January 1, 2013 + Quotes

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! MAY 2013 BRING YOU ALL YOU HAVE EVER WANTED. 




No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true. 


Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer (1804-1864) 

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Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it. 

Milan Kundera, novelist, playwright, and poet (b.1929) 



A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. 

Spanish proverb

Sammy the Vagabond Cat

Two days ago, Sammy came to the house early in the morning, for food and sleep. After eating, he curled up on my kitchen chair and snoozed. Meanwhile, daughter two calls to say that she is bring Molly the visiting grand dog to spend the night, so Sammy's nap was shortened by about 2 hours, and I had to put him outside. He sat on the front porch and looked back at me as if to say...."What the heck did you do that for?" I felt sorry for him and was certain he'd never return, after being so unceremoniously and prematurely tossed out.

Molly stayed one night and was picked up the next afternoon. 

Imagine my surprise when I opened my bedroom door this morning, to see a white fluff ball waiting in the hallway. Mr. kenju had given him a plate of dry food, but of course, that is not his preference. I opened a can of Fancy Fe*st and he twined around my legs until I got it on the plate.  After he licked the platter clean, he came to my chair, and I scooped him up and put him half under my blanket, where he stayed, quite happily, for about 20 minutes. He even purred, which is something I don't hear often. He jumped down when I shifted my leg position, and stretched out in the floor on his back. I took a photo with my cell phone, but I have no way to get that photo here. 

Now he is curled up on  my kitchen chair again - and I am happy that I don't have to put him out until he is ready!

If you don't know Sammy's story, read it here.  

12-25-12

Merry Christmas and Happy
Holidays to everyone!  

We had our family Christmas gathering on Sunday, since it was the only day we could all be together. Fifteen of us met at the University Club for the noon buffet. We have been there twice now and it is turning out to be the best value in town, plus the food is terrific. Instead of fork-tender rare roast beef, I had breakfast: a mushroom-cheese-green onion omelet, with bacon, biscuits, cheese grits and plenty of hot coffee. It was delicious. Everyone else chowed down on the beef and all the trimmings, especially my son, son-in-law and grandsons. The shrimp were huge and many of them were plated too. Suffice it to say that no one left there hungry. 

Afterwards, we all drove to daughter one's, to exchange presents. She had decorated well and we enjoyed seeing her home.  The huge tray of cookies daughter two brought didn't go to waste, but they were not as enthusiastically received as they might have been after a meager meal. 

The fun present of the day was a life-size cut-out of Louis Tomlinson (of One Direction fame) for my youngest granddaughter, who just turned 13 last week. When her mom told her to take 'Louis' to her bedroom, another granddaughter said "Make him buy dinner first."  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry - LOL. Everyone enjoyed their gifts, especially daughter two, who had been teased by our older grandson that he couldn't remember whose name he had drawn, and so, had no present to give. He had drawn her name, of course. She was relieved to find that he really did know. My present has not been bought yet - Mr. kenju drew my name - and I haven't been able to find anything I want. I suspect that after-holiday sales will call my name and I will find lots of things I want (only they won't fit, or be the wrong color, or cost too much despite the sale.) I am, ordinarily, a glass half-full kind of person, but not when it comes to shopping.  

I hope that all of you will have a wonderful day today - a Christmas for the memory books - and that you look forward to a very happy year to come. Thanks for reading my (not so daily) drivel and for leaving thoughtful, amusing or educational comments. I am grateful for all of you!

Ahhhhhhhh-Chooooooo

Many of us have seen a sneeze in action; documentaries on colds or germs often show them. But seeing one in person will bring you up short - they really do spread out for what seems like miles. 

Last week, Mr. kenju and I were out running errands. I parked near the UPS store and got out to mail a letter. Just as I closed the door, I remembered something I wanted to say to Mr. kenju, and I turned and bent down to see him through the driver's-side door. Just at that moment.....he sneezed. He was back-lit by the sun and the sneeze contents were sprayed out just like a demonstration on TV. 

