Daily we look at ourselves in the face in a mirror...

Whether we are happy with what we see or not means often how we react to the option of what we can do to leave well enough alone or choose to change what we see…
Or perhaps not!
Gosh, now you and I have the option to go under the knife for major changes or use at home products that are less invasive and consist of everything from moisturizing creams to, rough sponges that remove loose skin or scouring machines that claim to do it with less effort, but now we have at home kits with chemical peels to a bit more invasive DIY Botox injection sets!
If the truth be told when I was turning fifty-five and had a birthday coming up Hubby asked me what I wanted and I said that I would love to get my two facial scars removed, one being that dog bite above my lip which took forty stitches that time from a plastic surgeon and the biopsy remnant on my left cheek that took one stitch from a dermatologist and fortunately was a benign lump. Most people are kind and say that they don’t notice them, but I always do believe they are just being polite and to have them lessened or maybe totally removed would have been my wish, and so I went to the local plastic surgery physician to find out.

The doctor said he couldn’t remove them but could do a couple of procedures that he let me know were not covered by insurance, which at that time I did have, and were not surgeries but injectable temporary remedies. Restylane a sugar based injectable filler, and Botox a highly toxic wrinkle remover!
They would be costly but those times were different and it was before retirement and all and this would be my birthday present and so I called Hubby and he said go for it, and so I did.
The results at first were worse than my scars themselves with redness seemingly making them more obvious and I had been sold a cream, but right now I couldn’t tell you what it was. I was to apply it accordingly daily a few times a day and in time, a few days all would look much better and sure enough in my mind’s eye it did!
I felt better about what I thought took away from and that people might be looking at me for all the wrong reasons… but it was not that extreme the transformation, subtle and lasted more than others I have known or heard about, more than a year I believe.

So now, with this, at home version of Botox sounds intriguing but I don’t think at this point I would do it to myself, another needle and who needs more, ya know?
But here’s the rub, rumor has it that Botox could be a helpful asset to Multiple Sclerosis, not a cure, but another feeling better thingy, hmm, that makes it a much more interesting prospect and cost effective now although not covered by insurance, which I don’t have anyway now…TA DA!
I just think that now, like many other medications used for one thing can be used for other things is rather fascinating, don’t you?
I hear tell that it is also a temporary cure for severe perspiration/sweating of the feet or armpits too, Botox that is.
See, not all uses are for aesthetics, huh? Although wet pits or soggy socks, you sure could use that as not a pretty picture and a few good reasons, I suspect… but that’s a matter of perception or is that perspiration, ha?
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

So many things today have dual/multiple uses, unlike Multiple Sclerosis which by the by means many white matter patches/lesions or booboos on the brain and or spinal cord, which is not good!

On that tiny lesson of some hopeful interest allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages and we will too!

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

Another company that has left us...

Ah America how I love our American products, huh?
Nope, don’t have very many anymore, and sadly most of us cannot afford to buy the ones we do have or may possibly not know that we are not buying American made…, what?
Many companies that have long histories of starting up in America such as the one I dealt with today, Farberware had started here in the good ole US of A way back in 1900 in NYC, NY.
You know the company that is world renown for pots and pans, electronic appliances and cutlery and such?
Well, did you also know that for years they have been manufacturing good ole American pots and pans and knives and all that sort of stuff for a smaller niftier price in CHINA?
Yes, them too…
It’s our faults you know, why you ask?
I know you didn’t but let’s say you did.
Because we cannot afford to pay for products produced here since our factory workers demand to be paid BIG BUCKS and they have BIG UNIONS to help them get it and benefits and everything they rightfully need to live here in America to buy what they need to care for their families, like the rest of us…something to think about, hmm?

Not that I am saying that anything is wrong with that, those unions were started to make sure our American workers got paid what they deserved for an honest day’s work and to me that still sounds good, but…
What’s an appropriate amount to be paid for hard labor in this world that moves so fast and costs so much to live in, why everything keeps going up in price, living in a home or renting an apartment or whatever and eating out or even in has sky rocketed to beyond belief in the last decade!
And so when you think about it we are responsible… it’s a slippery slope… the more things cost the higher salaries we all need to keep up with just the necessities in life an almost vicious circle, hmm?

