Peace Be With You!

It is New Year's Eve and it's already been memorable, for sure!!

While my Christmas gift to my son was a bonafide homerun, my Christmas surprise for my brother was clearly 'out of the park'!

Paul is visiting from NJ and spending a couple of days with Mom and me. Since Flo has moved in with me after her stroke, my brother has made the six hour trip many times, and each time he has made a pitch to take Mom to church. She, however, resists these efforts because of her wheelchair self-consciousness. Being out in public is not on her agenda, and at 97 her vote trumps all others.

A good friend of mine works in the parish rectory and told me that the pastor, a much loved priest and friend, has occasionally said Mass in people's homes. I asked her to inquire what the odds were that Father would be able to come to my house and say Mass while my brother was in town. The window of opportunity was small considering Paul's scheduled visit and Father's schedule and the New Year's Celebrations and activities. My holiday gift bag to Paul had some exotic soups which I was sure that he would like. And then I told him to look again because there was something else in the bag. Watching his face was fun, fun, fun...as he read that New Year's Eve Mass would be at 6PM at my house with our Mom.

At 6PM, Mass was held in my living room and it was truly a special event for my brother, my mother, and me. [The remaining trio of my immediate family!] It was snowing wildly, and with the colorful holiday lights as a background and Gracie [Amazing Grace...poodle extraordinaire] stretched right out in front of the 'altar', I'm thinking that is about as unique as you can get!

For a part of the service, as I sat next to my mom, I was fearful that she was going to 'leave us' right there in the presence of the priest. He told her that it wouldn't necessarily be a bad time because he could also give her the sacrament formerly known as 'the last rites'. As nervous and/or as pious as she looked, all was well. We even had the benefit of a general confession and absolution before the service.

So, Paul got to attend Mass with Flo as they had every Sunday when she used to spend weekends with him[before the stroke], Flo attended her first Mass since April '07 and didn't have to be seen out in public in her wheelchair, and I was treated to an 'Our Father' with everyone holding hands...in the comfort of my living room...priceless.

It was good. And I am thankful. God bless Father Dennis...and Marg.

Let there be light[s]...action...camera!

Last night , St. Nick[Flo's caregiver and friend...mine, too!] came back over to the house when it got dark so that we could take Mom on a ride to see all of the holiday lights and decorations. It was fun driving around and pointing out the different colorful displays to each other. The main reason for the trip was to see the 'light show' that was two blocks from the house. Forty thousand lights and many different displays were a part of the scenery, and you could turn your radio to a station that was playing the music that accompanied the lighting arrangements. The Trans Siberian Orchestra played on the radio in the car while out on the house's front lawn, the lights clicked on and off exactly in time with music. It was quite the show. My mom talked about looking at the decorations many years ago and compared them to what modern technology and computers have added to the mix! Both of these photos are clip art. Imagine 40,000 lights flashing to the beat of the music.

[ I guess my New Year's Resolution really should be to learn how to use my digital camera to capture the pictures and then transfer those photos to my computer.]

All in good time.

Mom's kindling brings a blaze of 'Wahoo!'

I did it!
The tortoise has edged ahead of the hare, if only for a short time. My Christmas present to my son had him wondering when I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing his face when he opened his gift. The surprise was said to be something that he wouldn't expect...or guess! That's a tall order!!

When I saw this advertised [at Amazon.com], I knew it was perfect for him.

It's a kindle. A technological wizard!! [a wireless reading device ]
About the size of hardcover best seller, it is a bookstore in a box!

For a fee of less than half the price of the best seller, you can purchase a book and it will be downloaded to the 'kindle' in minutes. And then you can read it now, or take it on the road with you. The pages are advanced by the push of a button, and if there is a word that you don't know, a dictionary is easily and immediately accessible to expand your vocabulary!! You can purchase books, magazines, and newspapers and not a single tree has been lost in the process. Not to mention that it also eliminates the need to recycle the newspapers and magazines. Jer has been traveling with a NY college's hockey and basketball teams, and has already experienced airline delays, weather related highway issues[when he was a passenger riding with the team on their bus], and other occasions where he's found himself with time to fill. Now, he can access that 'kindle' and...voila! a multitude of choices.


