Dates of Note

November is a busy month for me. Today is my Daughter's birthday. Next week is my Son's birthday, plus my Aunt's birthday as well. Also next week, is Thanksgiving. This week will also be busy due to a big promotional event that my company holds every year the weekend before Thanksgiving. As I've probably mentioned, I am food demonstrator. We are a bit under staffed right now. We have to stay on the floor, serving from 10AM to 6PM for all three days. As we are short people to relieve for lunches and breaks, we will operate in tandem, 2 people working 2 demos together and covering both demos for breaks and lunches. It will be a little tricky, but should work.

My daughter will be 41 today, I think. I don't always pay attention to my kid's ages, then I have to pay attention to my own. Michele won't mind my giving away her age though. She doesn't pay attention to things like that. In fact, she had forgotten her birthday herself. She was too busy looking forward to "turkey day". Michele is my handicapped child. She is mentally disabled and also has some autistic behaviors. She has been able to live in a supervised apartment and work in a sheltered workshop enviornment for about 14 years or so. She's managed, with her staff, to build a life of her own, for which I am very grateful. She lives a fuller life than she did at home, though I'm sure she misses some of her family at times. She does spend an overnight visit with me and her Aunt every 2 weeks. Unfortunately, she hasn't seen her brother and his family for quite awhile. Hopefully, we'll remedy that sometime this next year. When I think about things to be thankful for, all the things I've learned from my children and greandchildren are high on my list.

Time and Money

It seems like so many of our problems link back to either time or money or both. Last year, I worked full time during the last quarter of the year for the Holidays. It worked out well because I was 15 to 20 minutes from work. This year, I am 45 minutes from work, gas prices are on the rise again, and I recieved two raises, putting my social security in some jeopardy. I decided to work 4 days per week, thinking that an extra day per week wouldn't put me at too high a salary that I would have to pay soc sec back. Of course, that decision was made before the most recent upward spiral in gas prices. At this point, I'm only hoping to keep ahead of the extra miles paid for on my gas bills. Then there's the matter of time. I seem to only manage to post in my blog once per week. I've started sewing again, but I'm still finding it hard to find the time.

When I stop to think about it. I realise that I probably have plenty of time for everything if I just get organised and stop wasting time with TV and crossword puzzles. I could also save money with gas by riding the commuter bus into the city a couple of days per week. That brings up the time issue again. The schedule for the bus requires me to go into town earlier than if I drove, and coming home later. Guess I could do crossword puzzels?

My Favorite Month

October has always been my favorite month. I really like fall, but September is frequently just a continuation of summer. October brings the cooler days and nippy nights, sometimes even some snowthat doesn'treally stay.It's just a teaser for winter. This year we got several snow storms in the early part of the month, then we got down to the sunny days and cool nights. On the 24th we had a gorgeous Harvest Moon. It was probably so colorful due to the the coming temperature inversion last week end. The air was horribly smoggy. When I was coming home from work and passing the Great Salt Lake, it almost looked as if the world dissappeared into mist as I looked out.

Even though there's 31 days in October, it felt like less. The month just whirled by. It's hard to believe that it's November tomorrow! Hopefully, the nice weather willcontinue for awhile. I'm working an extra day a week for the holidays and I'm dreading driving in snow. The extra time is playing havoc with my blog writing as well.

Count Your Blessings

I was reading a quote from Charles Dickensthat every man should count his blessings, as any man alive has many. We should not concentrate on the past, as everyone has some problems and disappointments. That's a loose quote, but the meaning should be clear. I'm sure that each and everyone of us has had problems and disappointments in the past, done things and said things that we regret. The secret is to learn from those mistakes,then move on. As far as blessings in the"now", well, we're alive and breathing, then go on from there.

I had my handicapped daughter for one of her twice monthly overnights last night, She went to sleep around 9:30 p.m. and slept all night. That was a great blessing. Sometimes, we're lucky if she's able to sleep 4 hours. The traffic into town to take her to her workshop was pretty well behaved. Another blessing. It's a pretty day, despite the building up of smog, the skies overhead are a beautiful blue.

I went to my lawyer to finally get some things finalized that have been hanging for quite a while. I discovered that I had more money in the bank than I thought, a mixed blessing though, there are still too many checks that haven't been cleared yet. Oh well, I'm just getting used to debit cards and paying online I guess, think things should be quick, quick, quick.

Another blessing, I have no credit cards. It can be interesting living on a cash basis, sometimes quite liberating. I have no doubt that this will prove, ultimately, a very big blessing indeed.

I have a wonderful and supportive family. I have super grandchildren and my granddaughter is having a birthday next week, my oldest grandson is in college and the youngest one is becoming a wonderful young man.

My health is relatively good. It's been a little over a year since I first went to work in a job that requires me to be on my feet for hours. I remember coming home and soaking my feet most nights. I haven't done that in quite a long time. I can do my day and still have some energy left on most days. A true blessing. there are many more, but you get the idea.

Moody

Today I'm feeling a bit down and I can't quite figure out why. The sun is shining,though we're starting on a new weather pattern of more frequent storms. I guess I should get out and enjoy the sun while I can. Maybe that's what I need is a little more mother nature. My work days were busy with lots of cooking. Yesterday was laundry day, plus I cleaned out a closet. I actually got my sewing machine up and running last week and started on an outfit that I've had cut out and waiting for over a year. Unfortunately, the pants are summer wieght fabric. Oh well, I'll wear them anyway.

I used to meditate every morning, but since I moved in with my Aunt, I don't manage to do it very often. Maybe that is what is making me feel out of balance. I keep planning on renewing my yoga practice, but don't. I could be lazy, or just have not quite enough motivation or maybe energy. Of course the activity would boost my energy,but where to find the initial energy to start with?

I just rejoined AARP. I went to thier web site to see what they have.On thier games and humor page they print a cartoon called "Bound and Gagged"that is really cute. Also on the site is the results of a poll about how people over 50 feel about death and dying. 94% believe in God. Something like 74% believe in heaven and 66% believe in Hell. I may have the numbers a little off,because I didn't write them down, but I'm close. I was a little surprised that there weren't so many who believed in Hell. Maybe by the time you get into your 50s, you start taking responsibilty for yourself and stop blaming "the Devil" for your problems. Just a thought.

Just Ramblin

I just received an ecard from my Granddaughter, Caitlyn. I really love hearing from her because it's almost like she's right here and I can hear her. She writes just like she sounds in person. It's always a bright spot in my day when I hear from any of my Grandchildren or from my Son or Daighter-in-Law. Since the Grandkids write infrequently, it's fortunate that my
daughter-in Law keeps me a little better posted, otherwise I wouldn't know what's going on. I know I could pick up the phone and talk in person, but they are all so busy, that it is hard to catch them at home. Holidays are hard, 'cause though I miss them all year, it seems most acute around the Holidays.

We've already had two snowstorms in the mountains. It gets warmer between storms. In fact, yesterday, it got quite warm, in the 80s in SLC. Today is a perfect Fall day, sunny, clear and in the mid 60s.

I heard on the news yesterday about the 14 year old boy in Cleveland, who shot 4 people and then turned the gun upon himself. While it is fortunate that he didn't kill anyone but himself, it is quite horrifying to think of a 14 year old with no reason to live. What is wrong with our society that leads these young people into a state of mind where they seem to feel their only option is violence and death?

While we need to address the problems of the depressed and hopeless, we must not forget the many young people who view life positively and look for ways to serve others, and there are many of them. I read a column by Thomas Friedman today. He had been to several colleges, talking to students. He's very impressed by their idealism and willingness to do their part to improve the world. He does, however, label them the "Q" generation,because they use the internet to communicate with others of thier mindset, but they don't get out and get vocal. He thinks they should be protesting, and certainly, they should be voting. I'm not sure about that, except for the voting part. The internet has been changing things. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how effective it is about changing the way politics is carried out. By the way, Friedman calls us the greedy generation. Ouch!

Me Thinks He Doth Protest Too Much

Recently, Pres. Bush said, again, that The U.S. does not torture. Has anyone kept track of how many times he has seen reason to make this comment? It seems like a lot. Makes you wonder if he's protesting too much. If it were really true, that the U.S. doesn't use torture, he'd not need to keep saying it.

Yesterday I read an article from Harper's Magazine online written by Scott Horton on the subject of torture. He talks about our "enhanced" questioning techniquics and the rendition policies that supposedly aren't torture and are viewed by the Bush Administration as an important part of fighting terrorism. I wonder what kind of Presidency Bush would have had if 9/11 had never happened. How would he have gotten us into Iraq? I'm sure it was on someone in the Administration's agenda from the very beginning.

Back to Scott Horton's article. He talks about torture being a crime greater than most because it corupts the core of state and society, a rot that spreads quickly, destoying other values. It breeds secrecy and tyranical expression of the power of the executive and imperils the democratic institutions. He goes on to point out that love endures and overcomes, while hatred can only destroy.

Really Cruel Veto

Today is a beautiful, sunny day. It's in the 60s, but we're starting to get a south wind blowing. This will blow in a storm in a day or two. It's too bad we can't guarentee a storm blowing in on President Bush as a response to his veto of the SCHIPS spending bill. His reasoning is that it puts us on a "slippery slope" toward national health care. I suspect he doesn't want to cut money from his war or offend the health insurance industry, though I can't see how providing health insurance to children who's parents can't afford it could possibly cause the insurance industry any problems. After all, they aren't losing customers at all. These are children who go without health care unless SCHIPS is there. These children go without basic care, wellness check ups, many vacinations, etc. They have to be sick enough to go to an emergency room. It very often ends up costing hospitals and/or State programs more money than SCHIPS would, not to mention children having to get sicker and take longer to heal.