We have all been told or shown how a sneeze can spread out, but seeing is believing. It went all the way to the base of the windshield, which in my van, is quite a distance from the passenger seat. It made me want to take my car in for a wash and interior cleaning.  Whew!  Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze, okay???

$1,099.99...

was the price tag on a purse I saw today at TJMaxx. I first saw one for $899, and I thought that was high until I saw the other one!! The more expensive bag was an Yves St. Laurent, and I must say, it was beautiful and the craftsmanship and leather were exquisite. But I simply cannot imagine paying $200 for a purse, let alone $900 or $1100. Even if I were as rich as a Rockefeller, I couldn't do it. 

I remember walking in Rome on a street that ended at a well-known plaza (with steps, the name escapes me at the moment). There were quite a few eponymous shops there, named for the famous designers whose wares they carried. Even the least expensive, smallest purses in their windows were priced at $1400. When I buy a purse, I am hoping it will last me at least ten years. I suppose at $1400, divided out over the span of that many years, it wouldn't be so terrible to spend that much - but - what if I didn't really like it enough to carry it for years? I know I have talked about this before on the blog, so bear with me. 

So, since no purse there under $150 caught my eye, I left and went to another shop where I have had good luck in the past finding a bag I like. Guess what? No luck there either. Everything had too much extraneous metal on it; metal that served no purpose at all. Stuff like that scratches easily and makes a purse old before its time. Leather can be polished, but cheap metal cannot. Dangles, tassels, studs, grommets and the like are the same way, and they get old looking quickly. So, I suppose I will go on carrying the bag I bought two years ago, which I don't really like. It's good for travel (a cross-body strap) but not efficient for daily use. I can never find anything in it without taking it off over my head and removing most of the contents. 

No clothing caught my eye either; or if it did, they didn't have it in my size or it looked like it belonged on a chubby old woman (which I am, but don't want to dress like one.) Ronni Bennett will chastise me for saying "old woman", but it fits me today. 

My mother use to go to the malls with me when she came here to visit. Year by year I saw her tiring sooner and shopping less and less. Eventually, she plopped down on a bench and waited until I finished my shopping, seldom venturing into a shop. Now I know how she felt. I was out for about 2 1/2 hours and I simply didn't want to do it any longer. Maybe if I had been successful in finding something I wanted, my energy level would have kept pace with my mind - but it didn't. I eschewed going to the mall for one last try....maybe Monday..or after Christmas. Yeah, that's the ticket!

In case I don't get back here again before the 25th, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, if that suits you better. I hope all of you get exactly what you want  (or need), and that you remember from Whence it came - and be grateful for it. 

Guys and Girls.....A Difference.....A Lesson

I was told last week that my two grandsons were overheard arguing over who was the better looking of the two. I had to laugh. It is just like a boy to look in  the mirror and see the best of himself - he may make a mountain out of a molehill!

A girl looks in the mirror and sees a scar or skin imperfection. She says "My hair is too long/short/dry/oily/fly-away/dark/light" and "I'm too short/tall/fat/skinny/bowlegged." Why can't a girl be more like a boy in this regard? She makes a mountain into a molehill. 

In the case of my two grandsons (whom I recently referred to as "swoon-worthy"), they are correct in the assessment of their appearance. Tall, trim and blessed with good skin and teeth, they are gorgeous to look at.  My four granddaughters are all very pretty (both inside and out), but none of them has ever been overheard discussing how good looking they are. They might have thought it, but would probably never say it out loud. On the contrary, chances are they would be heard discussing their problem areas and generally denigrating their looks, or choosing one bad thing on which to focus and ignoring the other wonderful 99%.  

I should like to remind all of them that there is an old saying...."Pretty is as pretty does." In other words, "beauty is only skin deep" and it is the pretty inside that really counts. How we live our lives and conduct ourselves; showing a genuine concern for others day by day is what makes us handsome or beautiful. Good thoughts and good works shine out of our countenance and make us glow  from within. That is true beauty and the lasting kind. Physical beauty can be done away with in an instant (or by growing old) but inner beauty will remain. 

