Disabled Parking

Three weeks ago I filled out the request for the card and left it with the doctor to be mailed. After watching the mail for the card for two weeks and not getting it I was inspired to go to the doctor's office and inquire if it had been mailed. It had been filed and not mailed. I hand carried it to the DMV today and got the card. Today I went to the acupuncturist and won't go back unless I feel like I needed to go. He has helped my arthritis but my tremors are still with me.

Pony express would be faster

I write and then I can't post, or I write only the title and it posts, but I don't know why! I just lost an entry, so I will try once more. I just returned from a four day visit in Oceanside. I unpacked books; many, many books. I also cooked the evening meal each day. Yesterday we had chicken fried steak and mushroom gravy. It was gooood! Just like mother used to make. I love my granny room and the family that made it for me.

Long time no post

I get the Point

A week ago Sunday I was walking with a cane because my knee was giving me pain. On the following Tuesday I went to see Matthew D. Bauer, LAc. a licensed acupuncturist. I was hoping to get help with my Essential Tremors. The next day I couldn't tell any change in the tremors but my knee felt wonderful, just a little sore but no pain. I'm sold on acupuncture!

I finally have my Wii fit working and I did it all by myself! It only took about 2 weeks but I finally read and re-read the instructions and by looking at the pictures carefully was able to make it work but by that time I was too tired to work out more than a few minuets.
It told me my fit age was 77 and that was hard to take (I am 77)but I'm use to having my Wii age being much younger than may real age. Maybe it was trying to get back at me for taking so long to figure out how to make it work or maybe I am now acting my age.

Black hole found!

When I posted my second blog there was my first one too. I can't preview and correct mistakes because I don't know how to return to the blog. Oh, well I'm sure life has more and greater challenges for me to worry about today and anyway everybody know old people tell the same stories over and over!

Blessing Are Wonderful

Friday I went to Oceanside to help the Larsen's move back in after all the work on the house. My left knee was sore. I was limping and walking with a cane. I have been having trouble controlling my hand tremors when I use the computer mouse. After praying I used the computer to research tremors. Among the suggestions I found I could drink alcohol or try acupuncture. Not wanting to trade my liver or soul for a cure I decided aganist alcohol and on acupuncture. While at the Larsen's I asked Marc for a Presthood blessing before going for acupuncture. I had one treatment on 9/3/08 and the next morning I was able to walk without a cane, pain or limp. I don't know if my tremors are better but I will go back for more treatments.

Sunday at church in Oceanside I sat by a sister I didn't know. After a brief conversation she told me about a daughter that had make bad choices in her life style and that she could no longer associate with her because of the emotional pain and stress. It's very painfull and confussing to love someone and not be able to put yours arms around them and express love. I have been in that situation with my Phillips grandchildren and was able to relate and sympathize. It seems that my life experiences are now being put to a better use than just feeling sorry for my
self and that makes me feel good. I may not have the answers to their problems but it seems that what is needed is a caring, friendly ear and to know that someone else has been in their possition and survived. Keep counting the flowers!

Feeling Needed

Wednesday I was feeling as if I had no purpose or direction. My gym buddy Katheryn was on a cruse and I had no one to play with.

Thursday my friend Beverly Anderson came to visit for a few hours she needed company more than I did. We have both had grown children die. She has no one to talk to concerning her dead daughter.

Friday I went to the gym and met Elizabeth. She is 60 years old in a bad marriage and needs a friend. She is a born again Christan but not active and some where in distant time she was baptised Mormon. I counseled her for about 45 min. She wants to come to church with me. We exchanged phone numbers and plan to keep in touch.

On the way home from the gym I stopped at the 99 cent store. There I ran into Georgia Hoover I don't know her married name. Her mother Yvonne is in a rest home and not a happy camper. She will not get better and is being difficult. Georgia is in tears trying to please her. Once more I was listening and giving counsel for another 45 min.

