Sunday, Bucket List

I saw the movie "The Bucket List", and while it really wasn't a very good movie, I decided to make one for myself. I thought I would share some of it with you.

I would like a week with my boys, Ian and Timothy. No kids, no wives. Just me and my boys.

I would like to visit Great Britain, and Ireland. Just a search for ancestors and feel the English soil under my feet.

Again, I want a new VW convertible, black, navigation system, and a kick butt sound system.

I want mannequin arms to put in my garden. Odd, yes, I know. Maybe my way of waving goodbye.

A week in a beach house. I live within 30 miles of the beach, but I can't hear the waves at night. This house should also come equipped with an industrial blender for making Cranberry Margaritas.

I would like my ashes shot into space when I die. However, my wonderful niece gave me a great idea, just in case the cost of space is out of the question. Just pack my ashes into fireworks and have a hell of a 4th of July.

Ride in a hot air balloon. This goes back to my wanting to go to Oz.

See the summer solstice at Stonehenge. See the sunset at Key West. See sunrise in Nova Scotia.

An entire summer to travel to Illinois, Kansas, and South Dakota.

A week with my sister and brother. Just the 3 of us. No kids allowed.

A week with all my kids and grandkids.

Whale watching. Not in one of those annoying little boats, but from a place that wouldn't disturb them.

Ride on the Orient Express. That costing to much then I would settle for a train trip across America.

So that is my list so far. There are lots of little things that pass through my thoughts but these are the really important ones. I know that most won't happen but who knows, maybe one or two will come true.

Feb. 22,2011

Sorry it has taken me so long to add to this blog. I've been wrapped in Bureaucratic stupidity for the last few days.

Granted, I am the world's worst procrastinator and tend do things last minute or late, but this has been pure insanity.

My drivers license expired on my birthday. We didn't have the ridiculous sum of near $70.00 to get it renewed. So now that we have come up with the money, I have to prove to these idiots who I am. I have a Social Security card, but again (due to procrastination) I just never changed my name on it. Oh my, that is a major sin according to the government. So instead of just taking all the tiny bits of paper and other stuff with my name on it and my SS #, I had to prove that indeed I am who I am. Not an easy task, when you really don't want to be who you are in the first place.

So after hours spent in the SS office and getting that mess straightened out, I will be off to the DMV to spend hours to renew my drivers license. I am sure that by the end of the day I will be in a lovely mood and will nearly be "postal".

OK, so that explains where I have been. In case you were wondering.

Last weekend was wonderful. Both Hannah and Christopher were here. It was great to have them here.I love to hear their laughter and just visit. Oh, and I got a couple of hugs and a kiss or two. Happy Grandma here.

I also want to rant on this whole thing with the Unions. Did you know that the first union protest was......are you ready........ Laborers protesting the Royal Taxation at the Boston Tea Party? I wonder if those idiot Tea Parry of to day would admit to that? Oh yes, I suppose they would do their usual whining about how the rich are so over taxed. In 1773, Philadelphia printers had the first strike for wage increase. In 1834 "Mill Girls" in Lowell, Mass. struck for the protection from wage cuts.

The Unions have a long history of protecting workers from the rich and powerful. Without them our labor force would be without minimum wages, health care, and a million other things that management would love to deny its workers.

We are a union household. Granted, there have been times when I wanted to scream at the Union Rep. for not doing his job, but all in all, the Union has provided for a good living.

If you have read all the entries on this blog you will know where I stand politically and know that I support the middle and lower class citizens. So get use to this ranting, it may go on for a very long time.

Now, on to more of the silly thoughts that have entered my 60 year old head. Last night there was a small discussion of "swashbuckling pirates". I wondered what a "swash" was and why did it require a buckle. Then I thought of Johnny Depp (my favorite pirate). He did swashing to a fault. Or at least, what I think of swashing would be. However, it does mean to be rough, noisy, and boastful. The buckle has something to do with the way a sword is held in a fight. I still prefer Depps portrayal of a pirate. Just a tad on the feminine side with a swish in the walk.

Fernandina Beach, Florida has a weekend festival called the Shrimp Festival. It is parades, arts, food and loads of fun. Lots of shrimp to eat in a variety of ways. Also there are Pirates everywhere. Fun and bawdy. If you ever get a chance to come to Florida, you really should go to the Shrimp Festival. I have enjoyed every year since moving here.

I do hope to keep up a little better on this writing. Oh, a news flash.......I have lots of Robins in yard today. So those of you who live in the north, it won't be long and they will be on their way to a yard near you.

