U.S. Health Care

It's odd but in the last 2 days I've gotten into deep conversations with complete strangers about the difference between the universal health care system in Canada versus the woefully pathetic health care system in the United States.

I consider myself a guest of the U.S. while I'm here and don't initiate my own opinions about their government. My own has more than it's fair share of idiots so who am I to cast aspersions.

A waitress spent a lot of time yesterday telling me how worried she is because she has no health care plan because it would cost her almost $400 per month to carry one.

Today I chatted with 2 senior ladies who, when hearing I was Canadian, immediately asked about our health care. I explained that, while it isn't perfect, it was a million times better than what most Americans have. They agreed that it was shameful for the United States to not have something similar to what we have in Canada. They're pinning their hopes on Barach Obama to bring in a better system.

Poor Obama. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders and if he can come through with even a portion of the miracles needed, he will go down in history as the best president ever.

I thought it was cute the way these 2 senior, white ladies spoke of Obama in such glowing terms. This is a certainly a different world than it was 50 years ago. I hope the beginning of color blindness will progress to full acceptance based on character with never a thought to skin color or nationality of origin.

Once the present financial crisis has been tended to I hope Obama dedicates some time to creating a decent health care system that will cover all Americans.

Where Did The Time Go?

Middle daughter, Cindy, turned 49 years old yesterday and I'm just now starting to realize that my little girls are piling on the years. Kim, the oldest, turned 50 last May and I had this niggling feeling that this would be a new era for all of us. My baby, Shelley, will be 45 in April but that still seems young to me.

So many years have passed since they were babies and it seems like several lifetimes ago. I was a different person then, still filled with naivete (is that really spelled right???) and believing old age was a million years away. It wasn't but it took an awfully long time to get here.

When I look back on all the events I can remember about my life I wonder how I could have fit them all in. So many momentous events. So many empty ones, too. I was mainly a stay-at-home Mom so my memories are more about the family and not about some business I spent my allotted hours in. In a way, that's a good thing.

I remember wishing my girls would hurry and grow up so they could do for themselves. I wasted a lot of precious time making those foolish wishes because their sweet childhood passed all too soon. I didn't make that mistake with my grandchildren and I tried to instill my newfound knowledge in my girls. I don't think they made the mistakes I did but they probably made their own. None of us are perfect or we'd be boring as hell, right?

My wishes for them now are that they enjoy each year they're allowed. There's no going back and it's a waste of time to look too far into the future so why not enjoy today?

Still...my babies are 44, 49, and 50. Where did the time go?

The Whammy

We play board or card games here in the park most evenings and I think I tend to win a lot...not often when the game is Bingo, though. Last night four of us went over to the darkened clubhouse (very rare but the huge Thanksgiving dinner we'd all consumed must have made people tired), lit the place up and spent the evening playing "31".

We play for nickles and mine are in a little black bag about the size of a blackjack (I think that's what they're called. It's something you wonk a person over the head with if you want to knock them out). Anyway, mine had gotten so full of my winnings that I had trouble tying it closed so I'd taken about $5 worth out to make room for new winnings. Of course I told my friends this and they vowed I wouldn't win any more.

They put the whammy on me. Picture this...an otherwise empty clubhouse with 4 ladies of advanced years sitting at a table. 3 of them are wiggling their fingers at the 4th (me) and sending "loser" vibes. Joann was even hissing as she wiggled. If anyone had looked in the window they would have thought we were holding Satanic rituals.

All their efforts failed and I went home with maybe $1 more than I'd gone there with. I tell them I win because I live a pure life but they don't believe me.

Anyway, we laughed all evening and that's what's really important.

Terrorist=Coward

I will never understand how a terrorist of any kind can see himself/herself as anything but a coward. Their power is either in numbers, in weapons, or in strength against helpless victims.

There is no honor in being a terrorist because they are quite simply cowards who are only able to inflict damage on someone weaker or unarmed. They don't bring honor to their cause or to their leaders by preying on innocent people.

We fear them because they are like rabid dogs but we have no respect for them. They are criminals who perform cowardly acts of violence in order to feel important. How pathetic a human being is that?

Whenever I hear of another terrorist attack I wonder if there is any hope for the human race. How can we continue to murder each other and not lose our humanity? Masked fanatics murder innocent bystanders, husbands murder their wives, mothers murder their children, a teenager murders a convenience store clerk, and the list goes on and on. What is happening to us?

