Flying Flo's Forum

Well!

2010-04-24T10:37:00.002-05:00

I came here from MFS's site, after finding out MFS had a site, to find over 750 comments to be moderated. Evidently, it wasn't set up to notify me by email that I had comments to moderate. So 750+ comments were sent to that Anonymous Commenter hole in the sky. If you wanted to use a blogger name, or if you had something to say to me personally, or about my blog (or lack of blog) specifically, and not about sex, drugs, or money, please feel free to re-comment.

I also removed MFSG from the side bar. She broke up with MFS almost 2 years ago. It was a bit of a disappointment, we all adored her. But...que sera, sera. Miss Right is out there somewhere.

On another note, I just wanted to say "I told you so." Seems everyone is disgusted and fed up with the way b.o. goes around the world apologizing for America. I warned those of you that voted for him, moments before you walked into the voting booth, that the man was not proud to be an American.

Maybe some of you can relate to this. During a discussion about the presidential candidates, someone made a comment to KSA that "McCain hasn't said anything that's going to help me personally." Well, if he believed anything b.o. said that was going to help him was the truth, I have some swamp land for him. Mostly, though, I was disgusted by the selfishness of that statement. What about his kids? If b.o. gives him everything he said, his kids will ultimately pay. Think about the future, man! Especially when you walk into the booth again in November.

Finally, when congress votes in a bill that the majority of Americans are opposed to, because they think they know what's best, we no longer have a government OF the people and BY the people.

Flo

Ratcheting Racial Remarks

2009-07-26T11:43:00.003-05:00

Found this in an article I read: “The president did not back down from his contention that police had overreacted by arresting the Harvard professor for disorderly conduct after coming to his home to investigate a possible break-in. He added, though, that he thought Gates, too, had overreacted to the police who questioned him. The charge has been dropped.

Obama stirred up a hornet's nest when he said at a prime-time news conference this week that Cambridge police had 'acted stupidly' by arresting Gates, a friend of the president's. Still, Obama said Friday he didn't regret stepping into the controversy and hoped the matter would end up being a 'teachable moment' for the nation.

'The fact that this has garnered so much attention, I think, is testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America,' Obama said.”

Seriously? Sensitive issues?

I don’t suppose B-O has considered that those most sensitive to this issue are blacks, and that certain blacks are the ones that ratchet up the tensions. I wouldn’t be surprised if a good majority of whites don’t consider race to be an issue, unless it is brought up—by blacks.

B-O said the police overreacted by making an arrest; however, the professor also overreacted. Hm. Which one came first? Would there have even been an arrest if the professor hadn’t overreacted? Or perhaps, would there have been a sincere apology to him for the misunderstanding if he had merely cooperated?

I take anything “reported” with a grain of salt, but here’s what it sounds like: The officers were responding to a call according to procedure. Instead of laughing it off and saying: “Are you serious? Look, here’s my ID,” the professor became belligerent and pulled the “Do you know who I am?” number.

I know there are racists out there, and situations like this add fuel to the fodder. That doesn’t make it right. But the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons are the types that instigate racial issues, when there is none. Instead, they should be championing obvious, intentional racism. Crying wolf when there isn’t one doesn’t get the job done. I would like to think most of us are appalled at racism and would get behind a just cause.

However, I don’t care if you’re the president. If you’re acting suspiciously, the police are entitled to investigate, whether you are black, white, red, yellow, or all/none of the above.

Flo

What Is a Loan?

2008-12-20T12:54:00.005-06:00

Help me out here. I saw the following quote in an article today about the auto industry’s economic woes:

“If the carmakers fail to prove viability - a positive cash flow and ability to make good on the loans - by March 31, they will be required to repay the government loans.”

Why wouldn’t they have to repay the government “loans?” Isn’t everybody required to repay his or her “loans?”

What a bunch of hogwash.

Can I tell MFS that if he graduates with a 3.0 GPA, then he’s shown viability for his education and doesn’t have to repay his student loans? If we’ve paid our mortgage on time and in full for 12 months and don’t have a negative bank balance, does that mean we’ve shown viability and don’t have to repay our home loan? Notice I said 12 months, as opposed to the 3 ½ months the carmakers have.

I saw a promo, possibly for the evening news, a few nights ago. It was a woman (the governor of Michigan, perhaps?) saying something like: congress has pledged billions to bail out the banking industry, but the auto industry has to beg on bended knee. How fair is that?

Good grief. Hasn’t she learned life isn’t always fair? She sounded like a whiny two-year old.

I am seriously worried that our country will not survive four years of a democrat run white-house and congress. I just hope there’s enough left to work with and that people will wake up and be willing to accept some responsibility and be accountable for their decisions.

And the Republican Party better wake up, choose a promising leader or two, and start promoting that person(s). The sooner the better. NOW would be good.

Flo

P.S. Since I'm pretty sure I won't be posting again any time soon: have a merry Christmas and a happy new year, one full of peace and hope.

ACTIONS Speak Louder Than WORDS

2008-11-02T13:18:00.005-06:00

Here’s a picture worth more than a thousand words—if you have only one thought as you step into the election booth, let it be this ACTION:

This is NOT a man PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.

For those of you that don’t know, I am adamantly opposed to abortion. I’m not sure exactly where I stand on gay rights, but I do not support gay marriage. I worry about American values and morals. Where are our priorities? To me, nothing—not the economy, not health care, not the war, not immigration—NOTHING is more important than life, and I fear for our nation if it elects this man who supports abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and gay marriage. I believe that life and family are the most important issues we are faced with, and the reasons I am voting for McCain.

However, if those are not the issues that concern you the most, I hope the picture will appeal to your patriotic side. If nothing else, REMEMBER OUR TROOPS, especially those that have given their lives so that this man could have the freedom of expression to stand up there and disrespect our flag, the symbol of our country.

God bless us all,
Flo

Vote Your Conscience

2008-10-25T09:45:00.004-05:00

Catholic or not, this is THE basis for my political beliefs. It makes a simple and basic, yet powerful statement. This three and a half minute video is not negative, doesn't mislead or have half truths, doesn't tell you whom to vote for. No matter which party you support, keep an open mind, and please watch this.

Flo

I Need a Job

2008-06-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

You know. The kind where you go to work so you can get some rest. That’s what one of my friends said at a meeting that was one of several commitments I had again last week.

But let’s not speak of commitments. Especially since Lainy thinks I’ve had nothing to do since she left, therefore, I should have written a blog two days afterwards. Then tries to blame her impatience on Kate. Ha!

You see, Lainy and I got to meet and spend a day with Kate, and rather than start her own blog and write about it, Lainy expects me to do it. Because, you know, all I do is sit around and eat bon-bons and watch TV.

But I digress.

Kate flew in to see another dear friend of hers in the area. I say “another” because now we’re dear friends, too, which was only to be expected. Lainy and I…well, actually, Lainy was the first to meet her at the gate because I had gone to check the location of a Cinnabon. Unfortunately, Kansas City does not have a very convenient terminal set-up when it comes to food. We were at Terminal C and the Cinnabon was at Terminal A. Now if the KC airport had a cool little tram so we could have zipped over and zipped back……..

I mention that because Kate had said in her blog once that she wanted to hit Cinnabon at as many different airports as she could. So being the dear friend that I am, I tried to accommodate her. I know, I know—the sacrifices I make.

Anyway, we loaded up in the car and headed toward the area we would drop her off to meet her friend, and found a charming little restaurant to have breakfast and get acquainted. When we went to leave (several hours later), the manager was going to charge us for laughs and giggles. At that point, I was just glad they didn’t charge us for directions. You see, Kate asked the waitress where the restrooms were before we sat down at our table. So the waitress gave her a quarter turn and pointed at a sign on the wall straight ahead that said “Restrooms.” That long, drawn out, complicated explanation could have cost us a pretty penny.

Do ya think we all hit it off?

Before we knew it, it was time to take Kate to meet the friend she was staying with, and Lainy and I had the honor of meeting him. [Insert “Twilight Zone” music.] Two Wolves and I think we remembered each other from different jobs we held over 20 years ago. AND, it turns out he and his wife live—literally—just down the road from me. What were the chances?!

You know…if you’ve already read about most of this over at Kate’s blog………I haven’t—so tough!

So let me tell you about the day we got to spend together. Lainy and I picked Kate up and ran over to my house so she could see it really was only a hop, skip, and a jump away. And then we were off….

…to the boats. Mm hmm. Turns out Kate is quite the little gambler. But first we had to fortify ourselves, so we pigged out at the “all you can eat” buffet. Then we went to spending money. They’ve had riverboat gambling here for quite a few years, but this was only the third time I had been to one to actually gamble. My winning experiences went from 50% to 66%! Yep, I found a nickel slot that was good to me. And Kate found a penny slot (I think it was a penny) that was even better to her! But I won’t mention poor Lainy, because she didn’t win.

After that, we stopped for coffee and dessert (crème brulee!!!!!) to figure out what we would do next. Lainy’s hubby had injured himself at work the day before and she was worried about him, yada yada, so she decided to head back home. Of course, if I had known she’d be on the phone with him most of the way, trying to dodge the tornadoes…

But she made it safely and that way I got a chance to spend some time with Kate by myself. We had an interesting discussion about several things—I need to see if she actually came up with a Top 10 Countdown. I asked her about her beliefs and learned they really aren’t that far off from mine, it’s actually pretty fascinating to me.

Eventually, I did have to take her back to Two Wolves’. Damn it.

Those of you that know me know that I generally have a pretty good time with people. I like to laugh and have fun, joke with waitresses or a check-out clerk. Kind of spread the joy, right? I don’t know if I’m contagious, or if it’s because of you people I hang around. But I know if any of you ever get the chance to meet Kate, you’ll love her, too. I don’t think saying “she fit right in” is as accurate as saying she’s just like naturally one of the gang. Understand?

So let me leave you with one of the memories from our day.

Geez I miss those girls.

Now then, you might want to run over to Holly's blog and wish her a happy birthday (tell her I sent you). And if Lainy had a blog, you could do the same for her. But she doesn't, so you can't. I'll wish you both a happy birthday right here and it will be so much fun to see both of you in a few short weeks! Too bad Kate has to hang around for a grandbaby and can't make it here.

Flo

ICE

2008-03-05T11:08:00.004-06:00

Have you seen those “Deer Crossing” signs? Some are accompanied by “next 1.5 miles” or “2 miles” or some other number. I’ve always wondered how they determined those numbers. I mean, did they discuss it with the deer? Do they know they can’t go 1.7 miles—that they have to stay within 1.5 miles? What happens when they do go outside the boundary? And you know they’re going to do it, they’re going to push those limits and see how far they can go.

Or how about those automated phone systems? They want you to enter your account number, date of birth, phone number, age of your firstborn, number of pets, etc. Then when you finally get a real person on the phone, you have to repeat all that information.

Can anyone tell me why it is that your car, which has been making funny noises for days, purrs like a kitten when you take it to a mechanic?

This one has always boggled my mind: Why is it that every time you BEG the receptionist to squeeze your ill child into the overfull schedule during flu season, your child no longer has a fever when you get to see the doctor?

But, that’s not why I wrote. If any of you are still paying attention out there, check out the March 17^thedition of First magazine. You’ll see a great pic of someone we all know and love. Then you’ll also understand the title of today’s blog—and be sure to spread the word.

Flo

Their Version vs. My Version

2008-01-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

I have some news you might find helpful, but first, a little swipe at housecleaning.

I hope all your holidays were joyful and I wish you a new year full of blessings. KSA and I had the pleasure of ringing in 2008 with Holly and Johnny—great to see them again, as always—and the phabulous Phlegm. She is a delight, has the most beautiful eyes, and I am looking forward to spending more time with her in the future. If you all could be so lucky!

Georgia’s service was very nice, complete with military honors. She was a special lady, and I thank you for your comments.

Now then. I received this email a while back:

Housework

Household chores can be a pain in the sacroiliac. Unless you’re careful, routine activities around the home – washing dishes, vacuuming, even talking on the phone – can strain your back, including the sacroiliac area near the tailbone, and result in debilitating discomfort.

But you can protect your back by knowing the right way to go about such activities, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

Consider lifting. It doesn’t matter whether you’re picking up your child or a heavy bucket of water; you need to do it the proper way to avoid injury.

How? Bend from the knees, not the waist. As you lift, hold the item as close to your body as possible. If you have to turn to place it, step in the direction of the turn. That way, you’re not twisting your body and straining your spine.

Back-Saving Tips

The ACA suggests the following do’s and don’ts for chores and relaxation:

- When you wash dishes, open the cabinet beneath the sink, bend one knee and put your foot on the shelf under the sink. Lean against the counter so some of your weight is supported in front.

- When ironing, raise one foot a bit. Place it on a small stool or a book to take some strain off your back.

- To vacuum, use a “fencer’s stance.” Put all your weight on one foot, then step forward and back with the other foot as you push the vacuum forward and back. Use the back foot as a pivot when you turn.

- While talking on the phone, don’t cradle the phone between your ear and shoulder. That can lock up the spinal joints in the neck and upper back, and cause pain, instead, hold the phone with your hand or use the speakerphone.

- While watching television or relaxing, don’t use the sofa arm as a pillow. The angle is much too sharp for your neck.

- Use a cold pack if your back begins to hurt. Wrap an ice pack in a towel moistened with warm water. The warmth gives way to gradual cold, which likely will alleviate the discomfort. (“No ice? Try frozen veggies instead.)

- If pain persists for more than a day or two or if you experience numbness, tingling or weakness in your arms or legs, see a doctor of chiropractic.

Dr. Baker can help…

Although minor aches and pains can come and go, there are a few things to look for that may indicate a more serious problem. If you or a loved one experiences any of the following, please contact our office.

- pain that radiates into your arms or legs

- numbness or tingling

- stiffness lasting three or more days

- restricted motion in neck, back or any joint

- swelling in a joint

- repetitive pain

- nausea, dizziness, or headaches

- symptoms that affect your overall feeling of well being

Remember to Try Chiropractic and Acupuncture First!

That seemed a little wordy to me. I like my version MUCH better:

Housework

But you CAN protect your back—by just not doing housework.

See how simple that was?

Flo

Georgia On My Mind

2007-12-31T08:24:00.000-06:00

I met Georgia in 1980 at Officer Candidate School. You can imagine the number of memories packed into almost 28 years of friendship. Besides OCS, we shared an apartment together for a while, vacationed in Hawaii, and were bridesmaids in eachother's wedding - one week apart, 21 years ago.

Georgia gave me one of her first guitars and put together a songbook just for me. She showed me a few basic chords and how to play them, and off I went. That guitar was my stress-reliever through OCS and nursing school. Now it's something that MFD and I share.

