Mart Carts

We've all seen them at all the stores, and I'm sure many of you have some kind of story to tell, something funny you've seen with them.

Here's mine from today.....





I'm heading out the door of my BigBox store to pick up the daily mail.  A woman comes "speeding" by on a mart cart through the parking lot.  Mind you, it's a large parking lot!  And at the street's edge on the other side of the mega parking lot there's a strip mall - about 12 smaller stores and restaurants - and she continues to drive this cart, winding her way around the Wendy's drive thru, across a traffic lane, and through the strip mall only to abandon it as close to the street light she could get.  She gets up from her seat and neatly marches over to press the button for a signal, and when it changes, simply walks across the street.

At first, I was shocked that someone would have the nerve to take the cart so far out of the store's reach!  Then I was mad because it was inconsiderate - someone had to take the time to go out and fetch the abandoned cart.  It was also rude - what if a customer with a real handicap needed the cart?

When did people begin to feel they're so entitled?
And why do we put up with it?

My momma raised me right; if I tried this little stunt, you can be sure I'd be hunching my shoulders to hide my ears, cuz momma would be right there, tugging on one to turn me around and march myself right back into the store -- and make me apologize!

Kindness Diaries

All the TV I watch (with the exception of Antiques Roadshow and some of the PBS specials) is on Netflix.  Mostly because of commercials, or rather the lack of commercials.  Back in the late 70s and early 80s, I paid for cable TV in order to watch channels with fewer or no commercials.  Somewhere along the line, most of the cable stations now have commercials.  I haven't paid for cable TV for 20+ years, and don't ever intend to start.  Unless by some freak accident I become a super-sports fan?  I don't see that happening.... but life changes us all.

My newest finding is The Kindness Diaries.  A man named Leon Logothetis, a successful broker, felt disconnected, leading an uninspired life, and sets out on a quest to travel the world on his motorcycle with sidecar named Kindness One.  Without money, he sets out to rely on the kindness of strangers for a place to sleep, meals and gasoline.  I admire his brave spirit in asking complete strangers if he could crash at their place for a night.  And he runs into the kindest people everywhere.  They take him into their home, share their space and food, along with their personal stories.  

In his "previous life", Leon was a money-maker, and sometimes he finds a way to give back to these kind souls.  One family of five was dependent on a single cow for their livelihood -- and he bought them another cow.  Another, a homeless man, invites Leon to stay with him in his 'space' outdoors.  He told Leon, "True wealth is not what’s in our wallet; it’s what’s in our heart."  Leon isn't the kind who just writes someone a check, he takes the time to learn what would be most needed, most used. These strangers changed his life, and he changes theirs as well.

If you look hard enough, you will find kindness abounds.  So why is it so difficult to see?  and more, to acknowledge?  Have we become so inundated with bad news stories, crime tv shows, that we have come to expect to see the bad all around us?

I'll never be like Leon, able to walk up to total strangers and ask for something.  But that doesn't mean I can't take a moment or two each day to 1) be kind to another human and 2) to watch for others' kindness.

Good show, well worth the time to watch.
Bravo, Leon!   With every episode you make me more hopeful.
Be kind out there, folks!

Small Complaints

It's so easy to find a topic to rant about.  People in general love to complain, and sure, I have my moments as well!

Work: 2% annual raise, across the board everyone gets the same raise.  So where's the incentive to do a better job?  Cuz it doesn't add to the pay raises.

Family: Not everyone's family meets an ideal criteria, or what's considered ideal via media's portrayal?  I was raised on "Leave it to Beaver" type family.  I was never the favorite kid; more like I was the one with responsibilities.  And I've always taken them seriously.  I always felt my sister was more favored, but it's become even more apparent at this late date.  I call my mom every day after work, we talk for about 15 minutes.  But we weren't on the phone more than 2 minutes when one of the grandson's needed her help putting on a bandaid for a rug burn.  It couldn't wait 10 minutes til we were done.  In my mind I said "fuck this" and sweetly told my mother I'll call her tomorrow and hung up.  It's not the first time I've been back-burnered because her grandsons come first.  Or because my sister arrives.  etc. etc.

When an incident happens and your feelings are bruised, you start thinking of the other times this has happened.  And I see it even more now as I look back.  And yet, even when I point it out, Mom doesn't see it the way I see it.  Because of her actions of putting them first, they are spoiled and have come to expect her to cater to their whims and needs every single time.  Every now and then the light shines and she complains about how privileged and/or entitled they act; how they don't help out to pay her back for all she does for them.    It makes me sad.  And it's not something for me to fix.

