Update 2/28

Despite the fact my dad has cancer, congestive heart failure and type 1 diabetes he is doing amazingly well.

After church a group of us went out to breakfast in a city we refer to as "Gun Point" the diner was this old beat up building, the shingles where falling off the roof, the paint was peeling off the siding, it had one of those old fashion screen doors that slam after you walked in. One cook, two servers. The dining room was not much bigger then my living room. Our group took up most of the seats. My gig a low had an omelet that had ham, cheese, avocado and onions. I had basic eggs and sausage. Delicious.

On the way home I got a finger wagging from a cop. I did not make a complete stop, I just kind of rolled on around the corner. There sat the cop in his black and white car. He wagged his finger at me and yelled YOUR SUPPOSE TO STOP,STOP STOP..oops.. sorry. At least I did not get a ticket. Maybe next time I will come to a complete stop.

A pair of falcons have made a nest in my next door neighbors tree. They are very cool. This morning a group of crows where chasing the falcons around.

It is beautiful here today! It feels like spring time. Its 74 outside, blue sky, little breeze. The weather man says more rain next week...

Oh, the hatches report came out. They are suggesting cutting 65 teacher's assistants. (many more cuts to many to write here) Their report stated they noticed some special ed students coloring, the report says that was not age appropriate. I wish these people (the hatchets) would come in and teach 16 year olds that have the mental capacity of a 7 year old calculus.

God talk- Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (the cop forgave me today) Good advice christian or not.

Anna

This is my new friend "Anna." Me and my sweet friend met her today as we were leaving a thrift shop. Anna had come out of the beauty parlor next door. She is 87 years old.

The first thing I noticed was her sense of style. As you can see she has a white streak of hair that goes down the middle of her head. Anna loves her all natural white streak. She says she has the white streak because she is of Irish descent. She just touches up the sides a little. Her sunglasses were purple, a bright red and white poke a dot scarf, a black and white checkered dress and a leopard purse. . I love people who are not afraid of just being themselves

She is originally from back east, but spent most of her adult life in the

Los Angeles area. 3 years ago she moved up here to be near her son. Poor Anna has not made one new friend. So my sweet friend and I told her we would be her friend. She will be the first to tell you she had a Lincoln Town Car and a 4 thousand square foot home when she lived down south. She was highly educated at some prestigious college and worked as a VP of a very large company. I think she must of been way ahead of her time.

Anna cannot understand people who dress so casually all the time. When Anna sits under the hair dryer at the beauty salon she sweats. She must go home and change her clothes immediately. She cannot understand people who do not go home and change their outfits after they have been under the hair dryer.

Me and my sweet friend were dressed to impress with jeans and sweatshirts. My sweet friend sweatshirt quoted Gandhi, but his name is spelled wrong. Anna didn't mind that we were dressed like slobs.

My sweet friend and I are going to meet up with Anna again and take her to coffee.

Free Willy

I hope all you people who go to Sea World, 6 Flags or places that have a whale show, feel at least a little guilty for the death of that poor trainer. If you where not paying to watch a killer whale in a tiny tank, doing tricks for your entertainment this would of never happened.

The bottom line is greed. Trapped orcas bring in millions of dollars to Sea World and places like it every year. Why do you think Sea world is not going to kill or let Tilikum the killer whale go? Tilikum will bring in even more money now that he has killed 3 humans. Sea World claims that he is also a "breeder" with a bad attitude. In other words $$$$$$$, or as my students would say cha - ching.

If it was a pit bull who attacked and killed a trainer, the dog would of been put to death immediately. . Someone might argue that the dog is just doing what he does instinctively. But you are not paying to see pit bulls jump threw hoops. So the dog will die.

Sea World argues that most of us will never see an Orca unless you go to a water zoo. My question is... is there a problem with that? They state that imprisoned killer whales are teaching us about them.

1. I think Tilakum is trying to teach us something alright, like maybe he is pissed off that he has spent many years in a little fish tank.