Happy Thanksgiving

O.K., so the Canadian Thanksgiving was in October and this is the American Thanksgiving but so what. It's still a time to get together and be thankful for what we have.

I made a huge chicken pasta salad to take to our park dinner and it turned out terrible. The pasta was starchy tasting and no matter what I did I couldn't fix it. People who know me know how pitiful my pantry and fridge are so I had to be very creative in replacing the awful salad. There was no way I could inflict it on my neighbors.

I had a couple of large bags of navy beans that I use in making soup so I went on the internet to see if I could find a recipe for navy bean salad. Lo, and behold, I found a good one that would do.

I cooked navy beans all morning and added some vegetables to the mix. A couple of perfect tomatoes, cut up, was the royal touch and I now had a lovely and tasty salad to take to our dinner.

Unfortunately, I cooked too many navy beans and had to carry on and make a huge soup which I distributed into plastic containers and froze. I was beginning to feel like Suzy Homemaker!

Now I'm dressed and ready for our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, my salad is darned good and won't put me to shame, and I just have to pull the bottle of wine out of the fridge and go.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone no matter where they are!!

Preparing For Christmas

Here at the trailer I don't have much in the way of Christmas decorations. My little fibre optic tree will sit on the table at the front window and I'll put out either a red Xmas hand towel or a green one in the bathroom. I don't plan on putting anything Christmasy in the Florida room.

I bought a real cute metal sleigh at a yard sale last week and it sits on the patio table outside. This morning I wrapped a few books in red, green, or gold foil and put them in the sleigh along with a gold foil wrapped empty wine bottle. Then I stuck a big old red bow on the sleigh. This will be the final effort on my part to make my trailer look festive.

I do admire how many of the residents here go all out with Xmas lights and Xmas characters adorning their homes but I can't climb a ladder so there won't be any Xmas lights for me.

No matter. I love Christmas and all the hoopla that goes along with it. I love Christmas caroles sung by even the worst singer imaginable. I love the yummy turkey dinner and the unbelievable racket from our residents talking and laughing just before we're told to bow our heads in prayer before digging in to the feast we've prepared. I'm not religious but I always thank "whoever" or "whatever" for having brought me to this wonderful stage in my life. I feel blessed to be here among these good people.

The only thing missing will be my own family. They're all back home in the cold but they're together and will be enjoying their Christmas in the same way I'll enjoy mine. This is a trade-off for me. I realize I could easily fly back home for Chrstmas but I also know my children and grandchildren would have very little time to spare me because of their own busy lives. So I stay down here in the sunny south, miss them, but still manage to enjoy a different version of Christmas. And it's very nice, too!

The clubhouse will be beautifully decorated and all the tables set with individual items reflecting the people who have reserved them. Most will have Xmas tablecloths, candles, and some will have flowers. All will seat smiling seniors anticipating a wonderful dinner and loads of friendship.

Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving and it is almost as celebratory a dinner party as we have on Christmas. I'll enjoy that, too. We are very luckly retirees and we know it.

Effects of the Worsening Economy

Last year I was disturbed by the number of vacant and for sale houses I saw here in Florida but the recession hadn't caused me much personal damage. That all changed this fall.

The first serious damage occurred when my lone mutual fund lost close to half it's value. The banking official I deal with has been trying politely over the years to influence me to put more of my life savings into mutual funds than I felt comfortable with but I resisted, reasoning that I couldn't afford to take chances and preferred the guaranteed investment certificates with their lower interest return. It turned out that I made the right choice because the bulk of my investments are now safe.

Then the gas prices began falling and dragging our Canadian dollar right down with them. I'd never realized before that the Canadian dollar only rose so beautifully because gas prices had risen. It doesn't make sense to me but that's the way it is.

All of the Canadians wintering in my park are taking the falling dollar with a grain of salt. We have no choice in paying our rent with the devalued dollar but we can spend less money in other ways while we're here. As of yesterday the price of gas slipped to $1.89 per gallon so at least we're saving there. Groceries are a necessity but restaurants aren't. Shopping trips will happen less often, too, but there are an abundance of clearance stores down here which offer true bargains.

I saw some of the effects of less personnel just recently on the highway near my park. Numerous loads of garbage were dumped up the road last week and they sit there to this day. Road kill is causing a nasty distraction because it doesn't get cleaned up. Stores seem to be overstocked and understaffed. I'm sure this Christmas we'll find fewer presents under our trees. We've overindulged for so long that cutting back will make us feel like failures instead of sensible people.