Back in the 1950’s you were comfortable if you made ten thousand a year, twenty-five thousand in the 1970’s meant you were a good solid middle class, but now the poverty line for a family of four is below fifty thousand!
You see, that’s what I am talking about…
Everything cost accordingly what I want to know is how it all went south?
We do have an inkling that when it costs more to make something that naturally that cost goes back to the consumer to make up that additional cost, but why did it go up to begin with? As near as I can figure when the shipping of materials goes up due to fuel costs then that’s where it starts and so on and on all the way to us…hmm…But where does the fuel come from that initially has gone up that started this snowball rolling down this endless hill of disaster; from our oil suppliers, maybe?

How we got here is not as important as how are we going to improve what we got now and change things for the better and if you thought I had any ideas… well, I have some…
Since we appear to owe China a bundle due to all our borrowing from them we should stop complaining that all our used to be made here stuff is made there and just buy it and maybe they will finally realize that we have paid them back by being their BIGGEST AND BEST CONSUMERS OF THEIR PRODUCTS that have infiltrated our markets! DEBT PAID IN FULL! TA DA!
Next, drive less, and allow the concept of alternative energy sources meld into your brilliant minds as a possibility that should have happened, wait for it… YESTERDAY!

The deal that started this train of thought was the broken knives in our wooden block that we bought a few years ago from our local Publix grocery store and Hubby suggested that I contact Farberware and do my magic of getting our damaged goods taken care of…and you know what?
I just emailed them at their customer service department with a few pictures of the broken knives and they said to send them, at our cost to them and within four to six weeks they will send us back brand new ones at their expense since they have a lifetime warranty! TA DA AGAIN!
PS And it's not all the way to China; their customer service happens to be in good ole NJ, well at least we have some jobs still here, huh?

On that note of think about what we can do about our woes economically as individuals then we may have our own problems solved, hmm?
And now allow me to wish you all a very happy good night and kindly ask you to count those blessings and share all those overages and we will too!

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

Could an Italian designer mean that we have sprung from our depression into joy?

Historically, when the world wore color the times were happier.
And so I have come to a hopeful conclusion that what occurred at the Target online store site was a truism proving my point.
“Missoni is an Italian fashion house based in Varese. It is famous for its unique knitwear, made from a variety of fabrics in colourful patterns. The company was founded by Ottavio ("Tai") and Rosita Missoni in 1953.” Thanks to Wikipedia.
Previously the Missoni line was only for the wealthy and sold at stores such as Saks in only the best fabrics, and still does, but always known for its signature “Missoni knitwear is known for its multitude of patterns such as stripes, geometrics, and abstract florals, in a kaleidoscope of colours. They are also known for the liberal use of many different fabrics such as wool, cotton, linen, rayon and silk.” Thanks again from Wikipedia. Many patterns were inspired by tapestries from all over the world.
And so when a reasonably priced Missoni line began selling online yesterday via Target within six hours the site crashed, sales were supposed to continue for three days, but so many wanted it all and decided that the first day was the day to make their purchases of all the different types of products available from stationery, clothing, pillows, to boots, totes, etc. for the first time at prices the middle class could feel good about, well the rest is fashion, now, considered ‘Black Tuesday’, history! HA! And oh what a feeling!
It does a soul good to see that much interest in something’s so happy!
The line screams with good cheer, as color should!
Yes, my fashion background sprung into action on hearing the reports of all this… and also my remembrance of what used to be the norm in times of a depression from my costume history classes what a war period’s usual was. Clothing represents the feelings of our nation, dull and drab was the way we dressed for three of the four wars of the last century and that was how we felt as a nation, misery.
The only reason during the Viet Nam War that wasn’t quite the case is because many were confused on how to feel, but that is just my opinion. But even you would have to admit with flower power, free love and florals and geometric patterns abounding on almost just about anything in many, not only at homes decorated with those, but also on clothing and artful prints, even on cars or many a VW bus!
The tone of a nation can and has been expressed by how we dress and therefore decorate our homes. YES!
Emotions are directly connected to color, think of black for funerals, white for weddings, and wild colors in times of just showing you are HAPPY about something special in your life!
I love that the bad economy in the news at times has been disproved of what so many of us are doing with buying products that in desperately hard times are nonessentials but make good and profitable business sense by keeping the retailers going … and for our own sakes might even become collector’s items in the future!
Who knows but when people rally for a non-profit organization or disaster drive for funds beyond belief that amazes me with all that our country is dealing with financially and then to become a bit frivolous but economically smart to shop to directly help the retail market is beyond words and I can see the clouds lifting off of our sad collective lives! And for that I applaud loudly! Keep it going America! We can do this together… shop!
I knew things always seemed the darkest before the dawn… and now hooray we may be dawning, ya think?
Moving on…
Hubby installed my corner shelves in the kitchen we purchased Sunday from the Home Depot for less than it would have cost to make them from scratch, see sometimes you just gotta think that way… and we even figured it numerically. To make four rounded finished white shelves would have been like forty-eight bucks but this was just a bit over thirty, how about that? See being consumers can be fun and frugal.