2. Having a killer whale makes lots of money. That is an easy lesson.

The people that were at that Sea World show on Feb 24 had the pleasure of watching someone die because of greed. This story of Sea World and Tilikum makes me sick, sad and angry. Wake up , killer whales need to be free and in the ocean. Not in a little aquarium for our human enjoyment.

WOW - What a shock.

I just found out my OB/GYN died. What...She was only 36 years old. It seems crazy to cry over a doctor, but she was the very best doctor a woman could have. The obituary says "she was at the top of her medical profession." and "highly respected." No doubt about it. It also says her death was "sudden." My doctor's life was cut short. The obituary says she "prayed" before every baby she delivered.

Her theory was to treat every woman as if they were in a spa. No backless hospital gowns in her practice. She had plush white bathrobes. She also would give you footies to ware. They were white, fluffy and warm. She liked to ware yellow crocks.

Her waiting room was beautifully decorated with a water fountain, a rocking chair, a leather couch, just like a model home. She had peaceful music playing. Her staff would ask you, can I get you some coffee or tea? She always had a fresh pot of coffee, an assortment of tea to choose from and ice water with lemon or oranges in it. You could sit and relax and have a few minutes of peace and sip some tea while you were waiting .

When it was your turn to be seen, she always made you feel like it was just you and her, never a rush. She was very practical and down to earth.

I recommended my doctor to my sister in law, in turn my sister in law recommended my doctor to 3 of her friends. We are all devastated. You have to build up trust in your doctor. As a woman most of us have been to OB/GYNS that we could not get out of the office quick enough. We all trusted her and loved her.

Her staff was very professional. Treating each patient with respect and dignity. They would never chew gum, answer the phone and try to wait on you at the same time. You would never hear them talking about other patients. They always washed their hands in front of you ( so did the doctor.) One of her back office assistants is a breast cancer survivor. My doctor hand picked her because my doctor wanted her patient's to know there was hope, even when you were up against the odds.

I had to have surgery a few years ago. After the surgery she would comment on her "handy work" (my scar)

She is survived by a husband and 3 children.

Reading

It seems to me we should put reading on the endangered list. I see so many blogs going to Vlog and photo blogs, I worry about us who love to write. Who is going to read it? There must be a few people who still like to read. Like you.

I have had trouble reading for so many years. Thankfully, Project Second Chance was there to help me out for decades. I have also had many friends along the way to help and encourage me to read and write. Thank you, I pray for big time blessings for each one of you. You all take part encouraging me to write my blog. That is why I don't want writing blogs to become extinct.

As you know my reading and writing difficulties are a result of having a detrimental learning disability, that includes all the dys's . Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia. I cannot hear vowel sounds therefore I cannot spell correctly.

These days I have technical support from my computer, car cd player and my iPod. Now I can read anything I want. For me reading a book with a binding is like trying to decode a secret message hidden away on a page full of tiny black words on top of a blinding white background.

Here are some books I LOVE. Not necessary in this order:

1. Old Man of The Sea

2. The Secret Life of Bees

3. Water for Elephants

4. The Bible.

I guess I should pick up my bible a little more. It is collecting dust. I can have my computer read the bible to me. That seems to work a little better.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Another X rated Story (mama jane don't read)

As I told you I spent some time this weekend with my FSM. We talked about the old days, and some of the crazy things we used to do. Here is a good one.

Long ago me and FSM where young and single. We lived in an apartment. It was on Blue Lagoon Street. Better known as the ghetto. We lived in the apartments on the top of the street (it was on a hill) so we were almost not ghetto. Our apartment was on the third floor. Being on the 3 ed floor had its advantages. We had an extra window, so we could see all the way down to the lagoon. We had neighbors come and go down stairs. We stayed in our little apartment for years.

One day a lady moved in down stairs. The blond bimbo type. Not a joke. I mean this literally.