Losing a job or home will be devastating but if you're lucky enough to keep both then cutting back on spending will be the first step in securing your future. I know the ripple effect of spending less will result in some people losing their jobs but what other choice do we have? Maybe the unions could accept pay cuts so that their fellow workers are able to hang on to their paychecks. Maybe company executives could stop spending money on frivolous things like company jets and horrifically expensive think tank vacations.

Recession or depression seems to have hit the whole world at the same time like a ton of bricks. It's a time we hoped we'd never see but it's here and we have to deal with it. My hopes are pinned on Barach Obama and his chosen directors to make the sane choices to save the rest of us from total disaster. It's an awful responsibility but I believe that the way the United States goes, so goes the world.

Because of the bailouts for insurance companies, banks, and even auto manufacturers, we have to assume that free enterprise is a thing of the past. And if there is no free enterprise then those companies have no right to lavish public tax dollars on themselves. People are rightfully angry with executives who beg for their money and then use it to party like billionaires and pay themselves million dollar salaries.

This will be a new world, at least for a while. We'll face reality, at least for a while, until the economy once more flourishes and fools us into thinking we'll always live high on the hog. But some of us will remember how quick it all can fall.

Efficient Park Owners

We have become a nation of low expectations, and with good cause. We consume greasy and vitaminless fast food because we're either too lazy or too busy to cook our own. We put up with poor service and poorly constructed merchandise because we think we have no choice. We pay outrageous prices for gas guzzling cars that fall apart within a few years. And the list goes on and on.

After that is said, you can only imagine how discombobulated the seniors are in our little Florida park. Since the new owners took over they haven't stopped primping and painting. My friend and I sat at the pool the other day in wonderment as we watched the new fence being installed and dozens of lush tropical plants and even full grown palm trees being planted. It's beginning to look like a tropical resort.

Under the old management, many of the residents were becoming so disillusioned that they considered selling their trailer and moving elsewhere but that has all changed. We're like kids at Disney World as we wander around in wide eyed amazement just shaking our heads at how quickly an efficient owner can transform our winter home.

The first and most important thing they did when they took over ownership was to kick out the drug dealers. Yes, they exist in any and every neighborhood and even in Florida senior parks. The stress level of the rest of the residents decreased immediately because even though we never saw or heard the drug dealers, they still brought in a nasty group of criminals late at night who wouldn't think twice about breaking into our homes. And most of these homes are left empty for at least 6 months of the year.

I've always loved this park, even in it's slightly shabby state, but it's like new life is being pumped into it and I'm so thrilled.

Bingo Luck

One of our good luck rituals at Bingo is to rub Donnie's belly. I think this started last year when we decided that Donnie won so often we could pass some of the luck over to us by rubbing his head. Then somehow we felt rubbing his belly would work even better. This makes no sense to a sane person but it seemed like a good idea at the time and it was fun. And Donnie liked it.

Donnie is very good natured about the whole thing and stands up to expose his tummy when he sees us coming. The humor of the situation has spread so now he's molested on a regular basis by other Bingo players who want to cash in on his luck.

His wife, Millie, told me we should all rub a little lower. I wonder what kind of luck she thinks we want? Anway, we have a lot of fun at Bingo just as we do at everything we do.

Sylvia won 3 times the other night after the "rub" so it works sometimes.

Poor Little Caylee Anthony

Little Caylee is the 3 year old who went missing in the spring and whose mother never reported her missing until the Gramma got suspicious.

There has been immense coverage of this case on T.V. and I've come away from the story with the feeling that I've never seen such a nasty bunch of characters as the ones involved in the case. I do have a bit of sympathy for the grandmother and grandfather because they're in no way involved in the child's disappearance but they have hindered the police investigation by refusing to believe their daughter might be the one responsible. They've usually appeared to be combative rather than helpful. Why would they need to hire a spokesman??

The usual sharks have insinuated themselves to take advantage and make some money off this tragic case. The mother is an unbelievably cold human being who has proven to be a consummate liar.

As we watch this case evolve on T.V. it seems like the only ones who really care that justice is served are the police officers who have worked so diligently despite having no co-operation from the Anthony family. It seems inevitable that little Calee is dead so she doesn't need anyone's help anymore but the person responsible for her death should be prosecuted and made to pay dearly for taking her young life.

Changing Your Attitude

I find human psychology fascinating and have a tendency to analyze everyone's behaviour, including my own.

For the past while I've been deeply agitated by certain events in my life and tried without much success to change my attitude about them. From past experiences, I've found that just looking at something from a different perspective can help you change how you feel about it.