Another reminder is that with physical beauty and handsome looks comes a responsibility to use it wisely. A pretty girl or a handsome boy never ought to (calculatingly) use their looks to get their way, or treat others poorly, though the temptation may be present. Don't use others (by beguiling them with your looks) to get your way, and don't treat others  shabbily when you are tired of their company. I am aware of a particular situation that prompted me to think about this, and although I won't mention it here, the person to whom I am referring will know what I mean (assuming he reads it.) A good rule to live by - no matter what your appearance is: Treat others they way you would want to be treated. 

Our Neighborhood Christmas Pot-Luck 2012

We gathered in a lovely home (one of the few in the area capable of holding so many for a sit-down dinner). There were 24 of us, I think.

After dinner, we have a gift exchange. It's fun and sometimes we get rowdy! Here, Jeanne show off her snowman dessert/appetizer plates. 

Pretty Beth chose this Santa made of stacked boxes. Each box held a different kind of candy.

Ha....this one from 2011 slipped in by itself.  That's moi on the left.

Mary gets a cute ornament, while Tara and Stephanie look on.

Pam decides to steal the silver "disco" ball from Stephanie. 

"You can't have mine", says Sherleen, as she hides her gift under her. We have to watch that one - she's devious!

Vicki ended up with this adorable apron - "I've Got Jingle" - and she does!

Dede got the apron first, but it was stolen.

I had offered to decorate for the owner of the home, but I see she didn't need me at all! Her artist daughter must have helped. 

Such a pretty bannister!

After dinner schmoozing. 

Fran got the stacked Santa first.

This is an event that we look forward to all year long. We have had as many as 35 women, but several were either out of town, sick or otherwise booked, so we had about 24 this time. We missed the others, but a slightly smaller group means you get to speak to each person, which is nice. Some of the women who come to this dinner don't participate much during the year, so it is nice to have a way to catch up at least once.

My neighborhood is the Best - and I am Blessed!!

I'm going to be Fine - I think

The cardiologist has not spoken with me yet, but I had the stress test this morning and passed it with flying colors, as they say. Once they combine the results of all my tests, they will call with the outlook.

Wish me luck. Thanks for all the prayers and good words and thoughts. You mean the world to me.

Without Consideration....

of the past weekend events I am incredibly blessed and I want to tell it to the world. But what happened this weekend has slammed it to the forefront of my mind, once again. 

My children responded with such love and concern to my physical problems. They are wonderful people; I often ask what I did to deserve them and I wonder how they could have possibly turned out as well as they have, since I had no idea what I should be doing while they were growing up. I know am often exasperating to them (as is their father) and shall continue to be as I age, but they persevere in our care and we are so grateful. 

Daughter Two was out of town Friday night for an office party. She called me Saturday morning and inquired how we were. I told her how I had spent the night  (see yesterday's post) and she immediately began go*gling my symptoms and implored me to call the doctor's office. When it was determined that I should get to the ER as soon as possible,  she left for home almost immediately. Later she packed my bag and brought some necessities (including my computer) to the hospital. In addition to my other symptoms, I was having serious withdrawal!!

Daughter One was on duty at the hospital, but when I called her, she clocked out ASAP and came to transport me to the nearest ER, which is only four miles from me. (My husband does not drive since his stroke five years ago.) She stayed with me all day and all night long, responding to every need and interpreting what the doctors and nurses told me. Can you imagine how valuable that is? Everyone needs an advocate when they are in distress and/or in the hospital. I could not have asked for a better one. Having a nurse (or doc) in the family is a definite plus when one is ill. 