I was his first reading partner, and now I get to be a part of it again. Yet, I must say, that it was certainly fun, fun, fun, when he opened it...and for a nanosecond wasn't totally aware of what it was or could do. Within the hour, he had downloaded the book that he had left at his home and finished it before calling it a night. And so I sign off,


'the formerly computer phobic...I'll never be able to effectively use that stupid machine...now have my toes in technology... and once again his reading partner... 'Momma Bear'.

A holiday hello

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!
We just watched 'The Radio City Christmas Spectacular' and it was great~!
Wonderful gifts were given and received by all!
Jer[son] and Hank[grandpup] rode into town, and out of state friends and relatives called us on the phone.
And there you have it! TTFN

Memories of Christmas past...

Today, I drove to a large mall to pick up my picture window shade that had been restrung. A couple of things surprised me. The first thing was that I got the telephone call telling me that it was ready at 715AM. It must be because with Christmas hours being 7AM through midnight[!], time becomes a nebulous thing. Happy to be able to get that pleated shade back in its place, I drove 45 minutes in less than desirable weather. The drive didn't scare me...it was some of the other drivers who were riding my tail or passing me when visibility wasn't good.
I was surprised at how many people were shopping. So much stuff...

Christmas really is for kids and family. Speaking of that, my son will be here on Wednesday and I look forward to seeing his face...especially when he opens his gift. He would never expect or guess what it is. Thinking back over the years, I can still see the Scooby Doo sleeping bag that was a big hit. And books, and records, and puzzles.


Matchbook cars...And when he was about 6 years, Jer got a blue jeep and his best buddy Nick got a red convertible -the kind that you had to peddle to make it go- and the fun of watching them peddle around a local park was priceless!



Hands down winner of all: It was the 2 volume scrapbook that I spent the
entire month of December recreating my son's entire life in his "A Star is Born" albums. It detailed pre- birth through graduation from high school, and it included his college acceptance letters, too. It was a labor of love [and almost as exhausting as the other labor that he was involved in.]

It was the same Christmas that Jer and I drove to NJ to my mom's house,
and as we got closer and closer, I felt sicker and sicker. Immediately upon arriving, I climbed into bed, missed all the holiday festivities, and wound up in the emergency room on Christmas Day with strep. And if that wasn't enough unnecessary roughness, 24 hours later was the moment that my body decided to react to the penacillin that was prescribed to fight the infection. And since I didn't have a doctor in NJ and no one would treat a non-patient, my only option was to call my doctor in NY and ask him to call in a different prescription to a NJ pharmacy so that I could get well enough to drive back to NY...a memorable weekend, for sure.

To end on a more positive note, my favorite childhood memory was the year that I received those 'Melody Bells' that I was so desiring!! {See, my musical background goes back a long way!!} I remember that on the way home from a store, the bags in the trunk of the car must have shifted, and I was sure that I had heard a lone bell's ring. But I was told,"No way! Not possible." And back then, at the age of 7, there was no arguing with your parents. So imagine my glee, when on Christmas morning, Melody Bells were a'ringin as I shook that package before opening it! Oh, what joy! Maybe not for everyone else, but 'hey, that's life!!'
As Christmases come and go, some are more memorable than others. But just as in baseball... you win some, you lose some, and some get rained out...But you get dressed for all of 'em.
So...Merry Christmas everyone! And may this be your "Melody Bell" year, too!!

Snow days may cause some singin' and dancin'!

Today was a snow day for all the schools in the area. Oh how different it is being retired vs actively teaching wishing for a snow day in the worst way! There were degrees of excitement dependant upon who it was doing the snow dance to win the favor of the snow gods who would then bestow upon us that unplanned , special gift of spontaneous freedom. A phone call that said, "You must stay home. The weather is too precarious to venture outdoors."