We started to notice in the afternoons police cars (one at a time) would be parked in the "guest" parking. Hummmm, that was strange.

Then one day I heard some screaming from down stairs. I said to FSM- OMG its the blond bimbo, maybe we should call the cops, FSM agreed. We looked outside and the cops were already parked in the guest parking. What... how could they be here so fast? We thought the bimbo was getting murdered. Then we heard Bang Bang Bang, oh man someone was beating this poor woman, we needed to do something, but the cops were already here. Then we heard her screaming "harder, harder, faster, faster. " OOOOOO, she was not being murdered after all.

Every afternoon for weeks, we heard screaming, a banging headboard, harder, harder, faster, faster. We would look outside when the commotion stopped. We would watched different police men jump in his cop car, with a big smile on his face. I guess they were getting a "nooner."

This got old very quickly. So FSM and I came up with a plan. The bimbo's bedroom window was right below FSM's bedroom window. We made a sign out of white poster board that said in great big bold black letters "HARDER -HARDER- FASTER- FASTER." we hung the sign on a long string. We took the screen off FSM's window, we were ready. But we had to wait for the next afternoon.

Just like clock work, a cop would arrive, the screaming started. Me and FSM would hang out the 3ed floor window with our sign on a string and try to make the sign hit the bimbo's window with the words facing in, toward the bedroom. I can't remember why we thought this would make them stop, we just knew it was the right thing to do.

The cops must of got nervous when they realized me and FSM knew what was going on. Soon the cops stopped seeing the bimbo downstairs. Not to long after that the bimbo moved. Our little plan worked.

After that the cops would come, but they came to our apartment looking for someone. That is another story.

Bible Valentines

Romans 8:38,39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalms 34:18

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Sticks and Stones

Disclaimer: None of these statements came from my gig a low. Statement A, B and C are all different people.

Here are some excuses I hear for putting up with verbal abuse.

A. Someone once said to me after witnessing (hearing) me being verbally attacked. With raised eyebrows -You know RQ they have had a long term illness, they are miserable themselves, that is why they give you a verbal lashing. Therefore, it is ok because they are sick. My question to you is should you put up with it because they are miserable and you get the brunt of their misery? (No my dad did not say that) I am not talking about dementia either.

B. What if someone has had a really hard life. Their mother was a hooker and was married 8 times. My "friend" was molested because of his mother's lifestyle. The person grew up and got married. His wife left him for his best friend. The guy was left with 4 children. One of the children died of a strange virus a few years ago. Another child has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Is it ok for them to call you an complete idiot because they have had a hard life?

C. What if someone has been drinking or taking drugs or both. Is it ok for them to scream at you? To tell you, you are worthless as a human? That they hate you. Because really, it is the drugs and booze talking.

My mother used to tell me if someone calls you a name tell them- sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never hurt me.

Names do hurt me.

So when is verbal abuse ok? Or should I say, when should you put up with someone vomiting hateful words all over you? Should you take it personally? Should you end the relationship? Should you shrug it off because of A, B or C ?

Font

I can't get my font the way it used to be. Does it look different to you? It seems smaller. This is "normal" Large is to large. Even if I change the font It still looks to big. So what am I going to do? This is default normal. Maybe my eyes are just getting worse.

Ok, this looks better on my end. phew.

Church Salad for 50

The other week the women at our church had a luncheon. I was put in charge of making the salads. "They" thought how could you complicate something so simple. Take the salad out of the bag put it in the bowl, add tomatoes, your done. "They" did not realize the reckless salad maker was in town.

I got to church early, because I take salad duty seriously. I had a news flash run across my mind . People getting sick from packaged salad. Very sick. OH my. Here is my thought process.

1. I don't want people at church getting sick from my salad

2. I should wash all the packaged lettuce just to be sure.

3. I don't wash packaged salad at home.

4. I guess I don't care if my salad makes people sick at home.

Conclusion:

I need to wash the salad at the church so people don't get sick.

