HOLIDAYS - 2012

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year with a great feast and everyone ate too much but it sure was good.  We all said what we were thankful for before the meal and we do have a lot to be thankful for.  I know I'm thankful for my wonderful daughters and grandchildren and that Michele and the children are here with me now.  We missed having Melanie and Zach with us as she had to work but they had a great meal together and we got to talk to them.

The only dark part of the day was when we discovered some of our kitties were missing and had to call out a deputy to file another report.  They eventually all returned but had been in hiding all day and still hide and we have only gained the trust of 3 of them so not sure what or who scared them so bad that they are afraid to come around us now.  Hopefully we can get this all settled next week so we won't have to keep a constant vigil and worry that they will be stolen and who knows what their fate is once the whacko neighbor gets them.  

With Brianna's help we did have the outside lights and decorations up so we could turn on the lights Thanksgiving night but we didn't get the tree up as planned.  But it is up now and decorated with some of their things, some of mine and so we call it our community tree.  We plan to put out the rest of the decorations this week inside.  

We also need to start on some Christmas gifts that we are making as the kids will be back in school so we can work on them during the day while they are gone.  I've bought a couple of gifts and have to buy a couple more and then I will be done.

I love this time of the year with all the decorations and secrets.  Of course, I've been accused of being an overgrown kid but that is okay with me.  I actually still believe in Santa.  But more than that my favorite things are the Nativities that I set up each year with the open Bible so we can read the story and know the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus.  With all the bright lights and gay decorations, we never lose sight of the real reason we celebrate on December 25th.

We'll actually have two Christmases this year as Melanie and Zach will be down the weekend before so we will all be together then and then we will have our family celebration on Christmas day.

So from our family to yours, may your Christmas be blessed and wonderful and as we head towards the New Year that it will be full of good wishes and happiness.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Anger & Disappointment

I decided to wait a few days before coming to my blog.  After the fiasco on November 6, 2012, I think I, along with many Americans were in shock and then the anger set in and now we are all looking at what we need to do in our future.

Perhaps Mitt Romney wasn't the best choice but he was the better choice and America put on its blinders to re elect a man who is slowly destroying this country and taking away our freedoms.  I for one cannot see how they can't see it.  With higher prices, lower wages and lack of jobs, we have faced the downward economy which has no indications of turning around under Obama's regime.  He claims all of this was the former presidents fault.  How can that be when he has had four years to correct it, that is if it was all that bad, but he has made it worse and to top it off, put us in debt to an amount that our great and great, great grandchildren will still be trying to pay off if it can ever be paid off.

I am fearful about the health care.  There are too many secrets and no one to explain what it really is and I do not feel the government has the right to dictate to me that I have to buy health insurance.  I have worked and paid into Social Security and Medicare thinking it would be there for me when I would need it and now I find out that the government has stolen my savings along with everyone else.  They have embezzled the savings plans that workers and their employers paid into over the years and tell us now that it won't be there for us and that they are going to take away the Medical part or cut back the service.  I pay a premium each month for Medicare so I feel I'm paying for my health care now.  I do not abuse it and if they really want to cut it back, then use it to cut back payments on people who do abuse it by running to the doctor with a belly ache only to find out they are constipated or a cold which we all know there is no cure except time and rest.  But I am afraid, not only for me but my family who need medical care that we will not get it just because our government thinks they know what is best for us and they do not and have no business trying to tell the people what to do or how to do it.  This is America, a free society, not a communist society in which the people do what they are told like slaves and peons.

He admitted he knew nothing about math so that is why there is no balanced budget.  What about our Congress? Are they poor in math too?  Surely someone could balance the budget.  Oh, that's right, if they do that, then he can't rob from Peter to pay Paul or fund his private interest.

I don't expect the next four years to be any better and will probably be worse as he has his own agenda and it is not the one of a President of the United States who takes an oath to follow the Constitution.  He has no idea of what a leader is or even how to lead.