Weather:  I live in the Valley of the Sun .... we expect really nice days in Feb, but it's been cold - frost on the rooftops again this morning.  Where are you spring??

Time:  Why is it that now my kids are grown, it's just me, why don't I have enough time to do the things I enjoy doing?  I feel like all I ever do is work, walk the dog and sleep!  ugh

I've learned I have to let go of the things that I cannot change, be thankful for what I have, and to embrace the things I want to accomplish.

This weekend, I am painting my house!
Spare bedroom done last May, my bedroom done over Christmas holiday, that just leaves the living/kitchen/dining and hallways.
Big chore for one person, but I got this!

Happy Weekend!

Sundays

What is it about Sundays .....  it's 3:30 and I've done laundry and gotten my groceries.  My chicken is on a low slow boil - I usually do enough to last me all week, less clean up that way!

Maybe its the cloudy skies.  I don't feel like doing much of anything.  Well.  Maybe that's not exactly true.  I'd love to be working on some filing and genealogy - I have loads of old photos and am gathering as many facts as I can and weaving it into a story to put into an album.  Did you know back in the day you could order an entire house from Sears Roebuck Catalog??  That was the beginning of the farm house on my maternal great grandparents side.  I think they added on to it in later years.

I'm fascinated with old facts and histories, and have stumbled across strange information from time to time as I peruse old Census data.  It's amazing what you can discover, even though the information jumps every 10 years.  You can see how families change, move around, although back in those days, once you built up on a farm, most didn't move from place to place often!

And maybe I've written it here before, but there's a mystery as to my maternal Great Grandmother.  My great grandpa kept things to himself, and after many many years, I discovered I could order a copy of his marriage certificate.  It's always been a mystery as to the real last name of his wife.

We've been told many things, but the marriage certificate says something altogether different from what we've been told!  After more reading of historical data, in their town, little houses of prostitution were commonplace - afterall, farmers living on the outskirts by themselves.... well.  *ahem*   I suppose crazier things have happened.  I found that in one of these places, a woman named Ida was in residence because a census was taken that year and listed each of the women.

Was she the prim and proper type?  Or the more relaxed, loose, smiling type?


Do you suppose...... ???   It makes me wonder, considering all the secrecy around her life and her background.    Anything coulda happened!

Ahh history, fascinating stuff!

To Do Lists

Here it is, Saturday.  Everyone has some kind of To Do list, whether its just something you keep in your head, or you actually write it down.  I find if I write mine down, I stay a little more focused.  But today it was up early, walk the dog, then start in on the household chores.  Couldn't focus on getting just one thing, or one room, accomplished, but lots of little things done.  Cleaned off some shelves, arranged them nicely.  Cleaned the glassware on the kitchen shelf where my antique utensils hang -- been a while since that had been done!

Started in on the spare bedroom, got nearly everything done including washing and drying all the heavy comforters I keep in that room!  Then I dusted my Roland keyboard - it's 88 keys, all full size and weighted like a real piano!  and I've had it for years and years, it's probably 20 years old now.  Sat down to play and kathunk, one of the keys is now stuck and won't play.  :(  I'm sad, that's been my "go to", I love to sit and play, I'm not very good, but I'm ... enthusiastic!  hehehe   I'd been thinking I could try and sell it, but with electronics as good as they are these days, this one's probably truly outdated.  I wonder if the key can be repaired?   And of course, checking out via Google, I found a YouTube video of my exact model being repaired, just a matter of opening mine up, and determining which "hammer" my keys use!  Ahhh, another project to add to the To Do list!

Speaking of projects, I got started this week on a remake of the sign I'd made that read "Blessed".  I took it on a photo shoot with me to my daughter's house, and my son-in-law saw it and said "I know just the place for this, took it and hung it up on the bedroom wall"!    hehehe   So of course, I need a replacement.  Letters are done, boards are cut and stained, just need a picture hanging sawtooth on the back, and some burlap ribbon to hang it with!


Much of the remainder of the day was spent reading - I love to read, and on days where I am not going anywhere, I don't mind tiring out my eyes on a good book!  Today's read is called Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis.  I just couldn't put it down!  The novel takes places over time from the early 30's and I couldn't help but think what an awesome movie this would make, the costumes and backdrops that could be included.   The story has some interesting twists and turns, it's almost two stories in one:  A man finds a photo album full of these postcards in an estate sale, and investigates the story behind them.  It's the story of a girl with hopes and dreams of finding a soul mate.  And once found, the story follows their courtship and marriage, the ups and downs, and how they stay romantic with each other:  He sends her a postcard with a poem every Friday!  Good read!

