The Day Book entry a Day Late

I think that simple things are in order today. I can only vent so much before my blood pressure feels it.   Unfortunately this took me more than a day to do so

FOR YESTERDAY
December 28, 2009
Outside my window...  I see piles of snow which are as hard as rock or they would have melted with all the rain we have had
I am thinking... as little as possible
I am thankful for... my husband and his family.  They are all such great people (mostly) and are always there when we need them.
From the kitchen... I see a cluster of plastic containers waiting to be put away.  We have so little space here that they have to be nested and cuddled up in just the right way or when the cabinet door opens they fall out on your head and scare the bejeepers out of you.  It is a chore to do it correctly and so, they tend to sit and wait for my patience to accrue before they go back to their allotted spaces.
I am wearing... a pair of black slacks that look good from a distance but I fear they are a tad too snug if checked out carefully.  I also have a baby green long sleeved tee on with a black and green and pink scarf.  I'm hoping the scarf will keep everyone looking above the waist and not notice the snug trousers.
I am creating... a white cable knit cardigan.  We called them Hong Kong sweaters back in the day and I have scoured the earth to find this pattern only to discover it was in a magazine rack here in my own house.  Guess when that magazine rack was last sorted through.  No don't, I can't tell you if you are right because I don't remember.
I am going...to Westport to visit my very dear friend and bring Christmas presents as well as her birthday gift.  I will take her to lunch and hope the too snug pants hold up until I get home. 
I am reading... A Long Shadow by Charles Todd.  It's a Victorian mystery and the main character is Inspector Rutledge who has returned from the trenches of France following WWI.  It's quite engaging and the third of the series I have read so far.  I recommend it highly.
I am hoping... that I will rein in my appetite and lose the couple of pounds that have moved in following the holiday.
I am hearing... my refrigerator running and that's a good thing. 
Around the house... clutter from Christmas abounds but it's a happy clutter and so I will sit back and admire it.
One of my favorite things... is to sit and knit and watch Midsomer Murder DVD's.  Talk about relaxing.  Can't beat it
A few plans for the rest of the week: Husband is off to the dentist on Tuesday and since his teeth are being renovated, the rest of the week will involve dealing with soft foods and possible trips back to the dentist for adjustments.  Have to clear the week to do what may need doing dentist wise.

Here's a picture for thought I am sharing.

I have used the above format found at  http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ .  Go forth and do the same if you wish.  It really is a nice spot

Power Rangers

The top of my head wants to explode when I read the manipulative junk I just read about this rotten to the core health care bill. Yes! Now you know how I feel about it and the Congress and this administration and this President. They are manipulative nasty creatures putting something horrible into our lives while telling us it's so good for us.

This story I just read helps those manipulators out in so many ways and I'm sure we will see more and more of this as the bill crushes along in the regulatory process. The story was telling us that so many lives are lost or ruined because the patient delays the treatment. The co-pay is too high or COBRA was not established following a job loss because the payment was too high or not offered because of the circumstances of the job loss. Delay causes early death or life changing harm.

Helloooooo! What happens when Medicare is altered to include a gazillion more members and there are not enough doctors to treat all of these newbies? Yup. Delayed treatment. What happens when the money is cut from Medicare to treat things that used to be on the treat list? Yes. This is a fact. Billions of dollars are being cut from Medicare and yet millions of people might be added. How is this possible without patients suffering delays or denials in treatment?

I have known addicts in my time and they will lie cheat and steal to get their fix of whatever it is that they are addicted to and there is never enough of that stuff. The addict keeps needing their fix and they keep needing more and more of it. Well, this health bill is all about the power that will result once it is passed and these politicians are addicted to the power. Every. Single. One. of. them. Every one from the President on down to the little clerk at the Registry of Motor Vehicles is addicted to the power that they have and there is never enough of that. They need more every minute and they will lie and cheat and steal to get it.

The health bill is about the power. The health bill is not about our health. It surely is not about our economic health since it will bankrupt us and the system once it hits in all it's glory. It for sure is not about our physical health since every one of the country's with similar health systems can vouch for long waiting periods for appointments and denial of services that we take for granted now. Why else do we have so many Canadian citizens arriving here for treatment and why did Castro have to leave the country held high by Michael Moore when he needed treatment?

The power addicts also known as "public servants", now there's a joke, are in need of more and more. If you think it's tough to wend your way through the insurance claim process that exists now, or to fight a denial of service, you ain't seen nothin' yet as they say. Patterned after the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the Post Office, our new Health Commissars will set up a dream world for the power crazed. Can't wait.

Oh, and by the way, get ready for this one. I'm sure that "it's for the children" that we must do this. That always works when all else fails doesn't it?

