Saturday, February 28, 2015

YELL



Or not.
Have you ever wondered how to get the attention of people that you really want to hear from?
Cajoling, persuade, coax, wheedle, entice, sweet-talk, inveigle, convince, trick, influence, deceive, con, flatter, screaming, casually mentioning or perhaps outright yelling may or may not work.

And sometimes there is no answer to how it works in contacting people you care to hear from…a metaphoric brick wall does exist in many cases.

So what do we do?
Take a break for a while, give up, send them telepathic vibes, or say to ourselves that they will get back to us eventually?

Answers are not often easy to come by… but if we do nothing our guilt will typically ensue, so calm yourself and take a break.

Step back from that emotional trap of frustration and take several deep breaths and punt… and then relax when that last ditch effort also fails!

During the time of temporarily realizing that you have done all that you can so we must stop all administrative tries and desist for now.

Being vague is an art form that I am finally priding myself on learning, a lost art form, not at all interested in being resurrected one by many, I am more than sure.

Directness is preferable in almost all situations.

And then…

They’re people who you rather NOT hear from such as:
ROBO call people, telemarketers, and non-profit requests for money with alien quests, political groups who remind you to vote when you already have, religious sects that ring your doorbell to convert you from you’re born into faith, and on and on and on…

Balance we all need balance, so I suppose for every person we systematically care to be in contact with it would appear that in the bigger picture of things, like the world itself they are people who we do not want any part of, mostly strangers, but sometimes… NO!

I won’t go there; but there are many planes that we do exist on, I suspect.

Who knows?

Moving on…

Any-who, today it is a very gloomy day with rain threatening in spite of the eighties temperatures with our high reaching 84!

No rain yet but very soon; its here, 6:16 P.M. EST!

My easy monitoring, all I have to do is look into our swimming pool, just outside of the windowed door to this sun-room that I am in writing in.

Today I was so very tired all day long, but I did that interrupted sleep thingy during last night when I physically get out of the bed for three hours and then get back in and awake three hours later.
I do not believe that is good for anyone, but thankfully it doesn’t happen that often anymore.
A headache awoke me again, coffee method did not work but extra strength Tylenol apparently did, may have worked too well since I was groggy all day.
That is why I only take it along with all my other medications very infrequently.
I even napped this afternoon for over an hour, too long by the pros estimations, too much sleep is as detrimental as too little so “they” say!

Again, who knows?

On that note of sure “they do”, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, February 27, 2015

Bob Evans



Now I don’t know about you but I never actually met a “Bob Evans”, but my old neighbor in Punta Gorda Florida’s Dad was actually a Bob Evans but not thee, Bob Evans, since she was an Evans and his name was Bob, oh I suppose he is/was her Bob Evans, make that Dad, but not the restaurateur chain guy, got that?



All this hokey pokey poppycock gibberish is because once again Hubby and I decided on someone else to make the dinner, and you got it… Bob Evans, the homey dinner place next door to most motels throughout the USA. They make a nice roasted turkey dinner with all the trimmings and Hubby and I chose that for tonight’s faire.

Individual portioning and no leftovers are sometimes better than eating too much. Tonight I actually gave Hubby some of mine that is the turkey with dressing/stuffing. They have a very tasty cranberry relish that comes with it, and their glazed carrots are very delish too.

They have a few roasted selections, I believe their other ones are pot roast and roast beef.






Of course you can eat in too, but we live only a little over a mile from the place so it is no biggy to pick it up in ten or fifteen minutes voila!



I did get a hankering for good ole fashion homemade soup today and so I did make multi bean soup for lunch and then after I also thought about my iconic picture with Skipper our Bichon who passed away recently when a few years ago he was oh so sweet and happy smelling my peanut butter cookies and so I made another batch this afternoon, ah dessert!



I suppose my tummy will dictate what it will allow, like right now it is queasy again…medicine time, oops forgot to take it!



Well, I have been medicated, and so now I am going to say nighty night… really thought the choice of a meal was bland enough to not make me sore.



On that sincere apology note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!



RIP Mr. Spock (MR.LLAP, well done.)

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Crazy sort of day



Tummy aches all around…again!

