Friday, January 30, 2015
2015 3W Park Parade
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Welfare and Food Stamps
I thank my lucky stars that I've never been so down and out that I needed welfare but know of so many instances of abuse of welfare that it's often hard to accept that some people really do need it.
I was returning a top at Walmart today and the clerks were having a difficult time with a customer returning food items such as bread and some other things that I could see could be opened and then closed. The lady was well dressed and adamant that she'd paid cash for some of her items...she had a receipt. The confusion seemed to be that her receipt showed they'd been paid for with food stamps. I don't know how all this ended because I finished my transaction and left.
I did ask the clerk what happens to returned food items such as bread and she said they'd be thrown in the trash. Thank heavens! But, what a waste! Why take them back in the first place??
We don't have food stamps in Canada so I don't know anything about them other than they can be abused just as easily as money given to some welfare recipients. It's so sad to see welfare money given to people who shouldn't get it because there are many people who desperately need it and don't get enough. Welfare offices just don't have sufficient staff to determine who shouldn't get benefits. Our governments don't seem to realize that just one employee could save us more money than it costs to employ them.
I watched the clerks dealing with this particular lady today and saw the dislike on their faces. Working people deeply resent working 40 hours per week only to have some of their salary deducted and handed over to those who won't work. We see so much abuse of the system that it's often difficult to tell who is needy and who is greedy.
Was this lady abusing the system? Probably...but maybe not.
I was returning a top at Walmart today and the clerks were having a difficult time with a customer returning food items such as bread and some other things that I could see could be opened and then closed. The lady was well dressed and adamant that she'd paid cash for some of her items...she had a receipt. The confusion seemed to be that her receipt showed they'd been paid for with food stamps. I don't know how all this ended because I finished my transaction and left.
I did ask the clerk what happens to returned food items such as bread and she said they'd be thrown in the trash. Thank heavens! But, what a waste! Why take them back in the first place??
We don't have food stamps in Canada so I don't know anything about them other than they can be abused just as easily as money given to some welfare recipients. It's so sad to see welfare money given to people who shouldn't get it because there are many people who desperately need it and don't get enough. Welfare offices just don't have sufficient staff to determine who shouldn't get benefits. Our governments don't seem to realize that just one employee could save us more money than it costs to employ them.
I watched the clerks dealing with this particular lady today and saw the dislike on their faces. Working people deeply resent working 40 hours per week only to have some of their salary deducted and handed over to those who won't work. We see so much abuse of the system that it's often difficult to tell who is needy and who is greedy.
Was this lady abusing the system? Probably...but maybe not.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Injustice at Mac's Milk in Hamilton Ontario
A 52 year old man worked 10 years night shift at a Mac's Milk in Hamilton. I just read that this man was robbed while working and handed over the money to the robber as he was supposed to do. As the drunken thief got to the door, he fell and the Mac's employee decided it was safe to hold him down until police arrived. He saved his employer quite a bit of money and was fired for his effort!
Why, you might ask? Well, he apparently signed a contract 10 years ago saying he would not attempt to intervene in any store robbery. Now, I agree he shouldn't have done so but only for his own safety, but to fire this man??? The owners of Mac's Milk should be ashamed of themselves. They had a darned good employee for 10 years and they tossed him out when he tried to save them money.
I hope they lose customers who understand the unfairness of Mac's Milk actions. I also hope the fired employee is hired immediately by someone who appreciates his integrity.
I'm a little sensitive to the topic of good employees having just had an uncomfortable incident at Walmart where the cashier could have been a bit more polite. We were left wondering how much training some of these service people get in showing plain courtesy to the paying public. I usually praise Walmart people but maybe it's time for every store to give their employees a crash course in courtesy.
Anyway, a polite employee will be instrumental in drawing customers back to their store. A surly employee will chase them away. Simple logic!
Why, you might ask? Well, he apparently signed a contract 10 years ago saying he would not attempt to intervene in any store robbery. Now, I agree he shouldn't have done so but only for his own safety, but to fire this man??? The owners of Mac's Milk should be ashamed of themselves. They had a darned good employee for 10 years and they tossed him out when he tried to save them money.
I hope they lose customers who understand the unfairness of Mac's Milk actions. I also hope the fired employee is hired immediately by someone who appreciates his integrity.
I'm a little sensitive to the topic of good employees having just had an uncomfortable incident at Walmart where the cashier could have been a bit more polite. We were left wondering how much training some of these service people get in showing plain courtesy to the paying public. I usually praise Walmart people but maybe it's time for every store to give their employees a crash course in courtesy.