Georgia battled ovarian cancer for over a decade and she died Saturday. She was only 49. Georgia has been an inspiration to me, and I'm sure many others, as she went through surgery and chemo. She was realistic - she knew she would die from this cancer - but she was always laughing and joking and bringing smiles to faces.

Her main goal was to live to see her daughter's high school graduation. She not only attended, she was the guest speaker. That was a year and a half ago.

I haven't seen her in quite a while, and the last time I spoke with her was only for a few minutes. Of course she's been in pain for quite some time, and it's all been wearing her down. She's been tired and ready for a long while, but she kept going the best she could as long as she could.

I'm very greatful for the friendship we shared and I will miss that. But she left a lot of memories and examples that I will never forget.

Thanks for the memories, Georgia, and rest in peace.

Love and hugs,
Flo

P.S. KSA and I are having a fabulous time with HollyB and JPG, and I get to meet Phlegm this evening, so I promise to post something happy soon!

Look Out...

2007-11-24T12:09:00.000-06:00

…Flo is pissed.

Here I am, minding my own business, following up on treatment for breast cancer, cleaning the house and cooking for all the relatives that came to visit for Thanksgiving, trying to find the energy to shop and decorate for Christmas, figuring out what to do about Christmas cards, when out of the blue, in response to this post (be sure to notice the date), I receive this:

“Flo,

That quote, ‘somewhere a true believer is training to kill you’ can be found here:

’Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.

He knows only The Cause.

Still want to quit?’

NousDefionsDoc
www.professionalsoldiers.com

Flo, you don't want to plagiarize someone elses work now do you?

JD
Adminstrator
ProfessionalSoldiers.com

Posted by JD to Flying Flo's Forum at 24 November, 2007 08:55”

Again, notice the date.

I have a few things to say before I answer the question.

First, get a life, JD. Life is precious, and instead of searching the web for possible True Believer plagiarisms, you ought to spend some of that time with family and friends. If I were one of them, I wouldn’t care much for your priorities if you were out making questionable comments on nearly 11-month-old blogs, instead of sitting around killing time with me.

Second, are you proud to be defending the PS website in such a way that you totally detract from the essence of a post? Did you even read the damn post? My sole purpose in writing that particular post was to pay homage to members of our military that were out risking their lives to defend our freedoms and lives back home. As a former soldier, it disgusts me that you’re more concerned about proper credit being given to a quote, than about the welfare of our military. I don’t supposed it occurred to you to say something to the effect of, “Thanks for remembering the troops, Flo! BTW, that info about the True Believer is from a quote that can be found at PS.com.”

Maybe I’d be thanking you for pointing that out, instead of calling you a moron.

Third, what does an “adminstrator” do? Oh, was that a typo? Hm, perhaps you should use a spell checker. And a grammar checker.

Fourth, yes, I do happen to know that quote can be found at the PS website. I know that because you also stirred up the SOS at my friend’s blog. Eleven months ago. After she copied that particular post to her blog and said she had gotten it from my site. Eleven months ago. A little slow, aren’t you? I also know I found several other references claiming credit for that quote, which I believe included some high mucky-muck at some elite soldier course graduation. Just because that particular quote is located on your site doesn’t mean a thing to me. As much of a stink as you’re raising, show some proof. But not to me—I don’t give a rat’s ass.

Fifth, in answer to your question: No, I don’t want to plagiarize. It’s a good thing I didn’t, or I might have to apologize. According to dictionary.com, plagiarism means “1.) the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, or 2.) something used and represented in this manner.” (plagiarism. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved November 24, 2007, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism).

I NEVER EVEN ATTEMPTED TO CLAIM ANY OF THAT WORK AS MY OWN.

So fuck you and the horse you rode in on. (Oh dear, I hope that’s not plagiarized.)

Now, as opposed to wasting time like you do, ranting about this has actually been very beneficial for me. Because I feel EVER so much better now.

Flo

Thank You!

2007-10-16T14:43:00.000-05:00

You all are just the best! Thank you so much for the support, and know that your prayers are working.

It’s Holly and Lainy’s fault I haven’t written. Holly was here last week, and Lainy got here today. But don’t give them too hard a time, I’ve had/am having a blast and it’s keeping me out of trouble. Well, major, bail me out of jail kind of trouble anyway.

Surgery is tomorrow, we’re keeping it simple. She’ll take a little more tissue from the area she took the tumor, then check lymph nodes. If they’re clear, she’ll insert a temporary catheter into the tumor cavity. The MRI results were fine, so as long as the final pathology report is good, there’s no fluid around the catheter, and there’s enough clearance between the catheter and the skin, I will be doing the short form of radiation. It’s called mammosite therapy, and twice a day for five days they will insert a seed through the catheter, radiate me, then take it back out. I’ll go for the final evaluations next week, then hopefully start the treatment the week after.

I was going to tell you about all the fun stuff I’ve been doing, but the mind sort of just went blank. Imagine that. So I’ll leave it to Holly to fill you in. I do know that she probably needed a couple of days sleep to recuperate from all the running around we did.

I’ll get back as soon as I can. Maybe I can get Holly to post a note about how surgery went, so check at her place. (Is that ok Holly? Can you do that for me? Can ya, please? Huh? Ok?)

Thanks again, y’all just give me goosebumps!

Flo

Rant and Pray

2007-09-27T12:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, well, we never went out of town. Here’s the deal:

I received a call and the day we were supposed to leave I had to go in to see the surgeon about the pathology report on the lump that was removed from my breast. It is ductal type cancer, however, it is very small (0.6 cm) and Stage 1. The tumor profile came back the next day and the nurse said it was “favorable,” but I don’t know the specifics of that yet. I had a special MRI Friday afternoon and am waiting for the results.

Right now, I basically have three options; all involve further surgery. Option 1 is clean out a little more around the area the tumor came from. The margins of the tumor were clear; this is just extra precaution to make sure they got it all. Then they’ll check the lymph nodes while I’m in surgery and take some out if necessary. Afterwards, I will have to have some type of radiation therapy.

Option 2 is a mastectomy; option 3 would involve simultaneous reconstruction. I will probably not require radiation with either of those.

We don’t know about chemotherapy yet. I imagine that will depend on what the profile results mean, and if the MRI shows any more tumors.

I know things will turn out fine. It took a couple of days for the shaking inside to go away, and I think that mainly came from the word. Cancer, no matter how favorable the prognosis, is a gut-clenching, kick-in-the-teeth word. Especially if you’re not expecting it, which I wasn’t. I think even my doctor was caught by surprise.

Supposedly, a mammogram can detect tumors that can’t be felt. This one could be felt, but didn’t show up on the mammogram. My PCP also requested an ultrasound of the lump. Nothing there. When I saw the surgeon, she said of course it felt abnormal, but it didn’t feel like a tumor. Even when she took it out, she didn’t think it felt cancerous.

How in the hell can something that’s there, especially something that’s now obviously abnormally there, not be there on the films?

Anyway, as I said, I know it will be ok. However, there are already some changes in my priorities, and the time I spend on the computer is one of them. Right now I’m doing well to keep up with my email.

To my daily and regular readers, I’m sorry I’m going to become scarce and unpredictable, but I want to thank all of you that have taken the time to visit. I told MFSG that there were about a bazillion people praying for me (and she responded that she made it a bazillion and one), including a priest and an entire convent of nuns, and this simple gesture of love from my family and friends brings tears of gratitude to my eyes. Because of the blog world, I’ve added a few more to my family, and you have brought me laughter and joy with your visits and comments and your own blogs.

May God bless each of you. You’re all special people, and I hope to continue seeing you around here and there.

HOWEVER…

(What? You thought I would leave on a mushy note? Not hardly! It’s time for the rant part.)

KSA and I did get out for a couple of days last weekend. One of the things we did was go see Jodie Foster’s new movie “The Brave One.” If you haven’t seen it, and you want to see it, stop reading right here.

I like Jodie Foster, I think she’s a very good actress, but I expected better of her. This movie pissed me off. I was ready to leave after her third violent encounter. But I told myself: “I know she’s usually the good guy, but surely she isn’t portraying a person who is glorified for purposely, knowingly, going-out-of-her-way calculatingly, to find and off the bad guys.”

She is. And she even ends up with the police detective on her side. I was disgusted.

Sure, she was killing bad guys. The first couple were even understandable. A guy comes in a convenience store and shoots his ex, then comes looking for her when her phone starts ringing. I’m thinking justifiable, even though her gun wasn’t registered. So why didn’t she call 9-1-1 instead of sneaking off?

A dude is holding a knife to her throat on the subway, she blows him away. Sure, I would, too. I’m not sure about his buddy, though. I don’t remember how fast it happened. And again, she runs away. But when she walks up to the creepy guy in the car after he calls to her, oh yeah, she’s lookin’ for trouble.

The humor at the end also just set me off. Then, wah-lah, she’s a heroine.

She might have even been “The Brave One” if she hadn’t taken matters into her own hands.

Flo

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane

2007-09-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

I do know when I’ll be back again, but I’m not gonna tell you, otherwise you’ll either start worrying about or yelling at me cuz I haven’t posted in ages.

And before you start hollerin’, Lainy, I already got my excuses all lined up for why I won’t be posting while I’m gone. Unlike Holly, who drove, I am flying. Our hosts are picking us up and driving us around, so I don’t have personal transportation to go to the library. And it’s not like I’m going to visit my brother, either. It’s a guy KSA worked with that retired, so it wouldn’t be very polite of me to help myself to his computer. If he even has one. With his view of the mountains, I sure as heck wouldn’t!

We’re headed toward Minden, NV and some kind of air races. Evidently I’ll be allowed to attend one day, whereas the men folk will be going twice. I think I might be flying in a glider, too, and I’m hoping I don’t puke. I heard mention of Napa Valley, but I’m not sure. Isn’t that in California? I hope I don’t need my passport, I’m not even sure it’s current.

Y’all be good while I’m gone, cuz I ain’t comin’ back to bail you out of jail.

Flo

P.S. I see MFSG has visited some. Everybody wave and tell her hi!

Talk Around the Water Cooler

2007-09-08T12:32:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of women leaning against either side of the door jamb, just inside the kitchen. This poor dude walks up to the two on his way into the kitchen, and asks one of the women if she needs to stay on the rosary list.

Woman 1: Yes, please, I’d really appreciate it.
Woman 2: So when are you having it done?
Woman 1: Tomorrow.
Woman 2: You know, I still have like a dent where I had it done several years ago.
Woman 1: Really? Was it a needle biopsy or did they take it completely out?
Woman 2: Just a needle biopsy—I don’t have that much there to begin with.
Woman 1: I know exactly what you mean!
Woman 2: You know, one side is bigger than the other.
Woman 1: I know, and they’re taking it out of the one that’s smaller to begin with!
Poor Dude: Excuse me ladies, you’re getting a little technical on me here. I think I’ll just slide on by you and grab me some fruit and crackers.

+++++++++++++++++++

So Lovi calls me the day after my biopsy, checking up to see how I was doing. She asked how big the lump was. I said I didn’t know, maybe the size of a pea, maybe less. So she says, “Do ya still have a boob left?”

Don’t ya just love sisters?

Bitch.

Flo

Stadol vs. Versed

2007-09-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

This morning, Holly and I were discussing the benefits of Versed. I think she’s even written a blog about it, IIRC. Yesterday, I had, I think, my first experience with it.

See, I went to see the breast surgeon Tuesday. She’s pretty confident it’s nothing to be concerned about, but we decided to take the lump out for peace of mind. KSA and I are going out of town next week, and the only time the surgeon had open before then was Wednesday.

So off I go for outpatient surgery yesterday. They gave me what I think they called “anesthesia with sedation,” and one of the drugs they used was Versed. It was good, I was nicely sedated. They said I’d go to sleep nice and wake up nice. I don’t know how nice I was, but I did wake up easily, surprised it was all over. And I was tired the rest of the day, but not groggy.

So yes, I have to say that the Versed did relax me. However, Stadol made me feel Oh So Good.

I had Stadol when I was in labor with both of the kids. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to experience its effects with MFS, but I was laying on my back, looking up at KSA, and his eyes were suddenly SO blue. They were about the purtiest blue eyes I ever did see!

Well, it was a whole different story with MFD. (Of course, what else would you expect?) I’m sitting up in bed, they’re pushing the Stadol as I’m having a contraction. I’m starting to feel really good, floating along, and suddenly, I’m feeling so good I’m laughing. Practically hysterically. I couldn’t stop.

In the mean time, MFS is sitting on my mom’s lap, looking at me, and says, “Not funny, Mommy. NOT funny, Mommy!”

KSA’s eyes didn’t turn as blue that time, though. Then again, the back of her head was pressing on my back, so instead of looking at his eyes, I was yelling at him to “get her out of there!”

I still do think I prefer my Stadol.

Flo

Thank You

2007-09-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

When it’s more than just Lainy checking up on me, I know I have been horribly remiss in posting. I’m so lucky to have the family and friends that I do, including my blog family. It really brings tears to my eyes when I think of your concern.

Thanks for asking about me, I’m sorry to have worried you and I’ll try not to do it again.

Flo

In A Funk

2007-08-30T07:10:00.000-05:00

I’ve been a bit “off” here for a couple of weeks. Have you ever felt like there’s something wrong, but nothing you can pinpoint? Like it wouldn’t take much for you to start crying? You’ve got plenty you should be doing, but just can’t give yourself that little push to get started?

Well then, you might be suffering from depression. But I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.

Ah, still got a sense of humor. There may be hope for me yet.

Actually, I am a bit disgusted with this whole “life” situation. You know, my body has been falling apart for years. The eyesight is going, my knees and neck sound like Rice Krispies, arthritis occasionally flairs up in a thumb, I’ve got carpal tunnel, a couple of bad discs, high blood pressure, I tend to be hot, my memory stinks, and I’ll spare my male readers the details of my monthly ordeals. You’re welcome.

So I go in for my annual exam a couple of weeks ago. I’ve got a few things I bring up to the doc—my BP meds are making me cough, I’m really fed up with my monthly ordeals, and a couple of other minor complaints. She orders tests.

I go the next day for my mammogram, sonogram of a lump the doc found, and a pelvic sonogram. They always give me the results of my mammogram before I leave, and they said that it and the ultrasound were normal. Yeah, well, I still get the pleasure of consulting with a surgeon.

I had to wait for them to send the result of the pelvic ultrasound to my doc. Ladies, if you haven’t had a pelvic ultrasound lately, evidently current SOP calls for two views, the usual one directly on the abdomen, and another one from inside that is supposed to give them a better view of the ovaries. Except after all that, she still had to go back for an abdominal view of my right ovary because it was so high up. Turns out I have an ovarian cyst and a thickened endometrium, so I also get to see a gyn.

