We used to complain about this and that when we were Xanga. Now I think, for me at least, that this blog site is so podunk. I will learn to use it and I hope that sometime soon I will be able to embelish this blog. I haven’t even tried to upload pics yet. I want to apply a theme. Is that even possible. Good grief I have to pay for this space! You think I could do at least that.

I’m not inspired to in the least. I mean, I do have ideas all day long .. but I get here and whammo, well nothing!!!

Does anyone know how to even look up people?

Help!!

I‘m wondering why it is so hard to edit text. The word processing is awful! I’d like to line up some columns and have found that I can not use the “tab”. What’s up with that. 

AND if I cut and paste from a word document the text is all over the place.. no longer aligned and impossible to “fix”. Can anyone out there help????????????  Thanks, Kath

 

For example where can I adjust the font and/or the font size??

Oh, bother

Nightcometh posted this, and I just had to add my two cents.

I am really craving some old school surveys

Questions are her’s.. answers and comments are Moi.

Been arrested?  No       My dad used to collect me from the teen dances with his Patrol Car.. With the lights flashing.. Escort my sister and I to the back seat.. Then drive away with the Siren blaring. Thanks Dad, sigh.

Kissed someone you didn’t like?  Yes

Slept in until 5 PM?   No

Ran a red light?  Yes       Multiple times.  My Bad.

Been suspended from school?   No

Experienced love at first sight?   Yes       You will, too, the first time you see your newborn grandchildren.  Not so much with the children: see “near death experiences” below.

Totaled your car in an accident?    No      But I was caught in the middle of a sandwich  when the lady behind pushed me into the gentleman in front. Somehow that just doesn’t sound right. Let’s make that “Lady’s vehicle” and “Gentleman’s armored Buick”.

Been fired from a job?   Yes

Fired somebody?    Yes

Sang karaoke?    Yes

Pointed a gun at someone?   Yes       (Squirt gun count?)

Had a gun pointed at you?     No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain?    Yes

Had a close brush with death (your own)?   Yes       At least twice. That third time would be a stretch

Seen someone die?   Yes       Sadly

Played spin-the-bottle?   Yes

Smoked a cigar?   No

Have a tattoo?    No        But I could change my mind.. NOT

Sat on a rooftop?  Yes

Smuggled something into another country?   From another country.. unh.. Maybe

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes?      Yes       And someday payback will be sweet

Broken a bone?   No        Neither mine or someone else’s. Close though.

Eaten a bug?   Yes       Still retching from that

Sleepwalked?  Nobody in their right mind would wake me up to  tell me that.

Walked a moonlit beach?    Yes       In Hawaii

Rode a motorcycle?     Yes

Dumped someone?    Yes       It’s complicated

Lied to avoid a ticket?     No        Never caught

Ridden in a helicopter?    No        Do not have a death wish; will gladly watch you

Shaved your head? Almost

Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry?  Yes      I’m such a stinker sometimes. Sorry

Eaten snake?    No        Ran from Snake? Why, yes; many times

Marched/Protested?   No   That’s my story and I’m sticking to it

Had Mexican jumping beans for pets?   Yes

Puked on amusement ride?    No     Nearly, lol

Seriously & intentionally boycotted something?   Yes  Monsanto, as should you

Been in a band?    Yes

Been on TV?   Yes

Shot a gun?  Yes

Skinny-dipped? Yes      But then I got fat

Gave someone stitches?   No       I do throw things, sigh; but fortunately the target is really good at ducking.

Ridden a surfboard? Yes

Drank straight from a liquor bottle?  Yes      Now ask if there was liquor in the liquor bottle

Had surgery?  Yes      Not major, thankfully (dental extractions)

Streaked?  Yes   See “skinny dipped”

Taken by ambulance to hospital?  Yes      Was a volunteer EMT for years

Passed out when not drinking?  Yes      But never when drinking

Peed on a bush?   Yes      On, In, Around, Under, Behind. I’ve done the  same with Rocks, Trees, Fallen Logs and Earthen Berms

Donated Blood?  Yes     Received too. See “near death experiences” above

Grabbed electric fence?  Yes     Electricity was off, however. I’m not stupid

Eaten alligator/croc meat?   No       But I’m told it tastes like chicken

Killed an animal when not hunting?  Yes     Mice, goodbye. And Bats. And one little squirrel who ended up under the truck tire, sigh.

Peed your pants in public?  Yes     When I was four walking home from school (Also  see “Peed on a Bush”. I Pee; A LOT!!

Snuck into a movie without paying?   No       One always pays for ones misdeeds

Written graffiti?    No       It’s ART, man! (Besides, who “writes” graffiti?) I’m an artist.