A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good nap. Whew! We had the crowd in last night and what a mad flurry of activity. Food, food and more food and good food and good moods and for the first ever Christmas Eve we had not one emotional break down. It was just wonderful, festive and grateful family members enjoying each other.

Our four nieces are the sweetest and best. I sat back and watched the table as everyone ate and talked and laughed and I realized that I have known these girls for all of their lives and for just about every big holiday we have been together here in our home or maybe our other home. My husband said this morning that he was so gratified to hear the girls reminisce about holidays past and remembering the special things that we have done for them. You would think that they were old ladies reliving the good old days instead of young things in their early twenties. It was heartwarming though to see that we are their memories.

Remember that I only have a niece and nephew left from my family...I often feel truly orphaned. My nephew is always with us since his Dad passed away but my niece lives some distance from us and although we keep in touch we don't visit often. Last evening was a joy. Hope you all had a similar Eve.

God bless us Everyone.

How I Came to Lose Trust in the Media

Anne Applebaum in Slate Magazine writes this:

"There is no nihilism like the nihilism of a 9-year-old. "Why should I bother?" one of them recently asked me when he was presented with the usual arguments in favor of doing homework. "By the time I'm grown up, the polar ice caps will have melted and everyone will have drowned."

Which prompts me to relate this tale from the dark halls of history.

When I was a Sophomore in college I had the most intense crush on Andy Williams. Yes. You have it right. Andy Williams.

He had a weekly show back then and I could never, NEVER miss it. We only had one TV in the dorm and it was in the community room called the smoker where couches and ashtrays also were present. On the week night of Andy's show, I would arrive with whatever I was trying to study and a pack of cigarettes (yes, I smoked and who didn't?), turn on the channel and await his opening number. Most of the other occupants would groan and complain and often, I was the only one left in the room to worship at Andy's pedestal. So now, you have the picture.

The night of the Cuban Missile Crisis Andy Williams was on. Every student was lined up to call home. We only had pay phones in the center of the hall on each floor of the dorm. I saw the length of the line and realized it would be long after Andy's show before I got to call the parents and say goodbye which was what everyone was doing. We also had an exam the next day in some course or other and I should have been buckled down with the text and notes to ensure a good grade. I thought it over and said..."I am watching Andy Williams and then waiting in line and then going to bed. I'd rather be asleep and unaware when the big one hits. As for the test? Why bother with that? The world is ending tonight."

It didn't. I am almost ashamed to say that I was very disappointed that next day. I believed the hype and never studied for that test. I think was the beginning of the cynicism I have developed for the press and politicians. I should never have believed them then and I don't now.

The end of my story. I am glad, however, that I watched Andy Williams. I still have a soft spot in my heart for him.

Can I have an Opinion Now?

Oh. By the way. If it's all right to criticize Tiger Woods' behaviour and not be accused of racism, is it ok now to criticize Barack Obama's leadership methods, or economic theories, or strange need to apologize to every country in the world for my country without being called a racist? Is it?

Wild and Wet and Windy

Wild and windy outside my windows. The puppy girl and I just returned from her morning constitutional and let me tell you, the umbrella? when it blows inside out is quite a jolt to the pup. She picked up the pace each time and it happened way more than once. The wind is so wild and weird. It sounded like a car coming up behind us and as I turned to be sure, the umbrella would go again. I was never comfortable, when I heard that sound, that there wasn't a car coming up on us and so, over and over I repeated the move like some obsessives do. I think I have a tad of that going on.

Well. We got home safe and sound if not wet and cold. I wish that I had taken my camera so that I could have pictures of that HUGE ocean. It is all puffed up and chopping away. Glad to be on land.

Stay dry and warm where ever you are. I'm thankful it's rain and not snow or we would be dealing with this again. Brrrrrrrr - that Global Warming is killing us!

Hold on and Pray

What a week and it's only Wednesday. The brother of one of my very dear friends died unexpectedly over the week end. It was a terrible shock for her most certainly and for the rest of us as well. Another dear friend is having gargantuan financial woes and is trying to sell a building to undo some of that. There is a person in her life doing everything he can to make this effort as difficult as he can and he is trying his best to be sure that she will be even further in debt after the sale than she is now. It's a long and nasty tale and they never had a relationship other that business, imagine how bad it would be otherwise.

I feel so helpless. I have talked with both ladies and really have nothing to offer but a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on. There is nothing I can say to make any of this better. In both cases I can truly empathize since I have suffered both the loss of siblings and panic inducing financial issues. It really doesn't help though in the advice area....I have none other than hold on and pray for strength.

I hope the rest of the week smooths out. Tomorrow I go to the cardiologist for the results of that stress test I took two weeks ago. A sense of dread is hovering over me thanks to the week so far. I guess I'll take my own advice. I'll hold on and pray for strength regardless of the outcome. God is on His throne after all and He will work everything for good for those who love Him and I do.