As if all that isn’t bad enough, the doc also checked my hormone levels. They’re normal. NORMAL. I am NOT peri-menopausal.

All these years I’ve been telling myself, “Just a little bit longer.” And I haven’t even started!!! This SO sucks.

It’s all my mother’s fault, you know. And stupid me asked when she finally started going through menopause. I think she lied.

And poor KSA doesn’t have a clue how much worse things are going to get.

However, there is good news. I went for recertification last week and I am now qualified to shock the shit out of you.

Flo

I Must Be The Youngest Mother Alive...

2007-08-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

…because my daughter seems to think I was born yesterday.

Our adorable church accompanist is leaving in a couple of weeks to attend the Berkley College of Music in Boston. So we had a nice little reception for her after Mass the other day.

After a while, I noticed MFD wasn’t around and when a couple others asked where she was, I went out to see if her car was still there or if she had just up and left. She was sitting on the curb by her car, talking with one of the ensemble members. She said she wasn’t feeling well and had gone outside for some fresh air. So I told her the guest of honor wanted to talk to her and she needed to be getting back inside.

She came inside a little bit later with a big grin on her face and some kid trailing behind her. She told me That Kid drove for a whole hour to surprise her.

Surprise. Uh huh.

So we have a little discussion when That Kid is gone:

Me: So how did That Kid happen to know to surprise you at church?
MFD: Well, I had told him that we were having a little party and I be hanging out for a while after church.
Me: Uh huh. So, you didn’t invite him to meet you?
MFD: No.
Me: So he decides to crash the party? Invites himself to this party for someone he doesn’t know?
MFD: I guess so.
Me: So how did you happen to meet this kid if he lives an hour away?
MFD: Well, somehow, he and the members of his band managed to get in to the Back to School Dance.
Me: Really? The dance that was for OHS students only.
MFD: Yeah.
Me: Uh huh. So these non-OHS kids got into a dance they weren’t supposed to be at, and none of the chaperones noticed anything.
MFD: I guess.
Me: You know, this just isn’t sounding right.
MFD: Well I don’t know what else to tell you.
Me: I guess the truth would be a little too much to ask, huh? So you’re telling me you’re ok with a guy that thinks nothing of being rude or breaking rules?
MFD: I didn’t look at it like that.

Oh, now I get it. I wasn’t born yesterday, but obviously I’m suffering a concussion from falling off the turnip truck.

Flo

Gift Idea

2007-08-26T07:34:00.000-05:00

You know, it’s never too early to start shopping for Christmas. Here’s one for the Democrat that has everything:

Flo

Check This Out!

2007-08-24T13:50:00.000-05:00

My crusty ol’ CWO sent me this link to an unusual eBay listing. Just from seeing the picture, I couldn’t understand what the big deal was until I started reading the description.

I was hooked.

Dawn has a blog, and I’ve read every single one of her posts. Fortunately, she just started in June. In that short amount of time, she has logged over 130,000 visits to her site, and almost 13,000 views of her profile.

Don’t I feel like the little pipsqueak?

I enjoyed all of her stories, but a couple that really stick in my mind are her very first one, then one I believe this month about dieting. I’m sure I won’t be the only one that will take up her calorie counting ideas.

The woman is a hoot—she has to be, I’m sure, if she wants to retain any piece of sanity while raising 6 (yes, six) kids. Pay her a visit.

Flo

I LOVE This!

2007-08-22T14:54:00.001-05:00

We must have had the same mom! Enjoy!

Sniff

2007-08-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Allie and I have been abandoned.

Lainy went back home yesterday. MFS also left yesterday for his second year at college. Today is MFD’s first full day of school. As a junior. And, of course, KSA is at work. Actually, he reported for jury duty today.

The house is quiet.

I used to be a night person, detested mornings. I loved the peaceful feeling after everyone was asleep. It was a different kind of quiet than during the day when they were at work and school. Probably because I knew they were all at home together, safe and sound.

I miss that.

Flo

No More Margaritas for Us

2007-08-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

Lainy is up visiting for a few days and we’ve been having quite a bit of fun. Here’s a sample of what we’ve been doing to entertain ourselves:

Your Boobies' Names Are...

Thunder and Lightning

Boobie Name Generator

and here’s Lainy’s:

Your Boobies' Names Are...

Wonder Woman and Batgirl

Boobie Name Generator

Flo

Spewing

2007-08-15T09:36:00.000-05:00

MFSG came over the other night with her dad, younger sister, and aunt to “watch the meteor shower.” It turned out cloudy, so we missed out on the streaks in the sky.

Getting together with MFSG’s family is always a fun occasion. Actually, it was a little toned down this time, because it usually includes her mom (had to get up early for school the next day), her grandfather (I was crushed, he wasn’t sure if he was included), and her older sister (has a one month old). One time we also had the half-brother and his family.

It sounds like they do a lot together, which I think is just the coolest. They can be a wild bunch, too, so we all get along really well, as you can imagine. We just have a blast.

The other night, MFSG had shown us her fingers that she had burned while playing with fire (and she’s a fireman’s daughter). Later on, she made a comment that she thought she might lose a fingernail because of a blister underneath it, and she wondered if the fingernail would grow back. I said, “no.” She believed it! Then she said she knew someone that had lost a toenail and that it grew back. So I told her she still had a problem, because there was a difference between toenails and fingernails. I really had her going for a while, until she said she knew someone that lost both a toenail and a fingernail and they both grew back. So I was kind of busted.

A little later, we’re sitting around the table, talking about car horns. MFSG said hers used to sound like a duck. “Wauck,” she said. Since they were younger, I’ve teased the kids when they made different sound effects. The horn sound was so funny, so I said, “How did that go?” And she said, “Wauck.” “One more time,” I said. “Wauck!” We were all laughing, so she said, “You wouldn’t think it was funny if got you mad at some stupid driver and you had a horn that sounded like ‘wauck!’” Unfortunately, just as she was getting into that sentence, I was taking a drink of root beer. I literally spewed when she got to the “wauck!”

Just great. That could possibly end up a story for future grandkids. I can see it now: “Go ask grandma to show you her special trick.”

Flo

Home Improvement

2007-08-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

Those of you that know KSA also know this is not my problem:

Oh no. Nope, if I see KSA doing that, it’s time to call for AD’s services.

KSA is always working on something. The problem is that his priorities are usually not my priorities. For example, we have to climb up and down a ladder to get from the back porch to the yard because there aren’t any stairs yet. But KSA has been working on the yard, getting things smooth and level so he can seed it.

And I don’t dare let him know how important something is to me or else he’ll put it on the back burner. He’s got so much on that back burner that half of it has either burned to a crisp, is mushy and worthless, or evaporated into thin air.

If I get really irritated, I’ll do it myself. I’ve learned things like how to run telephone lines and install ceiling fixtures. I need to find a project I can muck up just enough that it won’t cause harm, yet will have to be taken care of immediately.

Maybe that’ll teach him not to put things off for so long.

Oh hell, no it won’t. Whom am I kidding?

Flo

Legislation Allows Veterans to Salute the Flag

2007-08-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

Perhaps one of my learned readers can answer a couple of questions for me. I received the following in an e-mail:

There is new legislation that clarifies allowing Veterans and service members not in uniform to salute the flag. This may seem like a small change, but all Veterans can now render a smart hand salute to the flag during all appropriate public events.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today praised the passage by unanimous consent of his bill (S.1877) clarifying U.S. law to allow veterans and servicemen not in uniform to salute the flag. Current law (US Code Title 4, Chapter 1) states that veterans and servicemen not in uniform should place their hand over their heart without clarifying whether they can or should salute the flag.

"The salute is a form of honor and respect, representing pride in one's military service," Senator Inhofe said. "Veterans and service members continue representing the military services even when not in uniform. "Unfortunately, current U.S. law leaves confusion as to whether veterans and service members out of uniform can or should salute the flag. My legislation will clarify this regulation, allowing veterans and servicemen alike to salute the flag, whether they are in uniform or not.

"I look forward to seeing those who have served saluting proudly at baseball games, parades, and formal events. I believe this is an appropriate way to honor and recognize the 25 million veterans in the United States who have served in the military and remain as role models to others citizens. To those who are currently serving or have served in the military have earned this right, and their recognition will be an inspiration to others."

My questions concern the following statement: “Veterans can now render a smart hand salute to the flag during all appropriate public events.”

Question 1: What are considered appropriate public events? The senator refers to baseball games, etc. However, what I have seen of the wording of the bill states only when raising, lowering, or passing by of the flag. I did not see anything about the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem, which are other times Service Members would salute the flag. Although the Pledge of Allegiance is covered under Title 4, Chapter 1, the national anthem is in a completely different Title.

Keeping in mind that I am from the Show Me State, can anyone provide a link that specifically covers this?

Question 2: I have seen this posted on various forums and passed around in e-mails as if this bill is in effect now. How can that be? Unless my references are not the latest, I show that the bill still has to pass the House and then be signed by the President. Am I missing something, or is this a special bill?

I would be proud to post this as factual—if I knew it was, in fact, a done deal. However, it would embarrass me greatly if I posted something that turned out to be inaccurate. It’s this quirk I have.

Can anyone out there help me?

Flo

Puddle Jumper Days

2007-08-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

Puddle Jumper Days, aka Funnel Cake Day, was quite a disappointment this year. We only had one funnel cake, and even that one left something to be desired.

We’ve been meeting at Lovi’s for this annual event for a number of years now. We adopted PJ, our collie/golden retriever mix, from one of the crafters there five years ago. The woman lived in the country outside of town and someone had dumped PJ and her littermates, so the woman took a picture of one of them and posted it at her booth. We took pictures of PJ the following year to show her and found out she had kept one of the boys.

We try to get there in time to grab a funnel cake for breakfast, then we sit out under the tree and watch the parade go by. My favorite is the horse-drawn hearse that the local funeral home enters and usually signaled the end of the parade. No hearse last year, which was a major disappointment. Fortunately, it was back this year, but the parade was only 30 minutes long.

And to top THAT off: NO craft tents. There used to be two large tents, then last year there was only one, and now none. We loved going up and down the aisles, checking out all kinds of merchandise. I got one of my favorite t-shirts there several years ago, a huge yellow smiley face with a bullet hole and oozing blood in the forehead. (Take THAT, Wal-Mart!)

You could get a custom made garden stone, handmade jewelry, refrigerator magnets, quilts, stained glass, or fun bumper stickers. Even the main street didn’t have as many tents this year, and very little unusual merchandise, All they had were mostly food booths or tents for various churches or a raffle of one kind or another. Oh, and sunglasses. There were about three places with those knock-off sunglasses.

Lovi and I would go up sometime after the parade and scope things out. The kids usually set off for the carnival area. Then we’d go home during the hottest part of the day. After Mass, we’d have dinner, then the whole lot of us would go back out—Lovi and me to buy anything we hadn’t gotten earlier, visit friends we’d run into, watch the little ones on the rides, and see the cute (or ugly) dogs.

No dogs allowed this year! I finally have a dog that’s not hyper, doesn’t have to sniff every little thing, likes attention, and isn’t bothered in the least by unfamiliar dogs, and she can’t go. Which was probably a good thing, because evidently the day was exhausting for her—she would lie down with a groan, flop over, and go to sleep.

Anyway, there wasn’t much worth going back for in the evening, so we hung out with Lovi’s family, her oldest son and his girlfriend, and her folks, and had a nice time visiting and pigging out on her hubby’s brisket. No leftovers for them!

I might have to write a letter to the local paper expressing my disappointment. The Puddle Jumper Committee should be darn grateful we don’t need no stinkin’ festival to have fun!

Flo

Why Do People Have Sex?

2007-08-02T07:14:00.000-05:00

Oh great! This is just what I needed to change the rating of my blog from PG-13 to maybe an R. The only reasons it wasn’t G was because I had “knife” twice (I knew I should have cut myself with a spoon) and “bitch” once, when I was referring to a female dog.

As if that’s not bad enough, according to the Inkblot test, I’m a Buddhist Monk. I think they just couldn’t evaluate my write in answers

So. The University of Texas spent five years and, fortunately, their own money, researching why people have sex. After coming up with 237 reasons, 1500 college psychology students ranked the reasons from 1 to 5. Thank goodness they selected a representative segment of the population.

According to the study, the number one reason is because we are attracted to someone. Of course the findings are being disputed.

Reminds me of something a friend told me years ago. And he went to a seminary for high school, so I know he wouldn’t lie to me.

Seems the French spent $1 million studying the purpose of the head of the male’s penis. They determined it was to give the female greater sexual satisfaction.

Not to be outdone, the U.S. spent $5 million. They determined the purpose of the head of the penis was to give the male greater sexual satisfaction.

The Polish decided they wanted the world to start taking them seriously, so they conducted their own study. They spent $3.18 and determined the purpose of the head of the penis was to keep the hand from slipping off.

PG-13 and Buddhist Monk my foot.

Flo

The Name for the Day Is:

2007-07-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

Allie. [sigh] It’s halfway between Ellie and Addie, so whatever I call her, I’m not too far off.

We’ve considered Gypsy and Bella and Sophie and Arial and Brandy and I don’t remember what else. None of them really seem to fit. Maybe if she hadn’t come with a name, or we didn’t know what it was. Before she got here, KSA had suggested calling her Ellie 2, but she’s just not an Ellie.

I was about rolling, though, when I read DW’s suggestion of AD! And JPG, what if we lengthened the abbreviated version of Damsel to Dam-Dam? Do you think that would work? ;-)

I understand better the issue with her potty habits (although I don’t think it’s an excuse to return her). She seems to prefer concrete or gravel instead of grass. And it’s not really an issue of sniffing around and finding the right spot—if she needs to go, she just squats, wherever she is.

It’s going to take some time and patience, but she’ll learn about the good life of a pet. In the meantime, she’s an awfully sweet little girl and we all love having her around.

Flo

She’s Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

2007-07-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Would you check this out?

KSA adores her. He tries to make like he’s not an animal person. Especially an indoor dog person. But he’s really a softie.

Except he’s never taken to one of my animals so quickly, and never right off the bat.

He came home yesterday and there Addie is, looking up at him, wagging her tail, prancing back and forth on her front feet, and that was that. He goes on about how cute she is, he really likes her, and on and on. It’s almost disgusting. He’s telling me what to do—you ought to brush her, she’ll like that; if you get her to poop and take her back to the same spot, she’ll poop for you; yada yada. And he offered to walk her this morning, even when I told him it could take a while and he’d have to be patient and he had to keep her on the leash (we’ve been taking her to the field instead of to the fenced area downstairs).

