Bold, bold young people

Last Saturday night, Mr. B went to run an errand up at Ace Hardware, less than a mile from here. It was about 6:30 PM.

As he was coming out of the store, he noticed some young girls together laughing loudly. No big deal. They got in their car and backed up at a speed not intended for parking lots with other cars parked nearby. And, yes, they did it ~ they ran into his truck.

He was approaching them by this point and spoke to the young woman on his side of the car. "You know you hit my truck," he said. The girl looked at the driver, saying nothing.

He walked around to the driver, who rolled her window down and said, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said, "You're not leaving are you?"

She rolled her window up and sped away. But not just straight away.

She ran over a curbstone. Backed up at such a speed she almost hit a man walking on the median. Ran over the median, shot forward, and then took off.

Mr. B called 911. He had the license number of the car and gave them the number on the phone.

They came out. Martin County's finest. I say this with tongue in cheek. I have other stories about this particular force of policemen.

The officer that came out knew that the car was from Miami. But he said, "Well, there's not much you can do. If you report this, your insurance will go up." ---excuse me? Her insurance should be paying for this, not ours ---

and basically he said, 'let it go.' But our vehicle is damaged. In my opinion, that is one lazy police officer.

We have a smashed truck and are left with just calling back everyday to this officer to see what he has found out. Somehow that doesn't seem quite fair.

When Mr. B called back the next day, the officer said, "What do you want me to do?" He had made no effort to call about the vehicle.

I'm thinking about those girls. Why would they run? Was the car stolen? Did they have drugs in the car? Did mom and dad not know they were out with their car? Surely, they wouldn't just take off because they thought they didn't owe anything at all for what they did because it was an accident, did they?

I don't know much, but I know this. This will catch up with them somewhere, somehow. Your sins always find you out, or find you and dump themselves on you again. Silly, silly, careless girls. They are in for quite a surprise about life if they don't mend their ways.

Meanwhile, somewhere in America, a hardworking, honest man has a damaged truck for no good reason other than he needed a part at Ace Hardware. I've got to think that this is just part of a chain of events. And somehow, someway, that girl won't forget what she did. She looked right at my husband. She saw the face of the man whose car she damaged with her carelessness. Will that forever mean nothing to her?

This makes me angry, but more than that it makes me sad. What kind of a world is this that young people can't own up to what they do?

What are they thinking -- 'my parents are going to kill me?' -- 'I'm too embarrassed to get into trouble?'

Do they think they will never, ever do any wrong? Are we so judgmental as a society that we scare people into not owning up?

My hair will forever stay fluffy with all the head shaking I do about things that happen in this world.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28.13.

Just a Monday in 2006

Thrown back into the portals of no more holiday for a month....

I did terribly badly on my diet, if you want to call it a diet, my eating plan, I suppose. I did well this morning and afternoon, but I think what happened was I didn't eat enough food for lunch, matter of fact, I don't think I ate any lunch, and that's what did it -- I got home late and ate a nice dinner, and then I kept picking and picking and picking - ham and donuts. For heavens sakes! Just a bite here and a bite there ...not a good plan. And not enough water either! Oh well, tomorrow is another day. I did mess up today.

Sean went to Tallahassee to see the Florida State/Florida game, which the gators won, and he was on television! Not just him, but him and his two friends! The boys have known each other since, well, since they were born actually. He was on the Sunshine network. Very cool.

Today Madam Blueberry told me about lobsters. How their claws don't match, and the lobsters are actually either right handed or left-handed. I thought that was fairly amazing.

I had a very racing day today. I went to pick up Jake, and then walked over to my sister in law's house. She needed to run an errand, which was about 45 minutes away to pick up a television set for her parents. It was at this place called Brand Mart or Brand's Smart or something like that. It was supposed to be a very good deal.

She had gotten a call from a salesman there that they were holding a tv for her. So, we go there. All the way there. And they can't find the salesman. And the two other salesman she spoke with are more than willing to cut the other missing salesman out of his commission, which my sister in law didn't want to do since he was good enough to call her. So there's a little commotion going on about that.

Jake and I watched the movie Cars on one of the televisions.

Then they told her, after about 20 minutes, that there were no televisions left. Then she said, well the other salesman told me there were 17 of them that had come in. Then the cut-the-guy-out-of-the-commission-salesman said, 'oh well let me check again.' He checked.

Then he said that he would go and 'put his hand on one.' She was like, 'huh?'

Jake and I watched Cars and he danced to a music video that was playing very loudly on another television. He's a very good dancer, that Jacob.

We waited some more. Cut Salesman comes back. Says, 'well there aren't any more.' Sis-in-law says, 'well, the other guy said he was holding one for me. Do you want to hear the voice mail? It's on my phone.'

'Oh,' says he now. 'There is one there with someone's name on it. What is your name?'

He goes back down, and then comes back and says, 'no, there aren't any more.'

