Friday, April 30, 2010

Redemptive Suffering

Some of my readers don't understand the subject matter of a previous blog called "Offer it Up," so I have this link for you offer it up which will explain the Catholic concept.

More things to offer up:

1. when I save two days worth of corrections on a document, and when on the third day I go to review it, none of the notes are there. Offer it up. And cry.

2. getting out of my warm bed on an unseasonably cold morning. Offer it up.

3. a phone call I'd been looking forward too, becomes just a quick check in. Offer it up.

4. a long distance phone call gets dropped because of the weather. Offer it up.

5. the funds to spiff up my kitchen are used on our flooded basement. Offer it up.

6. all the bulbs we planted last fall for flowers this early spring are still just green leaves. Offer it up.

7. finished a really great book and wish it was at least 100 pages longer. (An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor). Offer it up.

8. explaining decimal places. boring. Offer it up

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Marriage

Love is a temporary insanity cured by marriage.

The best way to fall out of love is to get married.

A fool and his money are soon married.

To have and to hold
For richer and poorer
In sickness and health

For better or worse

As long as we both shall live.

I pledge thee my troth

Forsaking all others

For this reason, a man will leave his mother and father and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one body. Genesis 2:4

marriage - 14th century mariage , the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as a husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.
an intimate or close union as in the marriage of painting and poetry.

An average couple has a 57% chance of reaching their 15th anniversary. If they make it that far, most will reach "till death do we part."

What therefore God has joined together, let no man pull asunder. Mark 10:9

Three handicapping factors are 1. the relationship, 2. finances, 3. family history.

So much has been thought, said, written and argued about marriage, it seems everyone has an opinion about this ancient institution. What no one can argue is that marriage is in danger. On average, first marriages have slightly more than a half chance of ending in divorce. Second marriages have even less chance of 'till death do we part." Add to the mix variables like age (under 25, over 35? less chance of a happily ever after), if the couple lived together before marriage, the bride's relationship with her father among others and the odds become even more steeply stacked against the couple.

Why? Now couples marry for love (hopefully and not for ulterior motives) instead of for cementing dynasties, we have pre-nuptial counseling, men and women on a more equal financial footing and our marriage success rates are still so low?

These are my observations, and certainly not from a scholarly source. However I'd like to point out that I've been married for over 30 years, which is probably longer than most of the researchers have been married, or even been alive. Also, both my husband and I were well under 21 when we got married, which according to statistics means we never should have made it, and yet we did.

Where is the trust? I understand that men and women are getting married at much older ages than we were when we got married, and have accrued a lot of property: houses, stocks, retirement IRA's, insurance, and inheritances from grandparents and possibly even parents. They want to protect these assets. But when you make a Prenuptial Agreement, it really makes it sound like you are prepared to fail. The only good way I can see a Prenup for a marriage is that the Prenup becomes null and void if the spouses are divorcing because the Prenup holder initiates the divorce or has been unfaithful.

Your money, my money. I understand totally that each spouse needs to have their own bank account with enough funds in it to cover a few months living expenses on the chance that a spouse dies. Probate can tie up bank accounts for a quite a few months, and you need to have funds in your own name. But, money that comes into the house should go into "our" account, and expenses should be paid from that account. There shouldn't be "his bills" and "her bills" in a marriage.

And on the subject of money, do not fall into the trap that the person who brings in the most money, or even all the money is the "owner" of that money. The person who is in the home, trusting their well being to another, is vulnerable. Do not betray that trust by being the "Lord and master" because you bring in the paycheck. And do not make the mistake that because someone stays home with the kids that they aren't really working or have lots of free time. They are not your maid, do not expect an immaculate home. Your day ends, the stay at home spouse's doesn't get to punch out of the job at 5, or 6, sometimes not even at midnight. So don't be a jerk! You can do real damage to your marriage.