My suggestion to those who care about children's heath, is to write, call or email your State Representative and your Senators that you want them to override Pres. Bush's veto. Surely, with all the money we're spending on Haliburton and Blackthorne, we can spare some for our children's health!

The Secret to Happiness

I read a news article today about a new study done about happiness. According to this study, Americans report being happy more than Europeans and Japanese, and report being happier. The study was about quality and quantity of happiness. It found that many Americans are very happy, but that they have such high expectations, that new happy experiences aren't always what they expect. It also found that nearly anything that went wrong with thier lives was cause for frustration and unhappiness. My opinion on that is that these people were looking outside themselves for happiness, rather than looking within.

The thing that drew me to the article was a story of a man who was in Italy when he was 70 years old. He was riding a bycycle down a hill, going fast, when he hit a bump. He was thrown over the handlebars and sustained head and spinal injuries. He lost part of his memory, the use of his legs, and though he could move his arms, he couldn't pick up small objects with his fingers. This man is now 80 years old. He still cannot walk, but has regained his memory and made other strides in being more self sufficient. While many might expect him to be bitter and unhappy. However, he says he has never been unhappy. He accepts responsibility for going too fast and causing his accident. He feels joy in being alive and is grateful for any progress he makes in being more able to take care of himself.

I feel that this man knows a great secret. Number one, he takes responsibility for his own actions and equally important, feels gratitude for all that he has. This man probably does not have the ups and downs that the people in the study have. He looks to himself to create his own happiness and his gratitude probably sustains him. The article doesn't mention anything about the man's religion or spiritual practises, but I would bet he is a spiritual person whether or not he belongs to any organised religion or not. It seems to me that we could all learn a lesson from people like him.

Progress, or Not

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Overdue Post

It has been 10 days since my last posting. I realise I'm getting lazy, or more likely just impatient. I got so spoiled when I had broadband, that I now rarely have enough patience to deal with anything more than checking emails and my bank balance online. It just seems to take forever whenever I try to do much online. My laptop isn't even plugged in when I'm not using it. I always kept it in hibirnation, but turning it on brought it right back. Now I need to take it into the kitchen and set it up every time I use it. Otherwise, I end up using my Aunt's computer.
she also has dial-up, but at least it's plugged in and on stand-by.

I've mentioned before that Fall is my favorite season.Unfortunately, Fallis not perfect. Fall brings the allergic reation to the dreaded chenopods and sage brush. At least this year I didn't start really reacting until mid September. Sometimes I have problems frrom mid August. I've had a sinus headache since Monday afternoon and it's now Thursday afternoon. Fortunately, it waxes and wanes in intensity,sometimes almost disappearing altogether. I've noticed, it's almost gone when I'm in a store with filtered air. It's good that I work in a store. It would help if the south wind would stop blowing, but as there's aslow moving cold front in California trying to get to Utah, I suppose it will be blowing for a few more days. Sadly,my best remedy is a good hard frost. Unfortunately, that can also be the start of winter, though not always. One can only hope I guess

This and That

I've actually been chilly today! After one of the hottest summers on record in Utah's Wasatch Front, we're actually getting some cooler days. Today may be only 69 degrees, tomorrow 72 or so and low 8os the rest of the week. I didn't even use my car air conditioner Sunday morning driving to work. I'm enjoying it, but am thinking of dressing a bit warmer. My Aunt wore a sweatshirt golfing last week!

The past 3 Saturdays, I've been acting Chef for our Saturday Chef Event at our Sam's Club. We normally have a wonderful chef named Harry, but he had to go back to Indonesia when his father passed away. The first Saturday was pretty scary, but my supervisors helped out a lot, doing much of the prep work, so all I had to do was cook the pork ribs. The next week, I was more comfortable cooking salmon, which I've done a lot of, so I did my own prep work. In this recipe, I breaded the salmon with a mixture of chopped almonds and seafood seasonings. The pasta dish that went with it was a Bertoli frozen dish that only needed heating. The last Saturday was pretty challenging. I cooked pork loin with mesquite seasoning, and a pasta dish from scratch. The pasta dish is great, with asparagus, onions, garlic, olive oil, parsley and parmesan cheese. Most of the cooking is done in the store proper, just the prep work is done in the kitchen. I was so worried about cooking pasta in the area we have to use. Fortunately, I had co-workers who helped, cooking pasta ahead of when I'd need it. There's 2 of us working the event, one cooking, one serving and both setting up and cleaning up. This Saturday, my server had the extra work of putting olive tappenade on crackers as well as serving the pork and pasta dishes. Of course, we were busy too. I was so delighted to see Harry this recent Saturday that I just had to give him a big hug.

The past several Mondays, my Aunt and I have been working on cleaning up the basement. I must say, it looks much better. There's still work to be done, organising, etc. but at least there are actually places with empty floor space. We threw away and gave away stuff. Of course, we still have lots of stuff anyway, but most of what we have is still usable and hopefully, some of it will actually be used eventually. But that's for another day.

Choose How You Age

I just recently read an article in Science of Mind about the new frontier of Ageless Living. The point of the article is that since we are living longer lives, we can choose to use our later ages to live in new ways from the first part of our lives. We can develope a new job and livlihood, start new hobbies and interests, try something we've thought about, but were too busy making a living and raising children to do. We can choose to be wise elders or cranky elders. we can blaze new territory, not worrying about being too old, or we can follow the old aging ideas of the pass and retire to our rocking chair on the front porch and complain about our aches and pains and complain about the younger generation and the state of the world. I think I prefer the first idea. I have days, like today, when I am tired and achy and want to take a little break, but the reason for the tiredness is some work days filled with activity and challenge and our usual Monday cleaning projects. At least with challenges you feel more alive, even though stressed. Besides, not all stress is bad for you.

There was a wonderful quote in the article of an e-mail that had been circulating on the web. No one seems to know the author,but it is a great sentiment, so I include it in today's posting. "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body.But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming woo-hoo, what a ride!"

It seems, to me, the trick would be to time it so you're not completely worn out until you're ready to go. Still, I really appreciate the quote's sprit, life is meant to be lived, and living can be messy and sometimes a little hard, but it's much better to live free from too much concern about appearences and opinions. I sometimes catch myself unconsciously limiting myself because I am of an older age, then I see a woman of 95 getting her BA degree and planning on getting her Masters next!

Obviously, getting older often brings some physical changes, but people often let that define them and limit them. Even with arthritic knees and carpel tunnel, you can still live a full life and do much of what you want to. You just need to work around any problems and don't make them reasons to stop living before you're actually dead.

I recieved an email from my daughter-in-law and she was commenting on the odd summer they've been having in Vancouver, Washington. They have lived there seven years and this time of year has always been dry. This year is different. The rainy conditions usual in other times of the year have continued all year. She's wondering if there has just been drought conditions the past 7 years and now it is reverting to normal. It's possible that's true, of course, but it seems to me that the weather patterns have been pretty skewed all over this year. I live in Utah and we're high desert country,so we're pretty used to dry conditions. Two years ago we were recovering from a 7 year drought. This last year, we didn't have enough snow pack and this summer has been hot and very dry. This July was the hottest July on record. We've had I think, 18 days of temperatures 100 degrees or over. We're nearly 6 inches below average in our water year. Even so, there are places in the South where they've had 100 degree temps with 90% or more humidity, causing deaths in the populace. It seems as "odd", in the sense of weather is getting to be the norm. I guess time will tell if this is a persistant trend, or if it's a fluke.

Internet Decisions

I realise that in my previous life,(living in the city, working full time with more money) that I got pretty spoiled with having broadband service. I also had a pretty good rate, bundles with my cable service. Now I am living with a relative,working part time so having considerably less money, and dealing with dial-up again. The bigger problem is that I have to move my laptop into the kitchen to be able to plug into a phone jack, as the other one is being used by my Aunt who logs on maybe once a week. In addition, it's an old house and until I get an 3 prong adaptor, I can only plug into the kitchen outlet. I've been looking at signing up for broadband again, but can't decide if I can afford it.The other option is to have a new phone line in my name put in and stay with dial-up. That may be the way I go for now, but eventually I'd like to send pictures to my kids and download music and that's really slow and sometimes impossible with dial-up. Darn,decisions, decisions. Changing your life always results in both positives and negatives. Heck, not changing your life is the same both positive and negative. I guess we just have to try to make choices that result in positive changes more than we choose changes that end up with negative results. The problem is choice. We don't always know whether the outcome will be the positive result we're hoping for. I'd had a little more frustrations lately, and that usually means that I need to spend a little more time in reflection and meditation. Now to find the time.

Back to Heat

The weather has gotten hot again. We were at 100 degrees on Sunday, 102 yesterday, and it's supposed to be over 100 again today. It's been staying fairly warm at night too. We may get some rain storms tomorrow, hopefully. The normal temp right now is 90 and it should drop into the 80s by the end of August, but who knows anymore.

Our miners are still in the collapsed mine. There seems to be very little progress being made. They've shown pictures from the camera lowered into one of the bore holes. There's empty space, no miners. They've started another hole farther down. They've been pumping air into the other holes, just in case. Nobody wants to give up hope just yet. I guess that's all the families have, that and the support of thier nieghbors.

There are some of our school districts that are starting school next week. It's going to be warm the first few weeks, most schools aren't air-conditioned. Many teachers around here buy fans out of thier own pockets to help make thier classrooms bearable. I know that's what my Aunt, a retired teacher used to do.