She got here late yesterday morning and I think she’s finally settled down now. She walked and walked and walked yesterday, all around the house, with occasional stops to look at Smokey lying in one of the chairs. He just hissed if she got too close, but that was it, and off she’d go again. Tawney tried to sneak out from under our bed once, but Addie spied her and went to see her, so Tawney took back off to crawl under the bed. Addie went back and forth from one side to the other, then she’d crouch down and bark. She wanted to play with the kitties so badly. They still won’t have anything to do with her.

She’s not pacing all around today, though. She’s found herself a little spot by the door in my office, so she plops down and goes to sleep.

PJ and Harley are ok with her now. Of course they have to stick around when I’m outside with her, but they don’t follow her every move. And she’s perfectly fine with them, which is why I’d rather take her out to the field with them instead of the fenced area, because she’s used to having other dogs around.

I’m not quite sure what to do about her name, though. MFD and I love “Adrianna,” but it’s too long for everyday use. We don’t much care for “Addie,” and neither does KSA. Originally, I was going to try to keep it fairly close, but I think it’s going to be too confusing for me. A couple of times I have automatically said “Ellie” and when I realize what I’m doing, it goes to “Allie” and finally to “Addie.” So I may have to get completely away from it.

She has the most adorable face, it reminds me of something, I just can’t place it yet. I don’t know how well you can see on the pictures, but she has the black that goes around her eyes except the little touch of brown right above them, and a little stripe of black off to each side. And her tail looks like a fluffy little fox’s tail, with white right on the tip.

What a pretty girl, look at this face:

How’s about this fluffy tail:

Look how daintily she crosses her feet:

Name suggestions, anyone?

Flo

Adoption Delayed

2007-07-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

The foster mom’s own Australian Shepherd was bleeding from his ear, so she had to rush him to the vet clinic.

She just called back and it turns out he had some cuts and a puncture wound. He and one of the other dogs must have been roughhousing and gotten a little rambunctious. Took a couple of stitches, but he keeps shaking the bandage off and bleeding all over again. She needs to stay with him and try to keep it under control, and I understand.

She’ll call back to make other arrangements with Addie, but I’m sure she’ll be tired after the adrenalin rush wears off, so I don’t expect to hear from her until tomorrow. Poor things.

Will keep you posted.

Flo

Picxthures for JPG

2007-07-26T07:04:00.000-05:00

This is the only one I have right now. It’s off of the rescue website, and it doesn’t do her justice at all. I promise to get more for you all.

She’s coming around 1030-1100 today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flo

We're Adopting!

2007-07-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

A dog, of course.

Her name is Adrianna (Addie) and she’s a 5-year old tri-colored Sheltie. She is very sweet and adorable and loves attention.

I went to the adoption clinic last month to look at a couple of dogs they had. Addie was in her crate when I first got there, but she got up when I came by, looking for attention. Later, when I was sitting around with a couple of the other dogs and Addie was out on a leash, she came over to me several times on her own. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. She wasn’t one I had originally gone to see—I was looking more for a sable, with perky ears, on the younger side. But she was on my list for consideration when I left.

I was sick the next clinic, so I didn’t go. Addie’s picture was gone from the website shortly after that. I thought, “Oh well, she must have been adopted.” She wasn’t gone for long, though.

The rescue group had gotten several new Shelties, so MFD and I set out Saturday to take a look. I asked, and Addie’s foster mom said someone had tried to adopt her, but evidently had problems with her potty habits. She’s not one to rush out and do her business, and I guess they didn’t want to wait so long.

I never said anything to MFD. I was sitting with a couple of the other dogs when MFD came over and said Addie was the one. I even tried to dissuade her—“look at this one with the beautiful blue eyes.” “Addie is 5-years old, don’t you think we should look at one a little younger?” Nope, Addie was the one.

[sigh]

She comes to me on her own…she’s adopted, then she’s not…she’s the one MFD picks out. What other signs do I need?

One of the gals from the rescue group had called last week to see if I was still looking. I had already put in an application and she said she had checked my vet references and I was approved for adoption as soon as I had a fenced in area. We’ve got a walk-out basement with retainer walls on two sides, so we just needed to close off the fourth side, and I told MFD and KSA that’s what I wanted for my birthday.

Baling, delivering, and stacking hay put that on hold, but I told KSA we’d picked our dog, so he made it his priority (once the hay was done, of course) and got it done Monday evening. Someone came out yesterday to check and approve it. Now we’re just waiting for her foster mom to call back to make arrangements to get her.

Addie came from a puppy mill, which surprises me a little because she seems friendlier than a lot of the puppy mill dogs I’ve seen. Those breeders are so disgusting, the only thing they love about the animals they have is the money they can make off of them. A couple of the latest dogs were rescued just days before the owner would have shot them. He was moving and couldn’t take them with him. I just cannot fathom such a callous and heartless being.

But, I think a lot of Addie’s attitude is due to the love and care of her foster mom. And now, like the man throwing the starfish back into the sea, I’m making a difference in the life of at least one girl that’s been rescued. I just hope, for Addie’s sake, that the transition to her furrever home is a smooth one.

Flo

I'm So Lucky

2007-07-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

Guess what I got to do for my birthday. (Not you, Holly and Lainy, you already know.) You’ll never guess. Give up? Are you ready for this? You better sit down. You ladies are going to be so jealous you don’t have a husband like mine. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a man.

I had the pleasure of…

…sitting in the tractor and baling hay most of the day.

Yep, that’s right. Overwhelming, isn’t it? Just screams “I love you.”

Ok, it really wasn’t that bad. I haven’t baled for years. MFS took over when he could handle the tractor, then KSA went to round bales. This year he’s got some good brome hay, so he decided to square bale it and sell to horse owners. And since MFS had to work and MFD doesn’t do tractors, I got to do it.

Brought back so many memories. There’s nothing like the smell of diesel, except for maybe JP-4. I forgot ear plugs, so I couldn’t hear KSA half the time. Getting hot and sweaty and dirty…what a way to spend your birthday, huh?

Didn’t take me long to get back into the swing of things. It’s really not that complicated, but you do have to keep an eye on things. Get the RPM up, plant the tire on the edge of the wind row, make sure the baler doesn’t get clogged. Then you just daydream or sing to yourself. It was while we were baling at the other farm that I got the bright idea to sell that farm, get something smaller and move closer to town.

Huh. Maybe that’s why I didn’t bale any more.

Ah well, it all worked out. And I still had a nice day.

Flo

That'll Teach Me To Volunteer

2007-07-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

It’s been a week now, and I still get twitches when I think about it, but I want to tell you about my pistol of a nephew.

I don’t know what possessed her, but Lovi felt she and the DB were entitled to a weekend without children. Harrumph! Arrangements had previously been made for MFS to spend the nights over there. I don’t know what he was thinking (or maybe I do), but he had messed up and had scheduled appointments until late Friday. Nice mommy and sister that I am, I offered to take Levi overnight and until MFS finished Saturday.

MFS now owes me WAY more than an ER co-pay.

The kid cannot sit still or be quiet. The talking and the questions started as soon as we got in the car to bring him back here. I’m sure he talks in his sleep, but I didn’t want to chance the sound of my breathing waking him up.

He had been up past his usual bedtime when I told him it was time to get ready for bed. He told me that he really didn’t have to go to bed yet. So I told him he had been up an hour and twelve minutes (and 23 seconds, but who was counting?) longer than usual and I thought that was more than generous of me.

His sister hadn’t packed his pajamas, so we dealt with that and sent him off to bed. Then he needed a drink and he was off to bed. Then he had to go to the bathroom and was off to bed. Then, after telling me he didn’t need night lights any more, he couldn’t see to get to the bed; so we discussed that and he went to bed. Then he told me he would leave the light on until he could say hello and goodnight to MFD (who was at a guitar class that evening) and could I turn the light off when I went to bed; and then he went to bed. Then he had to inform me, this wasn’t something he did on purpose, it just happened, that he woke up at 0700. After informing him that was fine, but that if Uncle KSA was still sleeping, he had to be quiet, he went to bed. Forty-eight minutes later, after I told MFD that if Levi got up one more time, she should tell him she was going to get me, I collapsed on my bed.

Peace and quiet until 0650. Lainy was outside, chain smoking. She had gotten up about 0530, and guess who was there waiting for her when she came out of the bathroom?

We ended up having to take Levi to Mass with us. MFS was home when we got back, but he wasn’t quite ready to take Levi home yet. Levi was ready to go into Leech Mode, but I told him he had to leave MFS alone so he could finish up as soon as possible. Then they were finally out of here. Another 5 minutes and I might have taken up smoking again!

I don’t think they can ever come up with a drug strong enough to numb an experience like that, but I did learn some interesting things about Lovi and her family. Bwahahahahahahahaha!

All in all, I have to say it was entertaining, [twitch]

Flo

They're Here, They're Here!

2007-07-17T10:40:00.000-05:00

Look what I got yesterday:

Yes, those would be my new canisters and cookbook from Holly! Aren’t they beautiful? Couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect. (And do you see the third knife from the top? That would be the one that attacked me.)

Here’s reference for ya, Holly, so you know where in the kitchen the pictures were taken:

The dogs love Aunt Holly for using UPS. PJ climbs halfway into the truck waiting for the guy to come out with her treat!

I barely had a chance to remove all the bubble wrap before I had to play Farmer Fran and go bale hay with KSA. But I can hardly wait to try out some of these recipes. First will be the Classic Crème Brulee, which looks like the easiest recipe I have come across.

I bet if I come up with the Ultimate Crème Brulee Diet, I’ll be more famous than Jared from Subway!

Flo

My Week

2007-07-16T06:13:00.000-05:00

It has been such a traumatic week, I don’t know how long it will take to recover. Holly and her DB left a week ago. I spent Thursday evening in the ER. Lainy did come back Friday, but SHE left me Saturday morning. And, my nephew, Levi (Lovi’s son), was dumped at my house for over 24 hours.

If you’re in need of a really good set of kitchen knives, let me know and I’ll put you in touch with a very nice salesman. His name is MFS and he’s selling Cutco this summer. I must warn you, though, they are sharp. They scared me even before I sliced open my poor little pinkie. But did MFS have any sympathy for his mother? No. First, he wanted to know why I had my finger in the way, then he informed me that I was using the wrong “tool” for the job. So he didn’t get any Key Lime Pie. Of course, neither did anyone else, since I was only halfway through the second lime when the knife decided my finger looked like a lime.

Five stitches in my little bitty pinkie. At least I finally have the tube bandage off and can semi type without hitting three keys at once with my finger.

The doc made me a little nervous, though. The first time he came in to look at it, he asked how long it had been since my last tetanus shot. I knew he hadn’t seen the chart when I answered that it had been 15 or 20 minutes.

The nurse’s station was right across from me, and a little later I heard one of the nurses go up to him and say, “You ordered 10cc and it comes 25mg/10cc, so I just wanted to make sure you wanted 25mg.” He mumbled a few seconds and said he thought he wanted 250mg, and the nurses said, “No, that’s Keflex.” So he said, “Oh, you’re right. Then that’s ok.” Then he came into my room to sew my finger. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I did feel a little bad when, after going on and on and on about what he was going to do and why, he told me I was braver than he was because I was watching him as he stitched me up, I couldn’t take it any more and finally told him I had been an ER nurse. There was a kind of awkward moment when he was probably thinking, “Gee, don’t I feel stupid rattling on about stuff you already knew.”

MFD was at guitar lessons when we left, so I had called to tell her we were at the hospital. “You’re at the hospital? Can I come see you?” I told her I was just in the ER waiting for them to look and see if I needed stitches. Then she asked, “Are you bleeding…profusely?” I gave KSA a dirty look and I told her she spent too much time around her father.

Flo

What Nursing Shortage?

2007-07-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

My oldest nephew’s girlfriend graduated from nursing school this year. She had been given a sign-on bonus with one of the local hospitals. Turns out it wasn’t a job guarantee and it was only a bonus if you were actually hired, otherwise it was a loan. She interviewed for a couple of positions, and upon contacting them after not hearing back from them like they said they would, she was told they had no more positions for graduate nurses.

She talked to another hospital. Same story.

She has since been hired at a smaller community hospital, in the department she actually wanted. So it turned out for the best, but what a bunch of crap.

You’re not going to get an experienced nurse if you don’t give them the opportunity to get some experience. So don’t tell me you’re desperately in need of nurses, but you’re not willing to put forth the time to mentor them.

Flo

And the Winner Is...

2007-07-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

If you visited my blog yesterday around 0630, Hughes out of West Frankfort, Ill is your ISP, and your browser is Firefox: congratulations! You were visitor number 5000! Ask me a question, any question, and I might answer it for you.

Flo

Boo Hooie

2007-07-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

[sniff] [sniff]

The house is too quiet. [sniff sniff]

No, Lainy, you may not have a new blog. I’m too depressed to write.

Boo hoo hoo hoooooooooooooo. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[sniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiffle]

Flo

Wild Women

2007-07-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

Heaven help me if Holly, Kate, Lainy, and Phlegm are ever all with me at the same time. I’m not sure my cheeks could stand that much exercise. It’s been about all I can handle with only two of them. And I think I know way more about them than I really need to. We’ll just say that their husbands are fortunate and leave it at that. Thank goodness for the bottomless margarita bucket!

Truly, it has been so much fun. I’ve missed both of them and don’t get to see them near often enough. Holly and Lainy hit it right off, which makes it pretty convenient, and I’m sure adding Kate and Phlegm to the mix could only quadruple the fun and antics.

MFD had a friend over the other day and for some reason, we had to share bra designs and colors. I’m not sure how many margaritas we had had at that point. Couldn’t have been too many, because we left shortly after that.

There we are, cruising topless down the highway. Suddenly, in the rearview mirror, Holly sees Lainy flashing someone in the car next to us, and waving and yelling “I love you.” Poor Holly thought Lainy had lost it, until I told her it was MFD and her friend.

KSA and Holly’s Dearly Beloved have been getting along marvelously. I think they’ve been very glad to have each other to go off and do manly things [I had to put my foot down and tell my Dearly Beloved he could NOT have a Tractor like KSA. Our yard is not big enough to warrant the use of a tractor for mowing. He was mighty disappointed.] instead of following in our wake and watching us spread sunshine wherever we go.

When we went to visit them over New Year’s, Holly promised to show KSA how to make her famous chicken spaghetti, and she did. She supervised, and from listening to some of his questions, she was ever so patient. But it not only turned out edible, it was pretty darn good. He’s so proud of himself. He’s ready to do it again. This afternoon, he learned how to make Reese's Cup cookies and Calzones. He is now a Master Chef.