And my response would be..."Well, if I must...I must." Click.[the sound of the phone hanging up]. And then.... Wahoo! WAHOO! WA-HOO! Which reminds me of 'the wahoo heard around the county' many years ago. It really was an innocent proclamation of jubilance!! It was a Friday. It was a Friday before a week long vacation. It was a Friday where both kids and staff were looking forward to kicking back for a little 'R &R. ' There was light at the end of the tunnel. The announcement came over the PA system, "The buses are here and ready for boarding." Be still my heart.

"Okay girls and boys...line up, and remember we are going to WALK all the way to the buses." After I accompanied 'the little cherubs' to the front door, I poked my head into the office and let out quite the spirited and loud,"WA-A-A-H-O-O-O! The Principal's door opened very slowly, and I got the nonverbal ' evil eye with one eyebrow raised '. I was surprised...I hadn't launched into my vocal rendition of "O Happy Day!" It was the official beginning of a much anticipated vacation. Well...two sides to every story. It just so happened that there was a meeting of every principal in the county in Dr. B's office and I guess my 'wahoo' was a wee bit distracting. Oh well, what could I say? I'd be more careful the next time!!!
My next act of public jubilance was done when the principal's door was wide open and the lights were out. I had exerted much planning and energy getting my 3 Math classes ready for the 6th Grade State Math test, and the kids and I had received great results. I hopped up on the counter and did a little dance singing, "Da da da da...da da da" with my hands in sync with my feet...and out of that dark, empty- looking office walked the Business Director of the district!!! I couldn't believe it!! He lived at the high school building...what was he doing here?? Not a problem, though. I didn't bother anyone, and he had a great sense of humor. He said, "Celebrating something pretty good?" and then spontaneous laughter was heard as I jumped down from the counter.

And lastly, the day after the next principal made'''good on his word' to the kids... that he would have his head shaved in an assembly when the kids read the targeted number of books as a part of a 'reading incentive'...someone played the song "Hair" from the musical over the PA system[before the kids arrived]...but we never found out who did that one. Much better planning!!!

Whose bright ideas are these...anyway!

We are one week from Christmas, and exactly how many plates do you have spinning in the air at the same time? Let me start with shopping. Being a retired person, I can go to the stores when, in theory, many of the general public is at work. I went to Kohl's yesterday morning at 10 AM and while it wasn't overly crowded, two things really annoyed me. The first thing that I wanted to take care of was to return something. Customer Service was in the farthest possible corner of the store...way in the back. Not what I would call 'convenient'. The good news was that the cashier was a former student of mine, and we had a very pleasant conversation. The bad news was that I was returning a bra...can ya get any more personal than that?

The other part of the shopping experience is what I like to call...'unnecessary roughness'.

When you choose something off of the rack, you can never be sure what the price really is...it can depend on your age, the time of day [doorbuster or midnight madness?], along with what percentage you can subtract as the sale price[60% off the lowest price on the ticket???] Sometimes the sale price is already reflected on the tag, and other times it will say 'reduction taken at the register.'

Buy one for $9.99 and get a second one for a penny! Maybe I don't want two pairs of Snoopy Glow in the Dark fuzzy slippers!! What really leaves me sputtering is when you go to the 'biggest sale of the year' and find something that you like, and in the following week's ads they bring the price even lower. JC Penney's is famous for that. Why does it have to be so complicated?

Today I went to my favorite store of all: The Christmas Tree Shop. They have neat stuff, the prices are clearly marked, and it doesn't vary by full moon or any other circumstance that might occur...leap year...the 1,000th customer, AAA discount...middle child discount...etc. You can get some unusual choices of product. I was able to get some promising soups for my brother[he's into that] and some unusual cookies for my mother.[She's definitely into that!] These are gifts that will be m-m-m good, and won't have to be returned because they were the wrong size or color. It's the thought... not the amount spent or the label of the rich and famous. Fa la la la la ...

