Favourite Books

  • The Green Mile
  • Animal Farm
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Lord of the Rings
  • To Kill a Mockingbird

Thursday 23 February 2017

Life's Greatest Pleasure

  Nope..this isn't political..or..maybe it is ..sort of...Funny how one's mind works. Out of the blue , obviously through some sort of switch that one often misses, memories come flooding back. Sometimes really dumb sh*t, things one has done in the past that must have been suddenly freed from the cover of grey matter, to float to the surface, and either bring a smile to your face, or a grimace. This is one of the greatest gifts of growing old. The little blurbs that pop by, to remind you that you have indeed lived a full life, even if you sometimes believe it has been uninteresting, compared to others.
  The memories I speak of are those silly ones. Ones, that really didn't make a lick of difference to the world, but generally ones that provided gut laughs. Lord love us..those are so amazing, and by far the greatest pleasure in life. Well, at least I believe this. Laughter is something a person gets to enjoy, no matter how old, or young they are. I certainly don't remember many gut laughs as a child, but I assume they must have been there, those ones that start slowly, and take over, and bring tears because, your gut actually hurts a little, but that pain imprints the moment within you.
  No..don't worry, all those of my friends who provided the scenarios for many of these moments, I am not going to spew our memories for the world. They belong to us, they are like secrets, others will never be able to reach the intense pleasure these times provided to us..Well..maybe..you remember when......LOL..of course you do!! The smile is beginning to form..you know if we speak further, it will all come right back
   I admit, growing old brings a ton of hardening along with it. There are those who know me as one who is always negative, always complaining, and clearly not a nice person. Can't really argue with this, because, often I am, and perhaps this is all they can see. Hey, so be it..as I have stated many times, I don't really care what others think. They don't contribute to my world, so..But they might be surprised..well some of them freaking know..they just forgot..I used to laugh long and often. Hummm..what has changed?
  I laugh at myself, you may not believe this, but I do. In fact a large percentage of my laughter now comes at my own expense. usually it is not because I am being funny, but because I do stupid stuff, and I accept and admit it. No sense denying the fact. I laugh at some show I enjoy, and I will tell anyone, I try not to watch anything beyond comedy, because I need it. I starve for laughter, it is the one thing that fixes all of life's troubles for even a moment.Once laughter begins, it overwhelms absolutely everything else, and I welcome it in. I will grasp at anything that can possibly provide a laugh, and at this point in time, it is often my own goof ups.
  But the laughs that that invisible switch brings to light, are ones I shared, with people I love. When they come back, out of the blue, they are gifts. I can message the people who were with me, type a few words beyond "remember when.." and we are all enjoying a replay. Sure we remember bad times, and take our moments knowing we can still feel the sorrow, but, those are quick quiet moments, the memories of gut laughs, we will drag those out as long as possible, feeling that little twinge even 40 some years after the fact. I shared so many of these, with my friends, and truly gut-laughs are almost impossible without company, which is why they don't happen often now.
  I know almost every single person has had these, not sure what happens, because when I sit and think what brought them on, the reasons are so varied, so I have to presume the atmosphere and the company have to play a big part in this process.I am sure there has been some scientific study, but my take on it, is the company.
  Alrighty, I know I said I wasn't going to tell any secrets..but, for some reason two gut-laughs just will not go away, and I have the overwhelming urge to share...Hey, it's all good, because both of these were at my expense, so I can do it!
