Computer in rehab!

The power supply cord no longer supplies energy, so off to the Geek Squad it goes. Might take a couple of days. May good things come your way, and be nice to each other...

Creative carding!

This is the 'one of a kind' birthday banner that I had made especially for Flo's 99th birthday. These five men are Mom's favorites, and are guaranteed to prompt a smile. I also purchased five 'Lottery Quick Picks' and put one on each face using a post it note. Uncovering them one by one, her responses went something like this...
To Brian Williams: "Oh, that's Good Night, Sweetheart!"
To Adam Lambert: " What a beautiful face he has, and voice, too."
To Carmelo Anthony: " There's that smile I love...the Syracuse basketball star...Melo!"
To John O'Hurley: "What a handsome man he is!! I'd like him to give me some of his eyebrows!"
To Johnny Carson: " Oh, I watched him every night, even when I had to work the next day. There has never been anyone like him. He was the best!"
I love you to pieces is her favorite remark.
I guess the common link is the smile which brings on the sparkle in the eyes. A seasoned newscaster, a flamboyant singer, a good natured basketball player, a tall handsome game show host/ dancer, and her treasured nightly comedic entertainment. Here-e's, Johnny.
The lottery tickets pulled it together and quite appropriately for my mom. She has bought a quick pick or two in earlier years. [understatement!!]
Wouldn't it be wild if one of the lottery tickets turned out to be a winner!! I'd better check that out.
Who would be on your list of favorites?

Happy Birthday, Flo!!

Happy Birthday to 'Me Mum' who is 99 years old today! God bless her!

She's wearing her Quacker Factory rhinestone 'dungarees' and a 'hot pink' long sleeved pullover. Her hair has lots of curls and her rings, earrings, and bracelets have been selected for the day! There are presents and a cake on the dining room table as we welcome her '100th November 21st.'

To quote a Flo phrase..."I love you to pieces!!"

Disbelief ...

I just cannot believe the worldwide extended media hype about the Royal Family . The news and resulting hoopla about Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement has already been overwhelming, and certainly has the potential to become a pain in our royal highnass. I could not care less. I will be changing the channel quite often within the upcoming year as each and every detail is announced, analyzed, and repeated ad nausium. It is neverending...and it is 6-9 months away. Spare me the details...

I also cannot believe that my cell phone 'invisibilized' itself on Wednesday. I was in my car, in a parking space, about to leave the minimall when I made a quick call to a friend about our meeting for lunch. I clicked the phone closed, tossed it to my pocketbook on the passenger seat, and started the car to leave. It has not been seen since. The doors were closed, and the windows were up. I have dumped my pocketbook, and cleaned out the car. I have called my cell phone from my house to listen for its ringing in the car. I have had assistance to look under the seats, etc. I have called Sprint and put a hold on the account. It remains a mystery.

I remind myself that these annoyances are small things compared to what is reality for many people on the planet. Yet, the royal family's plans and my cell phone's disappearance.... makes me bonkers!!

Thinking

I seem to be thinking all the time, and I'd love to hit the pause button.

My inner voice sees the glass as half full, while at the same time... comparing it to everyone else's glass.
Things get to annoy me before I manage to let it go.

My patience level needs refueling.

I reflect too much on the past, and think about the future, as I go through life one day at a time.

To sum it up , it is probably why I joke about 'altered states' as being my favorite place to be! Because then, there is no time spent pondering my existence in the universe.

Calling it a night now, and crawling into bed. Hoping for some pleasant dreams. Tata for now.

Flo's Funnies!

Flo, soon to be 99, enjoys some sports. While watching the Syracuse football game:

"Not that I'm going to have any more children, but if I did have one...I would not let my son play this game... football!

I think it's cruel!"

We are always talking with Mom on a daily basis; sometimes with the intention of keeping her mind active. Occasionally she gets focused on one answer and this is true in the case of the dog,

"What is the dog's name?"

"Gracie."

"What kind of dog is she?"

"I think she's a poodle."

"How old is she?"

"Maybe 8?"...[and we remind Flo that we are going to celebrate Grace's 9th birthday on Nov 21 which is Mom's 99th birthday.]

"How much does she weigh?"

"15 pounds."And '15' is the answer that is the first one to come to mind regardless of the question. To the point that yesterday, when asked,

"What is this little grey dog's name?"

"15!!"

Remember Agent 99 on Get Smart?

Mom's math facts remain pretty sharp. I'd even put her up against half of the current 10 year old's grasp on Math facts. Three years ago when I was asking her a couple of questions to determine if she had indeed had a stroke, her response to

"What's 7+4 ?" was 'ele..en'. She slurred the 'v'. And so that question [ What is 7+4?] has kind of morphed into the litmus test of the day in a humorous way. Lately I have heard other questions posed to her like..

"What is 100-89?"

What is the square root of 121? [I remember thinking....What????]

Now don't be thinking we are overwhelming her...it is all in fun. In fact she's been let in on the fact that the answer to all those questions ...is 11! "Just answer with 11, and chances are pretty good that you are right!'

