The political calls are really getting ridiculous. I can't wait until March 4 is over.
I accidentally answered one tonight. The woman started in on her spiel and I said I could save her some time by telling her I already voted. She then proceeded to ask me who I voted for. I politely told her that I did not care to share that with her. She laughed and hung up.
Why should I tell a perfect stranger who I voted for? Only my closest friends know who I voted for, and really not very many of them.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Neti Pot
My youngest and I just bonded by using a neti pot. We both have allergies, but his are horrible. I don't think he can breathe at any time of year, and he hates the prescriptions because they do not work that well for him. So I bought a neti pot today.
I went first and did the first nostril by myself. After I figured out I wasn't going to drown and it wasn't a horrible experience, I brought him in to watch how it is done. (I watched several videos on the internet before doing it myself ... I not only learned how to use one, but not to use whiskey.)
I was surprised when he didn't balk over trying it. I cleaned it and put in the next batch of lukewarm salt water and off he went. I think it will take several days for him to get the benefit, but since he was outside playing all day at least the allergens were washed out.
I hope we will both receive benefits. I think I can tell a difference already.
I went first and did the first nostril by myself. After I figured out I wasn't going to drown and it wasn't a horrible experience, I brought him in to watch how it is done. (I watched several videos on the internet before doing it myself ... I not only learned how to use one, but not to use whiskey.)
I was surprised when he didn't balk over trying it. I cleaned it and put in the next batch of lukewarm salt water and off he went. I think it will take several days for him to get the benefit, but since he was outside playing all day at least the allergens were washed out.
I hope we will both receive benefits. I think I can tell a difference already.
Celebrity Death Beeper and Other Such Sites
Okay, here is a weird fact about me ... I have been fascinated with celebrity deaths since I was in middle school. I keep up with http://www.deathbeeper.com/ ; http://www.wa-wd.com/and http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/.
I used to read the regular obituaries too, even when I first moved to Texas and did not know anyone other than Raymond. It was usually the first thing I read every morning. Funny thing about that is I stopped reading the regular obits when Raymond was diagnosed with cancer, but not the celebrity ones.
I think this fascination with obituaries came from the fact that whenever my Aunt Beulah was around she would sit and read the obituaries to me over breakfast and then, if the obit did not give out the cause of death, she would try to guess what killed the person. Sometimes she could get rather graphic, but the graphic words about the obituaries was much better over breakfast than lunch when she would describe what she had deposited into the toilet after breakfast. My brother and I can still recall some of those descriptions, but I digress into territories no one really wants to know about.
Even though Aunt Beulah's visits were not that often, the reading of the obituaries stayed with me. I never try to guess what killed someone, but I always look to see what memorials are mentioned to see if that offers a clue.
The celebrity death thing always reminds me of being at my parents and how they would be watching an old movie and trying to guess if any of the actors were still alive. It drove Raymond crazy. When my dad was still alive we always bought him a new Almanac each year so he could look up to see what actors were still alive. He would have loved having instant access to the information over the internet. (Well, he would have loved someone looking it up for him.)
I also have to watch to see if the deaths come in threes, but that is yet another tale.
So now you know that I am even weirder than you thought.
I used to read the regular obituaries too, even when I first moved to Texas and did not know anyone other than Raymond. It was usually the first thing I read every morning. Funny thing about that is I stopped reading the regular obits when Raymond was diagnosed with cancer, but not the celebrity ones.
I think this fascination with obituaries came from the fact that whenever my Aunt Beulah was around she would sit and read the obituaries to me over breakfast and then, if the obit did not give out the cause of death, she would try to guess what killed the person. Sometimes she could get rather graphic, but the graphic words about the obituaries was much better over breakfast than lunch when she would describe what she had deposited into the toilet after breakfast. My brother and I can still recall some of those descriptions, but I digress into territories no one really wants to know about.
Even though Aunt Beulah's visits were not that often, the reading of the obituaries stayed with me. I never try to guess what killed someone, but I always look to see what memorials are mentioned to see if that offers a clue.
The celebrity death thing always reminds me of being at my parents and how they would be watching an old movie and trying to guess if any of the actors were still alive. It drove Raymond crazy. When my dad was still alive we always bought him a new Almanac each year so he could look up to see what actors were still alive. He would have loved having instant access to the information over the internet. (Well, he would have loved someone looking it up for him.)
I also have to watch to see if the deaths come in threes, but that is yet another tale.
So now you know that I am even weirder than you thought.
Another Worry
I only have sons. One of my best friends only has one child, a son. We worry about our future.
She has a sister and a brother. I only have a brother. We look at how little our brothers do for our parents and we worry. It always falls back on the girls in the family to take care of the parents. Who will take care of us?
I am constantly telling my boys that they must share in the responsibility of taking care of me when I am old. If one lives close to me and the other far away, then the one that lives far away must send money. Of course, I hope that I will always be able to take care of myself, but who knows what will happen in the future. I always thought Raymond and I would take care of each other when we got old.
I have always known that I cannot really count on my brother to be there during the hard times. I am always the one that has to make the big decisions when it comes to my mom. I resent it. Big time. Of course, I've known since I was very young that he wouldn't be there to help me, but I kept dreaming he would grow up and become a responsible adult. Here he is almost 58 years old, and he still hasn't grown up. Sigh.
