The Big C

The Big C... That's what my brother used to call it......................and then it killed him!  That was 46 years ago and it's still going strong............or is it?  People are diagnosed earlier, living longer but still a staggering number are dying daily. Just this past week, three wonderful women lost their battles. It knows no race, no age, no gender, no stature, no worth but I am as sure as anything I believe in, that there is a cure.........................and it's known.  It just plain isn't financially good business to dole out the remedy.  Every single thing in today's world is generated by capital.  Who rules the world?   Big business ...and what businesses are bigger than pharmaceuticals...Not many...maybe some media giants or automotive top guns but think what drug companies control.... the health care industry and the insurance industry for starters.....very big starters!


I fall, once again, into hypocrite status.  I have stock in companies like Phizer.  They make money, I make money but I'd be more than willing to shift my dollars to other endeavors if it meant I no longer had to attend 3 funerals a week, stand in the cold, calling hour lines for 3 hours or mourn with grieving families.  What price are people willing to pay to thrive in business while dying at home?  It won't happen in our lifetime but I believe that if we can walk on the moon, live in space, clone a sheep, scan and print body parts, transplant a face, grow babies in a petri dish and reattach severed limbs, we already have the capacity to cure.  What price are we willing to pay for that?  I could survive without the butter!


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My Mark

I always planned on leaving my mark on this world in ink........................little did I know it would be this kind.
Flash back to the spring of 2015 (like it was aeons ago.) We had gathered for a week-end Bar-B-Q and were leisurely sitting around the picnic table.  Somehow, the subject turned to tattoos.  We were surrounded by ink as Lee and I (and the kids) were the only ones who sported no branding. I endured several minutes of shaming and coaxing and finally, to put an end to the entire discussion, I made a proclamation, " If you two (Jeff and Lace) have a baby, I'll get a tattoo!"  About the safest bet I'd ever made.  Jeff is not a "baby man" and they'd only recently bought a house and moved in together. In my mind, the whole inking conversation was now a moot point.
Fast forward to Father's Day, 2015 (not really all that long after the spring of 2015 :-/  The announcement was made, in the very best way, that I was actually, for real, going to have another grandbaby..In my mind, I had relegated myself to the one and done club but was content to have my Bailee♥   I'm pretty sure someone, sometime throughout that day, mentioned the fact that I was now totally obligated to fulfill my part of the bargain.  In one ear and out the other!  Confident that the kids knew my feelings about tattoos and how wonderful theirs would look during old age.... License plates crinkling, anchors heading to the ocean floor and footprints walking south.
But if I had hoped to teach my children anything, I must live by example and by my word. So, for several months, I mulled over the options, the visibility and the worth.  After months of prudent planning, I decided, "what the hell!"  I set out to design exactly what I had in mind.  Hmmm, a jet and the letter B.  That would cover the two loves of my life.  I found the perfect plane that even had the flight trail of a heart. (Every tattoo wearer has a heart somewhere)  The letter B was cool but just then a Cheerios commercial came on and there was my "bee."  2 things that fly connected to my heart.  I researched a tattooist and sent out a message..... Next Thursday at 2p.m.
The day started off with the loss of a very dear friend which solidified my decision to never put things off.
The next day we were celebrating Jeff and Lacie's first anniversary of homeownership. The "rents" pitched in and made dinner and took it to their house.  The menu was posted on the fridge listing all the items served:
Turkey
Asparagus
Taters
Titos and cranberry
Orange Glaze
Olives
After dinner, I asked the kids how they liked their gift. Assuming I was referring to dinner, they thanked us and said it was great.  "It wasn't  dinner but it is here in the kitchen."  .................................
"Check out your menu!"  There it was, spelled out with the first letter of each dinner item.  Still no light bulbs were clicking on....Jeff really IS Lee's son ;-)  Greg got it and gave them a clue.  "No way," they said in unison.  "WAY!!!", as I rolled up my sleeve!!  GOTCHA!
Absolutely sure that inking is love in liquid form...a commitment to last a lifetime!


                                                             

A New Shade of Sad

I have lost my brother, my Dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles and classmates.  Losing a friend who fought so hard takes my breath away.  My dear friend Teresa fought the fight big time!  I really don't think I have ever known a kinder person.  She lived her life to the fullest right up until her very last breath.  Her concern was always for others and she struggled with what they were going through.  She was the single Mommy of beautiful Isabella and the very best Mom any child could hope for. She had grandiose hopes of sharing a trip to Italy with her, magic wishes to take her to Disney and the simplest of expectations, taking her to her first day of school.  None of those things will happen. My heart aches in a way that it never has before.  I try so very hard to believe....it's not working so well today. 
Never a better Mom, daughter, sister or aunt and certainly never a better friend.  I will forever miss her beautiful smile, her genuine warmth and her courageous approach to life.....and death.  They don't make women like Teresa much....maybe that's why He needed her... That can be the only answer.
Rest in Peace my sweet friend.  You live on forever in your sweet daughter♥