My son and his family, who live about 80 miles away, were coming to Raleigh on Sat. for a portion of his wife's family Christmas celebration. Wasn't that a wonderful synchronicity?? It meant that they could come to the hospital and visit me without having to make a special trip to Raleigh.  They brought chocolate too (and lo, it was dark chocolate (my favorite). The nurse made a comment about how pretty my granddaughters were - and I told her she had only seen half of them - the other two were just as beautiful!! I don't know what she would have said about my grandsons - they are swoon-worthy. 

Daughter Two stayed all night here at home with her father, so we didn't have to worry about him, and she also kept Daughter One's youngest child; providing dinner and breakfast for them. Her poor, long suffering husband of less than 4 months was home alone, since the dog (Molly) was also here, and his two boys were with their mother.  

I have, of course, thanked all of them for their care and concern, but I wanted to shout to the rooftops about how blessed I am to have them and how much I love and appreciate them. It is especially appropriate at the Christmas season, to say God Bless us One and All!

Better Safe Than Sorry

Spending the day and night in the hospital was not what I had in mind for Saturday. I was supposed to decorate my home, do some shopping, cook dinner and cruise the internet as usual. 

But......my body had other plans. I worked six hours on Friday and ate a late lunch/early dinner around 4:30; taking food home to mr. kenju. I spent the evening in my recliner; napping and waking sporadically, to make comments and read others posts about the news of the day. 

I was very upset about the events in Connecticut. This latest episode of mass killings hit me especially hard, probably because there were so many very young, innocent children mowed down. What senseless acts. 

After several hours of reading posts on Facebook and making comments, I made my way upstairs to go to bed. At that point, my chest began to hurt; with heavy pressure, a feeling of fullness and bloating, nausea and a few other symptoms of speedy onset. Lying horizontal proved too uncomfortable, so I took some Pepto and returned to my recliner, where I proceeded to read for two hours.  At one fleeting moment, the thought "heart attack" crossed my mind, but I dismissed it  (as many women do.)

At 4:00 am, I shut out the light, determined to get some sleep before the morning arrived. I woke at 8:15 am, feeling a bit shaky. A phone call from daughter # two led to my calling the doc on weekend duty at our medical practice, and he advised me to go to the ER without delay. 

Daughter # One (the RN) was working, but she came asap to take me to the nearest ER. After preliminary testing, they decided to admit me to the main hospital for observation and further tests. I've never been in an ambulance before - and that was an interesting experience. I hope I never have to repeat it. 

I am pleased to say that all the tests came out negative (save one that hasn't been read yet), but the cardiologist agreed to release me today, with the promise that I will return early in the week for a stress test. You can bet I will call them first thing in the morning.

Mr. kenju was catered to overnight by daughter # Two, so I didn't have to worry about him being alone, which was good. Outside of a raging headache, I am now fine, I think. Please do not feel that you have to leave a comment. For those who already knew about this and said prayers, I thank you!  I will give an update as soon as I have one. 

A Tragedy in Our Midst

Just think how many hundreds of people the tragedy in Connecticut has and will continue to affect. Each child who was spared, all the parents, families, teachers, their families and all of us who have heard about it will be deeply affected for years to come. The survivors will be deeply affected psychologically and we cannot predict what this tragedy may have wrought in their lives - effects which may take decades to show up. 

I wonder how long it will take a friend or relation of the shooter to say "I thought there was something odd about him." or "We knew he might be capable of violence." Something HAS to be done about the ready availability of guns in this country. And I hope that no member of the NRA or other gun afficionado tells me that Guns don't kill people - people kill people. That guy in Connecticut today murdered many innocent people with two guns. Had he not be able to get two guns, many of them would still be alive and eating dinner right now. 

This has to stop. I know that gun control will not be a perfect solution to the violence in this country or any other - but we have to start somewhere. People who want the right to keep and carry guns say if we enact gun control that only criminals will have guns. At this point, I don't care. Common criminals are not walking into schools and shooting babies, or killing their brothers and parents and teachers.