GUESS WHAT?!?! One of the things Holly is giving me for my birthday is a cook book—for CRÈME BRULEE!!!!!! I am SO excited, I can hardly wait for her to get back home and send it to me. Because of course I had a brain fart and left it at home instead of packing it!

Oh goodness, what else have we been doing? I can’t think of much else right now, other than having a blast just visiting. I’m sure I’ll come up with more when I finish crying after they leave tomorrow. In the meantime, there are still margaritas in the freezer—and we CAN’T have that, so excuse me for now.

Flo and Holly

MPD Alert

2007-07-03T07:19:00.000-05:00

I try to keep all my people under control here, but sometimes they just won’t shut up. If I want to get anything done the next few days, I need to mention a few things just to get them off my back.

Here’s your Public Service Announcement for the day: Never Use Dry Heat. I’ve been dealing with a headache for several days, so after a follow up with my primary doc for my blood pressure, she sent me off to the chiropractor. He said when dealing with inflammatory pain, always use a moist towel with your heating pad. In the long run, dry heat makes the inflammation worse.

I feel another episode of Backspace (thanks, Lovi—claim your margarita next time you’re over) coming on. In case your monitor isn’t blurry because of all the bouncing and giggling going on, Holly and her Dearly Beloved are coming to see me for a few days. Lainy will do an over-nighter on the way to visit her sons, too. So I’ll be busy eating (and drinking) and visiting (and drinking) and cooking (and drinking) and laughing (and drinking). Somewhere in there, Holly wants to write a blog, but I’m afraid there won’t be much reading going on, so I’ll have to play catch up.

Shortly after I wrote about the beaver on the lake, I think he died. However, now I think we have a heron/egret/ibis/some kind of Big Bird family going on. I’ve seen the one…or maybe the other…for a few years. I haven’t got a picture yet—either I don’t have my camera, or he flies off just as I’m getting ready to take the perfect one. As I was leaving yesterday, three birds took off at once. Mama and Papa for sure, I just couldn’t tell if the third was the same kind of bird or not. But still, at least two of them. How cool is that?

One of us heard there may be access to an incriminating picture somewhere on this page. That’s all the info you Enquiring Minds are going to get.

I heard an advertisement for an organization/storage store on the radio the other day. The woman commented that her closet used to be the most embarrassing room in the house. Room??? Is that the latest in home buying? 3 bed/2 bath/2 closet…and here we have the master bedroom, but wait until you see the closet, it’s a room in itself! Huh, and all this time I was thinking my closets were unique.

Check my site or Holly’s in the next few days, one of us might sober up long enough to write something. Have a happy and safe 4^th of July. Phlegm, Kate, wish y’all could be here, too. We’ll drink one for you. Then we’ll drink one to you! Then we’ll drink…

Flo

Hospital Abuse

2007-06-28T07:11:00.000-05:00

Ambulance Driver was causing a stir over nursing homes again. I believe it was Grunt Doc’s post he referred us to that got one nurse’s dander up. Well, I don’t think anyone is perfect, but this poor nurse was looking for excuses to blame everyone but the nursing home for the problem that was mentioned. The doc had posted about a nursing home that transferred patients to the ER with altered documentation. In particular, medication administration records in which the times of administration had been intentionally left off. This nurse, after admitting this was a common practice in some institutions, then tried to lay the blame on EMS for losing the documentation.

Say what???

Then she stepped in it a little deeper when she said that the hospital didn’t need documentation that could later be used to cause grief for the nursing home. First, I seriously doubt hospital docs and nurses have the time to sit around and peruse nursing home documents, looking for every little error. Second, the doc probably just wanted to know if the patient had taken the latest dose or two of medication and a quick glance at the document, that should have been there, would have done it. Third, that document wouldn’t come back to haunt the nursing home if the medication had been properly administered, or not, and documented. So what’s the problem?

Anyway, just to show I am not completely biased against nursing homes, I wanted to tell you a story I read about hospitals and patient care:

A sweet grandmother telephoned Mount Sinai Hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?" The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, Dear. What's the name and room number?" The grandmother in her weak tremulous voice said, "Holly Finkel, room 302."

The Operator replied, "Let me check. Oh, good news. Her records say that Holly is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged Tuesday."

The Grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news." The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Holly your daughter?" The Grandmother said, "No, I'm Holly Finkel in 302. No one tells me shit.”

Flo

As The Pool Drains

2007-06-26T10:15:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, we lived across the street from the neighborhood swimming pool. My brother and sisters and I basically lived there during the summer. We were all on the swim team and I paid my way through high school by working in the concession stand and later as a lifeguard. Yep, at one time I had a semi Bikini Body, a heck of a tan, and could twirl a whistle like a pro. I don’t know why I wasn’t auditioned for Bay Watch.

Oh. Yes I do. Something about that “semi” part. Never mind.

But hey, I could have saved a life if I needed to.

There always seemed to be one drama or another going on, as tends to happen when you get a bunch of teens together. Jack had finally asked Jill out. Mary was trying to break up Tarzan and Jane so she could have him all to herself. Did you see the swimsuit Brenda wore? Bonnie was seen with Clyde back behind the tennis courts. AND, Sylvester asked Tweetie to play miniature golf. Scandalous!

We always joked we could write our own soap opera and call it “As the Pool Drains.”

I was reminded of this last week as I was trying to catch up on all my blogs from while I had been away. Then I thought again how nice it would be if someone would do a summary like you might see in TV Guide. Maybe they do it in Soap Opera Digest, too, but I don’t know. It might go something like this:

“Last week on As the Blog Rolls: MattG is breaking coffee carafes and telling bad jokes because he is no longer seeing blood spatter. LawDog is mumbling Gregorian chants while looking for his Muse. Mair has been watching movies with Fred and gives him a thumbs up. DragonWatch is on to the big oil companies and thinks they’re in cahoots with Rednecks. Holly is on pins and needles—oops, Holly has pins in her hand and wants a needle of Versed. Lovi is on hiatus because of her J-O-B. Kate receives continuing education units for sobering thoughts. Phlegm gets a ^5 for her Michael Moore comments and needs to give Ambulance Driver her beach towel. AD is once again writing in the nude and is in love with BabsRN, who wrote his theme song:

Come ‘n list’n to my story ‘bout a medic named AD,
Who could tell ya all about pathophysiology.

And then one day he was startin’ an IV,
When off to his left he could see his enemy.

Sumdood, that is…

Slimeball…

Drinkin’ Two Beers.”

Shall we see who can come up with the best second verse? And any other suggestions for the name of our little soap opera here in the blogosphere?

Flo

The Rest of the Story

2007-06-23T11:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday was spent in practice, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for Mass, and walking in Central Park. That park is huge. It was interesting to see when we flew in—buildings, buildings, and more building, and acres of trees smack dab in the middle of them.

Monday morning, my mom, MFD, and I went shopping for souvenirs, then we went back to the hotel to get ready for rehearsal at Carnegie—the other practices had been done at the hotel. We stayed after our own practice to hear another group that we wouldn’t get to see that night because we’d be getting lined up off stage. Carnegie was only a couple of blocks from the hotel, so we went there to change, then back to Carnegie for the pictures and to hear the prelude concert.

Then it was our turn to shine. I didn’t mention that in any other choir performance I have seen, singing sections have all stood together, i.e. sopranos in front, basses behind, altos next to sopranos, tenors behind them. What David Thye, the conductor, had us do instead was to sing in quartets—a soprano next to a bass next to an alto next to a tenor next to a soprano, etc. It made me a little nervous at first, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear my part if I was hearing two others beside me. Turned out I knew my part better than I thought, or was a better singer than I thought, because I could hear myself and the other parts, and I hit my notes correctly! It really was kind of neat, supposedly you blend better that way. I don’t know if we’ll ever get to hear our actual performance for ourselves to see how it turned out—Carnegie Hall itself is copyrighted, so no pictures or recordings were allowed inside by the audience.

We met back up with KSA, MFS, and my mom after the concert, where KSA had a dozen roses for MFD and me. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww. We loaded up on busses and headed for the pier, where we eventually boarded The Spirit of New Jersey for a dinner buffet and cruise around the Statue of Liberty and the harbor.

After dinner, there was a DJ to provide some entertainment. Let me tell you, we had some wild (mostly) women on that cruise that forced me to get up and sing and dance and generally look silly with them. I want to make sure you understand I was forced, because there seem to be quite a few pictures floating around, so if you happen upon one, remember that I was forced. And remember that pictures and videos can be doctored. Did I mention that I was forced?

We finally got back to the hotel about 0300 Tuesday.

Sometime after daybreak—quite some time after daybreak—we got up and around for our last day in NYC. Beautiful blue skies, nice temp, we headed out to eat first. Then we walked up 5^th Avenue…and walked…and walked. Eventually we ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the beginning of Museum Mile. Once a year, the museums along this stretch offer free admission, and we happened to hit that day. Unfortunately, after arrival, we were informed that it was only from 1800-2100. So rather than pay the “suggested” $20 per adult, we walked a little bit further before heading back to the hotel.

So there we are, around 85^th and 5^th Avenue, when the blue skies depart and it starts to rain. Not just rain—it poured. Yep. And why would we have an umbrella when the day started out so beautifully? KSA did buy one from a guy that was offering them in front of the Met. Good thing, or all kinds of stuff would have been ruined, like our cell phones, cameras, etc.

For those of you that might be visiting NYC in the future, busses do not accept paper money. Coins only. The drivers don’t care how wet you are. We would have already been soaked to the bone by the time we went out of our way to hit the subway. So we walked all the way back to about 54^th and 6^th Avenue. In the pouring rain. We barely got to the hotel in time to find our suitcases and change clothes before we had to load up for the airport.

{sigh}

So, we get to the airport about 1730, our flight is supposed to depart at 1945. As we’re standing in line, they inform us that our flight has been delayed until 0045. And actually, we had a pretty good time during the wait. We hit a few of the shops, got something to eat, then entertained ourselves by visiting or playing cards. One of the gals brought some cards and you played like gin, only with words, and that was fun.

We were all more than ready, though, by the time they called our flight. Fortunately, there hadn’t been any more delays, so we actually did leave around 0100 EDT arrived back home at 0230 CDT.

There you have it. And remember that I was forced.

Flo

Fun in New York

2007-06-21T03:06:00.000-05:00

Except for the last day, we had pretty decent weather while we were in New York. Cloudy quite a bit, a few sprinkles, and fairly mild temperatures. And thank goodness—other than the subway ride downtown and the bus ride to the port for the after-concert cruise, we walked everywhere else. (And I didn’t lose an OUNCE! I was so disgusted! But at least I didn’t gain, either.)

After arriving in New York and checking into the hotel, we walked up 5^th Avenue to the Empire State Building. We didn’t have a long wait at all, maybe because it was cloudy. Worked well for me—that fear of heights thing, you know? Not too bad, actually. A level ground and tall fencing makes me feel a little more secure. It was kind of cool to see some of the buildings and stuff sticking up above the clouds, even if we didn’t get to see much in the distance. It was really windy up there, too. It made MFD nervous and she didn’t want to look over the side, but Me-Ma eventually talked her into taking a peek.

After that we went to Carmine’s for dinner. Oh my. Family style Italian food and it was wonderful. There were seven of us, and we all split a salad, lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, and some kind of sausage and rotini dish. We had leftovers, but no room for dessert. Bummer. They didn’t have crème brulee anyway.

We just moseyed along the rest of the evening. We found Broadway and Times Square and I don’t remember what else before we made it back to the hotel. Now then, the hotel did have crème brulee—for $12. So I couldn’t tell you if it was any good or not. However, I’m thinking not. We stayed at the Hilton, and let me tell you, if that’s what Paris is used to, I don’t know why she was bitching about jail. A Super 8 is just fine by me—it’s cheaper and at least it has a refrigerator you can actually use and a microwave. And I even got desperate enough for a decent cup of coffee that I resorted to the Starbuck’s that was in the hotel. And that was cheaper than the $4.50 they charged for a bottle of water if you broke the seal on the beverage bar.

Sheesh.

After practice Saturday morning, we took the subway to Battery Park and got on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. No one is allowed up top anymore, and you can’t even get inside the base of the Statue without tickets, of which there are only a limited number. I tried to get some online before we left, but they were already gone. It was still fascinating to see those monuments of history, and to think we might have walked on the same ground as some of our ancestors.

Before heading back, we made a short stop at Ground Zero. I cannot adequately describe the sights and emotions.

The subway was interesting. One man offered his seat to my mom, but other than that, no one really talked to or looked at each other, ‘ceptin’ fer us tourists. And you know those pictures you see on the internet with people pierced all up one side and down the other? There are real people like that.

Walking around, you know how to tell New Yorkers from the tourists? New Yorkers are each issued a cell phone to attach to their ears, and you have to walk along, oblivious to everything. And not those silly things a lot of people around here wear that look like a huge hearing aid with a blinking light. Has to be an actual cell phone. Guess they don’t want others to think they might be talking to them.

Saturday evening concluded with a Broadway show, Monty Python’s Spamalot, at the Schubert Theater. It was hilarious. If it comes to a town near you and you get a chance, go see it.

Groaner for the day: one of our chorale members ended up standing next to a university student named Lance. Another member enjoys teasing MFD about boyfriends, so his comment was that MFD liked Lance a lot.

I told you it was a groaner.

Ok, that’s it for this round. To be continued…

Flo

P.S. Happy Birthday KSA

Carnegie Hall

2007-06-19T09:48:00.000-05:00

According to a member of our choir, 1 in 73,000 people can say they have performed at Carnegie Hall. It truly was an honor, especially when you think of all the musicians that have appeared on stage. The debut performance in 1891 included an appearance by Tchaikovsky; the evening before our concert, the Emerson String Quartet played. In between, there were performances by artists such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles, to name a few.

“It is probable that this hall will intertwine itself with the history of our country,” said Andrew Carnegie in 1890, when he laid the cornerstone of the building that would become Carnegie Hall. The [Isaac Stern] auditorium's renowned acoustics have made it a favorite of audiences and performers alike. "It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument," said the late Isaac Stern. "It takes what you do and makes it larger than life."

The twenty-five members of our chorale joined up with about 225 others from high schools, colleges, and churches to sing Franz Schubert’s Mass in G. Of the four performing groups in the concert, ours was said to be the best of the evening. We also received a standing ovation—and not because of the family members that attended.

I attribute that to the skills of the director of our local chorale, and the conductor of our entire choir and orchestra.

Our chorale has been meeting several times a month for almost a year, learning our parts and to pronounce the Latin words properly. In New York, we spent four hours Saturday, four hours Sunday, and about an hour for dress rehearsal Monday with the conductor. Most of the things the conductor emphasized were things that our director had emphasized, so our little chorale was pretty well prepared. And it was actually fun! The conductor had a great sense of humor.

