Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Deer Sees Me
This is the sign that says you can feed the ducks on their property. The sign before that says "Do not feed the Wildlife", but I guess if the people on the private property want you to feed the ducks, you can. Just be sure to step on their property or you may get in trouble from a ranger.
Memories From The Sixties (Poem by Me)
I remember when...
I could finally where pants to school
No more frilly little dresses for me
It was easier to play on the monkey bars, too.
We finally acquired a
Big black and white TV
I cried for joy watching Lassie escape another dangerous situation
And I watched the Beatles appear
On the Ed Sullivan show
For the first time
With our country western listening dad yelling
“Oh no, hippie music.”
I got my first pair of go-go boots
And felt just like a movie star.
People said “Right On” and “Groovy”
And gave each other the Peace sign.
John F. Kennedy gave a speech in New York
And I couldn’t see it
So my dad lifted me high on his shoulders
Even though I didn’t know much about things political
I knew I was in the presence of a great man.
And I remember when
I wore my first P.O.W. bracelet
And hoped for war to end
Still hope for it to end today.
I could finally where pants to school
No more frilly little dresses for me
It was easier to play on the monkey bars, too.
We finally acquired a
Big black and white TV
I cried for joy watching Lassie escape another dangerous situation
And I watched the Beatles appear
On the Ed Sullivan show
For the first time
With our country western listening dad yelling
“Oh no, hippie music.”
I got my first pair of go-go boots
And felt just like a movie star.
People said “Right On” and “Groovy”
And gave each other the Peace sign.
John F. Kennedy gave a speech in New York
And I couldn’t see it
So my dad lifted me high on his shoulders
Even though I didn’t know much about things political
I knew I was in the presence of a great man.
And I remember when
I wore my first P.O.W. bracelet
And hoped for war to end
Still hope for it to end today.
Cast Out Labels (Poem by Me)
We label this as good and that as bad
This is happy and that is sad
This is dignified and this is shameful
They are disabled and they are able.
We label some moral and some not so
We think some are smart and some don’t know
They follow the right way and they follow the wrong way
I think it’s better if we don’t let labels have a say.
This is happy and that is sad
This is dignified and this is shameful
They are disabled and they are able.
We label some moral and some not so
We think some are smart and some don’t know
They follow the right way and they follow the wrong way
I think it’s better if we don’t let labels have a say.
A Stay At Home Mom Was I (Poem by Me)
What can I tell you
About the life I’ve lived
Will I impress you
With all the things I did?
It may not mean a lot to you
But my life has meant lots to me
The greatest two days of my life
Was the births of he and she.
Since the days my kids were born
Little boy and little girl
I haven’t worried much about me
I was absorbed with him and her.
Spent days in the kitchen
Cooking up lots of stuff
Spent time playing
Never really cleaned enough.
Never got the cobwebs
Dust seemed to be everywhere
But boy did we have fun
Which was beyond compare.
Watching those Disney movies
Ordering a pizza or two
Playing with our pets
Saying “I love you.”
I wouldn’t change a thing
About how my life was lived
Because the best thing of all
Was doing what I did.
Being a mom of two
Watching them both grow
Has brought me so much happiness
More than anyone will ever know.
A stay-at-home mom was I
Not a fancy title did I have
But I have memories I will treasure forever
Of the best life I could have ever had.
About the life I’ve lived
Will I impress you
With all the things I did?
It may not mean a lot to you
But my life has meant lots to me
The greatest two days of my life
Was the births of he and she.
Since the days my kids were born
Little boy and little girl
I haven’t worried much about me
I was absorbed with him and her.
Spent days in the kitchen
Cooking up lots of stuff
Spent time playing
Never really cleaned enough.
Never got the cobwebs
Dust seemed to be everywhere
But boy did we have fun
Which was beyond compare.
Watching those Disney movies
Ordering a pizza or two
Playing with our pets
Saying “I love you.”
I wouldn’t change a thing
About how my life was lived
Because the best thing of all
Was doing what I did.
Being a mom of two
Watching them both grow
Has brought me so much happiness
More than anyone will ever know.
A stay-at-home mom was I
Not a fancy title did I have
But I have memories I will treasure forever
Of the best life I could have ever had.
No Cook Vegetarian Lunch
For lunch I had a piece of bbq tofu, two brown rice seaweed rice cakes, a piece of vegetarian cheddar cheese slice, a few green olives and a handful of carob chips. You may be thinking "Oh no, not that stuff!" but it all actually was good tasting and was about 485 for the calories.
Any Good Toilets Out There Anywhere?
I have lived in America all my life. Can't remember ever having a decent toilet. They all needed plunging almost all the time. Can they make a decent toilet?
What Happens To Boots After One Rainy Season Of Walking
These are my black suede boots after one rainy season walking in Northern California. Yes, this is the way boots wind up looking when you don't own a car. Kind of makes me feel good I put that many miles on them in one season.