I hear how intelligent he is and I really have to wonder how anyone can think he is intelligent.  His manner of speaking is worse than that of a grade schooler and he cannot think on his own but has to use prompt or a pre-written script.  He has lied so many times and yet everyone allows him to get away with it.  To this day, we still do not know if the birth certificate is real, or where his college transcripts are since he does not want them released.  What is he hiding?  He expects his opponent to reveal everything about his life, business and personal and yet he doesn't feel he has to do that.  And the American people are letting him get by with it as they put their blinders on again.

I look around at my young grandchildren knowing that they will never see the kind of America that I grew up in or even that of my own children.  It breaks my heart when I think of what they will miss out on and how they are being slowly brain washed into the "new order".   For those of us who remember or those who were taught in school, we know of another dictator who used the children to achieve his goals.

Parents and grandparents, we must teach our children the truth and when we can show them what the true history was, not what they are trying to cover up and teach today.  It is up to us to instill these values in our children so they won't be forgotten and can be passed down as our future generations are going to have to know the history if they ever want their freedom restored.

I don't think I'm an extremist but I do wonder if we are approaching the time of Armageddon.  Perhaps we should seek out the answers in the final chapter of the Bible and prepare ourselves if we haven't already.  We can see the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah as it creeps into our lives and we need to keep praying for those who have fallen into the evils and sins.

May God bless America and its people.

HALLOWEEN - 2012

I'm not sure I will have any tricks but I know that I do have treats.  With my grandkids being here, I feel I have  been treated and it has been several years since I've celebrated a Halloween with them.  When my husband and I moved here 7 years ago, we noticed there were no small children near us so we have never had trick or treaters come here and really no different this year, except that my own grandchildren are here and with the move so recent and still unpacking and settling in, there won't be a lot going on here.  But I do have to go to town for supplies and groceries today so will look for something a little special either for our supper or a treat for later.

I hope all your little ghosts and goblins as well as you have a great Halloween.  Now here is my treat for all you special people.

THE SOUNDS AND SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT

The three children had been out on their rounds gathering up the treats on this Halloween night.  The sky was clear so the stars were twinkling and the big full moon was rising in the east casting shadows along with the street lights as they walked along.  It was a dark night but the three of them felt safe as a group and hurried from street light to street light to avoid the dark and the possible hiding places of those who prowl this night.

After an hour of walking around the neighborhood, they had a lot of treats and were heading back home.  The youngest, a boy of 11 told his sisters, "Let's cut through the vacant lot as we can get home faster and see what we have."

The girls weren't excited about entering the vacant lot.  There was a house on each side but both were empty and dark and eerie looking and as they looked at one another, told their little brother, "Let's stay on the street."

But Matthew was off an running across the lot as the girls stood there.  Afraid he might get hurt in the dark, they decided to follow calling out his name.  "Matthew, wait up."

Matthew was still running but stopped suddenly as he saw something run in front of him and hide in the tall grass near where he would have to walk.  He was standing there when his sisters reached him and were asking, "What is the matter?"

"I don't know but I just saw something run in front of me and it is in those weeds over there."  He was cowering down behind his oldest sister who put her arm around him.

Brianna told him, "It is okay.  It was probably just a dog or a cat."  She was wary as she took a step with her arm around her brother and looked at her sister, "Come on Hailey, let's go."

Hailey shook her head, "I'm not going there."  She turned to run back the way she came but let out a scream as she saw something too.  She ran back to her brother and sister, "We are trapped.  There is something in front of us and something behind us.  What are we going to do?"

Brianna looked around and then they froze as they heard the low growl of something very close to them.  Huddling together they each were looking in all directions.  The tall grasses were moving as the moon kept rising higher casting more shadows and then they saw something.  They screamed as they started to turn but there there was something behind them.  They turned back.

It seemed that there was more than just one or two as the noises were coming from all directions while the grass was moving and they could hear the crunch from the leaves under foot of what was in there.  They could almost feel the eyes watching them and the low growls and heavy breathing.  Occasionally a tall blade of grass would move revealing a shape but they couldn't tell what it was.

Brianna started running holding on to her brother's hand and calling to her sister, "Come on,.  Let's run."