And, this isn't even getting into the good/bad habits of the employees. I would like it if they just were knowledgeable about what they were presenting to the customer. I know when I worked for B Altman and Co. in the bakery, I achieved expert status in relation to the brownies and sticky buns!!

I'm ready for 2009. Let's hope that good things happen, and everyone gets on board to make it happen. Kindness encourages kindness. Smile are contagious.

Life's lessons...

I volunteered at Meals on Wheels today and helped fold and stuff envelopes for their annual fundraiser. What a wonderful service they provide to the community! The office and kitchen staff are hard workers who are very caring and helpful. The people who volunteer to deliver the meals are rays of sunshine, who not only bring food to the clients, but also informally check in on them to see if all is well. And all this happens in a friendly teamwork atmosphere-kind of like a well-oiled machine. [well, most of the time!]

I hadn't seen Amy since the summertime. She and my son went to the same high school and marched together in Marching Band. She is a 27 year old phenomenal teacher whose life took a dramatic turn 2 years ago. She had gotten a special ed teaching position in Baltimore, and while walking to her car in a shopping mall, Amy was hit by a drunk driver and seriously hurt. She is lucky to be alive. She did quite a lot of physical therapy and rehab and returned to teaching...not the special ed kids in her regular job that she prepared for in college; it is the rest of the world who can learn many a lesson from her. Amy is a positive, upbeat, smiling force who enriches the lives of those who are fortunate to meet her. She is fun. And she exhibits a positive attitude unlike anything I have witnessed in my lifetime. Difficult to wrap your mind around it. And so, today, she lifted my spirits, as we folded fliers and stuffed envelopes, and chatted and sang along with the radio's seasonal music. I'm not even into the seasonal music, but I am into singing! And when we kindred spirits meet [and both lefties, too!] and smiling vibes are a-happening...well...ya just gotta love it!

Amy will be volunteering on Tuesdays, and I will try to be there, too. God bless her. I am fortunate that our paths have crossed.

I am guaranteed a winner in the next one.

Last night was the season finale of Survivor, and Flo came close to winning the pool. She had Susie who came up one vote short of Bob, the 58 year old physics teacher from Maine. There will be no tears shed, however, because Flo did win The Amazing Race last Sunday when the brother-sister team came in first beating out the couple who came in second. And who had the 2nd place team when Flo had first?? The winner of Survivor last night when Flo came in second. Kinda funny for a totally random draw for how you get your team. And Flo won last year's American Idol, too! She did not pass along the pool-winning gene to me though. I run these pools, and I have never won!! Oh well, American Idol begins again in January, and when it's over ...I could be the winner, and also the spring flowers will be pushing up through the newly thawed earth. If I don't get both of those, I am guaranteed at least one of the two. And Springtime ain't too shabby!!

Chickadee-dee-dee!

Well, plowable snow!!! And the birds are checking out all of the feeders. One of my favorite birds is the tuxedo-suited chickadee. Small and spirited, they are delightful to watch. I came across a poem about chickadees, and thought I'd share:

He or She?

When you see a chickadee,

You can't tell if it's a he or she.

Maybe God designed that mystery

To baffle humans like you and me.

Even though they look the same

And both whistle 'phee-bee'.

There's no doubt in a chickadee's mind

Which is she and which is he.

Julie Hanna

After 15 minutes, 411 should auto-connect to 911!

Wishing to save myself some time, I decided to phone the Bank of America before going there to follow up on some banking business. My first step was in the Yellow Pages 'Banks', but the only number listed was an 800 number and I wanted my local bank phone number. So, I ventured into the white pages to get the local number, and it listed the address...but the phone number was the same 800 number.

I dialed the 800 number, and a machine greeted me [yuck] asking several questions and telling me what number to press, or say 'other' for more choices.

"Other"

"I heard you say other. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

Then I was given more choices, none of which helped me, and so when the 'voice' asked me to chose an option, I didn't do/say anything.

" It might be noisy there. I didn't hear your response. Say it louder."

"OTHER!"

I was going in a loop that gave me the location of the closest bank to my location [and it told me what street I was calling from...how scary is that?], but never the option of a phone number.

