave, so I tried to prepare myself to let them go. Mama always said " if you really love someone, you love them enough to let them go". <br />
I have lost many people I loved since that time in my life and it never is easy. What I have tried to do, especially now that I am older, is enjoy even more the moments I have with those I love. I try to forgive their and my own idiosyncrasies, and honor and love who they really are. I really do try to enjoy each day for what it holds and do not have a very long bucket list. I have done and do what I most enjoy each day and if this makes me a little lazy then damn the torpedos which might be thrown against me.Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-76682723224412628562016-05-13T10:05:00.000-07:002016-05-13T10:05:13.697-07:00New York City, there I went......... I think I need to talk about my first experiences in New York City at 18 years old.<br />
I had flunked out of Geneseo State College(that is what it was called back in the day) My mother was heartbroken, but I really don't remember what my father said. It was he who had insisted that his daughter had to go to college. We were all unsure of what the next step would be. Mama thought I should take some courses at the community college. I wanted to go to NYC and get a job. That is what I had wanted in the first place but my Dad wouldn't hear of it because I was accepted with a small scholarship at Geneseo.<br />
Fortuitously, my best friend Christa had come to Potsdam in June to move her Mom to her apartment in Queens NY. Christa had gone to travel school in Chicago but then went to NYC and got a job as a receptionist. She was waiting to get called for an interview to be a stewardess.<br />
So Christa was moving her Mom to Queens with her mom's old car with a uhaul attached. Christa did not drive but I had driven her mom's car many times our Junior and senior years in high school. They invited me to go along to help drive and stay with them a few weeks in to help settle her mom. I, of course, lept at the chance, and since I couldn't do much else until fall, my father said I could go. Mama wept a little because she knew what I really wanted. I think my father felt I would come crawling home after being defeated by the big city. He had been a runner on Wall Street at about my age and he hightailed it back to work in a sawmill in Conifer, NY.<br />
I will never forget the drive from the Hudson Bridge to NYC. We drove down the Hutchinson River Parkway and from about 10 miles away we could see the city lights. It was a truly magical night. My heart was in my throat the whole way and I just could not believe what I was seeing. I knew then that truly this was my destiny and the place I was meant to be. Coming to "Gotham" on an enchanted evening like that fulfilled, but also began, the epitome of all my childhood dreams. This one evening, and a second at Delhi Airport, when I first set foot in India, remain in my memory as fresh as on the days they occurred. Nothing could have prepared me for the sights I saw or the emotions I felt on these two occasions.<br />
I stayed with Christa for two weeks while I looked for a job and a place to stay. I found a job almost immediately as an office trainee at the American Institute of CPA'S. I had gotten the job through an employment agency and I had to pay them out of my first salaries for the next three months. I was paid in cash week. I remember the small brown envelope containing exactly $63.00. The next step was to find a place to stay. Christa had stayed at the Webster Hotel for Women between 9th and 10th Ave on 32nd Street.( see "a new beginning 1962"folder on Claire's Pinterest pages.) She took me there and they accepted me and agreed to keeping a $50.00 deposit, until my first paychecks came through. I had been sent off to NYC by my parents with $100.00 and it was the last money I ever accepted from them.<br />
So I called my parents and told them I had a job and a rented room and that my future from then on was in NYC. They wished me well and said to call home right away if I needed anything or got into any kind of trouble. My mother's philosophy was "if you love truly love someone, you love them enough to let them go." I believe this is what kept my parents together until she died.<br />
More of my early NYC experiences will come on another day.<br />
Farewell for now.<br />
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-84249709231214911752016-05-09T09:21:00.001-07:002016-05-09T09:21:36.135-07:00Religion in the name of Religion?This is going to be a hard one to both write, and read if you are one of my followers.<br />
I watched 60 minutes last night and learned about the Yezidis in northern Irac who fled to the mountains and had one of their ancient cities destroyed by Isis. I had understood them to be Kurdish people but now realize they are a separate religious group within the Kurdish people.They were assisted by other Kurds and allied fighting forces against Isis. I was shocked and angered by the genocide being perpetuated against this group whom the terrorists have labeled devil worshipers. After watching this program I was sick with anger and did some research on the beliefs of this ancient religion being persecuted.<br />
I am not going into details; you can look them up yourself, but unfortunately was surprised to learn they are a closed religion who are monotheistic and practice endogamy. <b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Endogamy</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> is the practice of marrying within a specific </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_group" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Ethnic group">ethnic group</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, class, or </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_group" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Social group">social group</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">, rejecting others on such a basis as being unsuitable for marriage or for other close personal relationships.</span><br />
<div class="hatnote" role="note" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 22.4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 1.6em;">
<span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Endogamy can serve as a form of</span><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-segregation" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Auto-segregation">self-segregation</a><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">; it helps a community </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_genetics" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Population genetics">Population genetics</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbreeding" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Inbreeding">inbreeding</a><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"> to resist integrating and completely merging with surrounding populations. It helps minorities to survive over a long time as distinct communities within societies with other practices and beliefs.</span></div>
<div class="hatnote" role="note" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 1.6em;">