Do not adjust your picture, it only looks crooked due to the photographer, me, I seem to be doing that alot lately!

Still working on what I will place on the shelves, right now those items are my space holders, heaven knows I have lotsa of things to chose from…maybe I will change them out and decide after I play with them awhile, we all know I have too much time on my hands… but Hubby has to do the rearranging since I can’t reach, but he does too, have time on his hands…ha!
On that wee bit of silly allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages and we will too!

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

Awaken to reality, no way to escape what's, what...

Had an unexpected email from someone that I had not heard from in quite some time, it was my old chum who used to be my bestie for forty-one years until our falling out back in June of ’04. She is still a northerner and lives in the north western territory of good ole NJ in the woods on ten acres with waterfalls and ponds etc. in a beautiful cedar contemporary with spiral staircase et all. The message was brief but telling it all…

“I just wanted you to know that I don't go on those social network sights, only Facebook for the Clerk's Assn. I belong to. I wasn't ignoring you. (I had invited her to join)

I had alot of property next to the stream wash away after Irene, one small bridge was damaged but the house and the big bridge held up fine. Some people in town weren't so lucky.

How are things by you?”

What should one say to that?
Well, you all know me…
I wrote back a short essay, well not really short more like a novella which was not at all brief relaying my understanding what she went through since I had been there not long ago myself, blah, blah, blah and of course I took her question about how are things as an opening to answer specifically everything that has happened since I last heard from her, not seven years ago since we have been in touch this year in fact only a few months ago I believe…

And ended with letting her know our thoughts are with her and her family.
But I did something bad… I let her know that after our horrendous experience with Hurricane Charley in 2004 that our cousins and our one son, number one and his then girlfriend and her friends and another friend of mine helped after we were devastated with the downed trees and house pieces cleanup. And that number two son never ever called and that Hubby’s sister just called to see if we were alive and then hung up, but no other NJ friends or relatives called to check on us, hmm…not totally true, a few did that we still hear from to this day, but I meant you know who… (Her) and then I told her that I had been wondering how they had faired and was honestly happy that it was not worse for them, but I felt it was none of my business to ask. AHAH bad me! Conflicting messages, hmm? The devil made me do it!

You see from the age of thirteen we had been through dating, weddings, births, deaths, sicknesses you name it and this was one of those times that should have been of concern by each of us, and so I foolishly waited to hear from her, while monitoring the news and hoping that she and her family were OK. It’s just as bad with Hubby’s Mom since his sister won’t talk to us and his Mom is unable due to her severe dementia… they live in Bucks County Pennsylvania but again the news is upfront and our only way of knowing what’s what…

To be honest it is good to know when someone is OK, but I felt so hurt that long ago time by two of the people I held in so much high regard that it cut through me like a knife with their seemingly lack of concern, our younger estranged son who she sided with when we had that falling out that caused all that heartache back then and still now… with our son not interested in changing any of this… we keep trying and selfishly that is one of the reasons I was hopeful to renew our friendship, since to my jealously they have continued to communicate, her with our estranged son!
It tears my heart out.
Sorry!