Anyway, a polite employee will be instrumental in drawing customers back to their store. A surly employee will chase them away. Simple logic!
Snow
When I'm in Florida and the north is being bombarded by snowstorms, I feel so fortunate to be where I am. It's cool here, too, and the furnace was on last night but there's not a single snowflake on the ground. Also, the sun is shining brightly in a perfect blue sky!
I did follow the storm warnings on the news, though, and hoped my own family back home wouldn't be snowbound. Today, they're slamming New York's mayor for closing the city and highways because the snow storm didn't amount to as much as expected. Now, what if it had and the mayor hadn't closed the city and highways? What if people got stuck in their cars and died from exposure? He did the right thing no matter what anyone says.
Fresh snow can be beautiful to look at but I just don't like the cold that brings it. Two day old dirty snow piles are not beautiful, though, and they last longer than the snowstorm.
When I was a little girl, I made an igloo out of one of those piles of snow at the side of the road and was inside when it caved in. No-one knew where I was but I was lucky enough to dig myself out. Otherwise, there would be no Kim, Cindy, Shelley, Nick, Matt, Tyson, Kyle, Aeron, Lisette, Nicole, Jake, Nolan, or Nash....so far! It's interesting how the whole world can be changed by the loss of one person.
Little Patsy is still alive and kicking as of 8:15 A.M. this Wednesday morning.
I did follow the storm warnings on the news, though, and hoped my own family back home wouldn't be snowbound. Today, they're slamming New York's mayor for closing the city and highways because the snow storm didn't amount to as much as expected. Now, what if it had and the mayor hadn't closed the city and highways? What if people got stuck in their cars and died from exposure? He did the right thing no matter what anyone says.
Fresh snow can be beautiful to look at but I just don't like the cold that brings it. Two day old dirty snow piles are not beautiful, though, and they last longer than the snowstorm.
When I was a little girl, I made an igloo out of one of those piles of snow at the side of the road and was inside when it caved in. No-one knew where I was but I was lucky enough to dig myself out. Otherwise, there would be no Kim, Cindy, Shelley, Nick, Matt, Tyson, Kyle, Aeron, Lisette, Nicole, Jake, Nolan, or Nash....so far! It's interesting how the whole world can be changed by the loss of one person.
Little Patsy is still alive and kicking as of 8:15 A.M. this Wednesday morning.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Good News/Bad News
The good news is that I'm meeting Shelley and Nicole for lunch. The bad news is that Shelley is bringing Winnie over for Nicole to puppysit. I have to assume she loves Nicole more than me. Sigh!
And my Matt phoned me this morning just to see how I was and to tell me his plans for driving down in March. I adore him! And I adore his Kelly, too, and hope this is a permanent relationship for them. Kelley is a teaching assistant and it's funny because we used to joke years ago that we'd like a teacher to "adopt" Matt when he grew up. Apparently our hopes and dreams have come true!
And my Matt phoned me this morning just to see how I was and to tell me his plans for driving down in March. I adore him! And I adore his Kelly, too, and hope this is a permanent relationship for them. Kelley is a teaching assistant and it's funny because we used to joke years ago that we'd like a teacher to "adopt" Matt when he grew up. Apparently our hopes and dreams have come true!
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Our Falling Dollar
It's incomprehensible to me that our Canadian dollar has dropped so far from the U.S. dollar in the last year. I believe Canada is in better shape financially than the U.S. so why does it now cost (today) more than $1.27 to buy a U.S. dollar?? Canadians here in the park are leaving or planning to leave for good because this adds dramatically to our cost of being in the States and there comes a point when it's just not worth it to spend our winters here. Damn!
Pretty well all of us Canadians are on fixed income pensions so we can't roll with a 27% increase in lot rent, groceries, and entertainment. Granted, gas, clothes, and restaurant meals cost us less than in Canada so there is a trade off that we have to consider. Cold, snowy Canada versus warm, sunny Florida is a big consideration, too.
There really does come a time when it just doesn't pay for us to leave Canada and I'm fearful it will be that falling dollar that puts the cost out of range for most of us.
Pretty well all of us Canadians are on fixed income pensions so we can't roll with a 27% increase in lot rent, groceries, and entertainment. Granted, gas, clothes, and restaurant meals cost us less than in Canada so there is a trade off that we have to consider. Cold, snowy Canada versus warm, sunny Florida is a big consideration, too.