50/50 marriage The erroneous idea that chores around the house will be shared exactly, right down the middle by both spouses. I have never seen this work. It certainly never worked in my marriage. Truthfully, the majority of our early marriage, the household chores were no where near 50-50, not even 30-50 - way lower. Fast forward thirty years, add my cancer and the division of labor was 5-95, then 0-100 and has only now settled to 15-85. These later ratios are my husband doing the lions share. And that is the way it is going to be. Sometime a spouse is going to come home from work so physically or mentally drained that all they can do is sit in a chair and mutter mono-syllables while staring into space. Sometimes mom is going to be so over scheduled that she can hardly crawl. Marriage is not about keeping a scoreboard for who does the most, it's for standing in the gap when needed.

Which brings us to the line "in sickness and in health." In my early days after the first few of my cancer operations, I joined a cancer support group. I was absolutely appalled by the stories I heard from people who had been in long term marriages, 25 and 30 years, whose marriages fell apart because they couldn't withstand the ravaging winds of cancer, and the side affects like colostomy or chemotherapy. What exactly did the abandoning spouses think "sickness" entailed? That the promise was null and void for anything more detrimental than the flu?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A Debbie Macomber Contest

Well after my blog about there not being any contests, a real, honest-to-goodness contest that depends on brain work comes in the mail. This one has a prize of $10,000 and you need to write one hundred words (no more than 100!) of what you would do if you had a second chance in your life, any kind of a second chance.
No postage is due for this contest, you enter online. The website is easy www.hannahslist.com and all the rules and regulations are right there.
The deadline is July 4, 2010
So get cracking!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Being misjudged

No one likes being misjudged, but the amount of hurt depends on the personality of the misjudged. I know a woman named Joan, and being misjudged doesn't even move the needle of her self Richter scale. It is almost like she doesn't acknowledge it at all. A slight pause in her gait, and she is off to the next project. Ho hum.
Then there is Katherine. Her first reaction is a burst of anger and then she just shrugs it off also. I asked her about it and her response was "I'm well done with that sort of person." and I don't think she ever thought on it again.
Then there is moi, in which the first sally of misjudgement knocks me broadside and I lose my breath. "Oh no, there must be some misunderstanding." I regain my breath and try to explain and there comes the next sally of misjudgement arrows. These don't knock my breath away, they pierce me to the heart. I'm hurt, then I'm angry. I brood "How could she think that of me?" I relive the incident.
I'm kind of like Raymond Barone from the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" when that one radio talk show host doesn't like him. Raymond doesn't know why the talk show host doesn't like him and when Raymond finds out why, it ends up being the dislikes of the radio show host and not really anything that Raymond has done.
His brother Robert teases him "There is somebody in this whole Raymond Universe who doesn't like you. He hates you man, and you can't take it!"
His wife tries to comfort him with reminding Raymond of his three kids, his wife and happy marriage, his friends, all of whom love him.
Yet he is still hurt.
Why? Is it because we were raised to be nice? Do we have such a high opinion of ourselves that the idea that someone misjudges and doesn't like us, shakes our world? Are we the do-gooders who need a happy earth?
I wish I knew, because I'd like to be like Katherine and say "I'm well rid of that sort." and mean it. Not think of it again.
You don't have to be a bad person to be misjudged. In fact being misjudged puts you in good company. Our Lord was misjudged as were his apostles. Saint Germain Cousin was severely misjudged for the majority of her short life.
In fact, if you stand up for anything, you are sure to be misjudged. Think about the German people who stood up against the Nazis. They were mis-judged, thought unpatriotic. As the saying goes "All it takes for evil to exist is for good men to do nothing." Maybe it is too simplistic to say that not enough people were willing to be misjudged when Hitler was trying to rise to power, and that is why he was able to accomplish what he did as Fuhrer.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The hurt that burns - being misjudged