It’s in me to want to forgive them and I have in my heart, but who can ever forget that type of hurt?

On that not so positive note, of do as I say not as I do allow me to be the first to wish you a very happy good night and to ask you kindly to count all your blessings and to ask you to kindly to share those overages and we will too!

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

Change of topic...gotta its way too heavy and it’s not my brotha, HA!

SOUND OFF!
What did you do today?
I personally yelled a bit and got into some people’s faces, not literarily but via phone land line ways…Why, you ask?

A few weeks ago if you recall I went to Hubby’s doctor when told that the initial cost would be such and such, yes $100 which is high but not more than many others wanted to charge for a first visit. Then after the agreed upon amount would be $70 if I needed to follow-up in the future, only $10 more than I was paying to see a nurse at the Health Department so I felt it was a good deal in the long run and he is an M.D.

Today, the mail came with a few bills, phone, expected, but three medical bills too!
Two were for Hubby and he has insurance and has been paying his co-pays as he goes along, which he should do, and they have been as little as five bucks or as much as thirty dollars and so we felt that was good and done with! (Oops I used another preposition, oh my!)
Any-who, once his Cardiology bill was discussed, one of the bills, it was found out that they posted it to a different procedure that he thought was covered and this newer amount was for a totally different one that he thought he had paid for with the whole thirty dollars now they required thirty more bucks which is doable. His second medical bill was the hospital bill which they stated that they received payment when called its billing had overlapped with the insurance company’s payment and so it was not needed to be paid and the billing department was premature in sending it, see always check when not sure. Mine on the other hand was confusing to me since it also had the cardiologists name on it and I had NOT seen a cardiologist, but oddly enough it showed I had already paid one hundred dollars for a preliminary visit and the balance of $61 was due!

A light bulb went off with my quick temper right behind it!
The internal medicine doctor was working with the cardiologists now in the same building… and so I said to their billing department that the agreed upon amount was the one hundred that I already paid and I would not be willing to pay anymore since I would have never gone in the first place for $161! And so the woman said if that is what you were told then it’s OK! And that’s that, the moral of the story when in doubt, check it out!

I don’t really think I was that nasty but I also didn’t let them think I was stupid either.
Bookkeeping is a part of any good business acumen program and I had years of doing that by experience in the field for over thirty years, actually forty if you count doing your own home books!
You see, when we get older people on occasion some do take advantage of that fact with not always such good intentions and so when I was still among the youngins in my forties, about twenty years ago give or take a few years I had the privilege of working with seniors as a volunteer and discussing scams with them and not to be too trusting since their trusting nature seems to be at times a minor flaw when dealing with persons without scruples.

There appears to be an entire generation who feels that way, ordinarily that would be a good thing, but on occasion it is not and it is in those times that are worrisome.

I guess you could say I am at the age where some may try to do that to me.
And oddly enough when you are in a wheel chair, on a mobility scooter or have one blind eye you are more than susceptible to that way of thinking no matter how old you are. When some think your brain has gone the way of your physical being, but no not happening, not ever! I do hope, at least not yet…! HA!

On that positive glimmer of what I still am…allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and to ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all those overages and remember that when you can, you are still good and you, and we will too!

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

Too much to say and not enough words to say it with...

Sadly we cry inside and out, our hearts are heavy today as every year we need to remember our sorrow of this day of infamy on its tenth anniversary not unlike another that drove us to the same decisions and emotions on December 7. 1941.
Even us, who may have not been born yet, remember the meaning of what occurred on that fateful day and of course FDR’s speech that brought us to resolution of what could be done and how to do it.
Many great and heroic people have steered our land into what we needed to feel the power of our own freedom and safety once again and none should ever be forgotten.
Much like those who lost their lives on that day 9/11/01 they have traded our fear for freedom and hope and in response they too should be regarded in high esteem and so it has been part of our repetitive history of this nation sorrowfully time after time.
But who amongst us in this world when looking in their past has not realized the same or similar fate of all nations with people not respecting others?
When will we learn to come together and stop this hate!