There really does come a time when it just doesn't pay for us to leave Canada and I'm fearful it will be that falling dollar that puts the cost out of range for most of us.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
How Can I Be So Busy??
I don't know what I've been doing lately but, whatever it was, it kept me awfully busy. One good thing is that my cold is gone, gone, gone but the plugged ear isn't. Shelley took a look in my ear, told me there was no wax in there at all and said to use Claritin for a couple of weeks. I started it the other day and my ear is actually slowly unclogging. Wonder if that's a real word???
Yesterday our Red Hat ladies went to Sweet Tomatoes for a yummy lunch...we do this once a month. This morning our Swedish weaving ladies met and yakked along with working. Then Sylvia and I went out for lunch and a bit of shopping. I bought a new pair of shoes that I don't need but just love.
Tonight we're having a yummy potato bar at the clubhouse (my favorite meal there) and then a nice bunch of ladies will gather to play cards for the evening. I'm running out of clean clothes but I just have no time to do laundry until Sunday! See, busy, busy, busy!
It's such a different life here in Florida with lots of social activities that I don't get at home so I'll enjoy them as long as I can. Laundry can wait.
Yesterday our Red Hat ladies went to Sweet Tomatoes for a yummy lunch...we do this once a month. This morning our Swedish weaving ladies met and yakked along with working. Then Sylvia and I went out for lunch and a bit of shopping. I bought a new pair of shoes that I don't need but just love.
Tonight we're having a yummy potato bar at the clubhouse (my favorite meal there) and then a nice bunch of ladies will gather to play cards for the evening. I'm running out of clean clothes but I just have no time to do laundry until Sunday! See, busy, busy, busy!
It's such a different life here in Florida with lots of social activities that I don't get at home so I'll enjoy them as long as I can. Laundry can wait.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Nothing Too Important
It seems like I'm more impressed by little incidences these days, ones I haven't experienced before. Today, I saw something that both tickled me and awed me.
I was driving back from taking a bunch of stuff to the Salvation Army and was stopped at a stoplight right next to a bus stop where a Hasidic Jew (I hope I wrote that correctly) sat waiting for the bus. All of a sudden he started waving his hands as though being attacked by a bee or wasp and just as suddenly he stopped and quickly pressed his hands together in prayer. I know nothing of the Jewish religion but I assume he was asking forgiveness for hurting one of god's creatures. He might also be giving thanks he wasn't stung. How precious.
This is one of the reasons I want to take a course in world religions because each one has their own unique and interesting rituals. After thinking how cute his actions were, I then thought how brainwashed he was. Then my thoughts slipped into how maybe I'm the one who is blind or brainwashed because I have no religion to fall back on.
Life is full of questions.
I was driving back from taking a bunch of stuff to the Salvation Army and was stopped at a stoplight right next to a bus stop where a Hasidic Jew (I hope I wrote that correctly) sat waiting for the bus. All of a sudden he started waving his hands as though being attacked by a bee or wasp and just as suddenly he stopped and quickly pressed his hands together in prayer. I know nothing of the Jewish religion but I assume he was asking forgiveness for hurting one of god's creatures. He might also be giving thanks he wasn't stung. How precious.
This is one of the reasons I want to take a course in world religions because each one has their own unique and interesting rituals. After thinking how cute his actions were, I then thought how brainwashed he was. Then my thoughts slipped into how maybe I'm the one who is blind or brainwashed because I have no religion to fall back on.
Life is full of questions.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Life's Losses
I got a late start with my Ebay selling this year because I didn't get to Florida until early December. Sales for me have been slow but this might be the first year I've had so much to sell... books and sewing trim. I'm seriously thinking of giving up yard saleing with the main reason being our dropping dollar and my limited Florida winters in the future. One more harmless passion coming to an end!!
Ebaying is something I could do without and not suffer withdrawal, though. As we age, we seem to drop activities along the way for different reasons and it helps if it's not an activity we live for. The hardest things to let go of are family and friends. Some pass away and some move away and there's nothing we can do about it...it's the circle of life.
When a child's best friend moves away or their favorite pet bites the dust, they are so obvious in their sorrow that it attracts comfort from everyone. When this happens to an adult, whose heart is just as broken, it's expected that the adult be stoic and not need consoling. But we do need understanding that our loss is taking a toll on us. Underneath, we are still wailing children.