Still love someone you shouldn’t?  Yes     And always, will. It’s complicated.

Been in handcuffs?   No

Believe in love?    Yes

Sleep on a certain side of the bed?  Yes     Its called the “Top”. Sleeping on the bottom is way too hot. And heavy, did I mention heavy?  And you just fall off the sides unless one uses a truckload of Velcro.

 

I spent the evening cleaning a disappearing grill.

Last year was a real tough one. The result being that much of the batten down the hatches, it’s gonna be a rough winter got forgotten, set aside or completely ignored. Our grill fell into the completely ignored category. Unfortunately, ignoring did not improve the situation.  I love to grill. My philosophy is diametrically opposed to that of my H. I like it clean.. he likes it “flavored”. Really? Is that what you call it? I call it a inch of well seasoned grill grime. It was more than evident that H’s philosophy is winning.

We paid what some would call good money; what I call BIG money on a nice stainless steel bodied appliance. In fact the outside was marvelous as I peeled away the grill cover. So far, so good. I gingerly lifted the lid to find the entire inside a nasty, dirty, grimy, black, sticky, gooey, glob of indescribable miserableness. It could have been worse. Something could have crawled up in there and died.. as happened last year. 

Right then. May as well get at it. First I removed the grill racks. Did you know there’s a flat side and a pointed side to those grate bars. Made a mental note to put them back pointy side up instead of flat side up as they must have been for the last two years. Otherwise, not too bad; a bit rusted but if I rotate the worse to the least used end, I should get another year out of them. Onward and inward. As I began to slowly disassemble the “innards” I notice that bits and pieces were flaking away. In fact, as I attempted to remove the burner shields, they completely disintegrated into dust as I touched them. Completely, may be a bit of an exaggeration. After all, large chucks were being held together by mystery gloop.

So now, I am faced with the incredible vanishing grill. I figure it will cost nearly as much to replace the innards as it would to buy a new grill. H pointed out later (much later, prudently waiting until I was no longer up to my elbows in goo AND out of arm’s reach of any sharp implements ) that it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The sloppy goo just had me skived. Noooo. Ya think; that wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that I vaguely remember eating food prepared on this very grill? Eh? After all, says he, the burners are stainless and in perfect shape.. It’s only the braces, screws and stabilizing bars that are rotted nearly beyond recognition. Just don’t move or shake the thing up too much and the burners should stay in place. Huh? 

Hey, is a grill supposed to have a bottom?????

Several days later, H cleaned up the base panel. You know, the place where the propane tank and accessories are stored. Turns out it, too, is stainless. Silly me. I thought it was supposed to be black. Who knew..

Nothing special to say. Just love this picture. My cousin Lisa sent it to me.

@loneywanderer2 asked about a first memory.

So I sat back and thought for a while; and then a while more.

My earliest memories are just snippets of sight, sound, or remembered aromas. In my memory my first kitten grew up overnight. I can “see” the kitten, and almost immediately, the fully grown kitty. (I’m two, nearly three) Whoosh… I can see my newest baby sister, a mass of red curls crying, crying… and I sure didn’t like it. I wanted another kitten (I’m not quite three). My dad is angry; I’ve played with the door handle (maybe my fourth summer) and fallen out of the car.. from the front seat, while the car is moving. I don’t remember that hurting. The spanking did, though. I’m playing in a box in the back garden. (I’m maybe five). The box was constructed with those hugh honking staples. I carry a scar on my left knee to this day. Oh, no … I didn’t make it home in time and I wee’d myself. (I’m four and walking home from school for lunch) Yes four… Mom had just had another baby, my only brother, and I’m in Kindergarten. I’m swinging in the back yard. The pear tree is in bloom… I can smell the blooms, I can hear the bumble bees. I’m frightened but not frightened enough to stop swinging. 

But the absolute earliest memory is more of an impression, a scrap of emotion. I’m upset, sad, feeling a bit put out. I’ve been displaced from my sleeping place with mom and dad. I’m alone in a room… and something else is in my place. That something else was sister two, wee red curly top was sister three. I was 11 months old when sister two, the usurper  came along. A memory? I don’t know…. It seems impossible that I could remember that. But I know that I can still call up that emotion and then again 18 months later after I had finally acclimated to my lonely status only to have to share the bed when sister two got the boot, lol. I’ve not ever, ever, had my own room again. Sigh.

Mem’ries,
Light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?
Mem’ries, may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember…
The way we were…
The way we were…

 

 

 

 

I can’t believe this story actually made it too Good Morning America. I even took the time to “sanitize” the information so as not to embarrass any of my neighbors. Yes, friends, this is happening in my very own backyard. Or should I say front drive. It’s absolutely hysterical. You can hear these guys for blocks. I’m amazed that no-one has done them bodily harm.