Tis evening now, and I'm ready to relax with a good movie.  Sadie is zonked out as usual after her bath.  Something about a bath makes her feel like a puppy again - for about an hour! - and she zooms around, but as it is with us older gals, the excitement catches up with us and all we want is a good long nap!

Hello, Weekend!

Lawdy, it's Finally Friday!  What a long week this has felt like!
or maybe I'm just showing my age, and ALL the weeks feel long to me now?? haha

Hello, Weekend!  I'm ready for you!


I started it off with some chips and 5-layer dip (picked it up at the local deli!) and chilled with a good book and a Diet Dr Pepper while sitting in my lounge chair in the backyard -- our temps are way above average, was nearly 90 today!  Quick spring, early summer?? I hope not!

Because of some health insurance snafus and changes over the past year or so, I was way behind in getting my annual mammogram done - thankfully, that's been taken care of this week, and I'm good for another year!  It's never fun having to go to yet a different medical facility every time work decides there's a "better" insurance plan out there.  Every time that happens, it seems one or more of my doctors are not opting in to this "wonderful new cost effective plan", and I'm forced to find a different set of docs.   After a self-diagnosed trip to the ER in Jan 2016 (nothing major, just dehydrated and some kind of internal infection that meds cleared up in a week), I was able to avoid needing to see a doctor for the rest of the year!   Yes, yes, I know that even without any kind of symptoms, a person of my age should see a doc regularly, but dammit, I wanted to see MY doc and he doesn't carry my new insurance.  After some careful screening, I found that his partner accepts my insurance - initial consult out of the way, I'll be making an appt for a complete physical in April.

Sadie, of course, needed to see the vet as well.  Her ear infection from last July never fully healed - or else she "caught" another one.  But she's a smart, complicated female - no matter what I hid her pills in, she always found it and would refuse to take it.  Not even dipping it in chocolate could get her to eat those things!  So I opted for the shot ($80!) to just have it done with.  Money well spent!

Because I've been at my same job for 16 years now, I earn quite a bit of PTO and never really take all of it.  We used to call it "vacation" and the policy was 'use it or lose it'.  Now?  You don't have to use it, and you get paid out for unused time!  Makes for a really nice paycheck once a year --- hello credit card, goodbye to some of the debt!

Why is it that some of our ideals are really hard to manifest into reality?  Mine has been to minimize as much as I can, and every time I seem to make headway in one area, I find more and more 'stuff'??  It's almost like it multiplies while I'm not looking!  And of course, it's impossible to tackle an entire household of 'stuff' all at once.  I've been trying to break it into doing just a room at a time, but I'm not as focused as I should be ..... "oh look!  Here's something ...."  and there I am, distracted again!

With any luck, I'll be a little more focused ... Hello, Weekend!

Two Blondes

Life sure can be funny sometimes!  

My daughter and I are arranging our schedules in order to take a quick trip to Calif to see my mom. We were trying to make arrangements via text on the same airline, same flight.  We agreed on the flight number there, and back.  Finally!   The whole process took about an hour going back and forth.

A week later she sends me an email, says she's coming to my house so we can carpool to the airport together --- on Tuesday night.  Tuesday night?  I asked her.  Why so early?  Turns out, her flight is on the Weds flight, and mine is on the Thursday - same flight number, different day.  hahahaha  

It takes two blondes.....

Saturday Stroll

Saturdays can be such a glorious day -- and today was no different.  A chilly start to the morning, and I got to sleep in .... til 8am!   Very rare for me, but I'd been awake in the middle of the night after having a dream.  I lay there awake, so positive that I would remember it in the morning to write it down, because it seemed to important to me at 3am ---- but "old timers" catches up with me and I can't remember a thing.  Ahh well.

A trip to the salon was in store for my morning - and while I love going to the salon, having my hair done, having someone 'pamper' me for a little while, my checkbook says "OUCH" when the bill arrives.  And while I'm worth it, I really need to put my money in other places. *sigh*  I know I made another appointment in just six weeks, but I'll need to change that.  I'm not a high end beauty kind of gal.  I'm more basic, down to earth;  if I thought I'd look good with a buzz cut, that's the route I'd take! lol

Sadie and I sat in the beautiful sunshine for 40 minutes this afternoon.  She's not much of a fan of sun-sitting, but I enjoyed the heck out of it.  There's nothing better than warm sun on your skin, a cold drink in one hand, and a really good book in the other hand.  That's what spring in the Valley of the Sun is like!