I won't suffer any mental damage from the loss of Ebay, but I'm already hurting inside for future, more imminent losses that are far more important in my life. I've often thought how lonely life must be for the centenarians whose friends and family have passed on while they live on. I'm always harping on how the most important possessions anyone can have are family and good friends but I realize my own family doesn't need that reminder. They already understand that and live it. Our children and grandchildren, and even greatgrandchildren, are friends as well as relatives. This makes me sooooo happy!
The nastiness on the news has been getting me down lately and it helps to know how much love and caring there is in my own family. It helps to know that most people are good and kind and not full of hatred. It helps to have friends who have your back.
Good, I feel better now.
Ebaying is something I could do without and not suffer withdrawal, though. As we age, we seem to drop activities along the way for different reasons and it helps if it's not an activity we live for. The hardest things to let go of are family and friends. Some pass away and some move away and there's nothing we can do about it...it's the circle of life.
When a child's best friend moves away or their favorite pet bites the dust, they are so obvious in their sorrow that it attracts comfort from everyone. When this happens to an adult, whose heart is just as broken, it's expected that the adult be stoic and not need consoling. But we do need understanding that our loss is taking a toll on us. Underneath, we are still wailing children.
I won't suffer any mental damage from the loss of Ebay, but I'm already hurting inside for future, more imminent losses that are far more important in my life. I've often thought how lonely life must be for the centenarians whose friends and family have passed on while they live on. I'm always harping on how the most important possessions anyone can have are family and good friends but I realize my own family doesn't need that reminder. They already understand that and live it. Our children and grandchildren, and even greatgrandchildren, are friends as well as relatives. This makes me sooooo happy!
The nastiness on the news has been getting me down lately and it helps to know how much love and caring there is in my own family. It helps to know that most people are good and kind and not full of hatred. It helps to have friends who have your back.
Good, I feel better now.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Canadian Snowbirds Forced To Pay U.S. Income Tax??
I just heard about this rather ludicrous idea but I'm not laughing. A lot of ludicrous ideas become fact. The gist of it seems to be that, if a Canadian snowbird spends part of the winter in the U.S. (as we do), they will have to submit and pay income tax to the United States for that period of time as well as pay their regular Canadian income tax. Sounds crazy? I know of someone that actually happened to but he's an American living in Canada.
He didn't have a problem until H&R Block gave him poor advice. All of his income comes from the States and that's where he pays his income tax. H&R Block was doing his wife's Canadian income tax return and told him he should fill one out to receive some of our benefits. He did...and the next thing he knew, Canada Revenue charged him over $7,000 income tax on his U.S. pension money. He's been fighting for many years to get it back but every government employee he talks to tells him a different story.
So I can see the U.S. shitting on us snowbirds!!
If this all comes to fruition, Canadians will stop spending their winters in the southern states and Florida, especially, will become a desert wasteland with millions of service people out of work, home foreclosures up the ying yang, and the small core of permanent RV park residents with no-where to live.
On the other hand, Canadian snowbirds will either freeze to death or find a more hospitable winter home...maybe Mexico. Not me, though. I'll just stay home and spend most of the week playing at the senior center and making new friends.
Why do all good and fun things have to be ruined by a greedy beaurocrat who doesn't understand the ramifications of his/her stupid idea?
He didn't have a problem until H&R Block gave him poor advice. All of his income comes from the States and that's where he pays his income tax. H&R Block was doing his wife's Canadian income tax return and told him he should fill one out to receive some of our benefits. He did...and the next thing he knew, Canada Revenue charged him over $7,000 income tax on his U.S. pension money. He's been fighting for many years to get it back but every government employee he talks to tells him a different story.
So I can see the U.S. shitting on us snowbirds!!
If this all comes to fruition, Canadians will stop spending their winters in the southern states and Florida, especially, will become a desert wasteland with millions of service people out of work, home foreclosures up the ying yang, and the small core of permanent RV park residents with no-where to live.
On the other hand, Canadian snowbirds will either freeze to death or find a more hospitable winter home...maybe Mexico. Not me, though. I'll just stay home and spend most of the week playing at the senior center and making new friends.
Why do all good and fun things have to be ruined by a greedy beaurocrat who doesn't understand the ramifications of his/her stupid idea?
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
I Just Might Live
The human body is really an amazing thing...it almost makes me think there might be a creator. I rarely get sick but this cold I caught has been wicked and there were times I wondered if my poor old body was capable of overcoming it. Just a few days ago, I hit bottom and even wondered if I should head home but, by staying home and resting, I've gotten it 95% beat. My tummy muscles are thankful, too. I'm still waiting to see if I can have the antibiotic prescription filled without seeing the quack doctor first and I will use the prescription if I get it. I want to knock this bug out for good! But today I feel pretty darned healthy and that's a blessing.