  Many years ago, a person came into out lives and became a beloved family friend. She lived off in the South...now I really mean the South..in Alabama. A whole different world to someone living in the North. One day she was gong on about flowers, and smells, and told us about the aroma of Gardenia's . Awww..I tried to imagine this lovely scent..suddenly I needed to know exactly what I was missing. Well..my honey and I happened to go off on a shopping trip to the "big city" and....to my amazement, there on the floor of the floral section were boxes and boxes of white Gardenias. My honey continued down the aisle a ways, but me..I was thrilled. I knelt on the floor with my nose pressed up to the flower, and inhaled, and sniffed..Nothing..I sniffed again..nothing.I tried another flower..sniffing as hard as I could..disappointment growing..what the heck was up??? I imagined this wonderful scent, and my nostrils were getting nothing!! I glanced up to see my beloved staring at me, with a look of bewilderment..hey..he must have seen the same look in my eyes..then he asked "what the heck are you doing?' "Trying to smell these Gardenias" I answered. I could see the smile start on his face..I told him there was no smell at all, something was wrong..And then it began...the smile grew, and the laugh started..I am still bewildered..and then came the words  "Those are cardboard flowers!" Yep... apparently I had been sniffing my nostrils dry attempting to get some scent from the little cardboard flowers decorating the little pots of non blooming Gardenias. Hey..trust me, for the rest of my life, this will follow, in fact when I kick the bucket, no doubt there will be at least one Gardenia at the funeral, this simple stupid thing I performed has provided gut-laughs to myself and my honey..and trust me, I almost peed my pants by the second aisle after this, and I swear he was in the same boat. I would have to stop, and bend over because I couldn't breath for the laughter, it didn't stop, it drove all the way back home, with us, and continued on as the scene was played over for friends. This was and will forever be one of those "remember when you smelled the cardboard flowers?" Gut-laughs.
  The second incident (and trust me, I am sharing these not to make an impression that I am a bit dense..but because they were so wonderfully good, they just might make you laugh) was the lawn mower incident. First off, let me say, I kind of enjoy mowing my lawn. I am not OCD, but..I have a system, and I think I do a far better job at mowing than anyone else..so I feel obligated to do it. Let me also say..I have dogs, and no fenced yard..so we have a run that is connected to the enormous tree pretty much slap dab in the middle of our back yard. Oh, and...although I do the majority of the mowing..I do have a small habit of being lazy. O.K. maybe it is not so much lazy, as it is cutting corners. My dream man was inside watching TV, and I was in the mowing zone. I saw the run, it is a thick plastic coated wire, with the latch on the end, it appeared far away..but keep in mind, my eyes are not what they used to be, and apparently my judgement of distance is a tad off. Now..if the camera had been rolling, we would likely be millionaires right now, but..as usual, fate was against us. We have an awesome lawn mower!! Somehow it caught that line of run, and it "drove" up it!! Yep, I kept hanging on, as it ran up that wire until my arms could not reach, and I let go. I stood there for a few moments..perhaps I was in shock?? Then i began hollering for my honey..he didn't hear..so I had to go inside, and screech he had to come outside and help me. Well, he wasn't thrilled I was taking him away from whatever he had been watching, and mumbled all the way to the back door, and outside..and then silence..and then "WTF???" , and that's when it began...The gut-laugh, it was pretty much mutual timing, and we were left powerless..the mower hung there just below the branches, swinging in the air, as the two of us went weak at the knees. Yep..it remains "remember when you hung the lawnmower on the dog run?"
   So, yes, money is nice, health is treasured, love is amazing, but laughter is indeed life's greatest pleasure!Thank you to all my friends and of course my beloved, for these incredible gut-laughs that are forever mine!!