I just had my yearly review at work. I earned my raise for this year. Nice. They've made some changes this year in how your sales are counted and I wasn't sure I'd made it. You're given sales goals on whatever product you're demoing. It used to be 3 times the average daily sales, now it's 4 times. The fun thing is, the more successful you are by raising daily average sales, the higher your goal is the next time the product is demoed. Soon, they've raised the bar nearly beyond reach, unless you make a big business sale. Even if that happens, the bar is raised again. Still there are some good things about the job, like the people you meet and there are some sweet kids along with Mom and Dad too. Nice perks. That's it for today.

Just Musing Again

It'sfinally getting a little cooler here. It's still in the 90s, but the lowerand mid 90s.We'recloser to our average normal temps. Sofar, no 100s this month, though it is early in the month. We had a little fire just south of town yesterday,but they got it out fairly quickly. It only burned 45 acres.

There's been a mine cave-in down in central Utah. There are 6 people traped in a coal mine about 1500 feet deep and 2 and 1/2 or more miles from the mine entrance. It seems very scary to me to think of working that far under ground for any length of time. I'm afraid I'd get claustophobic. Maybe you get used to it. The mine owner claims that the collapse was caused by an earthquake. Scientists are claiming that the mine collapse caused the earthquake,which seems a little wierd. Yesterday, they were claiming that there was no quake,that the siesmic trace was just the mine collapse. I'm pretty sure that the miners and thier families don't care too much about the cause just now. They're more interested in being rescued,assumming that they are still alive,which nobody knows just yet. It may take several days to get to them, but they are drilling holes in the mountain above where they're supposed to be in order to get them air and supplies and communicate with them. That should be done sooner. In the meantime, everyone just hopes and prays.

Then there is the bridge collapse in Minniapolis. That certainly was a horrific site. The surprising thing was that there weren't more deaths.Maybe it fell slowly enough for people to get out,although the first people to go down probably had less chance. There have been warnings for a long time about the status of America's infrastructure. It's a shame it takes a disaster to get people to do something. I guess that's one problem with our form of government, it's run by committee. At least there's been inspections here in Utah, and I imagine most other States are doing the same.

We'reall going to see"the Bourne Ultimatum" tomorrow. It shoud be good.I enjoyed the first 2 a lot. Well, enough gab for now.

A Sunday Off

I finally have a Sunday off! My supervisor made me a deal. She needed me to work an extra day at the end of July to finish up the extra demos we'd been sent for the end of the quarter. I know most businesses have a different schedule for quarters, but our company's finacial year goes from Feb 1 to Jan 31. Go figure. Anyway, for doing the extra day, I was offered the whole weekend off for the first of August. I couldn't afford to take off 2 days, but I was more than happy to take off Sunday. I was invited to go to church, but I declined. I want to do mostly just what I want that is rejuvenating or uplifting or even lazy today.

So far, I've read my spiritual reading and added more, after all, it is Sunday. I've devoured the Sunday paper, I usually only hit the high points. I've checked my email, and I'm now updating my blog. I've also done dishes and thawed some chicken for dinner. Next on my list is making fruit smoothies for lunch.

I try to include God in my life everyday, so I'm not really prone to spending one day in church to spend my time with and for God. I think Spirit is with me always, I just need to quiet myself and listen, there He is! I admit, there is a nice social element to church, being with people of like minds, and it is a good place to organise people to help others that need help. To me, that element of serving those that need help is church's greatest function.

I erased my last paragraph as being too judgemental, something I keep trying to work on. Well, off to the rest of my Sunday.

Harry Potter

Last week I joined millions of others in reading the final installment of the Harry Potter series. I read it within 24 hours with time out for sleep, fixing dinner and doing the weekly laundry. I usually read the Harry Potter books at a fairly fast clip as they are so good, they are hard to put down. Whatever shortcomings J.K.Rowling may have in some things, she is a consumate story teller.

I approached book seven with just a little sense of trepidation. There had been so many questions about Harry's fate. One chapter had me quite worried, but the faith I had in Rowling was justified and she provided an elegant solution to Harry's being the 7th Horcruxe. She also answered the major questions and put the pieces together. My only complaint is that the epilogue takes place 19 years later. What happened in those 19 years? Maybe Harry got his wish and had a quiet happy life with no troubles. As he said, he'd already seen enough problems in his short 17 year life. Even so, it opens the door to more stories if Rowling ever decides to do them, though her latest interview says she's got no plans to go back to Harry's world.

I've tried to understand why I have been so enthralled with a so called children's book. Still, I've enjoyed quite a few other young adult or children's books before. I do like the way Rowling brings attitudes of caring and respect and ethical conduct into the stories without sounding like she's on a soapbox. I'm impressed with how she shows the love of thier children that the adults have, even to having the Malfoy's turn from Voldemort for Draco's sake.

All in all, the Harry Potter series has been a great edition to literature. I'm sad that there may be no more books, but look forward to the 2 movies yet to come. I have enjoyed being there as Harry, Ron, Herminone, and all the rest of the Hogwart's students grew up into full grown witches and wizards. Hopefully, J.K.Rowlings' next projects will be as exciting.

Growing Up is Over-rated

Today, my Aunt, who is in her 70s was told by her older sister,(80s) that we hadn't grown up yet because we were excited about the new Harry Potter film and book. I'm in my 60s, so I figure that if I'm not grown up yet, it's not likely to happen at all. Somehow, that does'nt seem so bad to me. After all, if growing up means losing the ability to use my imagination and get excited about new things, then I want no part of it. Obviously, we need to grow up enough to take responsibility for our actions, enough to function in a complicated world, but I believe we need to keep the heart and imagination of a child. We need to keep the ability to view things with the eyes of a child,to keep the beautiful wonder that can be our world and lives if only we're able to view it like a young child. We can't allow ourselves to buy into the cynicism that so many people have, thinking that it's just part of growing up. Let me be able to look at my world and find the wonder of a beautiful sunrise or sunset, a perfect flower, a beautiful baby. Life without wonder and thinking of "what if?" would be grim indeed!

Nothing Special, Just Rambling

It's been nearly a week since I've logged on to my blog. Between work and chores, etc. I've been a little lax. I've been reading a couple of new books. I,m reading the latest Darkover book. So far, it's pretty good, even though Marion Zimmer Bradley has passed on, the author she worked with and planned the futre of the series is doing well. I'm also still polding along through "The Secret" It's an okay book, it's just that the principles are not new to me. I had hoped there would be a little more about the "how" of applying the ideas. I'm half way through the book and the author finally mentions the importance of gratitude. I would expect it to be almost chapter one, after an explanation of the principles. You'd think that if I know the principles of the Law of Attraction that I'd be rich right? Obviously, I'm missing something. Probably too much negative thinking, or lack of faith or something.

Speaking of new books---what a tremendous amount of hype for the new Harry Potter book! Of course I will buy it. Usually by now I would have pre-ordered it, but as I am living on a cash basis, I'll wait . I'm planning on seeing the movie tomorrow. I kind of hate to see the series end in a way. I've really enjoyed it. I think J K Rowling understands the Law of Attraction, I understand she is a billionaire, plus she's given a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people.

Be Kind, Especially To Yourself

In the course of my lifetime, I've discovered that we are our own worst critics and judges. Now that isn't earth shaking news to anyone out there I'm sure. Still, when we're in the throws of beating ourselves up, we tend to forget to be kind. We wouldn't tell our best friend that they were being stupid and self destuctive, at least not in the uncomplimentary terms we use on ourselves. I'm not sure why we forget to offer ourselves the basic kindnesses that we would offer a total stranger, but that often seems to be the case. I know that I once obsessed for almost an entire week over a mistake I had made. Now I did learn from that mistake, but I didn't need to obsess for a week, I learned my lesson almost immediately. The rest of the time, I think I was intent on reliving the past enough that I could change it which is totally impossible!!

I guess what I'm saying is that we aren't perfect and we allow strangers the right to be imperfect, but not ourselves. The Bible tells us not to judge one another, but we still insist on judging ourselves. Let's be kind to one another, especially ourselves.

I just recieved an email newsletter that I subscribe to called Images of One. It contained some alarming information regarding something that many of us consume on a daily basis, thinking that it is a fairly safe product. The article was about the additive aspartame that is used in nearly all of the diet sodas, drink mixes and other products sold as light or diet foods. I remember that saccharin was removed from diet drinks for being a carcinogen. This article claims that aspartame is also a carcinogen. Aspartine is, scientifically speaking, a member of a group of chemicals called excitotoxins. This group of chemicals stimulate the neurons in the nervous system and makes it fire excessively. When used excessively, it can exhaust the system. Aspartine is made up of a methyl ester, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. In the body, the methyl ester is comverted to formaldehyde, you know, like what's used to embalm bodies. When the aspartic acid and phenylalanine are split, you get a neurotoxin. Phenylalanine itself carries some damage that includes depletion of serotonin, mood swings and the lowering of the siezure threshold. Pretty scary huh? For more info, you might want to go to http://www/ImagesOfOne.com

The Fourth of July

Another 4th of July has passed. We had a fairly quiet day, just a barbeque for my Aunts, my Daughter and me. I had to get my Daughter home by 3 PM, so we didn't worry too much about fireworks, except for the effects on the dog. She held up pretty good, but was plainly unhappy with the noise. We didn't get up quite early enough to walk down to the park to see the end of the parade, though we did see some of the entrants going down our street afterward. We were also out for a walk when the Air Force jets flew over, folowed by their flying "gas tank". The jets were flying over all the smaller towns and their celebrations, so the refueling plane was probably more convenient and more cost effective than going back to base for a fill up.