I really didn’t know what to expect from the conductor when we all got together in New York. It’s pretty amazing to think 250 people from different parts of the country got together, and after nine hours of practice, could put on a professional performance. And the only time we worked together with the soloists and orchestra was at the dress rehearsal.

All in all, it was a totally awesome and inspirational experience.

Here’s a picture of MFD and me in concert attire standing next to “our” playbill in front of Carnegie Hall. David Thye, our conductor, is the top photo.

Flo

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, I’m working on some posts about our trip. In the meantime, I wanted to say Happy Father’s Day to KSA, AD, DW, MattG, JPG, and all my other friends and relatives, and those of my readers. Bless you all.

Flo

The Body Is Back

2007-06-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

I’m not sure where the rest of me is, but it’s not here. I think the Transporter Room malfunctioned and I haven’t completely reassembled.

Our flight home was delayed, so we didn’t get back to the house until 0400 yesterday. Slept for a while, then MFD had a dentist appointment. My plan was to hit Wal-Mart on the way home to pick up some supplies for tonight, then go to Curves. However, I could hardly keep my eyes open to read while I was in the waiting room, so we came directly home. Then I napped. Then I slept all night. I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, but I did. Ran my errands and now I have to [gasp] cook. Our parish Director of Music and Liturgy is moving the end of the month and we’re having his going away party this evening.

I feel like I’m in a fog and I think I could sleep a couple more days. Doesn’t help that I think I’m catching a cold—got a sore throat, headache, my neck and shoulders are sore.

So, we’re back home, but definitely not recovered yet. Had a wonderful time, though, and I promise to fill you in.

Flo

New York New York

2007-06-08T04:46:00.000-05:00

Sing along with Frank:

Start spreading the news
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York

These vagabond shoes
Are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city
That doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill
Top of the heap

These little town blues
Are melting a way
I'll make a brand-new start of it
In old New York

If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York

New York, New York
I want to wake up
In a city that never sleeps
And find I'm a number one, top of the list
King of the hill, a number one

These little town blues
Are melting a way
I'm gonna make a brand-new start of it
In old New York

And... if I can make it there
I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you
New York, New York

Finally, the long awaited weekend is here! We’re off to NYC and when we get back, MFD and I, along with about 200 other singers from around the US, will have performed at Carnegie Hall. Yes, you may have my autograph, for a nominal fee.

A couple of things before I go: first, be sure to wish Holly and Lainy a happy birthday (Happy birthday, gals, love ya both! Sorry, my card sending sucks this year.)

Next, a public service announcement: Kate has the solution for June bugs over at her blog.

Say a prayer that the trip, sightseeing, and concert go well. Y’all be safe and I’ll check in next week after I recover.

Flo

Dear Mayor

2007-06-05T07:06:00.000-05:00

I am sure you’re aware our town is notorious because of its police. People that drive through aren’t sure if we need money so badly that the police have been instructed to write tickets for any and every infraction, or if the officers just don’t have anything better to do.

One of my neighbors was telling me her son has some property that was annexed into the city. Somebody called the cops on him because they heard shots fired, and police from the adjacent town and the county came barreling down to his house, but nobody from our city. Seeing as how police protection was the only benefit offered in return for annexation, I’m not sure they’re getting their tax's worth.

However, that isn’t my beef.

And really, if they want to set up a speed trap, that’s fine by me, too. Another neighbor was telling me about some young whippersnapper stopped recently for ridiculously exceeding the speed limit. Hooligans like that need to have the fear of God put into them.

What I do have a problem with is that the officers are using my residence as a sneaky lookout point.

We’ve got a quiet neighborhood here at Memorial Gardens, and the squealing tires, lights, and sirens when the police take out after an offender is not conducive to my eternal rest.

I hope you can do something about this.

Sincerely,
Restin Peese

Stoopid Alert

2007-06-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

Remember this post about Swillary speaking at an Indian Reservation and being given the name Walking Eagle?

Can I have a show of hands of anyone that thought there was a shred of truth to that story?

I didn’t think so.

Seems some people are so concerned it may be true, there is actually a write up about it at snopes.com. Even sadder, it evidently started as a joke about Kerry.

Heaven help us, I bet those “people” vote.

Hulllllllllloooooooooo. It’s a joke, “people.” You know: funny, funny, ha, ha.

{sigh}

Gonna have to put in an order for a whole bunch o’ “Stoopid” signs to hand out.

Flo

Mememememememememememe

2007-05-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

I got tagged, not once, but twice with this musical meme. Here’s what you do:

1. Go to the Billboard #1 Hits listings ;
2. Pick the year you turned 18;
3. Get nostalgic over the songs of the year;
4. Pick 5 songs and write something about how these songs affected you;
5. Pass it on to 5 more friends.

Just to be a brat, I’m not going to tell you what year I turned 18, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.

You Needed Me, by Anne Murray. I can’t help it. I was a singer in my younger days and Anne Murray had the perfect voice range for me.

Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man), by Styx. I think Styx was my very favorite band back then. Bought all their albums and got to see them in concert. And Tommy Shaw—oh my.

Dust in the Wind, by Kansas. They were another favorite band I got to see in concert. Loved this song and thought the music was beautiful.

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond. I cannot stand Babs anymore, but I love Neil Diamond. I’ve seen him twice in concert, best performer I think I’ve ever seen.

You’re the One That I Want, by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. I forgot Grease was a biggie back then. Just a fun song, especially after all the other “deep” ones. Hell, no wonder I was depressed!

Again, Lovi and Kate are the only ones left. Your choice.

Now this was just a fun one that I’ve seen at Holly’s and Kate’s. Go to Google, enter your blogger name and each of the following: needs, is, likes, wants, gets, says, does, eats.

Flo needs constant support—of course I do.

Flo is a manufacturer of hygienic diaphragm valves—I don’t think I want to see one of those, but at least they’re hygienic.

Flo likes to bring home dead animals sometimes—and here all this time we’ve been blaming PJ.
Flo likes to stay up late and party around, or talk on the phone until all hours of the night—ah yes, back in the good ol’ days.

Flo wants to have a Pimp Stand—because I certainly don’t want him to Sit.
Flo also wants to thank the inspectors and volunteers all over the world for their highly valued contributions—because I couldn’t have watched the pimp all by myself to make sure he didn’t sit.

Flo gets packed on weekends—I think they meant to say she gets smashed.

Flo says: First, we are talking about a man—well duhhhhhhh.
Flo says: Start taking your car to get gas and get it washed yourself—yep, that’s exactly what I tell MFD.

Flo does a pretty good job appearing as a natural extension of the console—and you thought I was just MPD. Turns out I can morph, too.
Flo does not have anything in her mouth—it was nasty, so I spit it out.

Flo eats, drinks and seems the jovial gangster—damn, busted. I was hoping nobody would find out about Gangsta Gidget.

Flo

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

"...gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime....let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan." --General John Logan, General Order No. 11, 5 May 1868

Catching Up

2007-05-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Been a little busy here the last few days. Filled out and sent off paperwork to adopt a dog. I know, I know, I said I wasn’t going to rush. And I didn’t—Kate said she’s been looking and looking. (Thanks, and I’ll let you know!)

Hemmed my dress for the concert. We had our pre-Carnegie Hall concert last night and I think it was awesome. We recorded it and if it turned out ok and I can figure it out, I’ll try to put some of it up here.

I’ve been trying to recover from a couple of mental pics AD burned into my poor susceptible brain. I will never look at beanbags and celery the same way. I’m almost afraid to go see what I’ve been missing at his blog the last couple of days. I may have to go back into counseling. Or at least get some stronger drugs.

I think what I have spent the most time on lately has been this silly restaurant meme Diamond Mair tagged me with. I have racked and racked my brain and cannot come up with any “to die for” establishments. There are lots of places I like to eat at, but I haven’t found that little out of the way joint that I would call extraordinary.

But let me ask you—first, picture this: Grandma, standing at the stove, making fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. Home grown and canned green beans with bacon, that you sat on the front porch and helped snap (the green beans, not the bacon). Homemade bread and butter. Made from scratch shortcake, covered with fresh strawberries (that you weren’t allowed to help pick because you were banned from the strawberry patch for eating them all).

Now I ask you: What restaurant could ever hope to top that?

However, in the spirit of cooperation, Sarcastic Sally came to the rescue and wrote this for the meme:

The rules: add your name to the list,
Pick five people and notify them,
List your five favorite eating spots at your location.
The List:
Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, United States)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Lulu (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Chris (Boyne City, Michigan, United States)
AB (Cave Creek, Arizona, United States)
Johnny Yen (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Bubs (Mt Prospect, Illinois, United States)
Mob (Midland, Texas United States)
Yas (Ahwatukee, Arizona USA)
RSP (Scottsdale, AZ USA)
Ralphd00d (Phoenix, AZ USA)
DW (South East US)
Diamond Mair (near Houston, TX)
FlyingFlo (KC-ish, MO, USA)

1. McDonald’s—gotta love those fries. Crisp, piping hot, fried to golden perfection, and doused with salt. Only problem is, Youngest Sister is a store manager, so I can’t win any cool prizes.

2. Taco Bell—taco supreme, hold the tomatoes. As long as you dine in and don’t carry out, they’re crunchy and filling. And it contains all four food groups. Even without the tomatoes, because I put sauce on it, and that’s made from tomatoes. And even though they don’t do the four food groups any more, too bad. Too many levels on the pyramid. I think the aliens that helped build the pyramids would be appalled with what man has done to them.

3. Pizza Hut—Meat Lover’s on hand-tossed crust. Back to the four food groups, and again with the sauce. I don’t think they have any cool contests, but even if they did, I couldn’t win because Niece works there.

4. Sonic—blended root beer float. Smooth, creamy, and priced right.

5. Dairy Queen—their cream gravy isn’t too bad. I wish I worked there. I could live on soft serve. And it’s a dairy product, which is good for you.

Now, if you’re in the area and want to know where you can sit for hours and have coffee and conversation, or the best margarita, give me a holler (and invite me along).

So let’s see. Everybody over on my links either has been tagged or will be tagged, except possibly Kate or Lovi. And I’m not going to force them to do it. However, if they want to, or anyone else, go for it.

Hope you all are having a safe weekend.

Flo

Happy Birthday

2007-05-23T05:22:00.000-05:00

Right about this time 19 years ago, I was timing contractions and getting ready to go to the hospital. KSA likes to give me a hard time about the way I pull lateral g’s when I take curves in the car. I should remind him he did the same in his rush to get me to the hospital.

I guess it was a good thing, though. We got there in time for me to change into a gown, get him scrubbed up, start an IV, push some Stadol, and deliver an 8 pound, 9 ounce baby boy.

Good stuff, that Stadol. KSA’s eyes got bluer every time I looked at them.

Take a guess what MFS wants for his birthday.

No, try again.

Nope, not that either.

Give up?

An ant farm.

{sigh} That’s my boy. Happy Birthday, Son.

Love,
Mom

I'm Dyin' Here

2007-05-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

I hate crying. It’s so draining.

Last week I got a letter from Lacey/Ellie, thanking me for taking care of her and finding her parents. It was so sweet. They included a very generous check.

Saturday I got a note from her mom with gift certificates to a couple of restaurants.

KSA thinks it’s all unnecessary, which it is. But I understand they are so happy to have her back alive and well, and there isn’t much else they can do to show their gratitude.

I am so so so so so relieved to know she is loved so much. But, oh my God, I miss that little girl.

I’ve been looking for another Sheltie. No rush, especially not with our trip coming up. I don’t want to adopt one, then have to board it. And it has to be just the right one.

Originally, I started trying to find the breeder Lacey/Ellie came from. During the search, I found out there is a Sheltie Rescue group in our area. Considering that we basically “rescued” Lacey/Ellie, I’m thinking maybe there is another Sheltie that is waiting to be rescued by us, one that will truly be ours. Mine.

But I’ll do some checking around, and I’ll be patient about it.

Flo

Did She or Didn't She?

2007-05-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

KSA came home early from work the other day. He was going to work on the dump truck and I just looked at him. “There are no children in this house. And you want to go out and work on the truck?”

“Did you have something else in mind?” he asked.

“Now that you mention it,” I said teasingly.

Yes, we went to the new restaurant. And no, I’m still looking for the perfect crème brulee. However, the entrees were excellent. I had lasagna and KSA had fettuccine alfredo. I don’t much care for alfredo sauce in large doses, it’s a little too rich for me, but this was wonderful, very creamy. We both had food left over, which is also unusual. KSA can normally eat his and still finish mine, so these were pretty large portions.

Nice, cozy atmosphere, it was probably converted from an old home, and a fun, friendly waitress. We’ll be back. I want to try the chicken marsala.

Later that night, I totally (and selflessly, I might add) messed up my circadian rhythm by listening to AD’s blog radio “thingie” as Phlegmfalale put it. He’s a natural. And after all these years of knowing her, it occurred to me the other night that Holly has quite the sultry voice.

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

Flo

Royal Decree

2007-05-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

Henceforth, let it be known throughout the kingdom that Hubby shall now be referred to as my Knight in Shining Armor. Just cuz…well…hmm. Just cuz I said so. I don’t want to get all mushy or anything, but he is.

Let me tell you how selfless this man is. When I learned about the wonders of crème brulee (fortunately it was the second day in France, so I didn’t miss much), I had to have it every day for lunch AND dinner. KSA ordered it too—then gave it to me. Now that’s love.

For me, crème brulee is better than chocolate. Maybe even better than Grandma’s homemade bread. Oh yeah. So I have been on a quest for the perfect crème brulee. There are a few places around that have it; fortunately they’re close enough that I can get a fix when I need it. But I haven’t found the perfect one yet. In the States, it tends to be more of a pudding consistency than custard. Actually, the flan I’ve had is very close, but it just doesn’t work without the crunchy sugar topping.

Yesterday I found a new restaurant that has it and I’m so excited I just can’t hardly stand it. KSA had to work late yesterday, then delivered a couple loads of dirt, so we couldn’t go. If I get desperate, I could go by myself. I could only have one order (it’s a small town, they don’t know me yet, and I don’t want to give them the wrong impression), but it would be better than nothing.

Ok. Well, now I have to go so I can wipe the drool off my keyboard.

Flo

Weak in Revue

2007-05-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

Flo has been a very bad girl and hasn’t kept up with her blogs. And I’m sure everyone is crying because she hasn’t left any witty comments lately. Well, she’s a little embarrassed to tell you this, but she’s not Superwoman. Or Wonder Woman or Bionic Woman or Batgirl. Nope, not even a Buffy or Xena in here.