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Facebook

Ahhh Facebook! A place where one learns who they are. A place where the weak dare not enter.A place that can harass,. bully, and spew vileness, in the form of righteousness. Facebook is the trendiest place around..human rights change daily. Social injustice is dealt with with an iron fist. Labels are placed quickly, without investigation, or, indeed consideration. No, do not post your feelings or beliefs on this platform, unless you have a strong backbone, and hold your personal opinions tightly. Sure, post kittens, and ducks, and smilie faces..but under no circumstances type anything that brushes on politics or religion, clearly Facebook is a place for only cotton candy, not hard rock toffee.
  Don't get me wrong..I enjoy Facebook. I enjoy the cotton candy parts, and I also enjoy the hard rock toffee. I suppose it is because deep down inside, I love a good debate. I love debates, but to do so verbally, I am at a loss, I tend to go off track (O.K. I tend to do that at all times), but written debates, allow for Google time to back up one's opinions, and I do love Google. It is so much easier than grabbing an encyclopedia, or rifling through magazines and newspapers. So..now one is provided with instant access to all facts, which makes debating far easier.
  However, one thing facts do not do, is form opinions, those are done by the folks reading the facts. Opinions are formed all through life. I opened my Mathematics book back in school, and formed an instant opinion, I was never going to enjoy this subject, and surprise..I didn't, and haven't. I opened a history book, and instantly I formed another opinion..this was great stuff, and I loved it..and yes..I still do!
 Lots of facts..and if I find something that tweaks my interest, I will do my best to follow those facts. I am not foolish enough to focus on one set of facts, because often even facts are coated in a smigeon of personal opinion, so it is best to check out as many facts as one can, so..one can indeed form their own opinion, not based on another's take.
  O.K. I have admitted in the past, often I judge a book by it's cover. But, see, no matter how much grief I get from those who surround me, on my instant judgement of people I meet, I am pretty much spot on with my gut instinct. Yes, I know it bothers them when time proves me right, but I have no control over instinct, and I have been proven wrong only once..or maybe twice. Judgement of folks I meet does not go on Facebook. That would be foolish, and far too personal. I have few facts to base that on, besides my own feelings, so I keep them within my tiny circle.That is as far as judging by covers I go, and in truth, that is about the only part of life I do not research facts on.Can't really google gut feelings, can one?
  What has changed my life is, the sudden reality that according to facebook, I have become somewhat of a radical. F*ck I didn't see that coming. Most of my life I have been a stick in the mud. I follow all the laws, I believe in the Golden Rule, I trust Karma (no matter how slowly it moves) and I believe who a person is, has absolutely nothing to do with the colour of their skin, their religion, or their sexuality. Why do I believe this? Because in my itty bitty tiny circle of dear close friends, I have my own melting pot, or is it mosaic?So...those who paint me with the brush of unacceptance..kiss my A$$!! I don't give a poop what one believes, as long as it does not become a focus on friendship, which it has not, it doesn't bloody well matter! I believe in equal rights for ALL! And when I say equal..I damn well mean that!! Nothing pisses me off more than having to witness specific individuals singled out for special rights, while others are left to the side.You know why that bothers me? Because it is just plain mean!
  I remember elementary school..I remember when teams were picked, and I also remember how it felt to be the last..or even the second to last chosen, because I was not the greatest sportsperson..But hey, a spelling competition, I didn't sit long..But still, one remembers the feeling of being unwanted..it stays a lifetime.So, to assume I do not have compassion for fellow human beings, is untrue. Sure go ahead..tell me this is nothing like what is happening in my country right now..well..remember..opinions are based on facts..and the kindness or lack thereof I have been informed I do not possess, was formed over time, and experience. I was raised by a very kind generous woman, who once gave away my living room furniture to a new family..fine she in turn gave me hers, but, she had a huge heart..and..yes, she had a mouth...just like I do, but that did not make her unkind!
  Disagreeing with the majority, or perhaps it is not truly the majority, instead the trends, does not make a person bad. I just cannot get Animal Farm out of my mind at this time. When a population is told they MUST accept a specific mindset, or they will be branded as haters and selfish and racist..words that have been thrown about so much more in the past few years than ever during civil rights ..something is wrong.