Sadly, Gus’s tummy proved to be very, very bad.

Blood was seen in his gushy excrement/feces, and so we had to make another trip to the vet!

This time we chose another recommended by a friend.

The last doctor was a bit too impatient with him and he therefore was not a happy camper, last thing one needs when ill.

Diagnosis was swift and fixable: hook worms, extremely deadly and dangerous for the very young of his species, but he is old enough to combat the little buggers with just a powdery medication given over a three day period, thankfully. Although, this doc feels that he is younger than a year since he has grown so much, when we got him he was 17 lbs and now in just two months he is over 20lbs, but still not fat since he has grown all over. This doc feels he could be as large as 25 lbs when full grown and think that his mix is Havanese and Lapso instead of Shih Tzu, due to the dramatic growth in size.



Our thoughts went again to his appetite of eating everything he finds in our backyard including dare I say feral cat feces since they use our used to be raised bed veggie gardens for litter boxes.

The detective in me asked the vet tech if my theory was possible and she said yes it was especially if they had hook worms themselves, the feral cats that is.

Hubby made a call to animal control when he got home from his last stop Publix to see if they would pick them up, but animal control was closed for the day @five, it was five thirty.



Don’t get me wrong I love cats and all animals but these guys could be sick too and in need of treatment. We even have a live catcher trap to help animal control out if need be when Hubby gets a hold of them. Actually, it would be best if they could be relocated, ya know?



It’s been at least two years since we have had our lovely veggie garden.



Oh my tummy has been bad again for weeks my medication that I have been on for years for reflux and gastritis seems to have stop working. I find with my bad shoulders and the pain right there in the middle of my chest lying down has proven to be the most beneficial. I actually did not have any lunch today because I wasn’t hungry, but I did have dinner, a seafood salad on a salad from Subway, that Hubby picked up with his meatball sub.

Now my generic of Nexium doubled recommended dosage, as per gastroenterologist, and Pepcid 2X a day will be working overtime.

But most bland non-roughage foods are fattening, breads and dairy, true?



Moving on…


Number One Son closes, just like a house, a closing, on his Pearson 365 ketch tomorrow, and boy is he happy!

Oh dear…any-who I am going to say good night early since I am pooped and I missed another nap, allow me then to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

PS Just a shout out to my Hubby of thanks for working until he got it right yesterday on my broken again recliner chair, all fixed now and works great!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Anger is considered a useless emotion by many



But I disagree, by venting that anger in a positive way is helpful to digest how you feel that you have been mistreated, denied something you so much desired, left out of a group or friendship, or when some one has hurt your feelings by saying something mean to you directly and on and on and on we go…

“They” say that bottling up negative emotion has proven to cause high blood pressure, heart disease and can even possibly cause a stroke, so many say.

Most recently cursing has been approved of for allowing a beneficial outcry, literally, for a concept portending anger to let you let it go…with panache! Wash your hands of it after.

The written word for the whole world to see has proven beneficial here for moi. Sure there is an occasional backlash, but who really reads this drivel, except only the smartest and bravest.
Besides much of what I publish is said with tongue in cheek demeanor anyway… although, when people who are paid to get it right get it wrong that is rather disturbing, ya know and I bet you agree; especially when it comes to one’s well being…on the line.

I do agree to a point that ANGER is a very wasteful emotion and that as human beings, by now, there has got to be a better way to manage it than using guns or physical behaviors of any of those severe ways to handling things that perturb us.

Violence comes out of too many sports that promote that behavior of hitting and downing one’s opponent and video games do that too to young minds making it look either like fun or the only way to combat others BAD behavior…NOT GOOD OR RIGHT!

Some outlets for anger are to do positive things; by changing things for the better or using non-violent ways to express those negative feelings through dance might sound pretty sissy-ish to some but can work for many others and is more civilized without a doubt.