It was quite hot, but we frequently have hot Fourths. It will be even hotter the next 3 days, which are expected to go to 100 degrees and higher. The whole West seems to be sweltering. Still, the Midwest is busy being flooded and having oil slicks in thier rivers, probably worse for disrupting families and causing property damage. The west is having some disruptions and property damage in the form of wild fires, which are likely to get worse rather than better as the summer progresses.

It's funny how we all seem to so look forward to the summer months and frequently, before the summer is over, we're looking forward to the relief of Fall. Maybe we should try to look for the best whatever the season, just live each day the best we can and hopefully find the good in our lives.

Lovely, Lovely Water

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent several days in and around Vancouver, Wa. One day, the rest of the family was busy, so my Aunt and I decided to go to the coast for the day. Notice I said "coast" not"beach". Beach conjures up images of southern California style beaches and the beaches of northern Oregon and Washington are not the same. They tend to be a little wilder and less civilised than in So. Cal.

We had been to the coast in Oregon,in Astoria and Seaside, so we decided to tale I 5 up to Longview, Wa and get off on highway 4 and make our way to the coast. Now we had just come from drought plagued Utah, so even the views on the interstate were showing us bounteous amounts of water. In Utah, we'd gladly take even a quarter of the water this area has.

Highway 4 is a small 2 lane koad, very picturesque, that stays fairly close to the Columbia River. We did run into about 3 areas of road work. I guess summer's the same everywhere on that count. We must have missed a sign because soon we were away from the river, but we kept going as the signs still proclaimed Long Beach ahead and that was our destination.

Eventually, we saw more water, then a really lot of water! There were islands and somehow,it didn't quite look like the Columbia River. We pulled over to take some pictures and stretch our legs.I mentioned to my Aunt that I bet the water was salty. Later, after checking a map, we realised we had gone north and were at the bottom of a huge bay that actually is behind Long Beach.

We did make it to Long Beach, a kitzy little tourist town with lots of places to buy seashells, sea food and kites.(They have a kite festival there.) The beach is sand, quite hard packed, not ankle deep like SoCal beaches. My Aunt thought the ocean was dirty as the waves were rolling up lots of sand and seaweed. To me, it was beautiful! I love the sound of the waves and the calls of the sea birds. I really hated to leave.

We crossedthe bridge over to Astoria. It's quite a climb. I'd had to have to use it on an icy day. They have to have it high for the big ships that go up the river. We took highway 30 and went over the Longview bridge to go back to Vancouver.

I wonder if the people up there know how blessed with water they are. There were ferns next to the road growing thigh high and Queen Ann's Lace as high as my waist, plus larkspur and flowers I didn't have a name for. It was a wonderful trip that I was sorry yo see end!

Proud Grandmother

I went to Vancouver WA last week for my oldest grandchild's high school graduation. What a wonderful experience! My oldest Grandson and my Granddaughter attend Vancouver School of Arts and Acedemics or VSAA for short. To say I'm impressed with the school would be faint praise. This is a wonderful school....small class sizes.....personal teacher advocats for each student...a 7 year curriculum where students can start in 6th grade.....all this and it's public not private. Here in Utah, students would only get these advantages in a private school setting with expensive tuition. I was also impressed with the encouragement of diversity. Each student is encouraged to go with thier dreams. A very lofty goal.

My graduation was quite awhile ago, but I don't seem to remember it as being quite so raucus and joyful. Mine was nice, I remember a feeling of anticipation about going out in the "real" world, but these students seemed to bring a joy to the celebration, a confidence of their being capable of living their dreams, and there were many under classmen there cheering on the new graduates and plainly anticipating thier own glory in the future.

My Grandson played in his string quintet, He also gave a talk. He has some good comedic talent. I'm very proud of the young man he's become.

Another thing I approve, they save and raise money all year for an all night party for the graduates, no drugs,booze or crazy driving.They get transport from the school to a nice place, like a hotel where they have a variety of fun activities for the night with breakfast in the morning before returning to the school and home. I'm sure they all will have some wonderful memories!

Congratulations

As I may have mentioned before, my oldest Grandson is graduating in a little over a week. He was also chosen by his peers to be one of 3 speakers, a nice accomplishment. I talked to him on the phone recently, to make sure there will be space for my Aunt and I if we drive up. Fortunately, he did have extra tickets for us as I had made arrangements to take a couple of days off and my Aunt had reserved space for the dog in the kennal. We're looking forward to the trip, despite the high gas prices. We haven't seen my Son and his family for over a year and we both miss them.

I remember when my Grandson was a cute, chubby baby. He had a ready smile and giggled easily. Now he's a lean 6 footer, sometimes sullen, as teens can be, but still with a ready smile. I'm frequently amazed at the able young man he has grown to be. Of course, he still has growing to do, but that's true of most of us. I firmly believe, that growing is a lifetime thing, if you're lucky. If you don't grow, you stagnate. Though you are allowed some rest periods I guess.

I remember my own graduation. I felt like the world was spread out before me, like a banquet. Life is probably still that way, if we could just see it. It seems that we often let the everyday events of life take over and wear us down, but there's still a banquet out there if we'll just see it!






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Dealing With Stress

It seems to me , that dealing with stress starts with recognising things that give you stress and anticipating whether you're coping adequately on a daily basis. If you're just going on with your life, going from day to day without checking in with yourself, noticing behaviors or symptoms that usually indicate stress for you,you may wait until you are overstressed before you act. When you do that, it can take more actions to get you back on track and centered.

I can usually take changes fairly well unless they are really big changes, or thing that may really complicate my life. If it is a change that I have initiated or I'm enthusiatic about, then I usually will have "good" stress. Of course even good stress can get out of hand. Changes that are required of me, but without my choice, like new procedures at work can get stressful. Sometimes, these changes are easier than anticipated, so they go pretty well. We recently had to start using handheld scanning computers to record the products that we use in our demos. It turned out to be fairly easy and not all that stressful. The stressful part is the difference in our work orders, harder to understand and harder to figure out if you're making your sales goals or not. Since our pay raises are tied to preformance, this gets stressful. Still, you do your best and watch the stats and hope it all works out. Not the best way to manage stress.

A big stressor for me is worrying about disappointing a loved one, like maybe not being able to attend a function because of your work schedule. Hopefully,a supervisor will be accomodating, but the stress is there until the problem is resolved.

When you get several problems all giving you stress and the problems will not be solved very quickly, you may just have to have faith in yourself and the people that you deal with and in the power of Spirit. And whilr you're waiting for resolution, do something for yourself. Relax, meditate, listen to good music, plant some flowers, read a good book and be sure and laugh!

Just Musing

I had a nice birthday. My Aunts insisted in giving me more than I thought I needed, but still, it's nice adding to your wardrobe right? The weather has been as changable as is typical in Utah's springtime. We got some pretty good rain on Monday, but we're still heading for a draught this year. It seems like we only just got over one.

I just bought African Daisies and Zinnias to plant. It's nice to have a yard to grow stuff again.

I'm finally getting to the point where I have very little furniture left in my condo. I've sold or given away most of the larger stuff. There's still "stuff" there, but I'm making headway--good thing too, as my storage is pretty full.

We've got a large bush of old fashioned yellow roses in the backyard and even some Oriental Poppies coming over from the nieghbor's yard. The peonies are blooming and the roses are starting to bloom. We have Geraniums and Dianthus in pots on the steps.The tulips are finished and the Irises nearly done.Spring seems to go so fast, but I love it! Yesterday, I was coming home from Salt Lake and came over a hill and saw the Great Salt Lake. It was so blue! The air was clear and you could see many of the islands so sharply. I wish I'd had my camera, we don't always have such clear days anymore.

My oldest Grandson graduates high school this year. I have a picture of him in the living room and he's less than a year old and so cute. It seems like just a few years ago he was so small. Now he's over 6 feet tall and getting ready to venture out into the world. It really seems amazing.

Odd Musings

I thought I'd better write something, here it is mid May and I haven't posted yet. I've been working a little more, and I've been a bit lazy.

We've had only a few days of spring here, but more summer weather than spring. We've aldeady been into the ninety degree weather. The last 2 days have been in the seventies, more spring like. Tomorrow we'll be pushing back into the eighties.

My birthday is tomorrow and I'll be celebrating with a shopping trip and a lunch out. It will be nice I think. It's always good to have a little fun once in a while.

I've been thinking of planning a get-away this summer. It's been awhile since I've been anywhere. The gas prices may dictate how far I'll go, or maybe I won't be able to go at all if prices keep climbing. It's hard not to believe in some sort of conspiracy sometimes, especially with the prices going up almost daily. I mean really, the prices really are changing several times a week. What's up with that? One of these days, maybe this country will finally get it's act back on track. Well, that's my soapbox speech for today.

Progress?

Since my last post, I did manage to sell one bed, a bookcase and both the washer and dryer, all thanks to my wonderful nieghbor. I'm thinking that it is definitely time to let go of the condo if I can. I really need to cut down on trips between Tooele and Salt Lake. My last gasoline bill was $130.!....and the cost of gas keeps going up! To make matters worse, I'm working an extra day a week for the next 3 weeks. I suppose I'll make more than spend in gas, but maybe not much more.

I haven't heard from my kids who live out of state for awhile. Hopefully, they're just busy,but I can't help but worry. Time to make contact or at least try to I guess.