  When rules do not apply to all, and a country is told they should be kind and allow a specific group to flaunt the rules, because it is the kind thing to do...WTF?? No!!! It is not the kind thing to do, it is the wrong thing to do. I listened to people stating how these new refugees were fleeing war torn countries, and to have compassion. Now they are pulling up at borders in taxis, and pushing their infants through snow in strollers to cross over into the promised land. Jesus Murphy folks..we do not live in a third world (yet) we are not at war, they no longer have to worry about a bomb dropping on them, or a coup, they do not have to wade through 4 feet of snow, in fear for their lives...They have simply decided they have a better chance in a country that clearly opens the door to all, without question.
  Here it comes the question of clarity..and surprise, I know the answer...if this was an American family, would they indeed get the same treatment as those "refugees"? If a Canadian decided they were going to take their toddlers by the hand and waltz across the Peace Arch crossing without going through the proper procedures, would they get the same treatment? Of course not!! That is just a stupid question..so why is what's happening now acceptable? Why are these people somehow different? Because they are refugees? Well..we all know that our government has put a sh*tload of time, money and effort into this issue, I suppose I should indeed research how much the United States has doled out, and for some reason, that wasn't good enough!!
  A influx of refugees that suddenly want more than they have received, what they have been offered in one place is not quite up to par, they decided they want something else. Well..for all those who shove the fact that most everyone in these countries was at one time an immigrant..I accept that fact! However, as one who enjoys history, I also know those immigrants either stayed with family who came before, or..yes....found their own way in the country that accepted them! They found their own way..they did not get hand outs, they did not get healthcare, they did not have a big open arm welcome from the Sally Ann or the local government..they were simply offered a space in a country, and so..to harp that now suddenly we are to open the doors and our hearts to a new type of immigrant, that arrives to a gift box and support, and remember this is where our ancestors began..is not fact!! Our ancestors came and accepted the gift of a place, and a way of life, one with different laws, and rules from their "home" country. They chose to come here, because of those rules and laws, and rights and freedoms....
  Perhaps that is the difference here? Perhaps it was the matter of choice? Perhaps after the initial realization that they are now far from war, and safe, they decided they didn't like the country that had allowed them a place? Well..if so, then it is past time to stop the  hand out, special rights to these folks..It is time for them to sit down and follow the rules same as everyone else.
  As for me..I really don't give a crap if they are tanned or not..so for those who throw bloody White privilege in my face..give it a break..because trust me..you don't know my life story, so you don't have a right to assume I have been privileged! For those who throw the Christian history, and horrors at me, stop...the bible was written by the same people who lived back in the time of sacrifices and stonings..none of which I condone. I believe in what I feel is mine..not someone else's , and besides a few blurbs on here, I keep my own to myself. I do not ask special privilege for my religion (except to keep it) I do not ask the world to change one iota because a personal belief does not need anything physical.
  I use the term Christian to describe my belief, because that is the closest I have found that fits. But, a book is not what I base my life on. I mentioned Karma..won't find that in the bible..that's a whole other religion..but it is part of my belief. I believe in reincarnation oops..think that is mixed up with some other religions as well.and yes....Christianity has it's own. So..why have I gone off on this tangent? Because like everything else, I have used facts and experience to even base my religion on, I did not simply accept something I was told that I must take as fact!
  So..it is clear I am not one to simply go with the flow, because it is Trendy. I don't care if I am not with the in crowd. I will argue with anyone who labels me as a hater or unkind, because I question. Without questions one stops learning, and that is not something humanity can afford. To silence those who do not agree, is indeed removing a privilege offered to each and everyone of us. To put the words racist, and hater, and unkind on one who only wants answers to questions that are acceptable for some and not others, is wrong on all counts. Special consideration is, in almost all cases, wrong!! We will never have equality, or a world without discrimination until the same rules apply to all!!
  So..again..I totally understand before I put up a post on Facebook what may occur..I know my opinion may incite another to spew venom my way. I know that as  well, when I hit the publish key for this very blog, I am opening up yet another can of worms..but I am ready for the worms..I like worms..and I stand by my personal opinions, because they have taken a lifetime to form, and I know I don't hate, without reason (yes, I admit I do carry that in aspects of my life) I know I have more than my share of kindness I show the world, and I know that I love people , who are not White "Privileged", heterosexual females, ooops forgot..Christian females such as myself. So stick it up where the sun don't shine..you don't know me, any more than you know those people crossing the borders...perhaps you are a tad "Biased"?