Considering I was a chatty child from a very young age I still was one of those, dare I say I would bite other children, out of frustration or who knows why, maybe anger, a horrid youngster and my reputation was as nasty as ptomaine poisoning. The only excuse, no real excuse, that I can come up with was the fact that I was very young and small and had been picked on and talked down to, and in my mini brain at the time all I would do in retaliation was to bite that other child back, yep anger is a powerful feeling, even when you’re a child, especially when you are a child. No logical reasoning can approve of that totally bizarre and BAD behavior, but thankfully I outgrew that way of handling my anger and now subscribe to the ancient concept “that the pen truly is mightier than the sword!” Interesting debate over where this quote actually came from: http://www.notbyshakespeare.com/2010/08/18/the-pen-is-mightier-than-the-sword/

I am still thinking that it is from Shakespeare, but what do I really know? (Not very much.)
And it sure has proven that for centuries, longer than I was a non-card carrying member of this premise for all journalistic treatments that it appears to be true!

My feelings somehow always come through when unhappy, but for balance I would like to think they also do for when I am happy!

We are only human and none are infallible to my knowledge and so on that logic alone allow anger to be in your array of emotions but with the caveat of tempered self control at the forefront please, and non-physical or use of weaponry please too.
If I did not make myself clear do not use those last two mentioned items.

On a higher note again this topic was given indirectly to me by one of my FB friends who has become my latest poker on there. And so I found out years ago when poked that most want you to notice what they have posted on their own wall, so I took a look and sure enough he gave his shorter version of my exaggerated long-winded demonstration here of my overly opinionated commentary,  I do believe that he did not get me with my attitude of last night with that infamous insurance company and all the grief I have sustained from them…or he could have been referring to people in general and then in that case, I could be wrong, I have been wrong before and often, then… never mind; allow me anyway to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Dinner and other mundane tasks.



Commonalities in this world of our civilized democracies make daily chores more typical for all.



Then it goes with saying it is understandable that when in comes to eating at home we all have to decide what that will be on any given day, true?



Notice I said “with saying”, since I will be saying a lot about this also mundane topic.



Many of us who are average folks do our own shopping, but some have “people” who might do it for them but those folks probably also have them making their meals as well… they are not to whom I am speaking; it us regular peeps, my contemporaries.



I know that I once said at this point in our lives it is almost more cost effective to eat out more than at home, and I have many reasons to believe that.



No need for appliances to be used to prepare or cook/make that meal therefore having less higher utility bills or having concern for leftovers and possibly eating food that goes bad and makes you sick and you ending up going to the hospital. (Worse case scenario; so I have a bit of Debbie Downer in me, okay a lot LOL!)



So back to that nearly horrid sometimes overwhelming question, “what’s for dinner, lunch, breakfast”, you get the idea?

One way to lessen the issue is to share the responsibility, and so we do, as long as I am not bed ridden, which sadly has happened too many times to mention, but I digress… yes Hubby and I share that major decision making as all else I would like to think as in all good partnerships, I think.



There is less stress when one has to come up with the idea and then make the concept happen; at least it has been working.

Although, the fear is not having any ideas, but alas one can always surf the freezer which we both do regularly, thank heaven for knowing all defrosting tricks, really!



The old fashion one that has been said don’t do it, leave the item on the counter, but due to bacteria, though if you use it immediately no problem, another is the warm water bath, next the unholy microwave which has also gone out of favor these last few years due to some issues that I am still not clear on, or chose cold food choices, take it out the night before and defrost in the frig or cook frozen food as is, certain things do, do well on the barbecue, or choose all fresh food or last but not least go out to the grocery store and pick it up just before you need to make it, Ta Da! Meals all done.



Moving on…



Today I was supposed to get the delivery of my Copaxone 40 Mg. injectable medication from CVS Specialty, actually last week.

First problem last week was that they hadn’t gotten a diagnosis from my neuro even though they had seven more refills that he had approved; yep it was Florida makes me oh so Blue unhealthy insurance company dropping the ball once more, even though I foolishly have been with them fourteen months now, two to go since I have already received my Medicare card, and they have been paid for March, that is effective June 1st YAY! Yes, a month before my birthday.



Any-who, by the time they got the new DX it was this past Friday and me with one injection left for tomorrow, and they (CVS Specialty) called telling me that all was well and that I was all set to go for a delivery today, and guess what at around three o’clock I was wondering where UPS was they have delivered it one time to my neighbor even though they are suppose to have you sign for it and he wasn’t even home then but he did bring it over hours later in its cooler. 