I've been couchbound and watching a lot of T.V. which included newscasts of unbearable cruelty in this world. At times, it became too much for me and I had to turn it off. It's scary to see the horrors of what some human beings are capable of. But then we also see the good side...the best that we can be...and that gives me hope.
I'm always most horrified by cruelty against children, those too tender and too helpless to fend for themselves. This week, a father threw his 5 year old daughter into a river where she drowned and I cringed at the senselessness of it. A police officer tried in vain to save the little girl and I know he'll be haunted by his inability to do so. The father's inhumane act makes no sense at all but the police officer's frantic attempt to save the child is what most of us would do and that's where our saving grace comes from. We were created to help, not hurt, one another. The savage among us are aberrations and not normal.
There were the terrorist killings in France that were so upsetting but then, an amazing a beautiful thing happened. The people, not only the French, gathered together and marched by the thousands in unity against terrorism. Good Muslims joined in with them and denounced the small, murderous terrorists who use the Muslim religion as their excuse for their actions. It was a beautiful example of good against evil and so easy to see how outnumbered the evil doers are.
Well, I found out my prescription is ready for pick-up so I'm on my way out into the world, hoping only to meet up with the good in it.
I've been couchbound and watching a lot of T.V. which included newscasts of unbearable cruelty in this world. At times, it became too much for me and I had to turn it off. It's scary to see the horrors of what some human beings are capable of. But then we also see the good side...the best that we can be...and that gives me hope.
I'm always most horrified by cruelty against children, those too tender and too helpless to fend for themselves. This week, a father threw his 5 year old daughter into a river where she drowned and I cringed at the senselessness of it. A police officer tried in vain to save the little girl and I know he'll be haunted by his inability to do so. The father's inhumane act makes no sense at all but the police officer's frantic attempt to save the child is what most of us would do and that's where our saving grace comes from. We were created to help, not hurt, one another. The savage among us are aberrations and not normal.
There were the terrorist killings in France that were so upsetting but then, an amazing a beautiful thing happened. The people, not only the French, gathered together and marched by the thousands in unity against terrorism. Good Muslims joined in with them and denounced the small, murderous terrorists who use the Muslim religion as their excuse for their actions. It was a beautiful example of good against evil and so easy to see how outnumbered the evil doers are.
Well, I found out my prescription is ready for pick-up so I'm on my way out into the world, hoping only to meet up with the good in it.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Sick Again
How much I hate being this far from home and from my own doctor. I was so sick yesterday, coughing until I threw up, that I was almost ready to head back to Canada. If I'd been well enough to drive, that is! I've been sick for 5 weeks with this bronchitis but had begun to feel better for a while. On Friday, I knew it was coming back, though. Why do we usually get sick on a weekend???
I called my insurance company this morning to get permission to either see the quack doctor again or to hope he'd just renew the antibiotic prescription. So far, the insurance company has been very nice and easy to deal with. I called the Walmart pharmacy to renew the prescription and they said it would take 24 hours. I'm glad I'm feeling better today.
Dee just dropped in to give me some apples...I think they're the delicious ones she brings down from New York! Joann has been doing some running around for me and Sylvia offered to do my laundry (I'm doing it myself). There are always lots of good people here to look out for you when you're under the weather.
My stomach is so darned sore from coughing...I wonder if this is how your stomach feels when you're doing crunches? It would have to be after about a thousand crunches, though. It hurts!!
Well, I've got to go over to the laundryroom and put my laundry in the dryer. I want to get this all done before the big rainstorm hits us. I don't like tight schedules!
I called my insurance company this morning to get permission to either see the quack doctor again or to hope he'd just renew the antibiotic prescription. So far, the insurance company has been very nice and easy to deal with. I called the Walmart pharmacy to renew the prescription and they said it would take 24 hours. I'm glad I'm feeling better today.
Dee just dropped in to give me some apples...I think they're the delicious ones she brings down from New York! Joann has been doing some running around for me and Sylvia offered to do my laundry (I'm doing it myself). There are always lots of good people here to look out for you when you're under the weather.
My stomach is so darned sore from coughing...I wonder if this is how your stomach feels when you're doing crunches? It would have to be after about a thousand crunches, though. It hurts!!