But it was too late.  They all stopped as something came out of the tall grass and stood in front of them.  The growl was low and threatening and the light was reflecting off the eyes giving an eerie yellowish look.  The flash of white teeth glowed in the moonlight as the three children stood huddled together looking for another way around what ever this was.

The thing that had been in front of them just disappeared and slowly they started on their way to get home.  They could see the street and the house but they still had to walk by the tall stand of grass and whatever was hiding there.  

Tiptoeing they moved slowly until they were even with the spot where they had seen the object and then began to run.  Suddenly they heard the noise behind them and ran faster as the thing was getting closer, growling and they could almost hear it breathing,

They reached the end of the lot and were safely on the street under the street light but were still running until Brianna stopped to look behind them.

She began to laugh while Matthew and Hailey looked on.  She pointed to the thing that had come out of the vacant lot, "Look it is our dogs, Jazzie and Poe and some of Grandma's cats.

They arrived home with their tale of the sounds and sights they'd seen in the vacant lot vowing never to go there again and especially on Halloween.  While they told their tales and showed their mother and grandmother what they got, they didn't see the yellow eyes and flash of white or hear the low growl of what had followed them home and was watching through the windows.  Jazzie ad Poe were hunkered down in their cage not making a sound as the thing grew close.

At the screech of the old tom cat, the thing ran away, back to the vacant field and disappeared into one of the dark houses.  Later that night, there was a glow peering from one of the windows, two yellowish eyes watching the house where the children lived.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!  DON'T LET THE GHOSTS AND GOBLINS GET YOU!!! AND WATCH OUT FOR THOSE SOUNDS AND SHADOWS ON THIS NIGHT.

Changing my Lifestyle

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 my life style changed and I really think it is going to be for the best.  My youngest daughter, Michele and my three grandchildren, Brianna, Hailey and Matthew arrived with a U-haul truck and trailer and two friends with their belongings which now are part on my carport, part on my covered porch and part in the storage shed.  Oh, and I can't forget three dogs, Greta a german shepherd mix, Jasmine, a boxer mix and Poe who bless his heart is a combination of who knows but they are all good dogs and it has been interesting to see them interacting with my cats, inside and outside.

First, the outside cats disappeared as soon as the truck drove in and Michele got out of the car with three dogs on leashes.  They are slowly coming back but it is going to take some time for the two outside dogs, Jasmine and Poe to realize they can't just run up to the kitties and play and for the kitties to realize the dogs are not going to eat them.

The two inside kitties hid and we didn't see them until the middle of the night on Saturday.  Then yesterday one of them began coming out just a little bit but still very cautious.  About 11 PM on Sunday night, the other cat came out and was curious about Greta who was sleeping in her cage.  We think he might have come too close and woke her up as we saw a flash as he raced through the bedroom and heard Greta barking up a storm.  Then I caught him peeking around the corner.

This morning everyone was up at 6 AM as the kids got ready to go back to school.  Michele took them in to get them enrolled which has taken longer than she thought.  But she is very pleased with the school and thinks the kids will be once they are familiar with them.  

One of Matthew's teachers is married to the bus driver of the bus she rode when she went to school here and when she went to enroll Hailey who was really nervous about finding her way around, she was introduced to a girl who is President of the Honor Society and a cheerleader and so she will be meeting a lot of new people and finding new friends today.  I think she will relax a little bit now and quit worrying so much about it.

They went to get Brianna enrolled in the high school but the counselor won't be back until 12:30 so they are doing some other business in town and then will go back to get her enrolled.

I'm babysitting all the cats and dogs this morning.  Greta is being good unless I go outside and then she thinks I'm leaving her.  I let the two outside dogs out of their cage to run around and go to the bathroom and then had a time getting them back into the cage but once I had a treat for them, they went willingly.  We will keep them locked up for a few days until they really get to know their new surroundings and we can teach them not to run out the gate each time it is opened.

When the kids get home later, it is going to be a nice warm day so they can be out there with them and give them some exercise and work with them about the gate.

In the meantime, I'm still packing up stuff in the two rooms the kids will use so we can start getting their beds set up.  Right now, we are on temporary sleeping arrangements but so far everyone is comfortable and hopefully by the end of the week everyone will have their own room and the unpacking can start.