So I called to get the tracking number thinking perhaps it happened again, oh because when all it is right it is usually a morning delivery… but horrors the woman who called me Friday was out yesterday due to being ill and did not tell anyone to send it and so we were waiting for NOTHING all day long!



I was good though and just explained the necessity for this medication, and that FL BLUE only ships me a month's supply when all others shipped three months worth, and they call me, I do not call them; it's my only medication  that I have that is like this, ridiculous!

Anyway, it is now due to be here tomorrow and I have a tracking number and everything too!



On that note and if I hadn’t called, let it go, let it go let it go... allow me now to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Monday, February 23, 2015

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Florida!



Taking advantage of the beautiful sunny Florida 80’s weather?

Good.

We again are back to how Florida should be.

Our overnight temperatures are now, once again in the 60’s with the last two days in those 80’s.

So come on down!

Or come on over?

Feel free to visit?

No one will complain about these temperatures of Fahrenheit numbers anywhere in this vast world.

Oh I suppose some might complain; those who call themselves lovers of the cold snowy weather.



But we do have some of the most beautiful beaches in America: http://time.com/3713884/tripadvisor-best-beaches-2015/



And our weather for the better part of this year is on its way to continue with only perfection in its several long months’ view.



Our weather is the main reason tourists come here and then decided to move here as either permanent residents or snowbirds, six months up north in the summer and six months down here in their winter.



Oh you all knew that, hmm?



Well, what are you waiting for, there are still a whole bunch of good buys, but not for long.



Nah, who I am kidding they’re still building new homes all over the place.



But the better deals are on the older homes in established neighborhoods.



In all the forty-four years of marriage and in those years owning five homes over all those years this is the first home that we have been in the longest, going on seventeen years, and our third in Florida!

Tell you something?

Who knows what?



Any-who, living these last couple of decades, yep, we are going on our third here… has been mostly wonderful.

One hurricane out of twenty-eight nearly twenty-nine years is not that bad.

Are you superstitious?



I am not really, oh okay, just a wee bit.

About being thankful that it has been nearly eleven years since we had a direct hit from any hurricanes; and so I really don’t want to anger the bad weather gods, would you?



Oh sure, you are all dealing with dreadful weather in our three quarters of the United States to our north and west and it has been a deadly winter for you too, so our thoughts of nasty weather in the south seems frivolous to even consider.  Oh don’t get me wrong I get it and worry for all you up and out there, but the offer still sticks, “Come on down!”

Plenty of room in our hotels/motels and B & B’s too.



You didn’t think I meant here with us, oh dear no.



There used to be a time that it would have been the case when I was younger and healthier I would say sure!

We can all go out to lunch or you can ride on our boat or use our pool, but even though we still have room for quite a few, about six with two sofa beds and a guest-room. But I don’t believe I could treat you how you would be better treated by professionals, ya know?

We do have that advantage of living close to entertainment, including beaches, all with in a ten mile radius.



Think about it and get back to your travel agent, truly more qualified than me to help you find a good place to rest your head at night, since during the day you will be going, going, going!



On that cheerful note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!



PS: Authors note/correction: last night I made two slight mistakes, Neil Patrick Harris had never hosted the Oscars before, and the actual show started a eight thirty not eight o’clock, sorry!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Oscars!

Tonight’s 87th Academy Awards, the Oscars has had a long colorful exciting imaginative and dichotomous history.

And with it again coming of age with a vast culinary choice lists of tasty morsels for every imaginable palate preference and appetite; tonight’s lengthy programming shall be most enjoyable, especially with Neil Patrick Harris once again providing the hosting at 8 P.M EST on ABC.

Don’t forget to be there on all your ABC affiliate stations starting at 7 P.M. EST for the Red Carpet ensembles; always proving to be a show in themselves. “Who are you wearing?” Is not only an odd question in many societies but here/there it is an absolute must know to be in the know!

Many have parties for this yearly event, we do not.
Many have seen ALL of the movies, we have not.
Many know ALL of the competitors at least by sight if not by name or at least by reputation, I can once again say, we do not, not all…

But that doesn’t change a thing for us it is a great way to know what we will be watching in the next several months on our Netflix account, or what we should look for in the near future that comes highly recommended, sort of.