The Strength Mom Had
Just wanted to tell you a bit about my mom. She really was strong. She graduated from Ohio State University and was a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing kids. She was a good teacher, but didn't always find work in her field of study. Back in the 60's she left my dad (due to his drinking and abuse) and loaded up four of us kids in a station wagon and drove us from Buffalo, NY to Miami Beach. She hired a babysitter and took a job modeling swim suits by the hotel pools as there were no teaching jobs available at the time.
She met a guy and they had a baby together and he wanted to marry her. He showed her a house he wanted to move in with her and him, the new baby and us four kids. A few days after that, she loaded five of us kids in the car and off to Los Angeles we went. She said "I'll be darned if I will ever have you kids living in a shack like that. If he thinks that little of me and you kids, forget him."
Another 3 day trip to L.A. with her taking naps at drive in movie theaters to save on motel costs. She hired babysitters and took jobs being a substitute teacher, working in the girls part of a Juvenille Hall, and other various jobs.
She married my step dad when I was ten. He was bad news all the way around. He was in the war and had untreated PTSD which made him act out in angry ways to us all particularly my mom. She was a battered wife and we were battered kids - some of us physically and all of us emotionally. Eight years later she finally left him.
She took jobs as a real estate agent, office worker for the government, jewelry sales and held yard sales and took things to sell at swap meets. After us kids were out and on our own, she also sold oil paintings. She rented 3 room houses and rented out two of the rooms for college students to make money for herself. She was very resourceful.
She knew how to make it in this world no matter what. She did suffer battered wives syndrome and that is why I believe she didn't leave my abusive step dad. Thank goodness he is the one who decided to leave her. He left her for a younger woman and my mom was saddened tremendously by that, but she was so much better off without him. She did meet one other man and married him, but had the marriage annulled and left him quickly when she knew he was abusive, too. It took strength for her to leave him and not fall back into having an abusive man in her life.
My mom went many times without food so we could eat. I would say "Aren't you going to serve a plate for yourself?" "Oh, I already ate honey," she would reply. I knew it was untrue as I was in the kitchen the whole time helping her prepare our meal. My mom had to do lots of things that required strength and courage. Leaving men that were no good for her required that strength. I heard her say a few times about the men in her life "Honey, do as I say about men, not as I do. Don't get yourself mixed up with a man who doesn't truly love and respect you." Well, I wound up in an abusive marriage myself, and after ten years in that relationship, I finally left. My ex is much nicer now to the kids and is respectful of me now that we are not together anymore.
Anyway, it takes strength and courage to leave abusive situations. I understand my mom's situation a bit more since I was in a similar situation myself when I married. I could see how tough it was to leave an abusive man when you had no money or job available. But my mom eventually got out and did much better on her own. That gave me the strength to leave my bad situation, too.
My mom had to put up with many tough things in life. At times she had to go on welfare because we didn't have much money and no teaching jobs were available. My mom had Teaching Credentials and yet no work was to be found and here she was getting welfare and putting up with often mean social workers. She cried lots of the time, but she still managed to always have food on the table. When we got older we managed to get jobs and help out with the money situation, too.
Just doing laundry with five kids was a test of endurance for my mom. Anyway, there is much more to my mom and I hope to write some more soon here. It can get a bit emotional thinking on this things. I just wanted to acknowledge the strength my mom had and the courage she had, has been a good model for me when I need that same strength and courage. I want to focus more on the good things my mom did than focus on the negative stuff. I guess that happens when you are in middle age. You can look back and see things much differently. Thanks for reading this. If you want to share some of your mom's strengths, feel free to do so in the comments section.
She met a guy and they had a baby together and he wanted to marry her. He showed her a house he wanted to move in with her and him, the new baby and us four kids. A few days after that, she loaded five of us kids in the car and off to Los Angeles we went. She said "I'll be darned if I will ever have you kids living in a shack like that. If he thinks that little of me and you kids, forget him."
Another 3 day trip to L.A. with her taking naps at drive in movie theaters to save on motel costs. She hired babysitters and took jobs being a substitute teacher, working in the girls part of a Juvenille Hall, and other various jobs.
She married my step dad when I was ten. He was bad news all the way around. He was in the war and had untreated PTSD which made him act out in angry ways to us all particularly my mom. She was a battered wife and we were battered kids - some of us physically and all of us emotionally. Eight years later she finally left him.
She took jobs as a real estate agent, office worker for the government, jewelry sales and held yard sales and took things to sell at swap meets. After us kids were out and on our own, she also sold oil paintings. She rented 3 room houses and rented out two of the rooms for college students to make money for herself. She was very resourceful.