At this point, the people in the room with me at 'Meals on Wheels' are looking at me wide-eyed and laughing.

They suggest that I 'google it' on the computer.

Guess what...the local address was listed, with an 800 number.

"Call 411 for a real voice."

I told them that it costs money, and I wasn't home, and I didn't want to run up their phone bill. {FYI: there is a free 411 number']

"Don't worry about it. Go ahead and call 411."

I call 411. I go through the mechanical questions...city and state...residential or business...

I give the local address of the Bank of America that I was trying to contact and a mechanical voice said "One moment please..."

and came back with the 800 number and, "Thank you for using 411 Directory Assistance" and 'click' ...the connection ended.

One of the women in the Meals on Wheels office gave me a loan officer's number there and said,

" Call Dawn and she will connect you to a different extension."

I called Dawn. I got her voicemail, and there was not the option that if I needed someone to speak with someone immediately...to press 'operator' or whatever!!!! At this point, none of us could believe it!!

I gave up trying for a phone number, drove over there, and there were no parking spaces...so I went home.

Today I returned, and as I spoke to a real person about spending 15 minutes trying to get a phone number, she gave me 3 business cards with direct numbers to those 3 real people...at which point I said[nicely], "Are you telling me that the bank doesn't have its own phone number?"

"Well, there is a number that rings behind the tellers, but we don't really give it out too much

because they are always busy with customers!"

"That's kind of strange, don't you think?"

"It's been that way for quite some time,"

"Just because it's been that way for quite a while ...doesn't mean that it's not pretty strange!!!"

And so I left thinking ...

There should be a sign to warn you...

I probably should have expected it. Why would I expect that people out there working with the general public would be pleasant...and not act as if you are making their day more difficult? And the two questions that were asked of me...well, I was speechless...almost!

I have a huge bowed window in my living room that is the 'movie screen' to the wildlife outside. It has a custom -made pleated shade for some privacy. [ This is a clipart picture to give you a sense of what it looks like.] About a month ago, one of the shade's strings broke making the up/down function a thing of the past! At first, a creative "fix" was implemented where an oak cane held up the broken left side, and the remaining strings were still functional for the right side. And so, the shade had two options: cane high...or totally down. That was okay for a while, but when it reached the really annoying point, a good friend wrestled the bracket away from the inside top of the window so that I could take it to Penney's and get it restrung. Last Saturday, with some help, this 7 foot pleated shade was brought to "window coverings" at 10 AM. I was armed with the receipts of three out of four made-to-order shades purchased there to show what a loyal customer I have been. Guess which one I didn't have with me. Yep!! The one in question...Murphy's Law..isn't it?
The woman who was providing my 'customer non-service' was the sales person who received the commission for the three shades for which I had receipts.
Granted it was several years ago, yet I was amazed when upon not finding the date and company name among the 'customary information' affixed to the top of the shade, she asked me, "Are you sure that you bought it here? [Huh?]
Does she think I am confused as to where I special ordered a 7 foot shade?


As for the brand name, [which wasn't among the info on the top of the bracket], when I gave her the brand name, she said, "Are you sure it's a Levelor shade?" [Are ya kiddin' me?]
Do people lie about these things?

She told me I had to find the receipt before anything could be done. I left the shade there and returned home to begin the process of locating the dreaded receipt which would PROVE my statements to be true. And I was to fax it to her. Alrighty then....

Like a bloodhound on a trail, I am nothing if not persistent when on a mission. I knew I would find it...or die trying! And then, in the 'spare room' ...in the box labeled 'receipts and manuals'... was the 1994[!!] receipt for the Levelor shade from Penney's!! As electrofied as if struck by a bolt of lightening, I called "Miss Doubting Thomas" and said, "The fax is on its way." Was I proud of myself? You bet I was!!!
The shade is in the process of being restrung, and I have made an appointment for Botox injections to take the 'SE' grin off of my face!!! [Just kidding!!}

Well Ma'am...what do you want?