A case in point is if you are frightened of bugs, then you have to reconsider how you look at those bugs. Can they harm you? Are they smaller than you (they better be or no amount of attitude adjustment will work)? I dislike centipedes terribly and used to have screaming terrors whenever I saw one until one day I decided to distribute cans of Raid throughout the house. I was then empowered to kill any centipede to come my way. Besides everyone being afraid I'm going to poison my own lungs, this helped me lose my fear of the little devils. I still don't like them but they don't rule my life.

And that is the golden rule. Never allow outside unpleasantries that really have no effect on your life make you crazy. Let go of things that don't concern you and just live and let live. This is not my attitude about bugs, though.

I hate being so cryptic but it's a personal matter that I've had to work my way through and I've done it. I choreographed my own attitude adjustment and I'm free!

Impatient With Computer Speed

Last summer I got my home computer connected to high speed cable and my impatience level dropped dramatically. Here at the trailer, I'm stuck with not only dial-up but also the dreaded AOL. My impatience level has soared to new highs.

Quite often I'll click on a page renewal and then go to the bathroom, make a coffee or even do a little housework before returning to the computer and hoping the page has loaded. It is very often that slow. Listing items to sell on Ebay has driven me to cursing like a sailor.

AOL is pathetic. If I'm on the computer for an hour you can bet my connection will be lost at least once. I suppose the ancient telephone lines in this park are partially to blame but I know there'll be no reprieve...ever! I just have to talk my blood pressure down and walk away for a few minutes. Then hope I'll see a new page on the computer when I return.

I know I'll be giddy with the sense of speed when I get back home in April to my high speed server. It's something to look forward to.

The Pregnant Man?

Remember when the world made a bit more sense? Remember when it was only a joke for us to consider a man giving birth? Maybe it still is.

The "man" who has already given birth and is expecting again is actually a woman who went through a sex change. I guess he kept his womb, though. He/she has had to remain on testosterone in order to keep his manly appearance in the past but carrying a fetus to birth meant he had to desist the artificial hormones. Nature has it's priorities.

The big question here is...how much emotional damage will these children suffer and will they be able to live a normal life? Why would a female hate her genetic sex so badly that she would change it and then revert back long enough to produce offspring?

I wish the best for him and his children but I worry that we can't keep fooling around with nature or it just might come back when least expected and bite us in the butt.

Florida...Squirrels!

I used to love the sound of squirrels running across my Florida trailer roof. It almost sounded like they were dancing up there. But after my summer from hell up north with attic squirrels, I can't stand the look or sound of them anywhere.

We have a few wild cats roaming the park and one, a beautiful orange tabby, has made it's home to the rear of my trailer. She/he loves to sun itself on my neighbor's picnic table and doesn't seem to mind when I get a little close, like when I'm hanging clothes on the clothesline.

The other night I heard a horrible fight between what I thought were 2 cats outside but this morning I discovered the loser in the fight...a dead and mutilated squirrel. I think it was the tabby cat that got it.

The carcass looked too gruesome to go near so I asked one of the maintenance men to remove it. They're always so willing to help anyone who asks.

I kind of feel bad for the squirrel but not very.

The Disappearing Man

Every pool day for the past 8 years I've walked up past Art's trailer. Art was a sweet, quiet, and unassuming elderly man who lived in a tiny trailer just at the head of my street in the park. He spent most days sitting at his picnic table and watching the world (our little world) go by. His trailer seemed to be the gathering spot for a lot of the old boys here but even in fairly large groups they weren't very noisy. I once heard them discussing nice, warm sweaters.

Art passed away this summer and his trailer sat empty and forlorn until today. His trailer was towed out of the park and the Florida room dismantled and carted away. The workmen raked his lot before they left and now there is no trace of Art.

Life goes on in the park and I'm sure the old boys will find another place to meet and gab but it's kind of disturbing to see how a man like Art can live so many years and then just disappear from sight and soon of mind. Are we really that disposable?

Art had a son who kept watch over him by sleeping on the floor beside his bed the night he died so he has, or had, people who loved him and will miss him more than his casual acquaintances here will. I'm so glad he wasn't alone when he passed away.

I was just a casual acquaintance to Art but I'll probably always remember his sweet smile and soft hello whenever I walked passed his trailer on my way to the pool.

He was a small part of my "moments" but I'll remember him with kindness.