So, I’ve been running around lately, and here’s what I’ve found:

Mattg could send in contributions to World’s Dumbest Criminals. And he really has this thing for blood spatter. LawDog did his interview to great reviews and now wonders which company it is that’s making the big bucks off of Two Beers (really Ociffer, all I had was Two Beers). (What I want to know is, if all you had was Two Beers, then how come you just puked Six Beers all over me?) Diamond Mair is now an international star. DW has a friend in need of good thoughts (and thanks for the Mother’s Day wishes). Ambulance Driver…where do I start with AD? He’s hard to keep up with, and always entertaining. (I still chuckle when I think about the blog he did awhile back about writing and he mentioned several other bloggers and their styles. Evidently, I defy definition.) Holly has a passionate post that I really need to go back and read again (and thanks to you and Kate for the Mother’s Day wishes, and back at both of you). Lovi has no turkeys in her freezer and did nothing but watch movies and her daughter cry this weekend. Phlegm Fatale had a couple of great stories about her mom and she just cracked me up with her “do ya? Do ya?” on the Liver of Sulphur post, and a video of Spock on another. Kate is moving on to a new position at the hospital and is entertaining us with stories about her vacation. (Phlegm and Kate will be added to my list of links when I remember to do it.)

Whew. {mopping brow}

Tune in next week to see if Lovi ever gets a turkey, if Kate has to sleep on the floor her entire vacation, and if her relative ever returned the extra-large pajamas or ended up sleeping in the buff.

Flo

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

5/16/07 I think there has been a misunderstanding--although I would like to take credit, I did not write this. It was from an email that I believe has been around before, but was evidently recently edited. But thanks for thinking I was that talented.

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up throw up laced with Oscar Mayer Wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying," It's okay honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes.

This is for mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the others who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomachaches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

This is for all step-mothers who helped raise another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 a.m. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all.

For all of us.

Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them everyday that we love them. And pray.

Flo

My Trip

2007-05-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

I drove to Colorado with a friend to visit another friend for a few days and it was great to get away. Hubby is pretty good about letting me out and about whenever I want or can. (He probably enjoys the break, too!)

Caron is one of the gals I have breakfast with most Fridays. She and Nan used to work together, but Nan has been much too busy spending her kids’ inheritance on cruises to come back here to visit us. So we forced ourselves to go see her little corner of the world outside of Denver.

The drive across Kansas was almost coma-inducing. About the only thing that caught my eye was the word “free.” Free wine tasting, free breakfast, free map, free HBO… There was one attraction I would have given almost anything to see, though: The world’s largest prairie dog. 8000 pounds! There was also supposed to be a live five-legged steer and all sorts of other amazing creatures. I begged and pleaded, but Caron refused to stop. I don’t know how she could pass up an opportunity like that. {sigh}

Nan didn’t know I was coming, so it was quite the surprise for her. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning that first night, drinking a margarita or two and visiting.

Holly and I are saving up for our own getaway, so this trip was supposed to be an inexpensive break from life. And what did we do? We went shopping.

I was really a pretty good girl, for the most part. The majority of what I bought was stuff I would have bought back here because it was all on sale. So that doesn’t count, right?

Every once in a while we’d take a break from shopping and visiting to eat. We hit three wonderful restaurants and brightened the day for our waitresses.

I brought my camera, but the only pictures I took were of Pike’s Peak (I hope), as we were leaving.

Now I’ve survived the trip back across Kansas, and it’s back to the same ol’ same ol’. Whatever that is.

Flo

Bible Puzzle

2007-05-04T05:40:00.000-05:00

Here’s something to keep you occupied while I’m occupied. The version I received was printed in a landscape orientation, but I’ll divide the lines here in such a way that an answer doesn’t start at the end of one line and finish on the next. So if you print this out, make sure the line breaks remain the same. Let me know how you do. Have a good weekend.

Flo

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can

you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was

found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket on a

flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu keeping him occupied

for hours. He enjoyed it so much he passed it on to some

friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while

fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while

playing the banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend was

so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly

newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of

solving the puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea

to help her nerves. There will be some names that are

real easy to spot. That’s a fact. Some people, however,

will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the

book names are not necessarily capitalized.

Truthfully, from answers we get, we are force to

admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some

of them at the worst. Research has shown that

something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty

we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During

a recent fundraising event which featured this puzzle,

the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales

record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over

200patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the

most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel

Hummana humbly puts it, the books are right there in

plain view hidden from sight. Those able to find them

all will hear great lamentations from those who have to

be shown. One revelation that may help is that books

like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their

numbers. Also keep in mind, that punctuation and

spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude

will help you compete really well against those who

claim to know all the answers. Remember, there is no

need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the

Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be

found.

Sheesh

2007-05-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

Don’t write Lainy for a few days and she gets a little irritable. The last message was, “If you’re not gonna email, at least update your blog so I know you’re still alive.”

Fine.

So instead of something thought-provoking or touching or educational or humorous…you’re gonna get to hear what I’ve been doing this week.

Monday through Thursday, I used to take MFD and the neighbor to school in the morning. On the way home, I stopped at Curves for my 30 minute workout. When MFD got her license and started driving herself to school, I’d still go to Curves. There’s a group of us that show up around the same time, and if someone doesn’t make it for a few days, they get a little concerned and call you if you don’t call them. (It’s nice to be loved.)

So that’s what I did Monday morning. Then I came home and got ready for a BeFriender visit with another woman that I’m now working with. After that I had some errands to run, then had to get back home for a delivery that was supposed to be scheduled. They never did show up, so it’s been rescheduled for today.

Sometime after 1500 (you all do military time, don’t you?) I got a call from Corporal So and So with the Highway Patrol. Seems MFD had been caught speeding. Not your everyday, run-of-the-mill, I’mrunninglatesoI’llgojustaTOUCHfaster speeding. Oh no. This was Stomp the Pedal to the Floor and Let’s See How Fast This POS Can Go speeding. The CPL said he made it a point to contact the parents if the ticket he wrote up on a teenager REQUIRED a court appearance. Even I have never gotten a ticket for going so fast that it required a court appearance. (Oh no, I get the tickets for going 4 MPH over the speed limit.)

So, My Favorite But In So Much Trouble Daughter isn’t driving herself to school anymore. And don’t call her cell phone, she doesn’t have that, either. I’ve been taking her to school, and since Hubby was out of town Tuesday and Wednesday, I also picked her up from school. At my convenience, of course.

Somewhere along the way I had an eye appointment. New glasses are required. I’m also trying contacts again. I’d never used them because I thought I’d be too sensitive to have something in my eye. But I gave it a try a couple of years ago. The comfort level was fine, the optics weren’t. If we tried to get them strong enough for reading, my distant vision blurred. If distance was ok, I couldn’t read. We tried monovision, and that about made me puke. So far, I’ve tried a couple of things this time and they’re not working out, but we have another brand ordered. So we’ll see. (Get it? We’ll “see”?)

Yesterday was my youngest sister’s birthday, so she, Mom, and I got together and went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Oh my. Fresh banana cream cheesecake, with a layer of Bavarian cream. Melt in your mouth good. Their potato soup was pretty tasty, too. Then we went shopping for a bit.

In between all that, I’ve been trying to get the house semi-presentable because my mother-in-law is coming up this weekend.

Whew. I’m worn out from all that work. I better go take a nap.

Flo

What Made Me Me

2007-04-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

I thought I was finally going to get the answer to “what does Me Me mean?” Instead, I got this. I don’t know what half of this stuff is that it talks about [cough cough], but it rhymed and I thought it was kind of cute, so I thought I’d pass it along.

Long ago and far away,
In a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan,
Or the dawn of Camelot.

There lived a race of innocents,
And they were you and me,
Long ago and far away
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Oh, there was truth and goodness
In that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges,
And Peyton Place was porn.

For Ike was in the White House,
And Hoss was on TV,
And God was in His heaven
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We learned to gut a muffler,
We washed our hair at dawn,
We spread our crinolines to dry
In circles on the lawn.

And they could hear us coming
All the way to Tennessee,
All starched and sprayed and rumbling
in the Land That Made Me Me.

We longed for love and romance,
And waited for the prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz,
And no one's seen him since.

We danced to "Little Darlin'",
And Sang to "Stagger Lee"
And cried for Buddy Holly
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Only girls wore earrings then,
And three was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts,
Except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dreams
Did we expect to see
A boy named George, with Lipstick
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We fell for Frankie Avalon,
Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie,
They never made it twice.

We didn't have a Star Trek Five,
Or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rockey-Rambo Twenty
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold,
And Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat
Whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr Wizard,
But not a Mr T,
And Oprah couldn't talk, yet
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We had our share of heroes,
We never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin,
Or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal,
And life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever,
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We'd never seen the rock band
That was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson,
And Zeppelins weren't Led.

And Beatles lived in gardens then,
And Monkees in a tree,
Madonna was a virgin
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We'd never heard of Microwaves,
Or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed,
But they weren't grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out,
And "gay" meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never coed
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We hadn't seen enough of jets
To talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at
The bottom of the bag.

And Hardware was a box of nails,
And bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction
In the Land That Made Me Me.

Buicks came with portholes,
And side show came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough
To cover both your cheeks.

And Coke came just in bottles,
And skirts came to the knee,
And Castro came to power
In the Land That Made Me Me.

We had no Crest with Fluoride,
We had no Hill Street Blues,
We all wore superstructure bras
Designed by Howard Hughes.

We had no patterned pantyhose
Or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for condoms
In the Land That Made Me Me.

There were no golden arches,
No Perriers to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda,
And cats were not called Bill.

And middle-aged was thirty-five
And old was forty-three,
And ancient was our parents
In the Land That Made Me Me.

But all things have a season,
Or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline
We swear by Retin-A.

And they send us invitations
To join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby,
From the Land That Made Me Me.

So now we face a brave new world
In slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using
Smaller print in magazines.

And we tell our children's children
of the way it used to be,
Long ago, and far away
In the Land That Made Me Me.

-- Author Unknown

What is a crinoline?

Flo

Prayer Request

2007-04-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

It’s been a challenging couple of weeks. As I said before, I’ve had it easier than many others.

A friend I went to school with lost her dad Wednesday. I know how difficult that is. A lady in my ministry lost a good friend to cancer yesterday. The oldest son of a woman I have been working with died last Friday.

Kate, from Rigel’s Wheel, had a friend undergo a mastectomy the other day. Her friend, Tracey, lost her mother-in-law a couple of weeks ago.

I have another friend dying from ovarian cancer. She is now in the care of hospice. And my aunt lives with tremendous pain from degenerative arthritis.

So if you wouldn’t mind, say a little prayer for them, along with anyone I missed and those you know; thank God for your health; and make sure your loved ones know how special they are to you.

Flo

FINALLY...

2007-04-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

…I know what’s wrong with me! And thank goodness!

I received this from a friend in Colorado. Read it carefully and see if it might apply to you, also.

AAADD – Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder manifests itself:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.

I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye—they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn’t washed, the bills aren’t paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers don’t have enough water, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can’t find the remote, I can’t find my glasses, I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why I got nothing done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day long and I’m really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my e-mail.

Do me a favor, will you? Send this message to everyone you know, because I don’t remember to whom it has been sent.

Don’t laugh—if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!

What I haven’t quite figured out yet is, if St. Flo, Nurse Ratchet, Dorie, Our Lady of Perpetual Memory Loss, and Ms. Denial are all doing this running around all day long, why aren’t we losing weight????

Flo

NOW I Get It

2007-04-23T07:22:00.000-05:00

Much of what my favorite CWO sends is educational in nature. I appreciate the way he can explain things in simple terms. For example:

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replies, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The florist is pleased and leaves the shop.

Next morning when the barber goes to open his shop, there is a thank you card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The cop is happy and leaves the shop.

Next morning when the barber goes to open up there is a thank you card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later a Republican comes in for a haircut, and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The Republican is very happy and leaves the shop.

Next morning when the barber goes to open, there is a thank you card and a dozen different books, such as "How to Improve Your Business" and "Becoming More Successful."

Then a Democrat comes in for a haircut, and when he goes to pay his bill the barber again replies, "I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week." The Democrat is very happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning when the barber goes to open up, there are a dozen Democrats lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between left and right.

See what I mean?

Flo

The ER Experience

2007-04-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

There I was, sitting at my computer desk, minding my own business, reading blogs. Ambulance Driver’s blog, to be exact—the post about Beefy McWorm. Now tell me you didn’t just about die laughing when you read that!

Out of nowhere, my jaw starts feeling funny. Then my chest starts feeling funny. Hm. Well, I haven’t had anything to eat, and it doesn’t feel like indigestion, so we’ll just see what happens. Five or ten minutes later, it’s still there, so I go tell Hubby my chest feels weird. He jumps out of his chair and says, “let’s go!”

Didn’t I just read somewhere that if you have chest pain, you’re not supposed to call your doctor or let your husband drive you? You’re supposed to call 9-1-1.

Yeah well, it’s not chest pain. (Ok, you were right, AD. Ms. Denial was there.) Besides, what kind of nurse would I be if I did what I was supposed to do?

So I leave a message for the doctor on call, then get dressed; grab my insurance card and a book. After another five or ten minutes, the doctor hasn’t called back.

Ok, I’m only mid-forties, but we read all the time now how symptoms of a heart attack can be totally different for women. And, major history of heart disease in my family, the most significant being the death of my dad at 57. So nawwww, I don’t think I’ll wait for the doctor.

But it’s still not chest pain or really a heart attack, so I’m not calling an ambulance. So Hubby drove me to the hospital.

Guess what? Those people in the ER don’t care what you call it, because I told them it wasn’t chest pain, it was chest discomfort. Didn’t matter. They parked my butt on a gurney, plugged me in to a cardiac monitor, took my vitals, got an EKG and a portable chest x-ray, started me on oxygen, drew my blood and started an IV. I told the doc I didn’t need an IV. She didn’t care. The nurse wants to know if I have a vein preference. “No.” So he asks if the antecubital would be ok. “Sure, you’re gonna be taking it out in a little while anyway.”

In retrospect, that was stupid. I have huge veins. Even AD, who says he’s only average, could have started an IV in my hand. Good grief, it was a baby catheter, only a 20 gauge. Why waste a perfectly good 16/18-gauge vein with a 20?

I didn’t need the oxygen, either; my sat level was just fine. Who would think to bring a book along to pass the time if they were oxygen deprived?

Anyway, I was in the ER for maybe a total of about three hours, not long, really. But I was glad I brought my book. EKG was fine, cardiac enzymes were normal, potassium was low, so they gave me a pill. When they conferred with all the docs, it was agreed that I should stay overnight for observation, draw more labs, and possibly do a stress test the next day.

Great. Can I have some Tylenol, please? No chest pain, but y’all have given me a headache.