Well it was bound to happen, and it wasn't the first time for it to happen to me, just the most recent. And it hurts being misjudged. I think it hurts more because I feel that it is totally unfounded. That if the person had really taken the time to listen to what I said instead of what she thought I said, there wouldn't have been a problem, or at least we would have just agreed that we had different opinions.
It hurts because this person is someone that I have known, albeit not well, for years. Someone who if they really and truly disagreed with what I was saying would at least think to themselves "Hey, there is something wrong here. I've known Mary for years and years, I know her older kids and her husband and I know they are a nice family. May-be she is having a bad day?" or "May-be she isn't expressing herself well." or "May-be I'm just not getting what she is saying." or last resort "May-be she is well meaning, but just wrong."
Instead her temper just flared and things were dragged into the conversation that had nothing to do with the original disagreement. Finally I just tried to call a truce, saying I had no interest of fighting with her, that we'd just have to agree to disagree, and that I'd have no more to do with this conversation. By doing this I hoped we'd be able to save the friendship, although if I'm to be honest, I have to admit that the way she argued put a bad taste into my mouth and I was planning to just give myself a cooling off period for a while.
It was on FaceBook that all this happened, so it was easy enough to keep myself occupied elsewhere and not dwell on the unpleasantness. As the day wore on, I got a few updates in my email from FaceBook, and it dawned on me that although I planned on having nothing more to do with that conversation, if anyone else commented on it, I would get the email alert telling me what was said, and then I'd want to join back in the conversation, which was not the path to peace or preserving our friendship. I went back to that thread and deleted my three entries.
Just before dinner I got my final email from her. It started with "Mary you are a bigot" had a middle few sentences angry that I had deleted my three entries and finished with why she wasn't a bigot - but right. I explained that I had deleted my three entries because I had no intention of joining that thread again, that I didn't want to fight with her.
Her answer was to unfriend me. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been unfriended. Was it because I had my own opinion? Was it because I refused to fight anymore? Or was it because she wanted my posts on the thread to castigate me, even though I wasn't there to defend myself? I don't know and won't ever find out.
So I am giving myself a day to mourn the whole episode; the being misjudged, the loss of someone I considered a FaceBook friend along with the whole "I know Mary..." thing. Then I am demanding somethings of myself:

1. Get tough cupcake. In the scheme of things, this isn't even a bubble.

2. People get misjudged all the time. The only truly, 100% perfect man in the world got misjudged and hordes of easily led sheeple crucified him. The fact that I am not anywhere near perfect, I won't even put a percentage on how imperfect I am, I should be amazed at how few times I've been misjudged.