You know what is odd?
As we have gotten older we both agree the ‘R’ rated movies are not for us.
And yes, we both know that most are what “they” are making and some of those are the ones nominated, many of them are…
Gone are the days where regular TV eventually shows the movies in a timely fashion and then all of us would have the PG version that had been edited accordingly without losing any of the content, hmm? I know what a woos, but I have delicate sensibilities, and yes I still cringe at four letter words that are considered cursing, but not as much as I once did, sad.
I miss all of that.

So I will move on due to that bewitching hour arriving very soon for your viewing pleasure.

Below you will find two locations/links on the Academy site for you to peruse: The first is a bit of its history and the second is a list of all nominees!

 http://www.oscars.org/academy-story
 http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2015

Enjoy, and on that note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

What makes a good American?



I have to admit that being born here I take so much for granted, although…having had the advantage of traveling abroad as a young woman it did make me more missing of what we call home, America.



No one has questioned me recently how I think of being an American.

Actually, it has been years, and it was my brother in-law, a Tea Party thought process guy, I think, today as always a far right Republican that always questioned my Liberal ways of thinking.



I met him while still in high school and I am proud to say that my way of thinking then and now has changed very little in what is right or wrong about America.



We all know that many extremist ways of thinking people live here. That is why we refer to them as right or left, odd to me that the most conservative of us are considered “right” thinkers while people like myself are considered “left”, just the idea of those two opposites thinking types makes one seem, by entitlement, being called “right” that they are right, but not by me, got that?

To me it does seem totally wrong that Americans are split into too many extremes, but I do love the fact that we have that, “right”, there’s that word again, hmm?

I suppose being considered on the “left” way of thinking is way better than being called on the “wrong”, although so many on the “right” say that we are!


To anyone not here, i.e. America might be confused now with me talking about rights and lefts in thinking, but believe me when I tell you as an example to think of “right” as very strict parents who’s law is cut and dry, black and white no wiggle room for differences of opinion and “left” parents who say let’s talk about it and truly believe in all matters having grey areas, and that they are open to discussion! Okay, not convinced, free thinkers’ lefties, conventional thinkers’ righties.

And yet some may have a difference of opinion in my simplistic way of trying to make myself clear and they do have that "right", there's that word again, Geez!



Oh, we were talking about, “What makes a good American?”

Sure we all believe in the laws of the land and yet we all interpret them differently, reminds me of the way we all see and read something different in the bible, now that should be bibles, since each religion has their own, don’t they?



But we have very few written down laws of how our government is to be run and sadly, I suppose even though I have visited Washington D.C. many times and studied American History in school I am NOT as knowledgeable as I should be, see being born here kinda makes you forget those things are your responsibility to keep somewhere in your educated brain for future reference, since no one ever knows when you will be quizzed!



Of course not!



I’m not a politician or member of any of the factions that we VOTED in to represent our concerns and biding for us as people of one nation, and yes I will even say under God.



But no one knows that my memory has lapsed due to not using that info as often as perhaps I should be, and having Multiple Sclerosis that affects my brain with lesions causing my cognitive ability to falter, and also having Fibromyalgia causing fibro-fog, as well as being close to sixty-five years young very soon…if I am lucky that is!



We have a wonderful country and since I was lucky enough as a college student to visit many other places in this world I truly missed “my home”, yes America and as Americans it was proven to me just how lucky we are to have what we have…do you really need specificity?

I would not like to compare my needs or precious private feelings with people who live in other lands and LOVE theirs too, and so I will leave that as is, alright?



We Americans are notorious for criticizing others, I really hate to think it is in our make-up of thinking that we are so far superior to others, but at times it can come across like that.



Yes, we are a very proud nation of Americans loving this land of ours and that is the bottom line.

And it annoys me when another American, who has every "right" to speak their mind, but besmirches our president's good name, by saying that he is not a “good” American like the former mayor of NYC Rudy Giuliani had said, and yes he has his right to his opinion but that was very mean spirited to say about our highest office of our land and Rudy would not even apologize and since he IS an American he has that "right" to, not that is.