<span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "notonashkarabic" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; line-height: 27px;"> the Yazidi are a</span><a data-beacon="{"p":{"mnid":"entry_text","lnid":"citation","mpid":2}}" href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/alarabiya-studies/2014/08/11/What-you-did-not-know-about-Iraq-s-Yazidi-minority-.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #2e7061; font-family: NotoNashkArabic, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; line-height: 27px;" target="_hplink"> Kurdish-speaking ethnoreligious</a><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"><i> group, </i></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "notonashkarabic" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 27px;">which makes it complicated for scholars and historians to pin down the nuances of their religion. They share a belief in Adam as the first man with Christians, Jews and Muslims but other beliefs seem to go back to the pagan era.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<div style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">
l also learned in my reading that some families within the Yazidi religion have participated in honor killings when their unmarried you have tried to run away and marry outsiders.</div>
<div style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">All of this leads me to my rant today. I really do hate religion and seriously believe, at times, that all religions should be destroyed. I am a practicing United Methodist who attends Church most weeks and who participates in Communion and prayer for others; I love the old hymns of the church. I attend Church because of the love and care and fellowship of the other participants. This is what keeps me returning week after week. I do not agree with the social position that Ministers of our religion cannot be practicing members of the LGBT community, not can they marry persons of the same birth sex.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">What I cannot stand in any religion is what I feel is the hypocrisy in their professed beliefs and their treatment of their fellow man. Particularly in my own Christian religion. I do not like to even call myself a Christian anymore, but rather a follower of Jesus. I have read the old and new testaments through and through several times. I have attended college courses on religion and have participated in many Bible study groups as well as internal church courses. I am a local lay leader and hold a weekly Bible study group in my home.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">I believe What Jesus called the two most important commandments. I paraphrase:</span></span><br />
<ol class=" reg searchCenterMiddle" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1462809578505_201" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.004px; list-style: none outside; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="dd algo cdr7k4i fst Sr" data-3fe="5730b3f051b27" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1462809578505_219" style="margin: 0px 20px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="compText aAbs" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1462809578505_218" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="lh-17" id="yui_3_10_0_1_1462809578505_217" style="line-height: 17px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_10_0_1_1462809578505_216">Love</span> the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ... ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. ...</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div>
These two commandments constitute my faith and beliefs. Everything else is up for question in my mind.</div>
</li>
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div>
I believe all of the great religions have these two core beliefs somewhere in their theology and if they do not they should. </div>
</li>
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div>
I love God, Creation, and all of the the fellow beings in the Universe. I believe God or Being created everything. There is no beginning and no end. There is eternal life and truth. Being dwells within every thing and every creature or piece of vegetation. I believe our task is to pass as gently as possible through our finite existence and to honor the being present within others. We are to grow and learn and ultimately pass to whatever is beyond our own finite existence. </div>
</li>
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div>
People and religions who feel it is their right and duty to impose their belief systems on others and who interfere with another's right to an existence filled with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness .I consider people like this are just plain wrong and their arguments upset me.</div>
</li>
<li class="first" id="3fe0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div>
Poobah has spoken again, alienating both friend and foe. Woe is me.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.004px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.004px;">PS Since this is a blog and not a formal piece I have not noted my sources. I have plagiarized. So sue me!</span></span></div>
<ol class=" reg searchCenterMiddle" style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.004px; list-style: none outside; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<li id="3fe1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="dd algo cdr7k4i Sr" data-3fe="5730b3f0521e9" style="margin: 30px 20px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207741260086069485.post-38836183588853853902016-05-06T10:05:00.000-07:002016-05-06T10:05:05.065-07:00The week in highlightsThis has been an interesting week for me. I have found many new and unexpected thoughts have been crowding into my mind. <br />
On Monday I started to write about my view of the current Primary season candidates but something told me to hold off. Tuesday came and went and then Zodiac killer dropped out of the race with a final punch and elbow to wife's face and I felt nothing I could have written could top that. Even my sense of humor could not have anticipated a punchline to beat that. <br />
Moving along. On Wednesday I planned on meeting a friend at the supermarket Starbucks and then doing my monthly Senior day 10% off shopping at the same supermarket. The best laid plans........it turned out another friend needed transportation to and from a Dr's off ice to have a skin cancer removed from the rear of her driving foot knee. I changed plans and found myself off to Youngtown to pickup my friend. " <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Youngtown is the oldest</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retirement_community" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Retirement community">retirement community</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">in the US. In 1954, two developers bought 320 acres (1.3 km</span><sup style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1;">2</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">) of</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmland" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Farmland">farmland</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">& built is notable as the first master-planned, adult community in the United States, dedicated exclusively to retirees, designed by Ben Schleifer.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ADOC_5-0" style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngtown,_Arizona#cite_note-ADOC-5" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[5]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">However, in 1996, the town denied extending the stay of a 16-year-old child to live in the community. In response, the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Attorney_General" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Arizona Attorney General">Arizona Attorney General</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">investigated and determined it was unenforceable. In response Youngtown repealed the age restrictions in 1999.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngtown,_Arizona#cite_note-6" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[6]</a>"</sup><br />