3. Offer it up.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Offer it up!!! ~sigh!~

It used to annoy me to no end as a child when something would go awry and my mother would say three words 1. offer 2. it 3. up.
Your favorite cousin's, you haven't seen in two years, plans have been cancelled. I'd hardly been given the chance for the disappointment to register in my little brain when my mother called "Offer it up!"
Everyone is playing in the bright sunshine, the gang is all there, and I have to practice the piano? "Offer it up!"
My brother, not being supervised by anyone, finishes my chocolate Easter bunny? Nope, no recriminations to the people who failed to watch him. No, when you are really looking forward to something, when you'll be the most disappointed, is the perfect time for my mother to call out "Offer it up!"
Not really. If the people who had slacked on the job had offered some restitution, I might have cheerfully been able to offer it up. If I had gotten some sympathy instead of grownups laughing at my brother's naughtiness and my anger, I would have been able to offer it up instead of remembering it almost 40 years later in such vivid detail.
Which is why I never call to any of my children to "Offer it up!" and instead sympathise with them and ask them as gently as I can if they will offer it up? Offer it up for the soul of their uncle who died too young. Or for a great Aunt who had no children, and so no one to directly pray for them. There is never a shortage of things to offer up our trials for.
Although I hated hearing my mother and her "Offer it up!", the lesson stayed with me. It seems I'm always offering something up, especially in the last year or so. I won't even go into all the times in the hospital I had something to offer up. But in my nice little family home?
The Kitchen! Honestly, you should hear strains from a pipe organ when I say the dreaded words "The Kitchen." Somewhere a dog just howled. My house was built in the mid-1960's, which I always envisioned as the age of Betty Crocker. You know, lots of baking, family suppers every night etc. Not this kitchen. It is the shape of a square with a sink, stove, and refrigerator jammed in. There wasn't even room for a dishwasher until we crammed a free standing one into the only open space. Notice what wasn't mentioned? Counter space! I don't know how the family of four that lived here before us did it. I can only imagine that from the 1960's until the last of the kids moved out of the house, they ate supper at grandma's. So every time I try to prepare dinner, juggling pots, food, and ingredients over the stove burners I have to use a mini landing pads, I - you guessed it, offer it up.
Then there is my van. A thing of beauty it is, and such a smooth ride. Until I have somewhere I need to go, like mass. Yes, after the fun of making sure that every one's face is washed and teeth are brushed, after finding the missing shoe and straightening collars, the family gets into my van, I turn the key and I hear rat. tat, rat, tat. The engine doesn't start. This is why I go to mass on Saturday, so I have the chance of a second try on Sunday. Offer it up.
Let me add that the van very rarely pulls this stunt on my husband. Usually he sticks in the key, turns it and vrooooom! It purrs like a kitten, the rotten sexist, bully of a vehicle!! Offer it up.
Today the scenario is a little different. Yes, the van pulled it's little trick and rat, tatted us today, but my son was visiting from New York with his car that seats five. Which is why they are at mass and I am writing this blog. Offer it up.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Just to prove that I can be wrong....

A few posts back, I lamented the lack of contests that are being offered nowadays compared to the glory days of contests. As fate would have it, I got an email proving me wrong a few days after that blog. It would have been a little bit better to get it a few days before I wrote the blog, but... oh well.

Pillsbury just announced it's MILLION DOLLAR WINNER! Here is the link, in case you would like to check it out yourself http://www.pillsbury.com/BakeOff/Default.aspx Not that I will be taking a chance at creating a world winner recipe, making dinner at night is enough of a challenge for me!

Then there is the Dream Kitchen Sweepstakes by Good House Keeping. This contest doesn't expect anything from you except to subscribe to the magazine and enter, or option two - enter without subscribing, https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/goodhousekeeping/46642/IDASS0227?sub_option=1 They do not expect you to exert any brain power to enter this one.

Using Google to search for contests came up with a whole list of contests, not that all of them will be actual contests or above board, but at least it is a start.
Apparently contests and sweepstakes are alive and well, you just have to look for them!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

My Christmas List for My Area 2009

I realize that Christmas is long passed and that this blog should have been written months ago. Unfortunately I think I had a good excuse for not writing sooner; I was getting over radiation, the death of one of my favorite childhood aunts, and getting ready for an operation. Add to that holidays, Christmas and the birthday of my son.

So here is my Christmas Wish List for 2009:.....................................................

1. Please hire more police officers. Times are tough, people are getting desperate as demonstrated in the dramatic rise in bank robberies and drunk and aggressive drivers on our roads. I feel safer with a police presence.

2. Please hire more officers for our interstates and parkways. Not only isn't it green and healthy for our planet, it is downright dangerous for drivers that are not as knowledgeable or skilled as NASCAR racers to go flying by at 80 or more miles per hour. And while you're at it, please arrest the drivers that drive right on the rear bumper of the car ahead of them and the drivers that don't allow cars to merge.

3. To the drug dealers in our area, it seems you do a pretty brisk business. Since you are so business savvy, why not start a legitimate business instead this year? Really, look at the business savvy things you have done; started a business on a shoestring budget, attracted and kept enough customers to have a thriving trade. You must have great customer service. But you have to keep looking over your shoulder and watching your back. When is a jealous rival going to betray you? When are you going to end up in prison, for a really long time? Instead, take all your positive abilities and go legit! You might have to start off small, like selling Tupperware or may-be Pampered Chef, but I'm betting you wouldn't stay small. And think of what your success could do for your community!