Well, I've got to go over to the laundryroom and put my laundry in the dryer. I want to get this all done before the big rainstorm hits us. I don't like tight schedules!
Friday, January 09, 2015
Still Coughing
It's strange to feel as though you haven't got a cold (I do believe mine has ended) but I'm still coughing a month after it all began. I was at Burger King today and half the people in there were coughing so it's kind of an epidemic at least here in Florida. When I cough, it starts like a tickle in my throat and doesn't affect my chest at all but still sounds awful. I've kind of narrowed it down to a sinus drip that causes the tickle but I've never had a cough that lasted this long before. Of course, I have my usual "silly" throat that closes every now and then (for the last 25 years) and causes me to cough so I don't know if that's all part of the problem or not. I guess I'll just wait it out and hope it ends soon.
Yesterday I finally used my Neti Pot, using plain warm water, and it hurt like hell! I don't think it hurt when I last used it about 5 years ago but it did yesterday so I'm not using it again.
We're such fragile creatures. We try to rule the world but a little old cold germ can render us helpless pretty darned fast. I remember how my husband would turn into a big, whiny baby when he got sick. Me, I've got no-one to whine to so I blog my whines. Sorry.
Yesterday I finally used my Neti Pot, using plain warm water, and it hurt like hell! I don't think it hurt when I last used it about 5 years ago but it did yesterday so I'm not using it again.
We're such fragile creatures. We try to rule the world but a little old cold germ can render us helpless pretty darned fast. I remember how my husband would turn into a big, whiny baby when he got sick. Me, I've got no-one to whine to so I blog my whines. Sorry.
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Sexual Harassment Against Women Taken Seriously
CBC has put 2 of their executives on a leave of absence, probably over their failure to protect female employees who were sexually harassed by Jian Gomeshi. We can take this as an action forced on them by public outcry or by the "right" upper management finally getting the message that women shouldn't have to put up with sexual harassment anywhere, especially in the workplace.
There always has been and always will be sexual harassment of females by more powerful and abusive males, but I see a definite lessening of acceptance by both females and males. I have to attribute this to a generation of stronger minded women who won't put up with it and are not afraid to speak out. I saw it and experienced it many times in my lifetime but kept silent out of embarrassment. Today's women have more guts and I admire them for it. Only in bringing abuse out of the closet and into the light can changes be made and they are being made. This will make life safer and healthier for each following generation of females. I say "females" and not women because it's also female children who can suffer the same abuse from males who have no conscience or self-discipline.
Saying this, it's also important to remember that abusive males are in the minority and our world is full of decent men and boys who have respect for themselves and for others. They are the role models for future generations.
There always has been and always will be sexual harassment of females by more powerful and abusive males, but I see a definite lessening of acceptance by both females and males. I have to attribute this to a generation of stronger minded women who won't put up with it and are not afraid to speak out. I saw it and experienced it many times in my lifetime but kept silent out of embarrassment. Today's women have more guts and I admire them for it. Only in bringing abuse out of the closet and into the light can changes be made and they are being made. This will make life safer and healthier for each following generation of females. I say "females" and not women because it's also female children who can suffer the same abuse from males who have no conscience or self-discipline.
Saying this, it's also important to remember that abusive males are in the minority and our world is full of decent men and boys who have respect for themselves and for others. They are the role models for future generations.
Monday, January 05, 2015
50+
I just heard someone say that age 0-50 is for learning and 50+ is for living. It struck a chord in my heart that, yes, I've done a whole lot more living in the years after I turned 50. Of course, you never stop learning but it's in your senior years that maybe, just maybe, you've learned how to enjoy the life you've been graced with. It's not so much a matter of knowing you have a limited time left to enjoy but more an appreciation that you get to enjoy it at all.
If I remember correctly (it's been a long time), we spend those early and middle years being sort of self centered. We're building a life and worrying that we aren't keeping up. Maybe it's the "building" that makes the difference between the rough early and middle years and the hopeful serenity of our later years when we usually aren't "building" anything any more. We've stepped aside from the hustle and bustle and are simply living. I, for one, love this time of life.
There's a website I get occasional updates from, one where I sent in a letter about what I experienced when Dennis passed away. It amazes me how many people experience the same phenomena as I did and each one I read about reinforces my belief that there is some sort of life after death. There is so little publicity about these experiences and that's something I don't understand. It doesn't disparage religion and it gives us old folk hope for another future.