Life has given me experience in all three fields and an opportunity to serve others. It was a good day.

Flowers or Weeds

Monday is the worst day for trash pick up! It begins at 6:00 am and gets to my house about 6:15 am. I have two containers, one for trash and one for recycles. They are collected by different trucks at different times. The four missionaries in the apartment are wonderful, but they usually but their trash out after trash pick up. To be helpful and make up for this miss timing today he brought the trash bin back into the yard. That was a nice thing to do, but he also brought back the recycle bin that had not been emptied! I am caught between crying and laughing. It has happened before and will happen again because when I train one group there is a re-assignment and I get an untrained group. I once read a poem that in part said, "count the flowers in stead of the weeds, count your blessings in stead of your needs" Having the missionaries in my home is a blessing and the fact that the trash bin had already been emptied is a blessing, in the past both bins have been brought in still full!

Deliver Me From Clutter

I needed help so I contacted a clutter professional. For $80.00 an hour she would de-clutter my bank account faster than my house! So I decided to read a borrowed book on the subject and help myself for free. After all if I brought it in I can pitch it out. The process just requires a change of direction a U-turn in my thinking.

My first attack was on the junk/key drawer in the kitchen. My cat helped by fishing items out of the drawer and dropping them into the trash can that was under the drawer. I threw out door keys to locks that had been replaced years ago, loose screws, bolts, and nails; partial packages of old birthday candles, L wrenches used to assemble ever piece of furniture I ever bought. A name tag for a dog that died four dogs ago. Old appointment cards from a doctor I haven't seen in several years, and several empty key chains.

I also found one nickle and four pennies, I considered that wages for my fifteen minuets work. It would have cost $20.00 to hire the professional to de-clutter the drawer. I'm already $20.09 ahead!

A brief rest and I was on the attack again. This time it was the refrigerator. I disposed of vegetables I found petrifying in the bottom of the vegetable bin; and jam jars with contents that had not been popular since my last diet many pounds ago. I charged on t0 the medicine cabinet. I threw out prescriptions older than four of my great grandchildren; I was drunk with power!

Staggering on to the small cupboard in the bathroom that held the over flow from the medicine cabinet. I threw out denture bond, no one in my house has dentures! I discarded rancid lotions and ointments, bandaids so old the wrappers were pealing off, medication to cure aliments that on one was suffering from, a package of refreshing deodorant wipes for men, there hasn't been a man in my house for years. I pitched out a toothbrush that no one claimed; it had been in the holder for many months. I threw out several used bars of soap to small to use but if stuck together would be usable again. Out went lots of old make-up that had accumulated and several jars of out dated beauty creams whose beauty secrets had eluded me. At this stage of life beauty cream will only work if it is retro active!

I have a paper shredder and have been working on my old income tax forms dating back forty years. I have many years of old cancelled checks with my signature on them that must be shredded to prevent forgery and theft. I have been working on the shredder and think I now have enough confetti for a New York type New Years eve parade.

My linen closet contains items that have been there so long I don't recognize them. Sweaters that I will never wear again or maybe never have; sheets to fit beds I no longer own, table cloths to fit a table I gave away fifteen years ago. Up on the top shelf are stored all the gift bags that have ever been given to me or anyone else that came to my home for a birthday of Christmas. I haven't forgotten them because they often slide out and hit me in the head when I open the cupboard doors.

In my kitchen and large pantry I have enough pots and pans to start a bakery. I have a variety of pie pans. I have cake pans for bunt cakes, angel food cakes, wedding cakes, cup cakes and sheet cakes. I also have several cookie sheet. I don't bake any more!

In the laundry room I have a nice work bench with a supply of useful house tools but it isn't user friendly because it is buried under a variety of materials left over from previous jobs. I have plumbing tools I can't use and a bucket of roofing tar left over from a long ago leak. I had a new roof installed and no longer worry about leaks. I had the house re-piped and re-wired seven years ago and still have pieces of copper pipe and electrical wire in my way. I have no use for either; I just want the space they occupy.