Grandma's Jewels

Some of my favorite memories of my Grandma Hewitt take place in her bedroom. Spending the night there was always a treat.  There was always cheese flavored popcorn and a bottle of coke from the bottom shelf on the refrigerator door.  The handle on the fridge pulled down....odd now, not then!  If you were lucky, there was warm chocolate pudding for dessert. It would sit on the metal pull out shelf of the Hoosier style cabinet in the kitchen covered with wax paper. Grandma would pour some milk on it and sprinkle it with sugar. I'd eat it ever so slowly so it would last as long as possible. (I think my mouth is actually watering right now)  After watching TV for an extra 1/2 hour than I was supposed to, we'd head upstairs for our "sleep over ritual."  First I'd peek in the twin bedroom and my bed would have the blankets turned down into a triangle with the sheets crisp and white.  The blankets were wool and itchy but that was just Grandma's. When I crawled in, I would pull up the yellow chenille bedspread and keep it tucked between my chin and the blanket.  My next stop was Grandma's bedroom... It was huge!  First, I'd ask if I could wear "the nightie!"  It was coral, worn and the softest thing I'd ever slept in...(that I could remember.)  Once I had sufficiently donned my night clothes, I could continue on to the good stuff....... Grandma's jewelry box....my favorite place , next to the kitchen, in Grandma's house.  I would slowly explore all the pieces with Grandma's watchful eye beside me.  She would tell me stories about some of the necklaces and pins....she had lots of pins. It soon became "bedtime" and I would get to choose my favorite piece to wear for a few seconds... It was always the same piece, an opal ring.  There were 3 opals with 2 small diamonds on each side.  As always, I'd ask if I could have that ring someday and as always, she'd shake her head yes!   The day came when I got that ring!  As an adult, I'm not much of a jewelry wearer so I made earrings for Jess and a necklace for me.

Fast forward, a half century!  Bailee stays at Grandma's.  What a difference 50 years makes.  She has no interest in wearing my nightgowns. In fact, her treat at Grandma's is to sleep NAKED!  However, the jewelry box adventure still takes place.  "This was Great Grandma's nursing pin, this is a cameo from Great, Great Grandpa Tice's jewelry store during the Depression and that?  Oh that's a necklace that Gr. Grandma had made from a silver dollar dated the year she was born...1922." Her Dad gave it to her.  Would you like to have it?"  Eyes sparkling and an affirmative nod sent it on to live in another jewelry box waiting for the story to be told yet again.  "All things old become new again!"

Color my World

What can possibly be better than fall in upstate New York! It doesn't get much better than jacket weather and a morning ride through the cornfields.  The wind through the corn is a sound like no other.   The swooshing take off of a brace of ducks or the rhythmic honking of a gaggle of geese can only be topped by a couple of black otters swimming bank to bank on my favorite watering hole  (some call it a ditch....it's way more than a ditch)... Beauty is indeed in the eyes of the beholder.  Folks get excited about touring the world....seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Matterhorn, the canals of Venice or Niagara Falls.  I have all those beautiful sights right here at EIEIO.  I go to bed listening to the roar of the falls, I wake up to the sun shining on the orange and yellow trees with a pileated woodpecker almost always singing his distinct song.  I can look out to the east and see waves of color or trees coated in snow with the reality that sometime during the day the chances of seeing an eagle are optimum.  I have my children close and my grandchildren closer.. There is NO Place I'd rather be.
Color me blessed!

Settling In

Leaves are falling, cool temps are slipping in and the days are growing shorter.  I really dislike that last part as I'm ready to drift off to sleep way before my favorite shows even start.  I was never a chair sleeper until I got old...that, along with the wrinkles, kind of pisses me off.  There doesn't seem to be enough lotion or daylight to make things better so I'll just have to "deal about it!" My fall and winter routine is settling in though.  I'm thinking a little bit more about a nice, warm supper (cooking is not my favorite pastime.)  I have several new books loaded on my Kindle and the charger is near my recliner.  I am in the midst of watching a new (to me) series on my Kindle as well.  I watch an episode a day (weekdays,) usually as it drifts from late afternoon into darkness.  I am programmed now to TiVo all my favorite shows that air between 9-11p.m.  Inevitably, I miss the end ...or beginning of both.  Once settled in my chair (with my heating pad..how pitiful) I make sure that the remote and my phone are close by.  I usually go through a few rounds of Words with Friends and Trivia Crack ( all purely for the sake of brain stimulation.)..............sometimes I actually beat somebody!  I still enjoy my cherry popsicle around 8:30. I am so old and finicky that I buy the box of 3 flavors from Schwan and throw away the orange and grape.....because I can!  I know there are starving children somewhere but they'll melt...get over it!  I'm beginning to understand those ridiculous routines that Mom and Dad favored. Mom's diet Coke at 4:00, cocktails at 5:30 and dinner in front of the TV at 6. Saturday and Sunday noon welcomed Buzzy-burgers and bloody marys and sports were the highlight of every week-end.  Maybe the apple didn't fall from the tree.  Dad hated Florida, Mom loved it. Traveling farther than a half hour away was out of the question for Dad and if you did, you made sure that the majority of your turns were right hand.... I'm just figuring that one out but Dad professed it was a safety issue!!
Anyway, I'm finally getting the fact that routines come with age. ........and with age comes the freedom, crankiness and time to do whatever the hell you wish when it best suits you!  Like that's really any different than the last 60+ years.... but now I can settle in and feel little guilt.  I have the time to do whatever...I just need to muster up the ambition...I wonder when that settles in?