Women

I've been thinking about women and how our lives have changed. Mostly, about the women of my family and women I have known.

My family had extremely strong and outgoing women. My grandmothers, although vastly different, were strong in their own ways. Grandma Toberman was a proper Victorian lady. She required proper manners, no crying, no smoking, no dating anyone that might be a foreigner, after the age of 12 you were required to wear a dress or skirt at all times. She was no fun and way to rigid. Grandma Best was also a proper lady but was not as stern. She taught me to make "mud pies" and to decorate them with corn. She let me climb trees, play in the hayloft, milk the cow with grandpa and play at the piano. She was strong and intelligent.

The next generation of women included my mom (Margaret), my aunts (Lulu, Alberta, and Geraldine). My mom was a funny and outgoing woman. I think she always was put down by her mother and always felt less than her sister. As I said, my Grandma Toberman, was not a nice woman. However, my mom was strong. Dad was on the road a lot and so she was left to raise 3 kids, for the most part, alone. She had a wicked sense of humor and an even more determined sense of right and wrong. She was a strong Democrat and she hated Richard Nixon.

I think that is so funny. I am sure that is where I get my political views. Her humor is how she coped most of the time. She could make you laugh and wasn't afraid to make silly when needed. She did have a dark side. There was an abiding sadness. Sometimes, that was hard for my sister, brother, and I to take. I truly believe that we all knew that she loved us, but sometimes it was hard.

My Aunts were all strong women in their own right. Aunt Lulu suffered for decades with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was a wicked evil disease. Her sense of humor was well in tact also. I think I will remember her laughter as long as I live. Aunt Alberta was a lovely caring woman. She had lost her husband early in life and raised their son Bill as a single woman. She also had a sense of silliness. Aunt Geraldine (Aunt Toots) was fun and loving. I always thought of her as the ultimate 50's woman. She was always dressed to the nines and ready to entertain at a moments notice. I don't think I ever saw her in anything but dresses and heels.

Now, we move on to my generation. My cousins: Mary, Beverly, Linda and then me and my sister. Mary was another of those perfect 50's women. Always dressed to the nines, perfect manners, a polite sense of humor, and a strong woman. Beverly, Linda, Carole and I are all for the most part more laid back. Beverly got the wicked sense of humor. She knows more jokes than anyone I know. Linda was always my idol. I thought the sun came up and set on Linda. I never could think of Linda as anything but perfect. Carole, my sister, well, I can't think of anything but that I am blessed to have her. She is my rock. Smart, funny, and strong.

There are women who will follow us, daughters and granddaughters to carry on the family. They are all wonderful young women. Then we also have the women who have married our sons. Thank goodness our sons were smart enough to marry wonderful, smart and funny women.

Well, here is to all the women, past, present and future. You come from a long line of wonderful, smart and funny women. Carry on!

Feb. 15, 2011 Friends

I've been thinking about all the friends I have had through 60 years. Some have been lost and some have stayed.

It is a wonderful thing when you can look back over a life time and know that some friends will be there forever.

I have friends from growing up in a small town in Illinois. There is Janice and Jo-Ellen. I really cannot remember a time when they weren't around. Now we live far apart but can keep up with this wonderful new tool of the internet.

Kathy moved to our town in Junior High. She, became another of the friends that will remain.

We were all girls together. The summers of swimming at the lake, riding bikes, and falling in and out of what we were sure was love.

There are friends from South Dakota, that have now scattered to the winds. Ha, I guess we all got tired of the intense cold. There were days of being together that allowed us to grow into our adult selves. Some were married or got married in the few years we all had together. We had kids or saw friends become parents. We are still in touch and most of us are grandparents now.

I have friends from work. Although, I have lost track of some, others remain and I hope will do so forever.

I have made new friends of neighbors and cherish that phone call that comes once or twice a week to check to make sure all is ok.

Again, I guess my best friend is my sister. She is there no matter what. We've had long years of not understanding each other, but I think we have always known that we were still best friends.

I have my Don. He is here on a day to day basis and even though he is my husband, he too, is a best friend. I can laugh and cry with him. I guess that is what it is really all about, isn't it?

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011

I thought I would write a little on Valentines Day. I worked for years at Hallmark and dreaded Valentines Day.