So I started looking for a colander. I couldn't find one. So I opened up the bags, filled them with water, poked holes in the bags of lettuce, therefore, letting the dirty water drain out. The Pastor walks in and says what are you doing? Cleaning the dirty pre packaged lettuce. He looked at me like I was crazy. I let the Pastor know if he wants me to cook in the church kitchen I would need to have the proper tools. Just like a guys needs tools for work, so do us gals. So Pastor fixed it. He found one of those aluminum roasting pans poked holes in it with his pen and said ok, here you go, here is a colander. I was happy with that. It was definitely better then the system I had . I dumped all the pre packaged lettuce into the pan and gave it a good bath. All of a sudden a panic set in. How am I going to dry all this? The only towels in the kitchen were these whiter then snow hand towels. I started grabbing them, I rolled the lettuce in the towel squeezing all the excess water out. Unfortunately, two things happened.

1. All the pretty white towels turned a nice shade of rainforest green.

2. When I would open up the towel the lettuce went flying.

Next thing you know I had lettuce on the floor, in the sink, on the window seal, on the counter. Everyplace but the bowl. By this time some of the other ladies were coming in to do their jobs. Each one of them stopped, stared and said what are you doing? I am cleaning the pre packaged salad so no one gets sick. I could tell by the look in their eye they were thinking

Who is this new crazy lady at our church. I did not care. I have a moral obligation to the ladies at the party. My job was to make sure if someone gets salmonella, it would NOT be from the salad. I just ignored them and went about my business, drying pre packaged, washed salad.

I filled up the huge salad bowl with the lettuce that managed to stay in the towels. The lettuce looked beautiful. It almost sparkled.

I guess the lady who did the laundry that day said how in the world did these towels turn green? The result of my actions: I was unofficially banned from the kitchen. Good !!!! When can I go to a party just to enjoy it? As it turns out I was easily forgiven. Darn it! So I bought a colander for the church.

For all those people who thought I was nuts, did you see the headlines yesterday?

"CONSUMER REPORTS: PACKAGED SALAD CAN CONTAIN HIGH LEVELS OF BACTERIA"

:p

CRAzY Day

Today was a CRAzY day. . As I was saying before the classroom next door has had alot of drama.. Come to find out my teacher is the union representative for the teachers at our school. He had to go into the meeting today with the staff next door. I am relieved that I am in a different union. I have to say our union representatives fight like a pit bulls. They grab on and they are not letting go. They go right for the juggler. The fight is always bloody and someone looses a limb. My teacher as the union rep is like a deer in the headlights.

Student #1 and Tiny where having issues together and separately today. Student #1 uses yelling and cussing to control. Tiny, he can't really control anything because he is Tiny. He is so cute. Today he was so mad he was kicking his backpack. He could control that! He made me laugh, I could not get stern with him at all. He brightens my day. So I got him to pick up his backpack and put it away. Miss Sunshine got out her mommy voice and told him to straighten up. Tiny did for a few minutes.

Momma's boy was moping around all day. He had his hood from his hoodie over his eyes, wondering around aimlessly in the play yard, sitting by himself. I asked him what was wrong. He said he was "agitated." I said why? He did not want to tell me. Ok. Come to find out later, student #1 told Mamma's boy that he was gay. Student #1 always picks on lower functioning kids. Typical school yard stuff.

Helmsley had a melt down in the hallway because she did not want to go to the after school program. She was screaming and crying. You know how school halls echo. The office manager came out side to see what was going on. I told the office manager not to worry, Helmsley was just having a bad day, everything was under control. As soon as Helmsley got into our classroom she calmed down. Thank God!

My teacher and student #1 ended up in the principles office.

I got a phone call from my teacher on the way home from work. My teacher said Tiny has thrown himself on the floor and was having a temper tantrum. My teacher said Tiny was going to miss the bus. So I called Malinda cause she was still at school, she had to deal with it. Sorry Malinda.