New Pakr Owners

When I heard that our Florida park had been sold I felt a moment of panic, thinking it was bought by developers but it has turned out to be wonderful for us snowbirds.

My park is a terrific place to spend the winter. It used to be a campground so there are many mature trees and lots of winding roads which make it one of the prettiest RV parks I've ever seen. It goes without saying that the residents are exceptionally nice people and it's the many volunteers that make our everyday lives so much more interesting. The park owners provide the facilities, such as the clubhouse, but it's the volunteers who provide the activities.

The new owners seem to be making improvements we'd never dared hope for, though. We now have a park manager who actually manages! For a few years we had a resident drug dealer who, despite numerous complaints by the rest of us, was allowed to carry on operations. As soon as the new owners took over, he was evicted. That tells you an awful lot about the inefficient old manager, doesn't it?

There are new rules in place. Anyone buying into the park or becoming a full time resident must pass a police check. I can't tell you how comforting that is. We're mainly a park full of seniors who don't want to share our space with criminals so rules like this are very welcome.

There are also physical changes happening. The pool deck is being enlarged and new pool furniture ordered. Our front gate is being changed and enhanced with landscaping. Best of all is the fact that our new manager can be seen daily patrolling the park and doing the unthinkable...managing things!

Sometimes change is a positive thing and I think this is one of those times.

I'M GONNA BE A GREATGRAMMA!!!!!!!

My precious first born grandson phoned me today and told me that he and his wife are expecting their first child, MY GREATGRANDCHILD, some time in mid July. I'm beyond thrilled. I'm ecstatic!

It reminds me of how much I loved my own firstborn and had serious doubts that there could be any love left for my second child. Of course, there was and there also was just as much love left for my third daughter. When my first grandchild arrived the volume of love blossomed once more only to be added to with each additional grandchild. Love, like eternity, is limitless.

The difference with expecting a greatgrandchild is that I'm more aware of my age and know I won't be around to see this little babe mature into a grownup and produce offspring for me to shower love upon. In that case, I'm going to shower obscene amounts of love on this tiny miracle, this precious piece of my own eternity.

I wish I had the words to express the joy within me right now.

An Event To Be Proud Of

I watched the American elections last night and felt the thrill of pride and hope build up as the night went on. It was almost a foregone conclusion that Obama would win the presidency but there was also an underlying worry that something would prevent it.

I tried putting myself in the position of a black woman who has lived a lifetime of prejudice simply because of the color of her skin and thought how overwhelming it must be to see the day a black man would become president of the United States. There's really no way for me to simulate that experience but I can slightly imagine it.

Barach Obama has managed to instill hope in the majority of the population for a better future in the United States. He's made promises he'll need to keep in order to hang on to his following but I think he'll do it. He's young, brilliant, and clean. The few "dirty" aspects of his background that were made public weren't enough to scare us off...no-one expected a saint.

For the first time in many years the United States has created a president worth believing in and I hope so much that he doesn't disappoint us.

There was one point in the news coverage of the elections that concerned me, though. The announcer was giving statistics about the demographics of the voters and stated the percentage of people in various age groups who had voted for Obama. In what is supposed to be a private vote, how did they know how old the people were who voted for Obama or for McCain? I'm wondering!!!

Many of my friends here in the park are Americans who shared their personal choice of president with me. All I spoke to voted for McCain and each had the same fear of Obama. I hope his performance will help to allay those fears and that they'll be able to support their new president. We all fear change and this is a tremendous change in the destiny of the U.S. Let's hope it is for the good of the country. I think it is.

From the Back of the Bus

Today is election day in the United States and it very probably will be a momentous one. Barach Obama has a better than average chance of becoming the first black president and this is a stunning achievement in many ways.

I was born in 1940 and remember the racial turmoil of the 50's and 60's very clearly. I remember seeing newspaper articles showing the sit-ins and marches where black people had begun to strongly demand the basic rights that the rest of us took for granted. The right to attend "white only" schools and have a burger at a "white only" restaurant and the human right to sit anywhere they damned well chose on a bus instead of having to sit at the very back and not having to give up their seats to a white passenger. It's humilitating to think that these atrocities were perpetuated by my race in my lifetime.

In 50 short years the black race has gone from that type of inhumane treatment to having the general population of the country accepting a black man as suitable to be president of the United States. This is an example of not only the determination and success of the black race but also of the white race to rise above prejudice and cruelty. It's an achievement of the human race to have bettered itself.

Whether Obama wins the election or not, we've come a long way, baby!