This morning when we were eating breakfast and chatting, Nic asked her,

"So, what day of the week do you think it is?

"11"

What a sense of humor she has!!

When I suggested that she tell Nic what we had to eat last night, Flo answered,

"Supper!"

This afternoon as she was looking out the picture window, she pointed and yelled,

Horse! There's a horse."

By the time I turned around, I didn't see the horse. But I absolutely believe she saw it because it has been sighted before[ I am a witness], and there is a woman who exercises her horse by going for a ride on our 'unbusy' back roads.

And then she added,

"But it was alone. There was no one riding it."

I laughed and told her that while I didn't doubt the horse, her credibility was now seriously in question. And then we both laughed.

I share the humorous side of 'me mum'. There are those other 'Geez...Louise' moments.

Hills and valleys. Ups and downs. Reality and fiction.

And there you have it.

And the winner was....

What a beautiful, bright and sunny morning. Life resumes regular scheduling for me. 8 AM means that Flo is sleeping peacefully, and the dog, cat, and I are bonding atop the comforter on my bed. I am in the middle, naturally, since they both like me but do not really like each other. There's a hot cup of coffee flavored to my liking on the nightstand. The Today Show is on the TV, and I have headphone[s] on one ear listening to the sports radio station that my son co-hosts each weekday. Some sports along with added creative elements, which certainly are my favorite parts.

"Miah-son' is my newest tag name for him. It is a personalized version of 'Daniel-Son' from Karate Kid and it emerged from Saturday's TaeKwanDo Tournament. I had some mixed emotions about all of the sights and sounds emanating from the gymnasium as I tried to take it all in. The age range of the contestants was from about 3 years old to adult, maybe 50 ish, including girls and boys, and men and women. The common elements were the training, the clothing, and the discipline. There were four sectioned off areas and something was going on at all times. As an observer, it was fascinating watching it. As a mother, it did cause some angst watching someone try to kick my son in the head and/or chest. Even though there was protective equipment specifically on their heads, hands, and feet, it was still a boxing- like sparring match with flying feet added to 'kick it up a notch'!

I had to put the [his]camera-cell phone down because taking pictures took a back seat to the MamaBear reactions that I did a pretty good job of suppressing. I could be the 'poster image' for non-violence, and while I support Miah-son 100%, part of me was not happy. He was in a category with people of different ages[ some older] and of varying levels of experience visible by the color of their belt. I was very impressed with his ability, and he won first place and so his winning streak continues. That in itself is a beau-u-ti-ful-l thing due to the fact that somehow over the years I have had a 'jinx' effect on a situation or two. .. Like when he was 9 years old in a CCYO basketball league, and didn't get much playing time because he wasn't as good as others. I went to every game, and was looking forward to cheering when he made a basket. In the 45 second span in game 37 when I went to the concession stand for a Snickers Bar, they put him in...and yes...he scored a basket!!!

As we walked to the car, he held up the trophy, smiled, and said,

"Hey Ma, the jinx is over!!"

What????????

Rudy Giuliani was on The View yesterday.

A couple of his statements:

In general:

People are very upset about Obamacare...unemployment...

Re:Sarah Palin

Asked 'Do you think she would be a good president?"

Answered..."...The reality is that she has a whole lot more qualifications than Barack Obama did when he ran for office."

There was booing from the audience.

He added, "Obama has taken us in the wrong direction...Obamacare is a disaster...Our health insurance is going up...He is taking private medicine away from us...He cast a bill that was insane."

"65% of the American people agree with me. The President doesn't get it."

Barbara Walters to Rudy," After 911, you got not just this city, but you got the country through it. And there was a calm, and a security, in great part because of you."

My non-political reaction to both of Rudy's statements [about Sarah Palin as well as the current healthcare legislation] ....

and to Barbara's praise of Jiuliano's 911 effect on the country...

WHAT??????????????????

Sanity: What a Concept!

Jon Stewart's Washington rally to restore sanity drew a whole bunch of people, and had some very fascinating parts:

* It was so refreshing to see a nonpolitical gathering with no name calling and/or negativity.

* I will admit up front that I am a fan of Jon Stewart. When one of his announcements was to please respect the grounds by not littering, I smiled. It was just thoughtful and real in the sincerity of the occasion. He went on to say that the rally would be judged by every aspect related to it, and they wanted everything to go well and it was the right thing to do anyway.

*The 'reasonable awards' were intriguing. Among those recognized was the pitcher from South America who missed the 'No Hitter ' game status because of a bad call and then showed us that he was an even better 'human being' than pitcher...was priceless.

* Jon's speech was excellent. No name calling. No politics. A heartfelt message for EVERYONE regardless of age, gender, or political persuasion.

* Tony Bennett's ageless, timeless, and unique singing rendition of America The Beautiful made my heart smile.

And there you have it. My favorite moments in a rally meant to refocus the people in our vast country to 'Sanity: What a Concept.'