The Fruits (and veggies) of Labor....and God's plan;-)

It is an exceptionally beautiful fall day. I have an exceptionally beautiful (almost) daughter-in-law and an exceptionally handsome squashed grandson.  Every week since he was the size of a pea, we have taken a picture of just what size our baby Jett is.  We've been through peas, lentils, beans and blueberries, grapes and lemons.  He grew slowly to the length of a carrot and banana and now is showing his heft resembling (in weight and size,) a spaghetti squash. Six weeks ago, he was  swimming around heading south. Today, he's heading north.  I know he has 18 more weeks to get his bearings but walking out seems unacceptable....as I'll only be watching, pretty sure participating will be a tad more uncomfortable.


I think God has a hand preparing Dads for delivery.  Moms endure the actual physical pain but Dads  sit nearby and bear the reality of their role in the process.  Recently, Jeff has drilled his finger, nailed his finger and last night pretty much tried to research the bone, muscle and nerve placement of his ring finger.  Six stitches later, he is learning to live with pain.  All, I believe, part of God's plan to bring a more compassionate father to the stirrups.  I think it's working. Let the class be over!!

Planning 529

Good morning, Good Monday, Good planning.  By now, you know me. I'd rather be ready and not go than to go and not be ready!  Just completed transferring Bailee's savings (from me) into a 529. A 529 is an educational savings account that is tax free upon use......if it's used for education. I think I just might have her textbooks covered for semester one.... yikes!  There are some really good perks though. It keeps hands out of the till, it can be added to for as little as $25 as many times as anyone feels the need (or want), it comes with a deposit/gift code so anyone, anytime can contribute if the mood strikes them or the holiday gift idea alludes them, it offers a tax deduction to the account owner (that would be me) and it lessens the burden of the parent, grandparent or student when the time comes to further their education. I actually can't find a downside...and you know I looked!!!! I've always tried to instill in my crew that saving half of a gift and spending the other makes sense.  It's hard at any age to receive money from those that care and just put it all in the bank to save. This tried and true theory makes sense and keeps everybody (mostly) happy. Kids buy toys, teens buy gas and iTunes cards and adults.....well, who gives adults money....(ME!!) they can do whatever they see fit....maybe a dinner out and a well deserved cocktail.


Soon, Baby Jett will appear and it will be time to get him started on his very own 529.  I've already told his Mommy and Daddy that a social security # is one of their first parental, fiscal responsibilities for him. They rolled their eyes until I rolled out the costs of education today and added on 18 years. I think they got it!


So, if anyone is contemplating ideas for their infant (or not so infant) grands for the upcoming holiday, I suggest you plan ahead and get the ball rolling.  If nothing else, it lightens the load and brightens your day. 

The Pony Asspress

Government irks me. ALL government irks me...from Congress to the US Mail.  Last week, Jess got a notice that her September mortgage was late.  It had been paid in a timely manner and sent through the USPS.  Her tenant had confusingly driven through the garage door and the pertinent papers to file the insurance claim had been filed in a timely manner and sent through the USPS.  Our second installment of our property taxes had been filed in a timely manner and sent through the USPS. You can probably see where this is headed. Two of those documents (checks) never arrived at their destination. The mortgage check arrived 3.5 weeks late!  The property taxes then involved $100 penalty., the mortgage, a $25 penalty and we incurred the insurance penalty by waiting 3 weeks for our claim to be paid.  I know I'm up on my high horse but I never realized it was one from the Pony Express.  I am completely on board with these 3 entities not giving a hoot about anything short of the fact that they never received the proper documents... not their fault...I get it.   Our government's total mismanagement of nearly every single facet of operations is just a tad out of hand. ...and folks wonder why Donald Trump and a neurosurgeon are garnering the vast majority of our support. It's not rocket science folks......We're all just a little pissed!!!!


I finally delved into the whole Planned Parenthood fiasco.  I support Planned Parenthood......but I now don't believe that they need over 1/2 billion of our hard earned dollars to sustain them.  $500,000 is a pretty hefty salary for a non profit head. Let them cut her salary by 1/2 to 1/4, fly coach and spend those funds on women in the UNITED STATES.  A little off track but the more I type, the angrier I get.  Generally I get pretty agitated at election time, especially if there's this much whoop la and we have a year to go.....but this time around, I'm quite enjoying it...I hope the Trumps and Carsons really stir up a stink...I can manage that a lot better than the smell of those ponies at the USPS!