Random Musings

Time is passing faster and faster these days. Are you noticing?  I seem to be counting the weeks from Tuesday to Tuesday; the night I have to take out the trash for Wednesday morning pick-up. I don't know why that stays with me, except that I note the weeks are getting shorter and shorter in-between Tuesdays. Isn't it depressing that that is how I am measuring time?  It is to me.....lol

Sammy,  the vagabond visitor cat came to see us early this morning. It had been raining overnight, and his feet were wet and so cold as to feel almost frozen. He didn't protest a bit when I picked him up and wrapped him in my plush robe for warmth. He was hungry, but he let me hold him for almost 5 minutes before he jumped down and ran to the food bowl. After filling his belly, he got on my chair in the kitchen and slept all day, barely rousing (according to mr. kenju)  until I came home from work at 4pm. Molly, our grand-dog will be here for another extended visit tomorrow, so Sammy will find nothing to welcome him but a snarling dog. Molly doesn't suffer cats well at all  (any more than I suffer fools.)

Christmas is nearly upon us and I don't have any decorations up yet. I say it every year, and it is still true:  with as much Christmas decor as I do at work, I've little interest in doing it at home. We are not having our family celebration here at our home this year, so I could get away with not decorating at all - if it weren't for Mr. kenju - who is more like a child than a child at Christmas. He wants our home decorated as thoroughly as all the other places I do - and it ain't gonna happen.....lol  BUT.....I will give in and do it in a few days...I always do, and then lament the fact that there will be no one here to see it except us. 

I worked from 9:45 to nearly 3pm today and then went to the grocery store on the way home. I sat down in my chair to check email and play my word games, and my eyes got very heavy, so I shut down the computer and took a nap from 4:30 to 6:10pm. I made dinner (tacos) and got back in my chair with dessert and coffee, again picking up the computer. My eyes shut again, so I took another nap from 7:15 pm to about 9:45, waking briefly to catch the last few minutes of General Hospital on SoapNet. I tried to stay awake, but I fell asleep again and didn't wake up until after 11:30pm.  I decided I'd probably be up for the night, unable to sleep after all those naps, but now I'm getting droopy-lidded again. Maybe I can hope for a semi-full night of sleep after all. 

Friends of ours who live in a neighboring county buy sausage every December that is made  nearby from freshly dressed hogs. Do you like sausage?  You haven't lived until you have had really fresh sausage, made with no fillers and no preservatives. This stuff is great!! They give us some for Christmas every year and I portion it out and freeze it so that it will last all year long. Yesterday, I fried some and we had it for dinner, then I had it for bed-time snack, breakfast, lunch and another bed-time snack. I think I could eat it at every meal for weeks and not get tired of it! I was looking forward to making sausage dressing for  the Christmas dinner turkey, but we are not doing dinner here this year, the family is going out to eat. I think that stuffing will have to accompany some other meal this season, no matter when it is. I can't wait. 

My family makes fun of me for staying on the computer so much, but just this morning I saw some videos that made me laugh (and also learn something) and I thought to myself..."I LOVE this computer!!"  It brings laughter, joy, learning, friendship and so much more and I cannot imagine my life without it ever again. There, I've said it. Pffffffft to those who tease me (or call me an addict). 

No Anonymous Comments

I have decided not to allow anonymous comments on my blog any more. I have spent the better part of the last 3-4 months reading and deleting spam comments, and I hope that not allowing anonymous comments any longer will help thin those out a bit.

I also re-instituted word verification, and I hope to be able to remove that before long, unless the spammers get wind of it.

I just awoke from an odd dream. That'll teach me to nap in my chair when I'm trying to watch the  HGTV show about Christmas decorating at The White House. 

I was with a man and 3 children - my family in the dream, but not the ones in real life - and we got "home" (or so we thought.) The house looked nothing like it ought to inside, and when we looked out the windows, the neighborhood had different houses than we expected to see.  It was weird. 