We are having summer here lately, though just a bit over a week ago we were back to winter for a few days after some lovely spring days. Hopefully we'll go back to spring again and get to summer gradually over weeks and not days.

Catching Up

It's been a long time between posts.I've been busy trying to finish up with my moving. It seems to take forever! I still have quite a lot of things left in the condo and very little space left in my storage unit. I really don't have any space left in my bedroom and the basement is getting full. I may have buyers for my 2 beds and even possibly for my washer and dryer. I've been thinking of ways to donate the rest that will have someone other than myself doing pick-up. One of my problems is that I can't always be available at the condo, but I have a wonderful neighbor there whom I've left with a key. I will certainly be glad when I can finally let go of the condo permanently.

Living with someone again has been good. I seem to function better when there is someone else in the household to consider. Both my Aunt and I have lived alone for quite a few years, though I did have a few years recently with my Mom. I think there are advantages to being alone, but only if you can keep active and busy,otherwise, it's too easy to spend your time in front of the TV watching things you don't even care about rather than actually doing something alone. Of course that's just where my life is now.

Changes

Earlier in March, my supervisor was wanting me to give up shifts, as there were'nt enough demos being ordered. By the end of the month, there were suddenly more demos than we had people and they all had to be done by March 31. I went from sometimes only 2 days a week to 5 days a week and working any hours I wished, as long as I worked. Since my health has finally improved, I was able to to do the work and enjoy it too. Mother Nature decided to flex her sense of humor again too..We had been having beautiful spring weather, then getting a couple of cold days with a storm most of the month, but the end of the month brought some real changes to some of us. I'm now living west of Salt Lake, though I still drive into the city for work. The city mainly got lots of rain, the the town I live in now got 12 inches of snow in 2 days. It was very wet snow and I'm still sore from shoveling. Amazingly, the desert west of us got 36 inches of snow in 1 day while the ski resorts got 18 to 20 inches. Really strange. Now it's April and the spring lowers are blooming and the sun is shining. We're still holding our breaths a bit waiting to see if we get an even later snowstorm.

Endless Moving

My last post was March 12 and here it is March 26 and I'm still trying to get the rest of my stuff out of my old condo! It doesn't help that I usually only get one or 2 days to work. This week, I'll only get one day as I am working extra hours. I did manage to sell some furniture, but still have beds, bookcases and TV and entertainment center. I still have dishes and books to take to storage. I'm beginning to think I'll never be finished, especially when you factor in all the stuff I have in storage that I'll probably never use.

I've had an idea for quite some time that we don't own our stuff, it owns us. Now, I'm pretty well convinced that this is a truth, especially with things you don't really need. They take up space, or you pay for storage. This certainly isn't economical. It also drags down your energy. I think my goal for the rest of this year is to get rid of stuff that isn't used or really wanted. That should free up both space, money and energy.

Moving

I'm sort of moved. That is, I'm now sleeping in the new place, but there's still gobs of stuff in the old place. I find myself almost hoping to be robbed. It's amazing how much "stuff" you can accumulate. The last time I moved, about 12 years ago, I had 17 years of accumulation. I sent truck loads to the dump and to charity. Still, I managed to keep a lot and accumulate more. Now, here I am again, trying to devest myself of a bunch of stuff.

I had always fantisized about moving with just a small trailer, only taking the very basics. It's hard to really throw stuff away when it comes right to it though. I did get away with very little, but now, what do I do with the rest? It would help if I still owned a truck, but I don't. I guess I'll just keep trying, or maybe hold a moving sale.

What Fun!

I went to work yesterday,not because I was healthy, but because I couldn't afford another day off. I was still having some problems with laryngitis, sometimes my voice was there, sometimes not so much. I'd originally been scheduled for a cooking demo, but my supervisor traded me to a demo of giving away a product. The product was a high quality bathroom tissue, something everyone needs. I had boxes and boxes of roles of bathroom tissue to give away on my shift. Voice or no voice, I still managed to convey to people that it was free. It was so much fun! After 6 days of being sick and basically self concerned, giving something away was just what I needed. Normally, my feet hurt half way into my shift. Last night I got home and realised that my feet hadn't bothered me. What's up with that?

Despite the fact that it was a pretty universal use product, there were people who turned down the freebie. My only conclusion is that they were afraid there were strings attatched. All the manufacturer wanted was for people to take home the product and try it. If they didn't like it, they could throw it away. If they did, then it was hoped that the customer would give consideration to purchasing the product the next time they needed some. All the risk was on the manufacturer. Plainly, they have confidence in their product. Still, the power of habit in the buying public cannot be over-estimated.

The Strange Effects of Illness

I've spent the last 6 days experiencing the joys and tribulations of a major cold. Instead of getting a scratchy throat, then sneezing, then a cough, I just started right in with a persistant cough, then the sneezing and stuffiness. I even got a fever and body aches, so maybe I've got the flu. Anyway, when I get a virus that causes a cough, I generally get asthma symptons as well. It's so fun to try to sleep while listening to your own wheezing. I thought I'd go to work today, but discovered that I couldn't talk. It's funny, when you live alone, you don't really realise you have larangitis until you try to talk outloud and you don't usually talk outloud except maybe to answer the phone......very embarassing. Still, the mega-sore throat should have been some indication.

When I'm quite sick, and I finally give in to it, it seems like the world just goes away a little, or at least recedes a bit. I guess that's purposeful on my part.I only answer phone calls from people I know and want to talk to. I leave my mail in a pile, to get to later. I watch kid's shows on TV. Sometimes I wonder if I've gotten sick in order to give myself a break? If so, I may have overdone things this time. Even if I like this tiny little world I'm in right now, I've got to break out and get back to the real world, tomorrrow, hopefully.

Moving

Life just seems to go on whether we want it to or not. I guess maybe you can take a break sometimes, but then everything is just waiting for you when you come back. I'm supposed to be moving this week, but I got another cold. ( maybe there's a reason for that ) Fortunately, I have an extra day off this week, so I can postpone moving day one more day.

It's amazing how much "stuff"we accumulate in 11 years! Now I get to decide what to store for possible selling or give away, what to move, and what to throw away. The longer I work and the worse I feel, the more I throw away. Hey, maybe that's the reason for the new cold!

It's Snowing!

After the frigid weather in January we finally got temps closer to normal.This past weekend was beautiful with temps in the middle fifties. It was a great precoursor to spring, but Mother Nature was just teasing us. I got up this morning to a couple of inches of snow and it's still coming down. Not to fear, it's supposed to clear later and be warmer tomorrow. The ski resorts are probably loving the new powder for the President's Day crowd! This is my week to move, so hopefully, the weather will really do as predicted.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is about love. Today, it seems that romantic love is the most celebrated. There are hearts with arrows and little cupids flying around, but the original purpose of the day was to honor Saint Valentine,a man filled with love for all. Valentine's Day is about LOVE, in all it's forms. There is love of our children, of our families, our spouses,our fellowman,Mother Nature and the world, even love of ourselves. It's too bad we only have one day to celebrate love. We need to remember that all of the Universe and it's Creator is LOVE and we are LOVE. The strongest power in the Universe is LOVE, and our Creator loves us unconditionally. Can we do any less than to try to do the same in our lives?

Free Will or Determinism?

I just read an article from the New York Times speculating whether we have free will or are our lives predetermined? As near as I could understand in the article, if our acts are pre determined, that determining factor seems to be our subconscious mind. Excuse me, but isn't our subconscious mind a part of us? While it's true, our parents and culture tend to program certain things into our subconscious, it also gets programed by our experiences and observations as they impact our conscious mind. The article talked about genetic and evolutional programing as well, even mentioned particle physics. There was a study done where people were told to make random movements. Supposedly, the movements came a fraction before cognition, or the mind deciding the movement. The conclusion to the article was that we had enough free choice, or illusion of free choice for us to be comfortable.

Nowhere in this article was there any reference to a Spiritual Element. Maybe the author didn't want to bring another source of determinism, or he was just skirting the issue. I've always believed we could be moved by Spirit, if we're open and listening, but that it was our choice as to whether we took Spirit's advise. Then again, if Spirit is really serious about us doing something, I suppose It could manage conditions in our lives to encourage us to decide to do as It suggests eventually, even if we're stubborn. There are others who believe that our Souls determine our path in each lifetime. That's probably as good an idea as any other. Maybe we'll find out all about how things work sometime. In the meantime, we'll just keep muddling through.

Mommy, Inc.: * Tea Time With Shannon: Got milk?

Mommy, Inc.: * Tea Time With Shannon: Got milk?Here is a great post by Shannon. She is getting her milk delivered by a local farmer. It's a little more money, but in return, she supports her local economy.gets really fresh milk( she can get to know her cows personally), she saves the environment as her milk doesn't get trucked in from who knows where. All of this and it tastes better too!

Negative Programming

Have you ever noticed yourself getting stuck in a negative thinking loop,where you keeping going over some mistake that you made or some hurtful remark soneone has made to you or about you? You just keep thinking of what you should have done or said that was better than what you actually did or said. It's like a part of you thinks you can change the past if only you keep thinking about it. You even realise that trying to change something that has already happened is a really crazy idea, but you keep doing it.
I've spent the past 2 and 1/2 days doing just that, knowing the futility, knowing that the smart thing to do is take what you've learned from the experience, then let it go. I know that letting go can be a little hard sometimes, but you just need to be persistant.
I don't usually hold on to something quite that long and I was upset with myself for doing it this time. I really let an incident at work almost throw me into a major depression. I guess since my private life is so unstable right now, it really bothered me to have my work life upset too, especially since it had been going pretty well.
I'm pulling myself out of my funk by focusing on the fact that there's no one single event that defines me unless I allow it to. We are more than single events or criticisms. We are more than our looks and more than any single deed that we may do, and we are all loved by God,just for existing.