Today I head off to the game rooms with a car full of fun friends. When I have to stay back in Canada during the winter, my plans are to spend most days at the senior center where I can make new friends and enjoy whatever activities that interest me. We don't have to retire to boredom in our old age but we do get to create a new lifestyle.
The secret to a happy old age is to expand your interests and be as sociable as you're able to be.
If I remember correctly (it's been a long time), we spend those early and middle years being sort of self centered. We're building a life and worrying that we aren't keeping up. Maybe it's the "building" that makes the difference between the rough early and middle years and the hopeful serenity of our later years when we usually aren't "building" anything any more. We've stepped aside from the hustle and bustle and are simply living. I, for one, love this time of life.
There's a website I get occasional updates from, one where I sent in a letter about what I experienced when Dennis passed away. It amazes me how many people experience the same phenomena as I did and each one I read about reinforces my belief that there is some sort of life after death. There is so little publicity about these experiences and that's something I don't understand. It doesn't disparage religion and it gives us old folk hope for another future.
Today I head off to the game rooms with a car full of fun friends. When I have to stay back in Canada during the winter, my plans are to spend most days at the senior center where I can make new friends and enjoy whatever activities that interest me. We don't have to retire to boredom in our old age but we do get to create a new lifestyle.
The secret to a happy old age is to expand your interests and be as sociable as you're able to be.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Are We Too Cold to Strangers?
My granddaughter posted a comment on Facebook that got me thinking. A stranger on the street said hello to her and she took it as harassment. Now, I don't know the specifics of this encounter but I remember an incident in my own past that somewhat mirrors this one. I, an Ontarian, was visiting a small town in New Brunswick for the first time. As I was walking alone down the main street, a man passed by and said hello to me. Again, being from a large city in Ontario where this is uncommon, I felt as though he was trying to pick me up and didn't respond. Over time, I learned that not every hello from a stranger is harassment. Sometimes it's just a little ray of friendly sunshine in an otherwise cold and lonely world.
My granddaughter is a pretty young lady who often is legitimately harassed when she's out walking and that may have made her more sensitive to a stranger speaking to her. But every young lady should be able to differentiate between true harassment and a simple, friendly hello.
Sometimes that friendly hello from a stranger might be the only kindness a person hears all day.
My granddaughter is a pretty young lady who often is legitimately harassed when she's out walking and that may have made her more sensitive to a stranger speaking to her. But every young lady should be able to differentiate between true harassment and a simple, friendly hello.
Sometimes that friendly hello from a stranger might be the only kindness a person hears all day.
Routine
There's something comforting about routine. We might not realize that our lives generally follow a routine until something happens to disrupt it. I seem to thrive on routine as long as it's full of variations so I don't get bored but when I got sick the day I got to my Florida park, my whole life turned upside down.
I don't have an exciting life but it is full of the things I enjoy doing and part of my routine is lots of social interaction at my Florida park. I had little of that while I was sick so it was really nice to get back into my normal routine as soon as I was well. Last Friday we started back with morning coffee time on the patio and more people showed up than I expected. It's still early in the season and I haven't held coffee time while I was sick so I just hoped most of the ladies here would know it was back on. I guess a dozen ladies came over and we had a great time chatting away. I think the world of every one of these ladies and feel so fortunate that they enjoy our coffee mornings, too.
Poor Charlotte had a terrible fall which left her with a bruised and swollen lip so she didn't come over until the very end. She was embarrassed about how she looked but I reminded her how I'd marched around last winter with a red splotchy face from the chemical peel. If people don't like the way we look, tough you-know-whatty! People who really care about us accept us as we are.
Debbie has arranged a great deal on a 7 night/8 day cruise so Sylvia and I are considering going. She's not completely sure yet but I'll only go if she does. Neither one of us had thought about another cruise but this is a terrific deal for $500 so I hope we get to go.
On a nasty note...we went to the clubhouse yesterday for the HOA meeting and an incident occurred that was pretty awful. One of the residents stood up in front of everyone and angrily complained about the supposed actions of the HOA president. It was a personal problem between them that should never have been discussed in public like that and made me want to run out of the clubhouse. I can't stand arguments at all any more and just want to flee when something like this happens. None of the people I hang out with are argumentative, thank heavens, or I wouldn't come back to the park every winter.
Anyway, today I get my hair cut, tomorrow I go to the game rooms, and Tuesday begins card/Bingo nights right through Friday. Friday and Saturday we have our park yard sale so my little world is full at least for the next week. Life is good when you allow it to be.