Later: The in-patient experience I could have done without.

Flo

Prayers

2007-04-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

I had to spend Sunday night at the hospital. It was merely for observation, but I wasn’t pleased. It was my nurse that told us about the shootings at Virginia Tech on Monday. Now my discomfort seems pretty trivial.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest.
Amen.

Heavenly Father, bring comfort to the families and friends that have suffered a loss in this tragedy. Give courage and wisdom to the leaders as they take action in response to the devastating loss of life. In your mercy, help us all as we try to make sense of the senseless; show us hope for peace and consolation. Amen.

Flo

Spoiled Little Bitch

2007-04-13T17:24:00.000-05:00

Six months ago, we came home from Mass one Saturday to find PJ and Harley (the outside dogs) barking at something. I went on inside the house while MFD went to see what all the fuss was about. Pretty soon I hear her yelling for me to come downstairs. She’s standing at the back door, holding a beautiful, but filthy, Sheltie.

Well, what else could we do but bring her inside?

Yep. And that was my undoing.

She was covered in mats and burrs and ticks. She was so tangled in areas that I had to cut it out, and she laid there on her back just as calm as could be. She was such a good little girl.

Of course I did the right thing. Called vets and clinics, talked to neighbors, put up signs. She even came with a rabies tag from a city clear up on the north side of the metro area. Nothing.

So after two weeks, we named her Ellie and she became MINE.

It took her no time at all to learn where she was supposed to go to do her business. She barked when she wanted something. If it was wet outside, she would sit and offer you her front paws, one at a time, to be cleaned off, then she would stand so you could do the back. She never complained about a bath and sat so patiently when I clipped her nails.

We found out early she liked to go bye-bye. She jumped right in the back and made herself comfortable. Unless the front seat was empty--then she would come sit up there with me. So she went with me every day to take the girls to school. As long as I wasn’t going to be gone somewhere for long, like grocery shopping, she went everywhere with me. She went to Lovi’s for Halloween. She even went down to Hubby’s mom’s farm for Thanksgiving and Easter, and to Hollyb and her DB’s for New Years.

Hubby’s mom said she hoped Miss Ellie knew she was already in doggie heaven because she had found a home with us. His mom has said before that when she dies, she wants to come back as one of my pets!

If I had to leave her behind, she would get so excited when I returned. Jumping up and down like a circus dog on a pogo stick, yipping and yelping like she was saying “Oh, you’re home, you came back, you didn’t leave and forget about me!”

She loved attention, and when we moved over to the main house, she followed me around wherever I went. While we were building, if I let her outside and I had to go over to the new house, she would go all the way around to the other side of the house to get in through the garage, then she’d come straight over to where I was.

She and the cats have taken awhile to adjust to being on the same floor in the same house. Slowly but surely. One morning, Hubby and MFD left early while I was still in bed. There goes Ellie, click click click click of the toenails on the tile, when she hears the garage door go up. Seconds later, click click click click, then she lands in bed with me—because the cats were right behind!

She was a great little watchdog. She’d start barking before PJ and Harley did if someone was coming down the drive, so I called her “my vicious guard dog.” It took her a little while to be comfortable with strangers, but eventually she’d let them pet her. But even when Hubby and MFD were around, she preferred to be with Mama. She was one spoiled little bitch.

Tick season is upon us, so while Harley was at the vet’s yesterday, I took the opportunity to get the other two checked out, update their shots, and get their tick and heartworm medication.

When it was Miss Ellie’s turn, I asked the vet to see if she had a microchip, just to be sure. If I had lost her, I’d want her returned, so it would only be fair to see if someone had registered her.

She had a chip, and my stomach dropped.

The vet wrote down the info on the chip and gave me the number to the company, and said she’d leave it up to me whether to call or not.

Well what else can I do? I had to see if someone had spent the time and money to register her, or I couldn’t have lived with myself.

So I called. She was registered. The guy took my name and number and address. Then I started crying.

Minutes later I get a call from her owners. They’re in the area, and want to know if they can come get her in half an hour. No, I’m sorry, this is my dog now and you can’t have her. I’m crying the whole time and the lady asks if I’m ok. “No.” Of course I’m not ok, you’re coming to take my dog. She said she was sorry, she knew it was easy to get attached to “Lacy.” Well duh. How’s about we give you a cigar? You aren’t sorry, you’re gonna have the dog, MY dog.

So we go outside to wait. They get here, and my vicious guard dog barks at the car. But after they got out and called her name and she figured out who they were, she got excited.

Turns out they were out of town in October, and their son was keeping Lacy and her sister, Sophie. One minute Lacy was across the road, playing with another small dog, the next she was gone.

They told me she had just turned six in March, which was younger than the vet estimated—ten. The two dogs liked to go for rides in the guy’s white Miata, with the top down, to get ice cream.

They were a nice couple, maybe in their 50’s or 60’s. I knew from her behavior she had been well cared for, and must have been loved. So I couldn’t blame them.

Now the fargin’ icehole of a son is a different story. Is he blind, that he didn’t see the signs I had put up? No way he could have missed them. And it appears Lacy was on her own for almost two weeks before she landed here.

So I’m pi$ed and upset and I want my dog back. MFD didn’t take it well, either, especially since the dog was gone by the time she got home from school. “I know it’s hard, dear, but you’d want someone else to do the same thing for us if it was our dog” just doesn’t cut it.

Sometimes it just friggin’ SUCKS to do the right thing.

I miss the clicking of her toenails.Flo

Give That Man a Cee-gar

2007-04-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

As I was getting ready to write this yesterday, I noticed one of our dogs (Harley) was staggering around, then could barely stand. We took him to the vet and he ended up spending the night for a possible spinal injury. I brought him back home today and he’s doing fine. More on the mutt in a later post.

Jason Whitlock is a sports journalist here in my neck of the woods. He does call them like he sees them, and I think he hit the nail on the head on this one. I knew there was an uproar, but I missed, then ignored, the story until someone sent this to me.

Flo

Posted on Wed, Apr. 11, 2007

COMMENTARY

Imus isn’t the real bad guy

Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.

JASON WHITLOCK

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.

I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.

It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.

Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.

It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.

I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.

But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agendas.

I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.

Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.

But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.

In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

To reach Jason Whitlock, call (816) 234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com

Whimsical Reflections...

2007-04-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

…aka Random Thoughts:

We had a very nice Easter, hope you did, too. We were with Hubby’s mom at her farm. Went to Mass and she had a wonderful meal for us when we got home.

Thanks to Gay Cynic for the computer link, I’ll check it out. I think I’ve welcomed you before, but if not, thanks for the visit and note.

Welcome also to Kimberly, who has left a couple of comments, too. Hope you get settled in soon, ain’t military life grand? I don’t think I could do all the moving around involved with Active Duty; you’re a strong woman.

Lately, I feel like all I’m doing is trying to catch up. Not that I ever will. I surely would like to know how people can read blogs, write a blog, work full-time, travel, and have a life. Maybe I need to have a talk with myselves and tell them they’re going to have to start sharing and multi-tasking. There just isn’t enough of me and the day to go around.

Ambulance Driver made a comment on his blog last week about bloggers and their readers getting to know each other. I may not be a good judge of character when it comes to someone I haven’t met in person, but I do feel like a lot of us are family. And heaven help someone that makes a derogatory comment about that family. Especially an “anonymous” someone. A while back, someone commented at LawDog’s site that “I bet your mother’s proud.” And it wasn’t a compliment. I wasn’t the only one offended and that became quite clear. I have made an occasional comment that I regret, but if someone wants to call me on the carpet, at least they’ll be using my name. One of them, anyway.

By the way, I am also Tickled Pink to still be one of Ambulance Driver’s daily reads after he reorganized things over there. Did you know there used to be a wine called Tickled Pink? Yep, back in my sophisticated days as a flight medic, I used to drink it straight from the bottle. I’d probably upchuck if I ever smelled it again. Is that what we mixed with beer? Or was it Strawberry Hill?

Those pilots were such a bad influence.

Ok, I think I’m done rambling for now.

Flo

Happy Sweet Sixteen

2007-04-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

Sixteen years ago, at 2235, My Favorite Daughter (ok, so she’s the only daughter—same with My Favorite Son) was brought kicking and screaming into this world at Arlington Memorial Hospital.

She caused me grief from the very beginning.

The doctor came in to my room the next morning to tell me MFD had spent the night in the Special Care Nursery because she had Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN), etiology unknown. That meant her breathing was fast on occasion, and they didn’t know why. However, the possible causes were serious, and I think my brain shut down by the time he started talking about those.

After several extra days in the hospital and four months on a cardiopulmonary monitor with only a rare false alarm, it was my opinion that because she was being difficult (as usual, I have come to find out after 16 years) and was born “sunny side up,” she just didn’t get the stuff squished out of her lungs and it took a little time for her to get over it.

She’s grown into quite the awesome young lady. Challenging at times, but bright, talented, caring, and beautiful.

This morning I gave her a small rose arrangement and a card, just from Mom. When I was young, my mom gave each of us girls a yellow rose when we turned 13, and a red rose when we turned 16. So I’m sort of carrying on the tradition.

She and her dad joined my friends and I for our regular Friday morning breakfast. Then she had an appointment to get her hair cut, and practice for the school musical.

THEN, her dad took her to the license bureau. She got a 94%. [sigh] The streets will no longer be safe. Be on the lookout for a gold Mazda Protégé.

We’ll be going to Red Lobster for dinner, then home for ice cream, cake, and presents.

Then I think I’ll be going to bed to cry cuz my baby’s growing up.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.

Love,
Mom

Public Service Announcement

2007-04-05T14:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, the computer is back, but it lost it's mind. The hard drive went Tango Uniform and everything on it went to the Big CPU in the Sky. I sure hope someone up there enjoys the pics of MFS's HS graduation and the construction progress, the e-mails from Hubby while he was in Iraq, and the everything else from the past two years of my life that was stored there.

Flo, can you say "back up?"

Why yes, NOW I can.

Fortunately, I've been much too busy to be horribly devastated.

Things still aren't quite back up to speed, but I had to take a moment to inform you of an important event. I'd feel terrible if you missed out on it because you didn't know.

Saturday, 7 April, is No Housework Day.

You're welcome. Don't say I never did anything for you.

Flo

It's Gonna Get Ugly

2007-03-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

The DTs are going to start soon, I just know it.

I came home the other evening, walked into the office, and there, on the computer, was...not much. It was worse than the dreaded blue screen. It was the greenish black screen, with the old DOS-type writing that simply said, "Disk read error. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL to restart." So I did. Came back to the same screen.

About that time, MFS walks in and said, "I tried that." So I turned the computer off. He said, "I tried that, too." Sure enough, when I turned it back on, same screen. We trying unplugging it. Same screen. It wouldn't even start in Safe mode.

MFS called his computer expert friend, who said it would be best to have someone look at it. But not him, he didn't think he could help with this one.

So I took it in to the shop. The guy made one of those "You Are So Screwed" faces when I told him what the computer was doing. I was supposed to get a call with the diagnosis and estimate yesterday or today, and I haven't heard anything yet.

MFS is letting me use his laptop, but he heads back to college (was home for Spring Break this week) Sunday.

I think I'm going to cry.

And I don't think my drugs are strong enough to handle this.

I'm either going to start talking to myselves, or I'll have to go shopping and spend some money.

Eeny, meeny...

Flo

Egos

2007-03-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Once in a blue moon, I receive an email from someone other than my favorite CWO. Here’s one from a friend in Colorado:

An airplane was about to crash; there were 5 passengers on board, but only 4 parachutes.

The first passenger said, "I am Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketball player; the Lakers need me, I can't afford to die." So he took the first pack and left the plane.

The second passenger, Hillary Clinton, said, "I am the wife of the former U.S. President, a Senator from New York, and a potential future president. I am the smartest woman in American history, so America’s people don't want me to die." She took the second pack and jumped out of the plane.

The third passenger, John Kerry, said, "I'm the Senator from the great state of Massachusetts. I was my party’s last nominee for President.” So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped.

The fourth passenger, President George W. Bush, said to the fifth passenger, a 10-year-old schoolgirl, "I have lived a full life, and served my country well, I will sacrifice my life and let you have the last parachute."

The girl said, "That's okay, there’s a parachute left for you. America’s smartest woman took my schoolbag.”

Flo

I Demand a Recount

2007-03-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

It really irritates me to hear the Democrats talking about the mandate they received from voters last November. MY voting machine didn’t have the “Press Here To Send Mandate To Your Elected Official” option button. Did yours? Then how do I know my vote even COUNTED? There were a lot of people at my polling place, so how many other votes were missed? Aren’t they supposed to check the machines and make sure they’re fully functional?

What a bunch of hogwash. They aren’t mind readers. They can’t possibly know that everyone who voted for them did so because they wanted an immediate end to the war, consequences be damned. That would be like saying everyone who voted for a Republican did so because they like war and want it to keep on going with no end in sight.

Give me a break.

Flo

Flying Flo's Forum

Well!

Ratcheting Racial Remarks

What Is a Loan?

ACTIONS Speak Louder Than WORDS

Vote Your Conscience

I Need a Job

ICE

Their Version vs. My Version

Housework

Georgia On My Mind

Look Out...

Thank You!

Rant and Pray

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Talk Around the Water Cooler

Stadol vs. Versed

Thank You

In A Funk

I Must Be The Youngest Mother Alive...

Gift Idea

Check This Out!

I LOVE This!

*Sniff*

No More Margaritas for Us

Spewing

Home Improvement

Legislation Allows Veterans to Salute the Flag

Puddle Jumper Days

Why Do People Have Sex?

The Name for the Day Is:

She’s Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!

Adoption Delayed

Picxthures for JPG

We're Adopting!

I'm So Lucky

That'll Teach Me To Volunteer

They're Here, They're Here!

My Week

What Nursing Shortage?

And the Winner Is...

Boo Hooie

Wild Women

MPD Alert

Hospital Abuse

As The Pool Drains

The Rest of the Story

Fun in New York

Carnegie Hall

Happy Father's Day

The Body Is Back

New York New York

Dear Mayor

Stoopid Alert

Mememememememememememe

Memorial Day

Catching Up

Happy Birthday

I'm Dyin' Here

Did She or Didn't She?

Royal Decree

Weak in Revue

Happy Mother's Day

My Trip

Bible Puzzle

Sheesh

What Made Me Me

Prayer Request

FINALLY...

NOW I Get It

The ER Experience

Prayers

Spoiled Little Bitch

Give That Man a Cee-gar

Imus isn’t the real bad guy

Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.

JASON WHITLOCK

Whimsical Reflections...

Happy Sweet Sixteen

Public Service Announcement

Sniff