The Joys and Pain of Blogging

I have another blog on a paid host. I paid for 2 years of hosting as I was hoping to achieve some financial returns on that blog. Now, I'm unable to access it due to possible problems that my host server is having. This is very frustrating to me. I actually have some people who read that blog and I assume they're not able to access it either.
Still, I can always seem to access my Blogger blog, so I can exercise my need to write something even though there may be nobody reading it. Oh well, Life isn't usually perfect.
I have read theories that we create our own reality, and I believe that we do. No 2 persons experience reality the same, it's always filtered through our own viewpoints. Maybe if we envision a "perfect" reality, it will be perfect, though different from someone else's perfection. Maybe we all ought to compare notes and figure out what we're really doing with reality.

Acceptance

One of my favorite prayers goes some thing like --God give me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't and the wisdom to know the difference. I don't have it quite right, but it's known as the Serenity Prayer. It is really hard to know the difference, whether we should be butting our heads against a wall trying to change something we should be learning to accept, or if we're accepting something that could really be changed.

I think that if we're upset or irritated about some person's personality quirk or behavior, we might be better off accepting that person as he/she is or keeping away from them if possible. Sometimes a person that just drives you up a wall is a person that you work with or is otherwise pretty hard to keep away from. This person may be in your life for a purpose, to teach you something you need to learn and if you manage to keep away from them, someone else will show up that's even more irritating. Perhaps it's best to learn the lesson, then move on.

Winter Time

Here it is, just ending the first week of January and I'm ready for spring. I know, it's not gonna happen. I'm just so cold! I realise that I spent much of the summer bitching about the heat and now I'm bitching about the cold. I guess I don't do well in extremes. I'm actually okay when it's cold, even quite cold, as long as it isn't windy. The wind just cuts through any coat I've got. It blows around my neck and up from the bottom of the coat and makes me shiver. If there's snow blowing too, I really want to burrow at home under blankets with a hot cup of tea and a good book. Maybe if I practised some kind of winter sport it would help my attitude. I've thought of snowshoeing since I don't like heights and riding on a ski lift. I used to ice skate, but I'd probably wear out my butt. Oh well, spring's only a few months away right?

An Insirational Video

I get a newsletter from the owner on Images of One site. He has produced a feel good video that is free to view with no sales pitches. It has nice music, beautiful pictures, and inspirational quotes. The address http://www.imagesofone.com/fg/ Give it a look.

The Holidays are Over

The Holidays are over,at least that's what the calendar says. However, my decorations are still up. An extra job for the week, I guess.

It was a little different Christmas this year. It was quiet, not like last year when we were in mourning for Mom, but more because of reduced expectations. Several of the family members have experienced some financial problems and reversals, so we didn't do much in the way of gift giving. I did try to keep things more like normal for my handicapped daughter. I wasn't sure she'd understand no gifts. Still, she's not demanding; an umbrella, chocolate, bubblebath and a bag of coffee beans and she's pretty much happy.

I had my Aunts to a potluck dinner with my daughter and me. The day was pretty sunny and very enjoyable. We all missed my son, his wife and 3 children. We've not spent Christmas with them for awhile. Hopefully, next year we can see them.

Anyway, it's plain to me that a good Holiday doesn't require lots of gifts and fancy decorations, just being with the people you love.

Late For Christmas

Well, as usual, I'm late dealing with Christmas. I am not doing much gift giving this year due to being poorer this year, but what little I'm doing is done. I still don't have any decorations up, not even a wreath on the door. The problem is that, living in a condo with limited storage, everything is in my storage unit. I just haven't gotten there yet......today for sure.

I got out of the habit of decorating for awhile because we always went to Washington to be with my Son's family. The last few years have seen us home for the Holidays due to my Mom's illness and last year,her passing away. This year will see us home again due to the fore mentioned poverty. Since I'm going to be moving soon, it seems easier to forgo decorating, but I will probably put my small tree up anyway.

The most important thing for Christmas is a loving family and friends and remembrance of the meaning of the Holiday and I've got that covered.

The Power of Love

Have you ever noticed how much hate there is in the world? If you spend much time watching TV News or reading the newspapers you have. There seems no end to the hate that people feel. The seem to hate those that are not like them or their group. They hate people who are the wrong color or the wrong religion or those who speak a different language. Even people with the same catagory of religion, like Islam, hate each other if one is Sunni and one is Shia. Christian religions are just as bad. I live in Utah where the predominant religion is Mormanism. The Baptists have protests at the Mormon's semi-annual conferences and say the Mormans are not Christians.As near as I can figure it out, it's because of a disaggreement over what constitutes the "Godhead".

My theory is that people hate what they fear. They fear the "other",that which is not me or mine.What if I'm changed by assocciating with the "other" and my people don't recognise me anymore. What if being "gay" is catching?

I once heard that the opposite of love is not hate,but fear. That really made sense to me. So what if we combat hate, which is really fear, with love. Sometimes it's really hard to understand the "other" because we really are quite different, with many different experiences and traditions. Maybe we could agree to be different and accept those differences that we can, then look for samenesses. There has to be ways we're the same given we're both human. Maybe then we could work to love that sameness about the other and eventually,if not love the differences, at least give them some respect.

It's not likely that we'll get world peace tomorrow, but maybe we could make some peace in the office or nieghborhood to start, work on the world later, if it's still around.

Busy, Busy

It seems that I'm forever too busy to post anything. I'm working full time until after the holidays, so that takes care of 5 days a week. Some nights I am just too tired to do anything but sit in front of the tube. If that keeps up I'll vegetate! We've been listening to Christmas Caroles since Thanksgiving and there are some I'm heartily sick of and there's 3 weeks to go. I generally love Christmas music, but so much of what you get on the radio gets really old really quick.I could really get to hate "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree". Most of the time, I enjoy my job. I get to be a little creative and I get to feed people fun foods, especially around the Holidays. Still, it's a little disconcerting to find out that there are adults around that don't seem to remember that stoves are hot and you shouldn't grab something from a pan that's just come out of the oven. I guess they just get caught up in the moment, afraid they won't get their turn. Did I mention these are adults? Oh well, we're all kids at heart.

Gratitude Day

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day or as I like to call it, Gratitude Day. One of the things I was grateful for is that I didn't cook this year. Although I generally enjoy cooking the Thanksgiving meal, it was nice not to this year. My job often entails cooking and serving food demos, so it was a nice break. The weather forcasters were predicting rain mixed with snow and we were driving about 40 miles. I'm grateful that the sun came out and we had a perfectly lovely drive.The gratitude didn't stop today either. The company that I work for is grateful for we employees hard work in dealing with a successful grand opening for our new store and at the same time working hard to make holiday sales soar.They are providing our lunches for three days to thank us. Just think! the more you are grateful for things, the more the Universe provides. What a nice arrangement!

Some Observations

Did you ever notice that the harder you work and stress to fix a problem,the slower your progress gets? Maybe this does'nt happen to everyone, but it seems like the more I stress about something, the less efficient I get. I'm talking about negative stress here, the kind that gives "fight or fright" ir's name. When I get this way, I find that taking a break and relaxing can sometimes get things back on track. Sometimes it takes more than a break, it takes getting away from the problem completely for a day or two, just to hopefully, get a new perspective.

Of course there's the positive stress of being excited and turned on by a project.That's a whole different thing. Usually, the problem here is stopping long enough to relax and get some rest. If you get over-tired, you may find that stress going to the wrong kind and spoiling the "high" you got over the new project.

Most of the time, I'm just doing my job, trying to do my best work and feel good about it. I can hopefully do that without getting tired and/or discouraged enough to bring on the bad stress.

Looking Forward to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only 8 days away. It's a Holiday that most of us enjoy, but seems to get lost in the shuffle on a comercial level-except for grocery stores. My handicapped daughter loves Halloween, but this year she put all her Halloween decorations away a day early and started talking about "Turkey Day".(her term). She even forgot that her birthday was the week before Thanksgiving until I reminded her. I'm not sure what excites her, the food, the preparations, but mainly the traditions. She really gets insistant about traditions and it can be perilous to make changes without making sure you discuss it with her. I like Thanksgiving, the family together, at least as much as possible. I enjoy watching the Christmas parades on TV. This year, instead of pumpkin pie, we're haveing pumpkin cheesecake. I believe that we should practise thanksgiving every day of the year, not the eating, but the gratitude. Every single day of our lives there is something to be thankful for, even if it's just waking up still breathing in the morning. Most of us can find multiple blessings to count every single day, we just need to be aware of our lives. I try to think of "gratitudes" every night before sleep. It's great for your perspective!

A New Day?

Just a couple of things today. First, sorrow at the death of Ed Braddley, a reporter of honesty and integrity. He will be missed!
About the election results. Finally, the American People remembered that we have the power to change things if we'll only use it. Hopefully, the Democrats realise that the vote was more of a vote against the Republicans and less a vote of confidence for the Dems. Now it's up to the Democrats to show what they can do and to lead, not just occupy space or play political games. Hopefully, they can build some bipartisan bridges and actually get some work done.