Thursday 9 February 2017

Municipal Fluff

  O.K. I know, I am Old!! I am also miserable.or is that old fashioned? I believe in frugal living, unless one has a pretty unlimited budget..because..that is the way I have to live.
  I have a home..O.K. I am the unlucky person who actually has two homes. Those two homes both have mortgages, they have insurance, they have property taxes, they have utilities, and they have upkeep. All of this does not come cheap. In fact, much of the time, any income left after food, goes directly into these costs.I can't overextend our budget, because...lending facilities don't look favourably on this..so we are limited. Yep..sure would like a solar power system, and triple glazed windows would be awesome..maybe a nice heated floor and a thermal heat system? But...again..not in the budget.Oh..I forgot to mention..along with both homes come the costs of water and sewer..yep, see..it all adds up, and for these taxes, my municipality is able to maintain roads, pick up garbage, provide safe drinking water..and duct tape the aging sewer system.Oh, Oh..I forgot, they can also build a nice new Public works building in the middle of property that was once a donated walking trail.
  Those things are absolutely necessary for a town! I am fine with paying taxes to allow the basics of services needed.
  But....there comes a point that I begin to be p*ssed. First it was the insanity of flowers. Every summer a large clump of folks make a nice chunk of change planting new flowers all about. There are large flower pots and gazebos and sprinkler systems..does this improve my property? When the h_ll did this become a constant in small towns? See..some summers we run into issues with water, and the town issues notice telling folks they are not to water their lawns..however..every day the timers kick in, and the municipal lawns and flowers receive their water???? Yes, there are question marks after this..because I find this questionable. I sometimes dish out my own money to purchase plants, and I try to keep my lawn watered and looking decent..but I am simply suppose to let my own go, while that which my property tax pays, is somehow different.
  No, I am not a Grinch. However the flowers do not come down my street, plus. when I spend my own money on plants, I attempt to get those which will pop up year after year..these, well they are planted, and dug up at the end of the year to be replaced with new ones..I know this is not inexpensive, and the maintenance costs are pretty steep when one takes into account the summer employees, the equipment use, the materials. I am not against a few planters scattered about, and of course lawns been mowed..but this has become overwhelming, and expensive, and..it is not necessary!
  Just awhile back, I noticed we now have a new comer, someone who has a job description of Special Events and Recreation Coordinator. O.K. I sort of heard bits and pieces of this position a few years back..but...really..now we have brought someone in to town with some sort of degree to Coordinate special events and recreation? Where the hell do I live? I live in a dinky little town, much as I have all my life. Life in a small town generally consists of a lifestyle unlike large places. One fishes, or hikes, or hunts, or camps, or simply enjoys the peace and quiet. Suddenly it is necessary to have someone arranging things to do? Lets see...July 1st..a parade, hot dogs, cake (provided by our government) and a large area for folks to gather..maybe baseball tournaments, soccer..what not..but..lordie lordie..must pay someone some of those property taxes to organize this!
  Sorry this is all getting way to stupid! You move to a small town, you have to know, you may have to make your own activities..but..no..not anymore...now there is someone who has the job to ensure you have things to do.
  See..I am fine with my taxes paying to ensure the sewer system is capable of carrying all the sh*t, I am fine with paying taxes to ensure the roads are maintained, even though I live on the highway and my District does not touch my area. I am fine with paying my taxes to ensure I have police service, Fire service, and a Mayor and council. I am fine with the school and the hospital..but I am not fine with fluff.
  Like every other form of government, and trust me, lately Municipal governments have signed on to more and more sub sections of groups, or committees, that make blanket decisions for areas,folks who indeed get paid for their time..chipping away at the funds, taking community decisions and making them part and parcel of their agenda. It is way past time to stop with the in-camera meetings that involve so much of what happens in a small town, and go back to the basics.
  No more fluff, whether government offers subsidies, or not....Let the appearance go, let people find their own damn recreation and activities, stick to the basics..get those things in order, and then..well if there is money left over spiff things up a bit!