Later Sun City was built and overshadowed the original retirement village.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">" Sun City was opened January 1, 1960, with five home models, a shopping center, a recreation center, and a golf course. The opening weekend drew 100,000 people, ten times more than expected, and resulted in a</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Time</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> magazine cover story.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City,_Arizona#cite_note-2" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[2]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> The future retirement community was built on the site of the former </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_town" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Ghost town">ghost town</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinette,_Arizona" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Marinette, Arizona">Marinette</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-grant_3-0" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City,_Arizona#cite_note-grant-3" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[3]</a></sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> Developer </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Webb" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Del Webb">Del E. Webb</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> expanded Sun City over the years, and his company went on to build other retirement communities in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sun Belt">Sun Belt</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">. </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_West" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sun City West">Sun City West</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> was built in the late 1970s, </span><a class="new" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sun_City_Grand&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #a55858; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sun City Grand (page does not exist)">Sun City Grand</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> in the late 1990s, </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Anthem,_Arizona" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sun City Anthem, Arizona">Sun City Anthem</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> in 1999, and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City_Festival_(Buckeye,_Arizona)" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Sun City Festival (Buckeye, Arizona)">Sun City Festival</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> in July 2006.</span><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_City,_Arizona#cite_note-4" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;">[4]</a></sup> " <br />
All of these retirement areas are affordable and welcomed by both older citizens and snowbirds. The main dangers of living in these areas are being run over by an octogenarian in a golf cart, or dying of boredom or sunstroke. <br />
I thoroughly enjoyed taking my friend to the medical center and returning her home little the worse for wear but very tired and feeling no pain,YET). <br />
<div>
I then went for my senior day supermarket run and emerged two hours later with aching legs and hot(it almost reached 98' by the time I was putting $176.00 worth of groceries in the car) I had saved almost $70.00 between sales, 10% off and my coupons. Not a bad investment in my time. I got home unpacked groceries and collapsed for the remainder of the day.<br />
Thursday brought me to my Martha's Circle group, where we cut up, donated and canceled, postage stamps to borders of 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch on all four sides of each stamp. These stamps are then further sorted by type and sent to a Christian organization in Florida which in turn sells them and uses the funds for education programs in Latin America. <br />
Folks, this is the kind of tedious mission work little old ladies love to do. So cut your envelopes completely in half and send the stamped end to me to continue this valuable program. If you do choose to participate please send the whole half envelope including the back. Some put their stamp right at the top and side of the envelope not leaving any border. So we use the back and side to cut the border. I bet you never knew collecting stamps for charity is such an exacting science.<br />
Later we watched a DVD from "Women of Faith" and listened to Lora Schwlinder speak. This lady is in her 70's and full of pep and vigor and has a lovely singing voice. She spoke of inviting God to accompany you throughout the day in all the Little Things.She said most of us are savie or desperate enough to call on God in prayer for the large events in life like illness, sorrow, death, fires, disasters and one could go on and on. Few of us keep in touch with or pray to God in all the little things which make up all of our lives. She says she wakes up and gives thanks for all her blessings and then asks the Lord to be with her in all the little things she encounters each and every day which we seldom give over to him. We think we should be able to direct and order our own lives.<br />
I must say we ladies had a good discussion about this talk, but It has been on my mind ever since. For years I have tried to pray continuously and to ask the Lord to be beside me throughout my day, But I do too often get distracted and find myself seldom thinking of the Lord or Spirit while standing in line at the grocery store or getting the mail. Then too, we know terrible things happen to us when we least expect it. We blurt out mean or sarcastic things to a friend or are involved in a robbery, out of the blue.<br />
The things we worry about most never happen but something even more devastating sits around the corner waiting for us. Now I do not want to say I want to go around scared all the time, but rather just the opposite. I want to proceed through all occasions with God, or Spirit, or Christ or whatever names we call the Holy Presence. I want that Presence to accompany and share with me all the occasions or events or people I encounter. I want my thoughts to be deeply embedded in the Holy and Sanctified so whatever life throws at me I can proceed confidently, powerfully, and with love in my heart expressed through my actions.<br />
Pretty powerful stuff isn't it. I guess I should listen to others speak more often.<br />
Well these are some of the exciting adventures which have made up my week. Let us see what life has in store for me next week. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
</div>
Grand Poobahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04111918540076196131noreply@blogger.com0