Serving Pizza

Yesterday, in my demo job, it was time to sell pizzas. we sell a very nice, freshly made "take and bake" pizza, at a very good price. My job was to bake pizzas, cut them into sample pieces and distribute them to customers with the goal of selling a lot.
These are 16 inch pizzas and we cut them into good sized squares( 2 to 3 inches). We usually do this on Saturdays when people are interested in a good, quick meal for the weekend. Usually the whole family comes into the store as well. This was my first time doing the pizza demo. I knew it was popular, but WOW! It is amazing how fast you can go through a 16 inch pizza! I'd take one pizza out of the oven, put another in for 15 minutes and think I would be back to the oven in that much time. I found that I frequently went through a pizza in 5 to 7 minutes, including the cutting. I could come out of the kitchen, go to my table and start cutting and there'd be no one there. It only took a couple of minutes before the scent of hot pizza would have people waiting in line. Amazing! It was kind of fun being the most popular lady around for a few minutes at a time. It's also fun having a product be so appreciated. Needless to say, we sold lots.

Members of the Family

I just heard news from my Daughter-in-Law that thier little Shelty, Angel is ill, possibly seriously. My grandchildren are understandably upset. For that matter, so am I. Angel is a very sweet dog and has been in my extended family for several years. My Aunt's dog, Lady, got a severe spider bite last month and has been recovering. I had to put my Siamese cat to sleep a couple of years ago and I still miss her. I have had many pets in my lifetime, both dogs and cats and even a bird or two. Every one of them has been missed. Every one of them had a place in my life and family. Sometimes, losing a pet hurts so much, you vow, "Never again", but eventually, the loss eases, and you try again. Pets add so much to our lives and they really ask so little for all the love they give us. Meanwhile, my heart goes out to my Grandchildren and thier parents and I'll say a little prayer for Angel.

If You're Unsure or Don't Know-Google It!

Well, it's pretty sad, but I guess I don't get $160,000 after all. I did a lot of resarch on Google and I guess my lottery win is a veriation of the Nigerian scam. I knew I hadn't bought a lottery ticket, especially in the Netherlands. Oh well, It was fun to think of what I'd do with the money. It never hurts to dream a little either. Just don't put yourself in danger of losing money you can't afford or getting your identity stolen. It pays to not let greed blind you. When something seems to good to bet rue, it usually is.
We had a really beautiful day in Salt Lake City today. Blue sky just that slightly lighter shade that it gets when the air starts to cool off. There were some puffy clouds and new snow on the mountain tops. It was a little cool, a sweater felt good in the morning, but the sun was nice and bright in the afternoon. If you practise appreciation, life gets very good.

Is It a Scam?

A few days ago I recieved a check in the mail for close to 2 thousand dollars. It looked real and was issued by a bank that is real on the account of a company that is a real company. It has my name and address on it. Do I cash it? The problem is with the letter that came with it. It seems that I am the partial winner of a lottery prize drawn in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, I never purchased said lottery ticket. I used to buy Canadian Lottery tickets quite a few years ago,even won a couple a very small amounts, but I never, to my knowledge played the lottery in the Netherlands. The amount of the win quoted is pretty substantial and I could really use the money, but still, I'm very skeptical. I've done some research on line, some looked okay, other things looked scary. My choices are to just ignore the whole thing,but what if I lose the chance at some real finacial help? The other choice is to call the phone number included and hope it's not a scam to get my bank account number or participate unknowingly in some money laudering scheme. I've got about 3 days to decide. Scary!

Where is America Heading?

I've been concerned for quite some time about America's future, but I've always felt that "we the people" would keep things on track in the long run. I still have hopes for that. But at the moment, I'm concerned that we aren't paying enough attention to what has been going on. Going to war for the wrong reasons and being lied to about it is bad. Incompetance in the government is not unheard of, though not quite at the level of today. Cronyism, certainly is not new. But now, the Bush Administration,along with a compliant Congress has gotten rid of habeas corpus, just to protect themselves from past deeds and allow the President huge powers over prisoners he considers terrorist. There does'nt seem to be enough outcry on this.
It really seems that the quality of our leaders is going down hill.You'd think that the old saying, "cream rises to the top" would mean that the brightest and most honorable people would rise to become leaders. Look what we've got! I certainly don't count the bulk of Congress the "cream of the crop"! I guess since we elected them, maybe we deserve them, but there's got to be better people out there. We need to figure out how to get them to serve their country, while we've still got the freedoms we have.

Is Violence Our First Option to Solve Problems?

I'm sure many of us are apalled at the violence committed in schools lately. It seems that the innocent and available make good targets. Today I was reading the Letters to the Editor section in the Salt Lake Tribune and I came upon a letter written by a woman from a small town south of here. She said we shouldn't be surprised by people using guns to kill to try to solve thier problems. That seems to be the way Americans handle problems and grief lately. We were attacked by a small group of terrorists who killed nearly 3000 people. Did we get international police units to catch the perpetrators? No, we attacked another soverign country, destroying it's arguably cruel government,killing many others and still didn't kill or capture the mastermind. Then before that project was done, we invaded another soverign country, with a nasty dictator whom we had previously supported, and destroyed that government,telling the people they had to form a government of our chosing.How arrogant is that?. Our children and teens spend hours playing video games using guns to wipe out imaginary people, but does that deaden thier sensabilities? We watch movies that glorify violence and "might makes right" themes. Our young boys join gangs where shooting someone is a right of passage. I'm just paraphrasing her letter here and much of my own opinion is here. Her last paragraph though is very meaningful. She says of Americans, "We are better than that" and hopefully, she's right. Hopefully, we can reclaim our humanity and some civilised behavior. As she mentions, if the shooter in Colorado had been armed with a ballbat, the outcome could have been different.

The Perils of Sore Feet!

You know the old saying,"When your feet hurt, you hurt all over"? Well it is absolutely true! On my new job, I'm on my feet the whole shift except for breaks and lunch. Most of that time is just standing in one place on cement floors. It's actually a relief when I have to run back to the kitchen for something, or walk a little ways to show a customer where a product is. I'm amazed at people older than me and doing better than I am. Granted, they've been doing it longer. I've had blisters on both feet, I've tried gel inserts in my shoes, still I'm in pain most of the day and go home to soak my feet in hot water. This is what I get for all the years sitting at a desk. I even remember wishing I could work standing up at my computer. Maybe I'm getting my wish now. Hopefully, my feet will get stronger, or more calused. Maybe I'll get used to it or learn how to ignore my feet. Maybe I should just pretend I don't have any feet while I'm at work. Who knows, mind or matter might work.

A New or Renewed Pet Peeve

In my new job, I demonstrate new products, mostly food. Recently, I decided to open a new box of the product even though I was close to the end of my shift. I figured I could give away larger portions of the product. It was a Saturday, lots of people shopping with their kids, so I was able to give out quite a lot of the product. Unfortunately, by the time I needed to finish and get everything cleaned up, I still had 2 unopened cartons of product left. I ended up having to discard them in the garbage. That night I got to thinking about all of the food that gets thrown away, demo products opened but not completely used, products at their "use by" date, foods that some customer has dropped or otherwise disturbed the packaging,all this stuff that may be still consumable, but which can't be given away or donated due to whatever regulations there are. There's a lot of food just going to waste! You'd think that it could be given to the homeless, or even to animals in the zoo for pete's sake. I think of how wasteful Americans are and it bothers me. It doesn't help my feelings when I see the public service ads on TV about the children in third world countries who are starving and seeing their pictures. I guess that we're generous with donations and food and that is good, but what about all the food that ends up in the landfills? There should be another way!

Dream Life

Have you ever had a dream that just sticks with you and won't let go? It's not fun if it's a remembered nightmare, but even if it was a pleasent dream it can be uncomfortable when it seems like an obcession. Most dreams start to fade after you awaken and start getting on with your day,though if it was really nice, the feelings it engendered last awhile. This morning I was rudely awakened by my cat just as this dream was getting intense. There was a kind of "magicness" about this dream that has lingered all day long and the actual scene of the dream has remained clear as well. When I have a dream like that, I always wonder whether it has meaning. Is it prophetic? Gee, I hope so, but I don't think I've ever had a prophetic dream before. Is it something I really want or need and my subconscience is tryiny to give me a nudge? Maybe. Maybe I'm supposed to make a story out of it. Hmmm?

The Feel of Autumn--Wonderful

I suppose not everyone welcomes Autumn, but it's my favorite season. Maybe because school starts then, it feels like a new beginning to me. I get a little of that feeling in spring too, but in Utah, spring starts and stops so often, it's more frustrating. Here, the leaves are turning and it's getting colder. In fact, we have snow on the tops of the mountains already, a dusting that we received a few days ago. That is a little earlier than usual, but it's not that rare. Now I'm thinking of pumpkins and corn stalks. Soon I'll be putting something spooky on the front door. I usually try to decorate my door with colored leaves or autumn flowers that can be left for Thanksgiving and use the spooks on the deck where they can be taken in. Sometimes the pumpkins even survive for Thanksgiving. We haven't had them smashed for a couple of years. Hope that isn't an invitation. We usually drive in the mountains to see the changing leaves, but the early snow may have knocked a lot of them down. Oh well, this year I have a different job and I'm working weekends, so I may not have time anyway. I can still enjoy the rest of the season and it's inevitable slide into winter which I only enjoy for a week or two, then I get tired of cold and snow.