A scenario presented itself today where a mere phrase [from the past] seemed to put things right into perspective. A friend was helping me arrange the bird feeder situation that is directly outside the living room bay window. In the 19 years that I have lived here, watching the birds has been both entertaining and fun. Only one snafu keeps it from perfection...squirrels! They are the poster animal for 'arobatic persistence' and often prevail despite any and all attempts to thwart them. So I need a baffle to keep them out of the birdfeeder. When my co-conspirator said, "It's too bad that baffles don't look that great." And that's when the phrase popped right into my mind:
Well Ma'am...what do you want?


Some background info as to how the phrase came to be:
My RA[rheumatoid arthritis] burst onto the scene on Jan 12, 1990 when I woke up and my feet hurt. A week later, my hands hurt. I made a doctor appointment, had some bloodwork, and was told I had RA. Disbelieving this diagnosis, in March[earliest appt.] I went for a second opinion at a teaching hospital facility which was 2 hours away. Same outcome. At that point[reality], I knew that I probably needed to find a rheumatologist more local than 2 hours away. In April [earliest appt.], my mom accompanied me to doctor #3. Mom's second husband, Ray, had RA and so Flo certainly had more perspective and knowledge about this than I did. My perspective was 4 months of a 'life-changing health issue and pain.'



The doctor, Mom, and I were in Room #3 and after he had reviewed all of my history[from the other two medical reports], he said: "Well, we can start with a course of prednisone to provide some immediate relief while the long term medicine begins to build a blood level."
At which point my mom says, "What about the side effects?"

The Dr.'s hands were mid air in explanation and in response they fell to the desk as he said,
"Well Ma'am...what do you want?...We can talk about relief ...or we can talk about side effects?"

I was all about the relief, and thus began my now 19 year relationship with the doctor who from that day on was referred to as 'the desk pounder'[!!] by my mom.

And 'Well Ma'am, what do you want?' has lived on to be used a hundred times because it really does clarify a situation into the reality of the two choices.


Back to the squirrels' baffle:
Well Ma'am...What do you want?...esthetics...or watch the birds- not the squirrels!!
I will be enjoying the many, varied, and unusual birds!!



Postnote: The desk pounder and I have a great relationship. He has always been there for me and my flares...easily accessible and understanding.] To Flo...still 'the desk pounder!'

You know what they say about first impressions!!!

Just a little merriment!

Just a little something I came across and wanted to share the smile!

Mother Nature...artiste extraordinaire!!

One morning in school, right after we were done with the coats, lunch count, and other assorted tasks to begin the day, one of the kids chirps out, "There's a lady outside the door with an owl in a towel and she wants to know if she can come in for a moment."


My immediate reaction was one of disbelief...I mean, can you blame me? I quickly directed the kids to 'sit back down' and went to check it out. I did not recognize the woman, and yes she had an owl wrapped in a towel! She was the wife of one of our substitutes, and the owl had gotten 'hung up' in their tree, and was dead when they discovered it.She thought the kids would like to see an owl 'up close and personal' before she turned it over to Cornell University. When leaving the 6th grade Science teacher and my former students from last year, she asked, "Who-o-o [!!] else in the building would probably want to see this?" And they shouted out my name! Well now... how could I turn this 'teachable moment' away? I said that she could come in, but that the kids had to be about 2 feet back, and could not touch it.

Back in the classroom, I prepared the kids[with the rules], we moved a couple of desks, and the owl was placed on a front table.

I cannot describe the beauty of that owl. It looked as if it were sleeping, and had no physical signs of its recent demise...perfectly calm, peaceful, and awesome. When she extended the owl's wing, the feathers were a blend of color and patterning that was absolutely inspiring. And what a wing span!! Symmetrical and perfect.
The talons, the eyes[closed] and the face...something to remember, for sure. After about 15 minutes, the wise old owl departed[!!] from our classroom and continued on for a higher education at Cornell.
The kids documented the impromptu experience in their journals while the images were fresh in their minds. Far out!!