It was awful trying to satisfy all the customers who felt we should have a card for "my dead uncle's daughter's step-son's wife" . Also, there were the guys who it just dawned on them that it was Valentines Day. Although, you could pretty much talk them into the $200.00 (ugly & stupid) Precious Moments piece, a $50.00 box of really awful chocolate, and then of course, the $7.50 card. What a bunch of morons! You could see them coming from a mile a way. " Ha, watch this, my fellow co-workers, I'll bet I can get this one to buy a $200.00 Madame Alexander doll, we've been trying to get rid of all winter." What a bunch of schmucks!

But then there is a side to the holiday that does have a nice purpose. It is just to let the one you love know that you love them. There are some truly wonderful love stories out there. You just have to look.

I would say that my sister had a wonderful love story. She told me that she saw my brother-in-law at the age of 13 and knew she would marry him. Granted, she did marry him and it didn't have the fairytale ending, but I truly think that between them they new that they would always be in love.

My sons seem to have found that wonderful type of love also. Ian and Angie, Tim and Jennifer, all seem to have that love that will last forever. I am so glad for them.

I have had the fairy tale love of youth, and it will probably stay with me until I die. But I've found a love that is wonderful, true and caring. What more could I want? I am so thankful that I found this man. He is funny and loving and I really couldn't ask for more. Some fairy tales do come true, some are just a place in your heart that will always be there.

So if you have someone, look in their eyes and tell them you love them. That truly is what the day is about.

Saturday/February

Sun is shining today. Looks warm but is still a bite in the breeze. According to the weather forecast it will be spring like next week. I am looking for a new pair of flip-flops for the summer. My sisters dog, Mab, ate mine last summer when they were here visiting. I am not upset about it, as I had had them for a couple of years and was really looking for an excuse to get a new pair. So a big thanks to Mab.

We have had lots of rain and that is a good thing. We have been nearly 2 ft. below what we are supposed to have.

However, being less that 3 ft. above sea level makes for a very soggy back yard.

I have been getting lots of mail from AARP and various insurance companies. First, I would join AARP because they are there for the folks that are rich and back the GOP. Other insurance companies just have a tendency to piss me off. There is way to much legalize in their pitches which I don't understand, but have found that it usually means: "your not covered for that".

I have watched as Egypt has ousted a corrupt government this past week. I sure wish we could have done the same with GWB and Co.. I would have been at the top of the list to get rid of that idiot and company. I hope it works to the peoples advantage and they take time to work out just what they want.

Well, nothing going on of any significance in 1951 this time of year.

It has been a few days since I've written anything. We had house guests last weekend, so it took a few days to get the house in order and then a few days of visiting with them. Now, life is back to normal.

Before you read this you should be informed that it will be a rant against the proposed cuts the House GOP want to make to the national budget.

They want to cut budgets for hiring Police. Well, we all know there are just to many police personnel. That is why we are in a Utopian society where there is no crime. Duh, I guess if you are rich, like a majority of the GOP, you can live in gated communities and not have to worry about crime. Except your Representative neighbor who is looking at child porno, beating his wife, sending pics over the internet of his middle aged body. So no police are needed to take care of those little problems.

Family planning will also be eliminated. Nope, no need for family planning programs. There is no teen pregnancies in the GOP god fearing families. Oops, evidently, Sarah Palins daughter missed that one. Now, don't get me wrong, I was a single mother for years. I know that mistakes will and can be made. But maybe, if family planning had been out there, I would have been a little more prepared.

Next on the chopping block, is Public Broadcasting. We all know that PBS is not needed nearly as much as shows like "The Jersey Shore", "The Bachelor/Bachelorette", "Survivor", "The Real Housewives", etc. What possibly can be learned from "Sesame Street", "The Electric Company"," Masterpiece Theater", "Nova"? Truly the the GOP would just like to dumb down Americans even more. That way, we will believe them when in they are in office and call for a made up war.

Other cuts would be made to food aid for women and children. Ya, why should be make sure these folks have food. Oh, sure, they could always go to McDonald's and eat from the dollar menu. Good balanced meals to be had there.

Cuts to the CDC, there is no need to keep on top of illnesses. The drug companies need more money. It just isn't fair that the American Public might be able to get decent health care at a reasonable price or free. So the money needs to be cut. It is really a kill the poor and old program brought to you by the Republican party and the rich.

Next on the chopping block is the Community Development Fund. Why should anyone want to improve communities? The GOP are fine in their gated communities, county club estates, etc. There is no need to improve where the majority of Americans live.

I am appalled at the cuts being considered. There is no compassion or caring in the Republican party. Please, when you think about which party you believe in, think about the middle and lower income people who worked and made American what it is.