The Path to 9/11

After making such a big deal about the ABC production of "the Path to 9/11", I figured I should at least watch it, or part of it. Sunday night's presentation was 3 hours long. I managed 2 hours, then turned over to Ted Koppel on Dicovery network and watched an hour of that.
At the beginning of the ABC presentation, I noticed a small reference to the fact that the presentation was taken from many sources, one a book called "The Cell" and of course the 9/11 Commission report. They noted several times that this was a dramatization. It wasn't that badly done I guess, but thoughout people make statements and you're left to wonder, did that person really say that or was it part of the dramatization to make good theater? That was the problem for me throughout the 2 hrs that I watched. What was real and what was theater? Was someone trying to make a point or just entertain?
Parts of it got a little tedious, with lots of jumping around. Had it been a purely fictioal story, I doubt I would have lasted 2 hours. Will I watch the rest tonight? Maybe, but probably not.

Email From the Democrats

I just got an email from the Democrats describing a new docudrama that's to appear on ABC TV as a mini series entitled "The Path to 9/11" It supposedly follows the path leading up to the 9/11 event and lists as source the 9/11 commission. The only advisor listed from the commission is a Republican congressman. There supposedly have been some prescreenings but only to conservative bloggers and commentators. The Democrats have done some digging to find out what is in the docudrama and have fould some things that indicate that the blame for 9/11 will be laid at the Clinton adminstration's door. Tom McMahon,the writer of the email, lists some things included in the film that are actually things that never happened. Of course, this could be propaganda by the Democrats, but then, it is an election year and the Bush team is playing the "fear card" as often as they can. I wonder if those 14 prisoners to be transferred from CIA custody to Gitmo would ever have seen the light of day unless there was a political payoff for the Bush administration?

Sharon's opinions

A Touch of Fall,
Here in Utah, we've been having some cooler weather.In fact, I've needed to close my balcony window the last 2 or 3 nights and even felt a bit chilly in the mornings. I love this timeof year! The end of September and through October are usually the best time of year. October can sometimes fool you though and we even get freezes in September.

It won't stay cool though. It's supposed to warm up in a day or so. We can get some warm Falls too. Then I'll be hoping for a freeze to ease my Autumn allergies. Some people are never satisfied, Right?

Sharon's opinions

Sharon's opinionsToday, Salt Lake City had all it's demonstrations. I'm glad to report there were only 5 people at the "Down With Isreal" demo. Sort of restores my faith in my fello citizens. President Bush said all the things he usually says, nothing new. I guess that's to be expected. Looks like Salt Lakes 15 minutes of glory is over and we survived. All in all, I prferred the Olympics.

President Bush to Visit the Reddist of Red States

It's that time of year again, the American Legion Convention. This year, President Bush will speak, as he did last year. This year we even get Sec Rumsfield and Sec Condi Rice. Both spoke on Tuesday, saying the usual things about the war. Mr. Rumsfield thinks that anyone not in favor of the war in Iraq is morally confused. He said these were the same kinds of people who tried appeasement with Hitler. (same old rhetoric) Sec. Rice was more diplomatic. That is, after all her job. She admitted there were some unhappy things coming out of Iraq. She also said we had the right to protest. (tell that to the Utah GOP) She was upset that people were saying bad things about her boss, the President. She believes he is a truthful, moral man. I suspect Pres. Bush believes that too.

We here in Utah have around 5 demonstrations scheduled for today. One at least pro Bush, one against the war, one pro imigration and one called "down with Isreal". That last one bothers me a bit. Still, they got their permission, went through all the proticals, so they've the right to express themselves.

Lots of people in the state don't believe our SLC mayor Rocky Anderson has that right though. He's supposed to be the office,welcoming the federal office. Just play nice. The GOP in this state thinks their the only party(they almost are) They took out radio ads asking people to flood the city phone lines with protests. The city added people to answer the phones. When someone called the Republican party headquarters to ask some uncomfortale questions, the receptionist hung up. Such is politics in Utah. Can't wait to hear what Pres. Bush has to say, assuming it will be any different from previous speeches, of course.

On Being My Own Worst Enemy

In my last post, I talked about needing to find a job. I am actually doing some looking and doing some online applications, but many want a resume. There's where I'm shooting myself in the foot. I have it started, but I just can't seem to finish it. I'm using a different program, so when I get problems, I try once or twice to get past them, then throw up my hands, save what I have, and quit. I have an interveiw on Thursday and thought I should go get my shaggy hair trimed today. Instead, I took a nap. Of course, getting awakened by a fire engine and an ambulence at 3 am this morning didn't help. There I go making excuses for myself again. At least I got my daughter-in-laws birthday gift shipped yesterday. Maybe if I recognise the things I do get done instead of carping on and on about my failings, I'd start doing better, ot at least feeling better.

Changes -But I Don't Want To!

I've been home, not employed for over 2 years now. The first 2 years I was the primary caretaker for my 80 something Mom who needed dialysis 3 bdays a week. I was'nt just sitting around, but I had time to keep up the house work, do some reading, play on the internet, etc. I had my early retirement money and the severance package my company gave me when I was downsized, plus Mom's social security and what we'd managed to save. By the time Mom passed away,we'd gone through quite a bit of the money, but not all.

After Mom died, I didn't know quite what to do with myself and I was more depressed than I expected. I figured Mom had been released from a lot of suffering that last 6 months so I expected to bounce back. I didn't really and I made some bad decisions with money.I bought so many things that were going to get me earning great money on the web, but either did'nt work. I couldn't understand, or I didn't follow through on.

The result is, I need to go back to work. On the one hand, I'm okay with that, but on the other, I'm as scared as I was when I had to take care of myself after my divorce.There's the added problem of being embarrassed and a little ashamed of myself.

I'll survive, but It's a pain too. I guess some things we don't seem to outgrow.

Early Mornings are Worth It

I usually get up early every morning because my cat insists on being fed. Imagine that! He's very persistant, first patting my arm or face, then jumping on me. I usually grope my way downstairs and feed him, then make coffee and sit, half asleep waiting for it. Yesterday, while on my first cup of coffee, I looked out to the east through my patio door and became mezmerised with the unfolding of the sunrise. I live in a valley with mountains on both the west and the east so both sunrise and sunset can take a little time.
Yesterday, there were just enough clouds to really hi-light the changes in the light. First the lower surfaces were a deep pink with small spots of white on top. Gradually,the pink lightened and spread higher in the sky and farther west with the cloud tops brightening. Within minutes, the clouds closest to the mountain became rosy gold and pink spread farther across the sky. Amazingly, hundreds of small birds chose this time to leap into the air, flying toward the mountains as if welcoming the sun. By now, the clouds on the east were bright with sunlight.
The fun part is, it can happen again tomorrow, different each day, but always the same.

Fish Tank as Decor

At this years National Kitchen and Bath Assocciation Show in Chicago, HGTV showed some of the new ideas. One of those ideas turned out to be an aquarium of fish as an island in the kitchen. They showed it with colorful gold fish, illuminated to show it off. There's a small opening on top with a lid which allows you to feed the fish. They didn't mention if you were also expected to clean the tank through that small opening too.

Another company showed a toilet with a clear,double tank which also held goldfish. Due to the double tank, the fish don't get flushed.I imagine feeding and cleaning are still problematic.

Deconstruction versus Demolishing

I read an article in the Sept issue of Better Homes and Gardens about a couple who discovered a way to get the bigger space they needed without betraying their principles on recycling. They didn't want to move as they enjoyed their location living on the shore of a lake. They looked at their options and dicovered a deconstruction company that would carefully dismantle their present one level home and save the reusable material for their new contruction or save it for someone else's construction.

They ended up with a new 2 story home with more size and they even got a tax credit for the deconstruction. They used some things from the old home and other things from elsewhere. They even carted up stones from their lake front to build a new fireplace. Considering all the deomolition and construction material that ends up in the nation's landfills each year, this was a great solution.
If you want details, go to Better Homes and Garden, Sept issue or try their website at http://www.bhg.com

People and Reality

I just read in the news that nearly 50% of the people polled believe that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before we invaded. The article went on to wonder how so many people could have such a disconnect from reality. My simple answer to that question is that they choose to disconnect, from a reality they find uncomfortable due to currant news from the war, or wanting to disconnect from a reality where they might have to feel some bit of responsibilty for keeping the Bush administration in office. I think some of these people only pay attention to news sources that will bolster their version of reality, like Fox News and conservative talk radio and blogs. If you don't open yourself to anyone who might disagree with you, you don't have to change your mind or feel any guilt. You can remain somewhat comfortable. I'm afraid that sooner or later, reality will intrude though. (hopefully before 2006 elections.)

Sharon's opinions

Sharon's opinionsI was noticing recently, that Govenor Arnold Swartznegger of California has joined Tony Blair of Great Britain in trying to do something about global warming.I guess it's no surprise since California has been working on it for quite sometime. Our Mayor of Salt Lake City, Rocky Anderson has been making changes in our city for quite awhile. We've already met and in some cases surpassed goals for lowering greenhouse emmissions. Too bad Rocky isn't running for a third term.
It seems to me that even if you believe that this climate change is just part of a normal cycle, it still is a good idea to lower greenhouse gas emmission if only to give us cleaner air and better health. As far as I'm aware, this our only planet at present and we all have to breathe the same air, plenty to go around, just not very clean or heathful.

Sharon's opinions

Sharon's opinions It was a busy weekend and I hardly touched my computer. After all the heat we've had lately, we got a pleasnt change today. It was in the low 60s this A.M. and I actually had to close mybalcony door. We got a huge rain storm this morning, one of those "frog stranglers" you may have heard about. Really nice. Of course I like rain storms. I just wish I'd had my car out of the carport to get washed, but by the time I thought of it, I'd have gotten washed too and I'd just got dressed. Oh well.