Saturday 4 February 2017

MPO

  My friends are a mixed group. Maybe that is why I try very hard to be open minded..although perhaps some out there don't think of me that way. I imagine you don't think of me that way..because I do this! I blog and throw my feelings out to the world. I don't sit on the fence, never been a fence sitter..and never will. It is just not in my nature..so I attempt, as best I can, to give MPO..remember that...my personal opinion.
  Now..in truth, my opinion means diddly to the way of the world. I hold no power , I am not the CEO of some multi billion dollar empire..I am simply a white, female, who has had to work very hard to manage to make ends meet..pretty much most of my life. I am what is commonly known as "Middle Class". I am also someone who has at one time in my life, had to accept Welfare, someone who has blanketed off door ways, and dragged mattresses in front of the kitchen stove, to attempt to keep my children warm, because we didn't have enough to pay for stove oil. So..when I comment on some aspects of life..keep in mind..I have lived through some of it, so I know what it is like. My cupboards at one time held a bag of rice and a jar of peanut butter, with 2 kids to feed. That period was because of a government kiltch, but it had to be lived, because there was no other solution. So..again, I understand what it is like to have absolutely nothing..diddly, and through no fault of our own. I have empathy....I have to, because I know..things like that, one doesn't forget. To be helpless, to feel hopeless...I remember!But, perhaps I was just a wee bit different, this was our problem, and yes, I had family, who probably would have stepped up to the plate, but..our problem was..we had perhaps a wee bit too much pride, so we would find a way out, and over time..we did.
  Hard times seem to come and go with us, but, they are our hard times. Yes, I ramble to those closest, when we hit them, and I know..if I ask, they would help, but I also know, that somehow we can figure out a way to get by..and that is what we do..we get by.
  I imagine most who see me, think I live a nice smooth sailing life. I have people tell me how lucky I am to have a wonderful strong relationship with my better half. I hear how they wish they had this. Well, again...see I was married once before, and my Ex and I made some huge mistakes, and clearly neither of us were dedicated enough to the marriage, so that failed. Hey, he was a nice guy, and the father of my oldest, so, we kept a friendly relationship, and both went into other ones. So..I learned alot from my failure, and those lessons I took into this new relationship. It is not like life was suddenly wine and roses..far from it. We were thrown into the lion's den with a complete family right off the bat, money was always an issue, kids were always an issue, this relationship did not offer us time to learn how to live with each other, alone, we were a family with one in kindergarten, one in elementary school, and a teenager. But, giving up was never an option, we learned to support each other, and committed to finding some way to survive.
  So. again, at this age, I have indeed learned a sh*t load of life lessons, and these lessons are how I end up with MPO. I have to stress that these are my opinions, because I know, I am just one person, and I also know that some of my friends do not agree with MPO, they have their own, and for goodness sake, just because I don't agree with theirs I still respect their right to them. We may even, at times, argue(debate) our differences, they have their reasons for looking at things one way, and I have my reasons to see things differently. Most of the time, I realize their opinions are based on their lives. They traveled down different paths to get to where they are. Maybe their roads were easier, maybe they were a whole lot harder, but life lessons are what personal opinions are generally based on.
  I think that is why in politics you have the left and right. I believe the more conservative folks, are mainly those who have had to struggle and work hard, by themselves to get through life. The Liberal folks are those who have not seen near the struggles, or those who have had their struggles solved by someone other than themselves. Again...please keep in mind MPO...not necessarily fact, just my fact.
  So, in MPO...and yes..my conservative leaning opinion, all this crapola going on today with MUSLIMS........Please for goodness sake, open your eyes...is indeed based on freaking religion. I don't care whether it is media doing it, or who, but, the word is in every news story, MUSLIM is a religion. It is NOT a race, it is NOT a country, it is a religion. So...someone somewhere has turned a refugee situation into a religious conflict..dont' know who it was, but it wasn't Trump!! You cannot blame this pile of crap on him..this was going on long before he stepped into the ring.
  Someone is to blame..when did this happen? When did Syrians suddenly turn into MUSLIMS? When did the refugee issue change from Syrians to Muslims? Thing is, religion was only targeted by the media and the population when a different religion was brought up, and suddenly the world was offended because of religion. WTF??? Something is so insane here. One minute we are shocked and horrified by the picture of a little SYRIAN boy on a beach, and the next minute we are protesting Muslim bashing. Some strange detour happened somewhere along the line, and bingo ,religion is front and center, somehow one religion becoming the focus of the world, instead of a country of war torn refugees.
  So..in MPO I am sick and tired of supporting one religion, and hearing about how they are so hard done by. I don't care about this religion, I have my own, and that is my right..However, when my right to my religion suddenly becomes offensive to others, because of past history, or something someone did once upon a time, and every second comment is geared towards White people committing crimes, and that Muslims do not do this, or that, I cannot help but think, we have gone insane. To put one select group of people on a pedestal, and feel free to bash another is certainly not fixing anything. It is reverse discrimination, and it is no better than it was before, the tables have simply turned. The problem is still there, the victims are just different. And, I am sure there will be some who are offended by MPO, but I think if they open their eyes really wide, and read some of the comments on news stories (you can do that, you know), they will see what I have seen, and what I am basing MPO on.
  We are F*cked!! So, as time goes on, clearly those on the opposite side of the fence from me, feel that I should keep MPO quiet, because I AM one of those people who have suddenly become offensive, because I don't agree with what someone has decided is Politically acceptable. If this is indeed not a religious issue..change the words in all the damn News stories and quit telling the rest of the world they must accept MUSLIMS..tell them they have to accept refugees..leave religion out of this messed up mix of sh*t!!
MPO