Being as honest as you can be how many times have you thought about your own imperfections and discussed them, and so our land that we love is NOT perfect either, and there is much room for improvement, but we still, as Americans love this place!



No one and nothing is perfect, correct.

And if not pointed out with what we have to work on to try to achieve betterment of oneself or one’s land how else will anyone know?



I’m just saying…



So in closing, I am an American since the day I was born and before, since both my parents although old had been born here too, 1907 and 1911, respectively.
Their parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe and the UK.


They proved to me that voting was one of the very important ways to be a “good” American, and even in college I wrote a paper on giving eighteen year olds the right to vote way back in 1968-69 when the voting age was twenty-one, it was eventually passed in 1972 when I was turning twenty-two, ha!

But somehow that paper in my mind made me list powerful reasonings why people of that age, eighteen, mine at the time should be allowed to vote, most importantly to me at the time was the Viet Nam War where they could die for their country but not vote for their country, and to me that alone was a good enough reason, of course there were many other reasons as well and I know that I listed a boatload of tried and true people in history that also had wanted it to come to pass, like FDR and JFK two of the many presidents who felt as I did. I received an “A” for that paper that I had researched with all my heart as if in a debate proving my point and in the end I did learn a lot. To this day I have voted every time… so I am a GOOD AMERICAN because my vote should count and it does, barring any hanging chads or other ridiculous mistakes by human flaws that are not unlike all Americans since we are all when it comes down to it just mere mortals, at least I know that I am, I suppose some, like Rudy, feel that they are more than that, ha!



On that note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, February 20, 2015

BRRRRR TOO!

Here's the proof that southwest Florida nearly froze and survived to go on another day!This indoor outdoor unit tells the highs and lows for the day as well as humidity. The bottom number is our indoor temperature and humidity, included is the time of day and date, so there you have my proof! Any-who, we are being told that all is well again, sort of with lows only going into the high forties with afternoon temps in the seventies, whew Florida weather in February, is BACK! By Sunday is still a go for that over eighty temp, hip, hip hooray! (PS for tonight's blog I just hit the lows and highs for the day on the bottom buttons, pretty precarious though I had to snap the pic fast for it wanted to change back to the current temps, and so it took a few times until I could get what I needed for this little ditty of mine for accuracy.)

Oh I almost forgot since this topic appears to be weather related once again, Robert Van Winkle, our senior meteorologist on our local NBC affiliate, hit the nail on the head the other night when he said the rain would be here by seven o'clock......... it sure was, exactly! Oh look at those humidity's, there goes many of yours' theories that Florida is always hot and sticky, hmm!

Oh and by the way by the time I got up it was already going up, it was at thirty-six degrees by then and just before our temperature stated that we are now at sixty! Easy come easy go...thank goodness!

Moving on...

Just the right briskness for Hubby to continue his beautification of our yard.
He had been playing a normal man's version of Edward Scissor hands with trimming and fertilizing all our flora in our overgrown gardens, including our hedges of Plumbagos and hibiscus as well as our bougainvilleas, Scheffleras, ficus, palms, gardenias, dracaenas, citrus etc. so today he took the twelve bags of Cyprus mulch and after he had put down the Preen for any weeds, just like I used to be able to do... it all looks just lovely!

Our time to trim/prune is fine this time of the year with most of our plants semi-dormant but not entirely, since our cold spells are quite short lived. I had inquired years ago, by examining my quite extensive gardening books and when they did not have what I needed at that time I watched local PBS garden shows.
These days since many of my books were destroyed by "the hurricane", I use the county extension people for any questions when the Internet may be too vague, rarely but it does happen. 
We are in what is called zone 10 a semi-tropical/tropical area and so our needs and plants are quite specific to that.
I know boring to many, but not to me.

Just sad that I can no longer do what I so did enjoy due to my inability to handle the extreme temperatures in either direction and endurance of finishing any outdoor project that I might want to begin, since many are quite time consuming.
So Hubby has decided to do it all instead and he has done one hell of a great job!
He actually takes pictures and brings them into me to see all that he has done...

On that note of Geez, another mini wrong turn on the happiness train, but not totally derailed, forgive anyway, and allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!