Our evening walk was taken over at Riparian Preserve.  There were loads of folks out, and it's always fun to people watch.  Sadie's happy with strolling along for a bit then sitting down on a bench and resting up.  Me, I'd rather power walk and get some good steps in, but either way, we kinda work it out -- and going slower means I have the time to watch more people.  Or birds.  hehehe

Here's hoping your Saturday was just as pleasant as ours!

So Happy Its Thursday!

Ahh Friday, you're just around the corner!  Who's ready for a weekend?  I know I AM!

Another busy day, and if you haven't gotten the picture yet, every day seems to be a busy one!  Working all day, helping out in other locations, then a stop at the UPS store to drop off a package to Mom - it's her birthday in a few days!  With any kind of luck, my box will arrive on time.  If not, just a day late.  Weird thing is it cost more to ship the item than the item itself.  UGH.   If I could have found one online, I might have gone that route, but it was something I found in a store.  Oh well.

Got booked on a flight, so my mini vacation is all set.  I'm crossing my fingers that my son doesn't mind watching Sadie while I'm gone.  If he will watch her at my house, I'm even willing to stock the fridge with his favorite eats!

Then it was a trip to the vet.  Back in July, Sadie had an ear infection in both ears.  While one ear cleared up, the other never quite healed up and it's inflamed again.  I asked about a different option than pills - Sadie just will NOT take them - so they gave her a shot that lasts 14 days.  It was twice the price of pills but worth it to not have to hassle with that part.  As it is, I'll be putting drops in her ears every day, and she doesn't like that part much either!   Since July, she's lost 1.5 pounds.  For a pug, that's nearly a miracle --- she sure loves to snack!

I shopped online during lunch and found a brand of collar that's designed for dogs with a thick neck and chest, made by Puppia.  I'm anxious to try it out.  I've had several different collar styles, but they're either too narrow in the neck part, or too tight around her chest.  Having a pug on a neck collar when wearing a leash works for Sadie as long as no people or pets cross our path.  When a pug lunges on a neck collar, you can damage their throat parts.   I'm crossing my fingers this harness works like I think it will!  And of course, I got it in pink!  

After all that, it's time for a shower, then chill in bed with a rousing game of Spider Solitaire!

Random Data

Here it is, another Wednesday.  Since the Holidays, I've been working a split schedule, splitting Sunday and Friday into half days .... I really enjoyed NOT having to go to work on Sunday this past weekend, but I know that I'm going to feel the effects on Friday, having to work a full day.  Ugh.

I haven't taken my new meds since last Weds, and I think I'll do just a half dose again tonight at bedtime, just to stay on top of things.   I was really thinking about my situation, and how things have been going and have a question I've been wondering about.  So my issue is with bile salts - they irritate something beyond my stomach, whether it be intestinal or bowels.  And kind of related it to getting a paper cut on my hand.  For a day or two, that little paper cut stings a lot whenever it comes into contact with salt.  But once it heals, you don't feel that irritation any more.  Is it the same with intestines and bile salt?   Maybe there were portions that were irritated and now with meds are they healing up, so I haven't had to take my meds as often?   I'd like to think my logic in this is the way it is... wouldn't that be superb?   *sigh*   We'll just have to see.

The ultimate test will be to take the meds and then do something that causes distress.  Over last summer I was seriously convinced that I was having panic attacks that brought on these "episodes".  Guess I'll just have to give it a whirl and plan a short day trip!

Just got a call from the doc re:  recent blood tests and ... yay!   Here's the tracking I have for the past 3 times, overall it's going in the right direction -- good eating and exercise is the trick!

• Aug 2014:  Cholesterol 195, Tri 75, HDL 64, LDL 116
• Nov 2015:  Cholesterol 170, Tri 98, HDL 55, LDL 95
• Jan 2017 :   Cholesterol 167, Tri 98, HDL 59, LDL 88

We've bounced back here in the Valley of the Sun from frost on the rooftops to sunny gorgeous days -- it was near 80 today!  Ahhhh,  this - THIS is why we live here in the Valley!    Time to get out there and catch a glimpse of tonight's sunset.

The weekend's coming ... got any plans?