Now in our twenty-first century we all should now know that it gets us nowhere to behave in such ways any longer… it frustrates me of the dignified age of half a century plus eleven.
Why must we have to be taught to be nice and loving and understanding and accepting of each other?
Am I the only one who knows why this all happens?
NO!
We all do know that most wars are fought because people will not accept others for who they are!
Over and over again we must learn to accept people and love our differences.
But I am hopeful that we are going to be better at this world love thingy, because we have to try since this is the only world we got!
Never ever forget what happened but don’t let it polarize you into hate without hope!

Do any of you recognize this? What it is?
It is a

, yes a slap band on Hubby’s wrist, my model, that 80% of the purchase price goes to the non-profit!
But for all of us to think about what it represents and this one in particular is actually for Saint Jude’s Hospital for their children’s cancer research center; it was purchased today at Chili’s restaurant where they have other items available too.
They have a lovely sign inside that let’s you know that they are willing to help your organization also, now that’s a great beginning for mankind! Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? Help each other?
YES!
So use those talents where they will do the most good and help someone in respect for what today really means, our world is shrinking and that we are all our neighbors so be kind to them!
Love, peace and caring be with you and yours!

And so with something to snack on in your fertile brains allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and to ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all those overages, since being alive is one, and we will too!

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

Bad day, had plans had to cancel...weird happenings...

Have you ever felt like each of your extremities had been freezing?
I know, sure we all have that if we lived in a northern climate and in fact I did live in the cold longer (New Jersey) than in this warmth in Florida…

You see, I was freezing so severely in my hands and feet with shivering and teeth chattering and all that that I had to put on socks and turn the air-conditioning all the way up and get in bed with three blankets covering me, crazy? Thankfully, Hubby was here to help with all that. While Skipper sat vigil on the bed with me, first across my pillow on my head then on my freezing feet, he instinctively seems to know when I am not right, although some may argue that’s all of the time….bud, dump, bum…

Hubby checked my vitals; and my blood pressure was within the normal range as well as my pulse… the only thing that was slightly off was my temperature it was up to 100.6 not too bad by any standards but worthy of monitoring due to the other nasty symptom.
The whole thing started when just about to sit down to eat lunch around noon and lasted for less than three hours, downright weird, hmm?

I thought perhaps I got stung of something since I am allergic to bee stings but no bees inside, but the reaction almost came across as an allergic reaction… Hubby did look up online by surfing what it could be, and it did say that it could be the beginnings of a viral or bacterial infection.

I reassured him that we have that prescription of Amoxicillin still that the doctor switched to the Z-pack that time, and so if an emergency arises we have that covered.
But no, after a while I got out of bed and Hubby made me some green tea and that is why I had to get out of bed, I spill everything if I try to drink or eat there; we have used our lap tray on the lounge chair in the living room for me there since it is easier for Hubby and the kitchen is adjacent to it. I felt well enough to ask for another tea.
It really did warm me from the inside out.

As I realized that Hubby was feeling the heat since according to our indoor thermometer it was now 84 degrees inside! And I still was wearing the three blankets and shivering a wee bit, but I slowly after downing the two teas experimented with removing one blanket at a time, in about half hour intervals.

And surprising after a while I began feel better and decided to finish my lunch, my temperature was going down, now at 99.9, and last taken right on target of 98.6 and so I put the thermometer away and wondered what had happened, really odd, huh?

Any-who here I sit hours later after eating dinner and barely feeling any remnants of the ills that were pretty close to a hospital admittance in fact Hubby had mentioned it, but I am OK now and I do hope that was just an aberration or some such thing, a fluke, who knows…Heaven knows I got enough going on normally with all my other stuff so who needs more, really?

And tomorrow Hubby and I will do what we were going to do today, maybe and I will report back here, all righty now… on this strange unexplained episode, tis the season coming up next month, huh?
Allow me to be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and to ask you to kindly count all your blessings and to share all those overages and we will too!

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