It is nice to hear the sound of voices and laughter again in the house after almost three years of living alone and only having the cats to talk to daily and the occasional visits from Melanie and Zach or when I was able to go visit a neighbor.

It is going to be a lifestyle change but I think once we are all settled in, we will begin to function like a family unit and I know that I'm very happy to have them here with me.  Although I will admit being around teens and a preteen reminds me of the days when my own two were growing up but times have changed so I'm being updated too.

As I said in my previous blog, my indecision may have been because I was being guided to stay here and when the time came, it was meant for my daughter and family to move here to be with me.  We all believe in a higher power and we feel we were guided into this decision so we know it will work for us.

Indecision = Decision

As I have posted here before, I've wrestled with the decision as to sell my home and downsize to a smaller space like an apartment. I even made the commitment even though my heart wasn't in it, but I was going to go through my things and sort out what had to go, maybe not what I wanted to go, but what had to go.  I have worked a little bit on it but I can tell you that it was hard for me to go into a room and look around to see what I had to get rid of.  So I have just kept putting it off even though I knew I would eventually have to take the bull by the horns, as they say, and just do it.

But then something happened that made me do a double take and really look at my decision and the proposition that was being offered.  I could stay here and I would have someone with me to help me with the things I can no longer do.  Not only that but I would be helping them in return.  It is a win/win situation for all of us.

My youngest daughter, Michele asked if I would consider having her and my three grandchildren move in with me.  She is renting a place but as with most rentals on limited income, it isn't the best and she loves to do yard work and plant flowers and she loves to cook but right now she doesn't even have a working oven and the landlord isn't to ambitious about fixing it.

So after thinking about it and discussing it with a good friend of mine and even mentioning it to my oldest daughter, I have decided to accept her offer and when they are here at Thanksgiving, we will be discussing how we will fit everyone in here.  Basically I have 3 bedrooms but there is another room that we have used as a bedroom so we will have the 4 bedrooms we need.   It will not only help me but I'll be helping her as well and it will be nice to have the family close together again.

As she said, they can help with the mowing and upkeep of the yard since my allergies always act up even when I wear my mask.  And I know she will be more than happy if she has a place to plant flowers and take care of them.  She has a green thumb and can make anything grow.  I know she is excited about the prospect and so are the grandkids as she said they are already telling their friends that they will be moving to Oklahoma to live with their Mamma and help her. 

And the grandchildren are old enough to be little helpers as well.  Brianna will be 16 next March, Hailey just turned 14 in July and Matthew will be 12 in April.

It will be nice to have them here with me and to be able to enjoy the grandkids and be a part of their lives as both girls are in band right now and hope to join when they move here.  Matthew is in scouts so will be looking for a troupe here. 

So I guess my indecision and reluctance to start going through my things had a hidden reason.  I still have to move some things to storage but that is fine.  So again, I've made a decision and if all goes well then they will be living here either by mid year for them or we may have to wait until school is out in May.  It will depend on the weather and she has some things to take care of.

September

Here it is mid September already.  Time is slipping by to fast.  It doesn't seem that long ago I was writing about the cold and winter and then spring and the hot summer and now we are headed into fall.  I've weathered the cold, the extreme heat and drought and now can enjoy a few weeks of fall before gripping about the cold of winter.

I'm disappointed again this year that we won't have the color for fall.  With the drought, it has hurt the trees so bad that most have turned brown or are losing their leaves early.  I hope that isn't a sign of what is to come and that winter will be nasty.

All my pretty spring flowers finally gave it up during the 100+ days we had for weeks on end.  No amount of watering could keep them alive as the heat just dried them up or wilted them so they lost their ability to live.  I tried so hard but only a couple of very hardy ones survived and only because they were in a very protected area where they got no sun or very little and escaped being exposed to the hot winds and heat. 

The yard suffered as well and looking at it from a distance, it doesn't look bad but up close it is really sad.  Most of the grass is dead and the green that is showing is weeds and wild grass and is clumpy so there is a lot of bare ground when you look at it up close.  The moles are having a hey day! 