4. Lower taxes. Seriously. Some of us haven't had a raise in years, others of us have lost our jobs with no new job in the foreseeable future, unless you think you can actually support a house - never mind a household- with a job from MacDonald's? A lot of my neighbors houses are going into foreclosure, making the tax rolls even less. It's time to lower taxes while there are still homes owned by individuals and not banks..

5. Please don't lay off the town workers that collect my trash, plow the snow and generally keep our neighborhoods civilized. Don't expect them to agree to a job furlow. Go to the big guys. Let them be the ones to give back. Really, $10,000 from a man that only makes $50,000 a year (in our area, that isn't much considering prices) is going to hurt a lot more than taking $10,000 away from a man that makes $80,000 a year or more.

Somehow, I don't think it matters that I didn't get my wish list posted in time.

Where does time go?

An old friend who I haven't talked to in years messaged me on Yahoo yesterday and we ended up talking over the phone that night. It was lovely! She is one of those wonderful friends that even if you haven't talked to in years, you can pick right up with as if you'd just spoken yesterday.
One of our topics of conversation was the age old question of "Where does the day go?" Seriously. We both get up at a fairly reasonable time in the morning (of course being up and moving doesn't mean we are actually awake, as any mother can tell you.). We fall into bed at night exhausted. What do we do between the hours of 8 am and 10 pm? I couldn't tell you. I can tell you what doesn't get done, at least completely, any of the jobs on my list. Why? I guess it's because so much of the chores on my list depend not on me, but on circumstances.
  • Will I catch every red light?
  • How many check out lines will be open, compared to the amount of customers?
  • Will the internet be out?
  • Will the meat be thawed?
So when I do have the energy, I try to make an extra meal and put it into the freezer against the day when I'm too tired to be able to cook, which gives my overburdened but not complaining husband a break.
My days are not filled with meetings with the president of anything, commitees, or projects that will save the world. My name will never be famous or on any lists. Every day I do my part, my chores for our home and family, and every night I retire tired, but happy.
So it's time to calm down and not let projects uncompleted on a to-do list take my peace.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

TMI


The buzz is that there is a new book published about Oprah Winfrey. The reason to buy it is because of all the juicy secrets it tells that Oprah doesn't want the world to know. You know, juicy, sexy secrets about ....


 Oh, and if you turn on the television, some network will be telling you all the things that you don't know about Tiger Woods and his wife Elin, or maybe his mistresses, you know he's had a bunch. Or Sandra Bullock and her husband Jesse James, and his mistress, what is her name? VavavaVoom?


Really, what's the deal? Does celebrity mean that a person's life must be revealed to the public? That ten, twenty or even thirty years before they were celebrities is fair game for gossip? When a celebrity is going through something as heart wrenching or embarrassing as a cheating spouse, they must do it under the scrutiny of a gossip columnist?


I don't want to know. A celebrity couple is divorcing? A simple statement from their publicist should be enough.


I don't want to know about a celebrity's sordid teenage years. I don't want to know who, what or where they had sex with.


My mother used to say, if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all. This might make for a more silent, less titillating world, but maybe it's time for that?


Tell us about the heroic work celebrities are doing in weather ravaged countries. Tell us about people that are starting charities to feed the hungry, shoe the shoe-less, house the homeless, educate those who have no chance of going to school. These stories are out there, they just need to be reported on.


Call it network feng shui!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

100 Truths I've learned the hard way #8 - #13

More pearls of wisdom learned at the UOHK, the University of Hard Knocks

8.  When you don't have an extra diaper, diaper wipes or change of clothes and you are either far from home or involved with a project that will take a long time, the diapers you've trusted right along will have a blow out.