Oh, wait… Some did pull the “trash” out of one of the trucks and shake up one of the drivers. But that was last September and I had thought that maybe the whole thing had blown over. Apparently not.

Of course, this is not the whole story… just the reported news. 

Now, locally, we all know that the bad blood goes back a couple of years.

The only thing scarier to kids than this would be the vendors dressing as clowns. Yikes!!

 

Ice Cream Truck War Results In Charges

Police are reporting this morning that they were called to investigate allegations that the operators of the Sno-Cone Joe Ice Cream Trucks were interfering with business being conducted by rival ice cream truck company Mr. Ding-A-Ling.  The Police Department says their investigation revealed that J and A owners of the Sno-Cone Joe had established a pattern of stalking and harassing behavior toward the rival ice cream truck. Police say that “A” and “J” follow the rival truck playing their music at a high volume and yelling they have free ice cream in an attempt to pull customers away from the Mr Ding-A-Ling Truck. Police say at one point was found to have yelled at the Mr. Ding-A-Ling driver claiming that his business controls the ice cream sales in Gloversville

I’ve been learning, or more accurately, re-learning to be Joyful.

I’m a happy person for the most part. I figure just about anyone one can be happy. In fact, most people say that they want to be happy in life. I’m happy about so many temporary things. Being happy is a reflection of the current situation. Happiness is transient. Joy is long term. It’s by nature, a stronger, longer, deeper, more intense state of mind than happiness. Joy is having happiness in the midst of sorrow. Happiness is fleeting, it will abandon you when the tough times come. Happiness degrades into complaining and whining. Happiness is self centered. Joy is all encompassing compassion.  It makes a person reach out, rather than withdraw when the impact of life hits hard. Joy brings contentment. Joy is self renewing. I can create Joy for myself. I can make other people happy; only they can choose to be Joyful. Joy is what remains when Happiness has moved on.

Happiness is fragile.

Joy is strong.

Happiness is an introvert. 

Joy is an extrovert.

Happiness happens.

Joy is a choice.

 

 

  

The last two years have been a challenge.  It’s been rough; and interesting, too, to say the least. Coming back here after all this time has proven to be quite the eye-opener. Firstly.. I’m lonely. All my favorite blogs have moved on. I did a quick scan through my subscriptions only to find that the last two years have hard on y’all too. Funny how personal adversity causes migration. I was a part of that herd of deserters. So how can I blame the rest of them?

It’s discouraging to “click” on the lot only to find that some of you haven’t posted since 2009..  2009.  Am I that clueless; unaware?

I suppose many of the missing moved on searching for the next best thing, or a larger readership.  Maybe they just got a life. Even the lot that run this Xanga are curiously absent. No daily question since December 2012. Really!

In my case, it was life that became increasingly complicated. Crowded. I couldn’t discuss what was happening with anyone, not even myself. I would try but the cascade of thoughts was too overwhelming to sort into coherent sentences, much less paragraphs.. essays.. whatever.

Looking back I can now see that it wasn’t just one life event that flummoxed me. It was the never-ending compounding of life changing sometimes traumatic events. 

But you know that. We all live in the same world. You all have had the same situations run through your life, too.

I said all that to say this.. I’m movin’ on, too. By that, I don’t mean leaving. I mean cleaning out my outdated sub list and seeking out other, newer, like-minded xangans. Over the next few months, I intend to unburden my overloaded mind and share, if only with myself, the madness that is was my existence. I also intend to enjoy the telling. I will find the joy buried beneath the sorrow. 

The Bible says, “Joy cometh in the morning”

THIS is my new morning.

And I WILL be glad and rejoice in it!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spent the day holding my breath (so I wouldn’t puke) and avoiding noise (monster headache). Other than that, it was a warm, lovely and long waited for sumptuous spring day. I sat quietly in the sunshine soaking up God’s goodness. I am grateful for this day no matter how lousy the night before was. 

I anticipate a much better tomorrow. I really have to determine what is triggering these bouts of illness. It seems so random, but I can’t keep being knocked for a loop so unexpectedly. I loath losing time and having to constantly have a plan B in place; a what if I’m stuck further than four feet from a bathroom. 

H and I did manage to make it to market and to Wally’s World.The place is like the twilight zone. Found the stainless steel burner protectors for my outdoor grill but not my everyday bar soap. Also found some planter boxes and ORGANIC parsley seeds. Wally World is the only large box store for 25 minutes in any direction. So if they don’t carry and item, it’s a trip to the city, lol.