The outdoor kitties spent most of their days in the car port lying under or near the car as the cement floor was the coolest spot for them.  I would go out several times a day to give them fresh water and water down an area of grass and dirt which brought them out to lay on until it dried up.  The water cooled earth felt good to them but didn't last long enough but for a few minutes I would have a cat garden.

I don't want to rush the time or the seasons but I really am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.  If all goes well, I hope to have all the family together to celebrate.

And I have made up my mind, not what I want to do but it is what I have to do, I will be putting the place up for sale next spring.  So between now and then, I've got to go through things and decided what I absolutely want and can keep and the rest will go in a huge yard sale or be given to the girls and grandkids.  I know I have to downsize so a lot of mementos will be going.

I think this last summer really made up my mind.  It is hard to keep up the place and with the heat I was forced to stay inside most of the time and even now it takes me two to three days to mow and trim the large yard.  There are a few other things that need to be done and I'm just not able to get them done.  I think this has been the hardest decision I've had to make since Harold passed away.  This was to be our last home where we could spend our retirement years but things have changed and so I'll give it up but I'm also giving up some of my independence and I think that is the hardest thing of all.

I'll be at the mercy of a landlord whether it is an apartment or small house and it really won't be mine but just a place to hang my hat and it is hard for me to accept that.   True I won't have the worry of repairs or yard work but at the same time, it will be a very confined life for me and it will be a big adjustment.  However, I do plan to stay in this area as I do have friends here and I have the necessities so as long as I can live on my own, this will be home base.  

It has been the hardest decision I've had to make and I'm sure it is really going to hit home when it comes down to the day I have to leave here.  I'm not one that likes change that much and especially one like this.  I feel I'm not only giving up my home but so many of the things I love and cherish.  True I probably have more trinkets and gadgets than I need but they are a part of my life and hard to part with.    Like I don't need two complete pan sets when I barely use over one or two pans at the most or a cupboard full of mixing and serving bowls.  I've just always had them so it just seems natural to keep them but they will have to be thinned out.  All the books, except for a few favorites will have to go and as my oldest daughter keeps reminding me, I've got to get rid of most of my Christmas and other holiday decorations.   I can understand that but I've been gathering these things for years and now I have to choose what to keep and what to get rid of.  And for all who know me, I don't spare anything when it comes to decorating for the holidays.  I could just about open my own store with all the decorations and flowers and wreaths I have.  But I use them all right now so will have to pick favorites again and that will be hard.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy the Fall, hoping winter will hold off and when it does come, that it will be kind and mild.  

Happy September everyone.

Shadow and the Raspberry Muffins

Last night I decided to mix up a Jiffy mix of Raspberry Muffins.  My big old white cat, Shadow is usually shy and timid but lately has been my shadow so to speak and last night wasn't any different.  He had to sit at my feet while I mixed them up and poured them into the pan.  I literally had to step over him in order to put them in the oven but I did without spilling them or getting burned as again he had to get right at my feet.

When they came out of the oven, I put them on a rack to cool down after trying a couple of warms ones with butter.  Again he was at my feet but I knew he had a full bowl of food and this wasn't one of the treats I usually give him or Miss Kitty.

They both will come running when I use the can opener thinking they will get a bite of tuna which is their one and only people food treat.

Anyway, I left the muffins on the rack to cool and went back into the other room to watch some TV.  It was a few minutes later that I heard a noise and went to see what was going on.  I saw him on the counter and called out so he jumped down immediately.

But before he did, he had managed to take a bite out of every muffin on the rack and had one cornered and was really going at it.  He sat back and watched as I gathered them up and scolded him.  I didn't feel I could salvage any of them so out they went.  

In the meantime, Miss Kitty had come to see what all the fuss was about and sat in the doorway with a look on her face as "what did I miss?"  I'm sure if she had found them first, she would have done the same or worse as she is usually the one who has to see what is up there and gets snoopy.

So it was a surprise to see Shadow being my bad boy last night.  Guess I will remember the next time I make muffins not to leave them out where he can get to them.  And especially if they are Raspberry Muffins.