I pray my sons will marry nice women that will understand if I need one of my boys to come over and help me do something at the house if I cannot afford to hire someone. Of course, I always prayed that my brother would give me a decent sister-in-law that would pitch in and help with mom too. Didn't happen. Didn't happen two times before, and the recent live in has been around 5 years and certainly doesn't do anything to pitch in.
Yes, I do worry about what will happen to me when I am old. I know I have done the best I can in raising my boys to be good, kind-hearted human beings, but who knows what will happen when they get busy with their own lives.
Maybe I better start playing the lottery.
She has a sister and a brother. I only have a brother. We look at how little our brothers do for our parents and we worry. It always falls back on the girls in the family to take care of the parents. Who will take care of us?
I am constantly telling my boys that they must share in the responsibility of taking care of me when I am old. If one lives close to me and the other far away, then the one that lives far away must send money. Of course, I hope that I will always be able to take care of myself, but who knows what will happen in the future. I always thought Raymond and I would take care of each other when we got old.
I have always known that I cannot really count on my brother to be there during the hard times. I am always the one that has to make the big decisions when it comes to my mom. I resent it. Big time. Of course, I've known since I was very young that he wouldn't be there to help me, but I kept dreaming he would grow up and become a responsible adult. Here he is almost 58 years old, and he still hasn't grown up. Sigh.
I pray my sons will marry nice women that will understand if I need one of my boys to come over and help me do something at the house if I cannot afford to hire someone. Of course, I always prayed that my brother would give me a decent sister-in-law that would pitch in and help with mom too. Didn't happen. Didn't happen two times before, and the recent live in has been around 5 years and certainly doesn't do anything to pitch in.
Yes, I do worry about what will happen to me when I am old. I know I have done the best I can in raising my boys to be good, kind-hearted human beings, but who knows what will happen when they get busy with their own lives.
Maybe I better start playing the lottery.
Another Responsibility
Mom is sick. I just realized that if she is sick that is another responsibility.
It is bad enough when the boys are sick and I am worried about them, but now I have someone in my house that will be 86 years old in 5 days. Sick in someone that old is different than sick for a 14 year old.
She is already on so many medications, how do I know which OTC cold stuff works for her?
What if I walk in and find her dead? She refuses to discuss her funeral arrangements. She will not will her body to science. She owns a cemetery plot, but it is Kentucky next to her first born. She can't even remember what state she currently lives in but wants to be buried here.
Not going to happen. Cremation. I've told her over and over again that if she doesn't make any final arrangements she will be cremated and the remains will go to my brother since has my dad's ashes.
These are the thoughts that run through my mind when I hear her coughing and I start wondering about how I can help her.
Sometimes it is enough to make me want to go back to the days when I did not know what the word responsibility meant.
It is bad enough when the boys are sick and I am worried about them, but now I have someone in my house that will be 86 years old in 5 days. Sick in someone that old is different than sick for a 14 year old.
She is already on so many medications, how do I know which OTC cold stuff works for her?
What if I walk in and find her dead? She refuses to discuss her funeral arrangements. She will not will her body to science. She owns a cemetery plot, but it is Kentucky next to her first born. She can't even remember what state she currently lives in but wants to be buried here.
Not going to happen. Cremation. I've told her over and over again that if she doesn't make any final arrangements she will be cremated and the remains will go to my brother since has my dad's ashes.
These are the thoughts that run through my mind when I hear her coughing and I start wondering about how I can help her.
Sometimes it is enough to make me want to go back to the days when I did not know what the word responsibility meant.
Playing Around
I have been playing around with the blog today.
I wanted more green. I love green. The other template had way too much grey on it, but I did not know how to change that. Then the oldest said he could alter the colors. I liked this template better than the old one, but there was no line separation between posts. Oldest fixed that with some code. Yeah!
So this is how the blog will look until I decided I need another change.
It is green, so it is me.
I wanted more green. I love green. The other template had way too much grey on it, but I did not know how to change that. Then the oldest said he could alter the colors. I liked this template better than the old one, but there was no line separation between posts. Oldest fixed that with some code. Yeah!
So this is how the blog will look until I decided I need another change.
It is green, so it is me.
Abounding Bad News
Abounding seems to be an odd word for this title, but it is what came to me as I was sitting here this morning thinking about the last few days.
A couple of deaths, several horrible life threatening medical emergencies, surgeries, kidney stones, two people diagnosed with cancer, all within the last 3 days. It is overwhelming for all the families involved. It is also overwhelming some of their acquaintances.
Some of the people have asked me how I can stay so calm during all of it and offer advice and friendship to everyone. I tell them that I learned long ago panic helps no one in these situations. You have to be as calm as you can, learn all you can, and make the best informed decisions that you can. You fall apart later.
A couple of deaths, several horrible life threatening medical emergencies, surgeries, kidney stones, two people diagnosed with cancer, all within the last 3 days. It is overwhelming for all the families involved. It is also overwhelming some of their acquaintances.
Some of the people have asked me how I can stay so calm during all of it and offer advice and friendship to everyone. I tell them that I learned long ago panic helps no one in these situations. You have to be as calm as you can, learn all you can, and make the best informed decisions that you can. You fall apart later.
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