9.  Always check your key ring to make sure you have the house key on it.  Especially if you've recently been in the hospital, and the house key might have been removed from your key ring to give to someone who is helping to take care of the kids.

10.  Make sure you turn off the oven after using it.  Immediately afterwards or you might not realize it for a few hours, or days!

11.  Do NOT let your kids look at the box of free kittens at the grocery store.  You don't look either.

12.  There is no such thing as a free puppy or kitten.  I never understood it when my father said it, but now I do.

13.  Enjoy the late night and early morning feedings with your baby.  All in all, there aren't that many of them.

100 Things I've Learned The Hard Way

Inspired by the blog 'Are We There Yet -DavisFarm' which a long
time net friend, Cher,introduced me to today and the experiences
of my 30 plus year marriage, I've decided to make my own list. Gee
I hope I've learned 100 things, that's only an average of 3 lessons
a year!

1. Children grow up in a flash. You might think you know this
already, but trust me, until your oldest is almost 30, you really
don't get the full impact of it.

----______________________________________________
2. A perfectly clean house isn't attainable for any family
that spends more than 6 hours in it between the hours
of 8am and 5pm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3 Fighting with your husband about the things he leaves
around the house is not a battle worth fighting or winning.
Conversely, fighting with you about leaving the van seat
too far forward or about the laundry you didn't get finished
is another battle not worth fighting or winning
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. I can't promise to be there your whole life but I can
promise to love you all of mine.
------------------------------------------------------------------
5. You don't really notice one or two extra people at the dinner
table but you do notice the abscence of one or two people
at the dinner table.
_____________________________________________________
6. Blogging in bed on an iPod is convenient, but kind of
hard to control
_____________________________________________
7. Making a huge breakfast after mass for your family of 8
is very satsfying. When it's down to 6 members, breakfast
of donuts is fine. When your family is now 4 members, poptarts
and coffee seems like enough.
_________________________________________________

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Thoughts on The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio

Do you remember seeing this movie "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio" being advertised on T.V. or at the movie theater? I don't, but then again, I have the ability to totally block out commercials on tv. Ask my family because I drive them crazy with this ability. Some product will be touted and someone will opine "I don't know, that looks just like snack-r-doodle cookies, and they weren't that great. Right mom?" "Huh?" I'll answer. "The cookies that were just on tv, don't they remind you of snack-r-doodles Mary?" The blank look on my face will make them realize that I've done it again, totally wasted the money that some company paid for that commercial.