She knew how to make it in this world no matter what. She did suffer battered wives syndrome and that is why I believe she didn't leave my abusive step dad. Thank goodness he is the one who decided to leave her. He left her for a younger woman and my mom was saddened tremendously by that, but she was so much better off without him. She did meet one other man and married him, but had the marriage annulled and left him quickly when she knew he was abusive, too. It took strength for her to leave him and not fall back into having an abusive man in her life.
My mom went many times without food so we could eat. I would say "Aren't you going to serve a plate for yourself?" "Oh, I already ate honey," she would reply. I knew it was untrue as I was in the kitchen the whole time helping her prepare our meal. My mom had to do lots of things that required strength and courage. Leaving men that were no good for her required that strength. I heard her say a few times about the men in her life "Honey, do as I say about men, not as I do. Don't get yourself mixed up with a man who doesn't truly love and respect you." Well, I wound up in an abusive marriage myself, and after ten years in that relationship, I finally left. My ex is much nicer now to the kids and is respectful of me now that we are not together anymore.
Anyway, it takes strength and courage to leave abusive situations. I understand my mom's situation a bit more since I was in a similar situation myself when I married. I could see how tough it was to leave an abusive man when you had no money or job available. But my mom eventually got out and did much better on her own. That gave me the strength to leave my bad situation, too.
My mom had to put up with many tough things in life. At times she had to go on welfare because we didn't have much money and no teaching jobs were available. My mom had Teaching Credentials and yet no work was to be found and here she was getting welfare and putting up with often mean social workers. She cried lots of the time, but she still managed to always have food on the table. When we got older we managed to get jobs and help out with the money situation, too.
Just doing laundry with five kids was a test of endurance for my mom. Anyway, there is much more to my mom and I hope to write some more soon here. It can get a bit emotional thinking on this things. I just wanted to acknowledge the strength my mom had and the courage she had, has been a good model for me when I need that same strength and courage. I want to focus more on the good things my mom did than focus on the negative stuff. I guess that happens when you are in middle age. You can look back and see things much differently. Thanks for reading this. If you want to share some of your mom's strengths, feel free to do so in the comments section.
Mom's Sayings For Better Or For Worse
With friends like these, who needs enemies.
Life's too short so why should you aggravate yourself.
There's plenty of fish in the sea.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
To each his own.
If I ever get that messed up, shoot me will ya'?
Quit running around like a chicken with their head cut off.
I don't want to hear another peep out of you. (Of course we said "peep" silently and she would start laughing sometimes and other times you knew not to say "peep" by the way she looked at you.)
If looks could kill.
Waste not want not.
Oh just pick it up and dust it off. You can still eat it. You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die anyhow.
That fruit is still good, just cut off the bad part.
You can do it. You are my daughter aren't you? You can do anything you put your mind to.
Don't go worrying your pretty little head about it.
This is my beautiful daughter. (As if that was my only worth?)
Marry well honey. If that is all you do in life you will have it made. (LOL, on that one.)
So what are some your Mom's sayings? (for better or for worse)
Life's too short so why should you aggravate yourself.
There's plenty of fish in the sea.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
To each his own.
If I ever get that messed up, shoot me will ya'?
Quit running around like a chicken with their head cut off.
I don't want to hear another peep out of you. (Of course we said "peep" silently and she would start laughing sometimes and other times you knew not to say "peep" by the way she looked at you.)
If looks could kill.
Waste not want not.
Oh just pick it up and dust it off. You can still eat it. You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die anyhow.
That fruit is still good, just cut off the bad part.
You can do it. You are my daughter aren't you? You can do anything you put your mind to.
Don't go worrying your pretty little head about it.
This is my beautiful daughter. (As if that was my only worth?)
Marry well honey. If that is all you do in life you will have it made. (LOL, on that one.)
So what are some your Mom's sayings? (for better or for worse)
Meet Me In St. Louis - Judy Garland Singing
I used to watch old time movies with my mom. I loved this one. I still will rent old time movies and somehow just feel calmed by them. I think with all the other serious stuff going on in the world sometimes it is nice to just sit down to a good old musical from years back.
My Cat Begging For People Food
My cat has this real expensive cat food he eats. He is very healthy and fed new food and water daily. He still has an obsession with the refrigerator. Here he is sitting in the chair next to the fridge totally begging with his wide open eyes. He has to watch his weight, so we try not to give in to his begging. He learned the art of begging from our two dachshunds he was raised with when he was a kitten. He reminds me of this famous cat if you want to take a look at this:
http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS274&q=puss+n+boots+shrek+photo&btnG=Google+Search
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
B B King at Ventura Theater
I was lucky to see B B King in concert in Ventura, California years ago. I got a B B King pin, too. My younger brother took me there and got the guitar pin for me from B B King. Wish I had that pin today. Got lost in the shuffle somewhere, but I still have the good memories of the concert. Nothing like his concert. He sure can sing and that guitar picking of his is amazing. Glad to have these good memories.
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