We couldn't decide what to do, so we went through the house looking for something familiar. Nothing there belonged to us. Finally deciding that we had to leave and walk around until we found our "real" house, I told them to look through all the dresser drawers to see if we could find warm socks and blankets, since we would need them if we went back outside. 

Whomever lived there didn't have socks of any kind! Who doesn't own socks, except maybe people in the desert? Darned if I know. We looked and looked, but we found nothing we could use and nothing that was familiar to us. 

I remember thinking, after looking out the window and seeing the rear neighbor's brick wall had crumbled, that it was "tearing down our property values." Just then I awoke, and one of those real estate shows was on HGTV.....and someone on that show said those words.....LOL   

NC Governor's Mansion Christmas Decor 2012

Library wreaths  (Pam Hartigan)

Grand Staircase  (18 bows - Judy Carrino)

Foyer right - Judy Carrino

Sun Room  Children's Tree - volunteers - all ornaments made by NC school children

The penguin family resides under the staircase this year. 

Library Mantel  -  Mel Day  - Education Theme. Decor includes mortar boards and diplomas.

Gentlemen's Parlor - volunteers  (Sandra Day)

Detail from the dining room table - Mel Day

Foyer left - Judy Carrino

Porch steps - red bows - Judy and Pam
(about 60 of them altogether)

The Victorian Mansion with 2 of its 6' wreaths

Porch Decor   -Mel and Billy Day

Ladies Parlor desk - Pam Hartigan

Foyer right, at the base of the console table - Judy Carrino

Foyer left, console table - Judy Carrino

Gentlemen's Parlor Mantel - Mel Day

Gentlemen's Parlor Corner Table - Judy Carrino

Dining room table detail - Mel Day

Ladies Parlor - Judy Carrino

Hall Doors - Pam Hartigan

Hall China Cabinet - Pam Hartigan

Ladies Parlor Mantel - Mel Day

Ladies Parlor Tree - volunteers

Stair newel posts, one of a pair - Pam Hartigan

Dining Room Tablescape - Mel Day

Foyer rear, one of a pair - Judy Carrino

Library book cases (one of 3) - Pam Hartigan


I missed taking photos of the mantels that Mel did in the Grand Ballroom, and I will get those when I go there next week for a party. 

It's Over.....for the Moment

Now that we are finished with corporate and government decorating for Christmas, I can get a moment to breathe and perhaps find time to blog a bit more often. We decorated a hotel  (six trees), two city clubs, a restaurant, the Governor's Mansion and the NC State Capitol. We used to do a  country club as well, but we gave that job up because it required us to go up and down stairs so many times to get the decor out of the attic. Our crew (Mel Day's Dogwood Tree Floral Design) is all over the age of 59 - and we simply didn't want to do all those stairs, especially since it meant carrying heavy boxes too. 

Mel hired a young guy to help us on two jobs. After we finished one city club (a big job, with two floors and lots of large decor up high, requiring the use of a "cherry picker"), he sat down for a minute and sighed and said he was going home and collapsing in his chair for the next five hours. I said "You are 17 years old and you need five hours to recover from 9 hours of work?  How do you think I feel?"  He laughed and replied "You have a point."  (He wasn't told how old I am, but he knew I was the oldest one in the crew.)

I want to say how gratified I am that I am healthy enough to be able to work like we do this time of year. I love doing it, love the people I am with and the places we go. I am hoping and praying that my body stays in good shape and I will be able to do it again next year. We have done all these places for so long that I think we could do it in our sleep - and it is still fun. 

It is more fun when the budgets allow for the purchase of new ribbons and enough ornaments to replace those that broke in the previous year. But this year, nearly every business either cut the budget or kept it the same as last year. It isn't always easy to make old merchandise look as good as it did when it was new, especially when it isn't always removed and packed away with the greatest of care, as you would do at home. 

I have posted nearly all my photos on Facebook, but I will post some here soon, for those who are not on FB. I need a few days of rest before I contemplate Christmas decor of any kind - especially what must be done in my home!  lol