It's just the opposite for Evelyn, the heroine and mom of "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio," she watches every commercial. She judges what they are selling besides the product; convenience, better quality, more family time? What company is the manufacturer? Why not, with frequent regularity these products offer a contest with wonderful prizes to the person who can finish the limerick for a sandwich or tell in 25 words or less how a freezer will change their family's life. So many times Evelyn wins and in the late 1950's to the middle 1960's, even a three dollar prize makes all the difference in the family's life.
I'll be honest, this movie made me so angry at the alcoholic father who doesn't seem to appreciate the financial near misses his jingle writing wife saves the family from. Their life isn't all rosie either. Unless you have a heart of stone, you'll cry during this movie, take it from one that knows. But it's a good movie, a movie I have no problem at all recommending, and unlike a lot of movies that get a ton of publicity, you can honestly watch this one with your kids.
After this movie, the younger members of the family and I talked. They were born long after the Plaid Stamp rewards programs, contests, and long after Cracker Jack put actual prizes in their boxes instead of the crummy paper prizes they give now. The only contests they knew about were the kind  you sent in your name on a postcard and hoped your card was picked, and even those are growing few and far between. In fact, the last contest I won, was one I hadn't even entered,  though the man on the phone said my name had been picked. It was for a Florida Timeshare, and it sounded sketchy at best.
This movie and my later conversation with the youngers made me wonder, in these trying economic times, why aren't companies and manufacturers trying harder to keep their customers? Do they think that name brand recognition will keep the consumer loyal? Why don't they cut their astronomical television advertising budgets and offer their customers a challenge and a great prize, say like a five minute shopping spree at their local supermarket? Or may-be one thousand dollar prize, two five hundred dollar prizes, and five one hundred dollar prizes for a recipe using fruit in a supper casserole? Or a recipe using canned tomatoes in a cake recipe? These are just ideas, and I'm sure their staff that have graduated from business school could think of better prizes and more challenging contests.
Since I'm thinking of the good old days, and you readers who are over 40 probably will have these memories also, I remember at Christmas the businesses that my grandparents patronized always sent some "goodies" to them. For instance, my grandparents never had to buy calendars. Every Christmas season they would get a calendar from the fuel oil company that they patronized. And I don't mean the small, you need a magnifying glass to read it, one that sticks to your refrigerator either. These were full sized and hung in the kitchen. My grandfather had one in his garage that came from the hardware store he patronized. My grandmother would get a nice sized bottle of perfume, not Channel of course, may-be it was Coty? The delicatessen would include  some sugar cookies with their Christmas week order. Other gifts were a wicker bowl of oranges, a desk pen and holder imprinted with the company name, letter openers, bottle openers and I'm sure if I spent more time thinking, I could remember more.
Last year, I got one Christmas gift from all the companies my family patronizes. It was a small, refrigerator sized calendar from the real estate company we sold our house through three years ago. So much for customer appreciation. It's been common knowledge for at least the last two years, more if you've been living it, that the economy is in trouble. Wouldn't you think that companies would want to cultivate customer goodwill and loyalty by at least sending a Christmas card or little gifts like a calendar, fridge magnet, or something? Since I feel so little appreciation from the companies that we do patronize, I don't feel any qualms about leaving for the company that gives the better price. That is a shame.
Think of all the companies that you or your family patronize; the fuel oil or gas company, car, house, or life insurance company, your cable company, your telephone company, your doctor, your pediatrician, chiropractor, your dentist. If you think about it, I'm sure you can think of many more - the lawn care company, the painter, your landlord. Do any of them appreciate your customer loyalty? Do any of them cut you a break, ever?
Ah, for the good old days!!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

How do they do it?

I've often wondered how people who have multiple children and blog, do it? The blogging I mean. One of my favorite bloggers has eleven, yes eleven, children at home and she blogs every few days. Another of my favorite bloggers has seven children at home and she blogs at least weekly.

Apparently a devoted Labrador and two spoiled cats are more distracting than a household of children all clamoring to use the computer!
I'm holding my breath, I can't wait for my interview with Linda Meigel, the author of Monkey Shine. My daughter just finished reading Monkey Shine and we ended up talking about the book for about an hour. The recent mine disasters in China and Pennsylvania bought the book back to mind and we both shivered! If you haven't read the book yet, I really urge you to get a copy and read it. It is a really unusual book - not in the horror genre and yet ... it is a horror book of sorts. Not overly gory, although there is some gore (unlike most gore, the gore in this book accentuated the story), more a psychological horror. It is the kind of story that will make you hear strange tappings in the middle of the night - so be forewarned! I personally hope this isn't a one book author. I'd like to read a sequel, although I don't know if there is a sequel in the works. But I should know soon!

That horrible end of March rain storm has been over for over a week now, but the ground is still wet, saturated actually. You can see water seeping out of the rock walls on the side of the roads and many yards still have pond sized puddles in them. According to a newspaper article I read, we can expect more storms like this because of changing weather patterns. May-be the severity of this storm was actually more of a blessing than a curse, because it has motivated all of us to waterproof our basements and other tasks. A less severe storm would have made us feel comfortable to just put the tasks off for tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that....


.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

YES!!!

The author of Monkey Shine, Linda Meigle agreed to do an interview with me!!! Do I sound excited? I am!! Super excited!!! I can't wait!

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