I don't have an exciting life but it is full of the things I enjoy doing and part of my routine is lots of social interaction at my Florida park. I had little of that while I was sick so it was really nice to get back into my normal routine as soon as I was well. Last Friday we started back with morning coffee time on the patio and more people showed up than I expected. It's still early in the season and I haven't held coffee time while I was sick so I just hoped most of the ladies here would know it was back on. I guess a dozen ladies came over and we had a great time chatting away. I think the world of every one of these ladies and feel so fortunate that they enjoy our coffee mornings, too.
Poor Charlotte had a terrible fall which left her with a bruised and swollen lip so she didn't come over until the very end. She was embarrassed about how she looked but I reminded her how I'd marched around last winter with a red splotchy face from the chemical peel. If people don't like the way we look, tough you-know-whatty! People who really care about us accept us as we are.
Debbie has arranged a great deal on a 7 night/8 day cruise so Sylvia and I are considering going. She's not completely sure yet but I'll only go if she does. Neither one of us had thought about another cruise but this is a terrific deal for $500 so I hope we get to go.
On a nasty note...we went to the clubhouse yesterday for the HOA meeting and an incident occurred that was pretty awful. One of the residents stood up in front of everyone and angrily complained about the supposed actions of the HOA president. It was a personal problem between them that should never have been discussed in public like that and made me want to run out of the clubhouse. I can't stand arguments at all any more and just want to flee when something like this happens. None of the people I hang out with are argumentative, thank heavens, or I wouldn't come back to the park every winter.
Anyway, today I get my hair cut, tomorrow I go to the game rooms, and Tuesday begins card/Bingo nights right through Friday. Friday and Saturday we have our park yard sale so my little world is full at least for the next week. Life is good when you allow it to be.
Friday, January 02, 2015
We Have No Shame
Back in the early days of my yard saleing, I was too embarrassed to bargain with the sellers but, by forcing myself, I became one of the best dickerers you can find. I'm a bargain guru! I've never been embarrassed to ask for a senior's price or if the drinks are free for seniors, either. Those big companies have more money to waste on us old people than they'll ever miss.
Today, Sylvia and I went to a really nice restaurant that has "all you can eat" soup and salad on their menu and that's what we had. The sweet little waitress we had asked if we'd like a second bowl of soup but we were full....but I asked if we could have a second bowl full to take home. Why not, eh?? Of course, said our sweet little waitress so we now had dinner for this evening. We seniors know how to save money!
I have to admit that this was not a new idea for me because a couple of years ago, a whole bunch of us seniors (Red Hatters) went to an Olive Garden for lunch and many had their soup and salad for lunch. I overheard one of our ladies ask if she could take a bowl of soup home and the waitress brought her one. I, loving anything free, asked for one also and got one, too. Every time I do something like this and feel no embarrassment doing so, I think of how horrified Kim would be if she was with me. I don't know about Cindy and Shelley but sometimes Kim embarrasses too easily.
If it's free and I like it, I'll take it.
Today, Sylvia and I went to a really nice restaurant that has "all you can eat" soup and salad on their menu and that's what we had. The sweet little waitress we had asked if we'd like a second bowl of soup but we were full....but I asked if we could have a second bowl full to take home. Why not, eh?? Of course, said our sweet little waitress so we now had dinner for this evening. We seniors know how to save money!
I have to admit that this was not a new idea for me because a couple of years ago, a whole bunch of us seniors (Red Hatters) went to an Olive Garden for lunch and many had their soup and salad for lunch. I overheard one of our ladies ask if she could take a bowl of soup home and the waitress brought her one. I, loving anything free, asked for one also and got one, too. Every time I do something like this and feel no embarrassment doing so, I think of how horrified Kim would be if she was with me. I don't know about Cindy and Shelley but sometimes Kim embarrasses too easily.
If it's free and I like it, I'll take it.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Happy New Year 2015
Having been born in 1940, I never really looked forward to a day I'd be alive in 2015...but here I am, happy, fairly healthy, and spending the winter in Florida with lots of fun friends. You just never know how your life will turn out.
I'm glad to see a new year. Last year had it's ups and downs but it was mainly a pretty good year and I'm expecting the same from 2015. Life is often what you make it and I intend to make my new year as good as possible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I'm glad to see a new year. Last year had it's ups and downs but it was mainly a pretty good year and I'm expecting the same from 2015. Life is often what you make it and I intend to make my new year as good as possible.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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