I own a good many yard tools and don't think I will be using then because I hate yard work. I have a wonderful gardener and wouldn't think about taking his job.

If am able to keep up this de-cluttering schedule I should be back on the job again in about another ten years.

Aunt Bettie and I were shopping at Costco and a sample of gum was being offered I took one and asked Bettie if she wanted one. She said gum would stick to her dentures. I assured her this was advertised as the kind that would not stick to her plate.

She took some and started to chew. Immediately she became a victim of false advertising and the gum stuck to the roof of her plate. Wishing to be helpful I gave her a tissue. She rubbed to on the gum and now had gum and tissue stuck to her plate.

We agreed that a good paste in the mouth was needed but disagreed on who needed it!

True Beauty

It has been said that beauty is only skin deep and ugly goes all the way to the bone. I say true beauty goes all the way to the soul OR it is only a facade and the ravages of time will leave it exposed for its true value.

Beauty is found where kindness and caring flourish. It is accompanied by acts of kindness and sacrifice for others. Unlike physical beauty time does not dimminish it or its desirablity but enhances its value.

May we all look more deeply for the beauty in others and not judge on outward appearance only, because sometime the heart sees more clearly than the eye.

Job Security

After blogging and taking notes I have lost the entire entry. I still have the directions, but the blog has been sent to that black hole in my computer that swallows many of my writings and regurgitates confusion. I haven’t written for a while because although I have managed to do blogging before, I needed to be tutored to achieve it once more. I am glad I have two great grandsons to get in line to help grandma with the computer, because I think I will need all three generations to keep me user friendly with this new fangled machine.

I have been in Oceanside for two weeks and have just finished shredding the junk mail from years ago. It is good to have job security at my age and apparently no one else wants the job. The pay isn’t too good. I have collected $1.00 in loose change, but the company is priceless.

Before I came I had a gnawing feeling that I should go to help with the renovation, and since I have been here I have had an itch and gnawing feeling that I should go home.
However, the tenting for termites and insects should correct that problem.

We bought a Wii Fit two days ago, but due to the physical effort involved with the remodeling we haven’t had enough energy to get fit! I get so sleepy at 7:00 pm that I have to play the Wii to stay awake, but I only play from a setting position.

I cooked for the first few days I was here, but since the remodeling has things stacked in the kitchen, we are now surviving on fast food.

The mail is due soon and I don’t want to fall behind on my shredding duty because I may not live long enough to catch up again, so I will sign off now and look forward to getting wasted with the shredder.

Once An Adult And Twice A Child

If you think adolescents is tough wait until you reach senior status!

You have been the senior partner in your children's life ever since the Lord gave them to you, but now the tables have turned. It's a hard adjustment for parents and even harder for grandparents. Your judgment has always been respected and now it is being questioned, ignored or rejected.

You can no longer expect your word to be accepted blindly. Your children are now independent adults and think for themselves and isn't that what we all wanted and worked so hard to achieve?

Now when offering advice you must not be commanding but carefully phrase the advice in such a way that it leaves room for freedom of choice.

You may say,"When I experienced a similar situation I handled it like this (example) but if I faced the problem again I would approach it in this manner (example)." Please take from my experience only what you can use.

This life is a time to learn and there are some lessons we can only by experiencing them for ourselves. We want to shield our children from the mistakes we made, but free agency is a gift from God and must be respected.

Parenting is a blessing and an on going education, a never ending labor of love.

Through Your Eyes

If I was you and you were me,
I could understand what you see.

I would know how you think and feel,
If your actions were false or real.

If that tear is from joy or grief,
And how to better offer relief.

If I should love you or turn you away,
Tell you to go or ask you to stay.

But I am me and you are you,
So this is what I think we should do.

Put yourself in the other's place,
And greet the world with a smiling face.

Try to understand and appreciate,
And love each other before it's too late.