Thursday, February 19, 2015

"Calamity is the touchstone of a brave mind."




Happy New Year!

For any who wonder it is the Chinese New Year. “2015 is the Year of the Sheep according to Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Sheep starts from Feb. 19, 2015 (the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival of China) and lasts to Feb. 7, 2016.”



That first one is a bit unclear, which was actually the last but the most provocative in my mind, yes my itsy bitsy mind, or is it just me? I suppose it could mean that handling “calamity” is the touchstone of a brave mind. I believe in other words how we handle bad times well means that we are brave?



Moving on to only the second fortune of the three, and yes either end you look at this one it was the second of the three, “Your greatest fortune is the friends and family that you have,” of course!

What would be other than that?



And now for our last which was actually first, “Always a valley before a hill,” could this be a metaphor for not too dissimilar words of wisdom, “it’s always darkest before the dawn,” my Dad’s go to one, or in my simplistic reasoning, “lows before heights are realized?”



Any-who, we decided to, celebrate the Chinese New Year with our usual Chinese food place selections of China City.

It has been a while since we have, weeks I think.



Without leaving the house these last eleven days we have not eaten out at all, and so we have saved quite a bit, but Hubby has been out for groceries just today in fact, but we are good for two weeks now, I think.



It was nice to celebrate sort of.

I am born under the Chinese sign of the Tiger and Hubby is an OX.

Here’s a way to find out yours if you care to and if you don’t already know…http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/



Moving on, yes really on…



BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, tonight is our night to join the many in the BIG FREEZE! And yep we may very well have freezing temps, although, being on a saltwater canal our chances are lesser due to the canal's water temp still in the mid to upper sixties, even if we go down into the lower freezing thirties it shouldn't be for very long!

Yes, I do know thirty-two is freezing, but here it depends on how long it stays there to cause trouble.



Our groves for citrus inland are all prepared to protect their/our extremely profitable crops! This is historically unusual for it to go this far south, the cold that is. But by tomorrow our highs should go up to a still very chilly sixty degree range. Even with a low of forty-four here last night our high just glanced sixty here for the day! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!



It’s cold and NOT what any of us northerners from NJ for us, but others from many places, transplants signed on for all those years ago, it was circa 1986 for us!

We have no blood left for colder temps and at this point in my life and size I don’t even own a winter coat, I usually find layers work, besides by Sunday it will be eighty again, it never lasts for long, any of cold snaps. Thanks heaven for central heating too and me being home bound again.

I truly believe our blood thinned out six months after we arrived all those years ago.



On those notes of our version of the BIG CHILL arriving allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Misinterpretation



Misinterpretation: misunderstanding, misapprehension, the wrong idea, false impression delusion, misconception, misreading. And there you have it, male VS female communication.



When women talk we mostly talk in generalities unless truly pissed off, but mostly we say “they” said this or did this or should have done this or another did that, but not their significant other did it, who in turn interprets what was said as, “you are the one who said this, and you should have done this or you did that, get it? No names were used, why is it about you?



Why is that?



Sure both of our genders have our moments of anger over a difficult situation, and yes with women it is more than likely the situation itself that perturbs us, not always the people involved, oh alright sometimes it is the people, actually many a time it is the people, but more often than not it is the nasty situation itself, truly.



We see the bigger picture and in my case I try to see some good in the bad and to problem solve, while many a man, not all and not always, but quite a few rather handle a bad/difficult situation without over analyzing it and ignoring or walking away totally from the whole damn thing! Not a good thing, oh no!



Us gals, I especially, want to figure it all out, after the initial throwing up of the hands in mostly frustration, and yes I do do that too.

But then once calmed down a new perspective can often be seen and with that realization a mindset of planning of how to fix it from all the different angles.



Many men are analytical with the ability to problem solve, but when they are too close to what may seem like an insurmountable emotionally charged problem they throw up their hands in disgust at times, not always, and say its not worth the aggravation, and decide on a quickie resolve of either doing nothing or the most non-logical reasoning one of all the ultimate demise of it all, of throwing the baby out with the bath water…I’m just saying… emotions run strong and deep for some, which proves not to be very helpful in the long-run.



In an effort to try to understand the male portion of my lopsided immediate family, meaning a household with three men and me the only woman when our sons were still at home I tried to put myself into their place, and even at times realized that their tough façades were many a time just that, false fronts, they had feelings too!



The biggest realization was when our eldest was in scouting and Hubby was the Ocean County Scouting Coordinator back in good ole NJ in the early 1980’s and we took the troops to West Point in NY. Those prepubescent and pubescent boys acted not that dissimilar to my memories of my girlfriends as a child at a sleep over, silly, giggly and full of vim and vigor.



Yes, the sexes are not that different, except when they seem to think all bad situations are their fault, but it’s just what they hear in their heads, not what is actually said, got that?





And why, why, why is that?



I have NOT been able to adjust to that misinterpretation or misread or miscommunication.



You can be staring right into the other person’s eyes and still they hear it ALL WRONG!



Life is hard enough without giving up on people or critters or things that are needed to survive in this hard enough alone world I imagine, so far I have not had to navigate any of it alone…



I pray in my head daily that I never ever will.



But things happen and misinterpretations cause some to act as if it is the end all of it all, but no it should not ever be…



I see it this way, once the dust has settled all we can do is try to understand the best way to solve the problem, and if it proves not to be solvable then either punt or then do the last thing on the list of all the reasonings that you have tried first, second, third, fourth, fifth…infinitely…but all very trying or that should be tried too!

And in the very end if all else fails at least you can say with an honest heart that you did try everything!



On this note of vagueness amplified, even our dog is a male, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!



And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Rain again?



So here we are in our dry season and expecting more rain within the hour according to our local weather guy, called a senior meteorologist who is on our NBC affiliate here, Robert Van Winkle is his moniker, yep the exact same name as that Vanilla Ice rapper guy, but no relation, as far as I know. Who knows could be related to Rip. Although, some give themselves catchy names and it might not be his born with one, who knows…



Good thing he is NOT related to that Vanilla Ice guy, because then we would definitely be questioning the accuracy of the weather predictions, hmm?

Some of us still do…question that is.

He has said that our particular drizzle will be here at seven P.M. EST, not around but at seven and be on and off into the morning.

WOW!



If it keeps happening like this, a seemingly weekly event, perhaps they will have to rethink our entitled “DRY SEASON”, maybe?

What about “occasional wetter weather that periodically drops out of the sky in winter not that we have winter but that time of the year for the rest of our fine country and it comes to prevent forest fires and is now thought to be working with the state’s fire safety people and knowing that drought is a horrible thing to have so drizzle enjoys smiling on us, this SUNSHINE STATE!” That’s the ticket!



From my personal experience with watery events in this state it is looking like we are in for something, and soon, the wind is a highly visible indicator and our swimming pool is getting that gelatinous appearance of blue Jell-O right now and yes it is an hour before the time it’s supposed to be here.



Knowing what I do from all our years here it amazes me that the predictors have that attitude that it is going to happen when mostly it does but then there are times that it doesn’t, you know what I mean…



Today was quite nice with a slight breeze and mid-seventies and sunny, perfect, by most standards.

Though the whitish sky looked like it might snow, which to my knowledge has never ever happened here in southwest Florida in our lower on the map on the Gulf side close to Ft. Myers by less than fifty miles area south of us. But he is now saying a cold front IS coming in after and within a few days we will have a low in the upper thirties, but daytime temps in the lower sixties, still rather brr for here!



Oddly enough the prediction for those horror temps is short lived since by Sunday we will be back to over eighty degrees…

WHEW!

Did that scare you, I know it scared me…doesn’t take much these days… especially when I am in my climate controlled home.



Haven’t been out yet, in nearly ten days, facial issue is still stopping that.



Healing is an individual thing.



I used to heal faster, as we all did as young persons.



When my boo boo is all done then I will feel free to leave our cocoon of safety…



It very well might be next week.



Boy that wind is making those palm trees sway; pretty looking from being safe in my domain.






Have fun with all the stuff there for you and the kids too, it is a very hot key…and allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask all of you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!





And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go?

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go? :   My eyesight is going again... in case you missed it... Netanyahu snaps back against growing...