Weird. Very bad business. Hour and a half to save $500.00 they didn't manage to save. However, $500.00 is a very big savings and maybe that's why there weren't any more televisions. I think the employees took them and sold them for a profit themselves.

“Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim: The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate." ~ Bertrand Russell

"History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom." ~ Milton Freeman

Today and last week

I count myselt in nothing else so happy
As in a soul rememb'ring my good friends.
--William Shakespeare 

I've been away from posting too long. It's gets out of reach very quickly. Now, I come on and see that something is ready to switch me over to New Blogger? With new things? How am I ever going to learn it, or catch up, or anything? ~ Well, I don't want to be a whinger, so, I'll plug on ...

It's Sunday night. Our company has gone. My sister and family were here for four days.

For Thanksgiving, 22 people got together to eat at my son's house. That's a lot of people.

We had the standard fare of too much food - Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, sweet potato pie, stuffing, gravy, green beans, carrots, asparagus, brussel sprouts, spinach quiche, peas, rolls, chocolate cake, cherry cheese cake, apple pie, and I think that's all, oh no, cranberries cooked from scratch that were just so good and pretty, and the canned stuff also.

We ate for two days. Had a birthday party. I went with my sister, mom and great nephew to the jail to see my niece, which was a very nice visit, even though it is a two hour drive, and it’s takes forever to actually get checked in, and today I was just exhausted.

I watched again Pride and Prejudice, the A & E version, and watched the new version, which Mr. B says is a total waste of time. He panned it so badly, the new version that is, that my sister wouldn't watch it and went home with my A & E version! I never imagined Mr. B would become such a fan!

Tomorrow I'm going to return to my healthy diet that I came home with when I went to visit Tim's Mom! You see, I am one of the statistics for getting e-coli from the spinach that was recalled, and I was on my second antibiotic and had a horrible reaction to it while I was visiting.

I was put on a good diet by Leslie and feed only green smoothies, fresh vegetable juice, very big salads, (although I pinched a little homemade bread and muffins) along with some radical new tea, which at first, I thought she was crazy to suggest, but turns out I love it ~ and I felt so much better! So, in the end, I had a wonderful visit! It was like going to a personal retreat.

It's good to have a friend get you back on track. I shall be forever grateful.

Then I got home, and faced Thanksgiving, knew I would fall the wayside with my diet, and so I did with the best intentions to get back straight tomorrow. There is no more cheesecake in the house so that's fine and good.

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the 
fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.  
I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving

  --Erma Bombeck

I’ll be great until Christmas and probably do a back flip again. But hopefully, I’ll be a little more ahead of the game.

Nobody can go back to the beginning and make things perfect again, but we can always start over!

At least this isn’t on my new eating plan –

Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

--William Shakespeare Witches in Macbeth 

Just filling in the gap

This blog has temporarily been neglected. Not out of anything but time ~

I've been away. Before I left I had trip preparation and then returning, have to address the Thanksgiving weekend, which is 4 miles long.

I lost my shopping list. So I was hopeless to remember what my part was supposed to be. But you know what? I haven't been to one Thanksgiving dinner that I was not privileged to find very much to feast upon. So I'm not really worried about it.

I had two doctor appointments waiting for me, the grocery store, my little nephew, #2 sons laundry (Okay, I volunteered for that one) and just the general catching up that goes with life when you leave the ones you love.

So my solution? ~~ I declared this week a week off from school! I'm a genius.

I shall be back to post about my new discoveries and my week at my retreat!!

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. ~

Similarities create friendship's while differences hold them together. ~

~~both quotes from the famous unknown writer. Whom I really think is just ourselves

Brief flight notes:

First flight to connection was delayed. I made it to my gate, however, in time to find out my gate was changed. Ran over to that gate and was told the flight was conmencing to board but I made it on time. We boarded the plane and sat for about 45 minutes. Very warm in a small plane like that.

On the way home, my carry on was searched. I had a water bottle. Not allowed. And I thought I knew the rules!

My bags left together but did not arrive together at my final destination. I knew, just instinctively knew, that someone had taken my larger bag because my smaller bag was there, and there, on the carriage go 'round was a bag very similar to mine.

Even though I had put colored ribbons on mine, it didn't make any difference.

A little old lady took my bag. She called the airport the next day and they delivered it to me.

And there were notes inside that one of my bags was searched. The one with all the dirty underwear. Oh well.

The fellow who delivered my bag said that people put all kinds of things on their bags and they still get taken. He said he remembers delivering a bag that had the owner's picture on the outside of it! One bag he said was pink and had a purple ribbon around it. How could you think those bags were yours if they were not! Honestly. Just look at the little numbers and make sure before you leave. It just seems like just a simple thing to do. Again. Oh well.

I'll be back.

Have a very good day in the meantime.

Tu tranquilo,

Miss Roxie

The Terror Diet

Doesn't it make sense that the writer of this diet would be Stephen King?

I enjoy reading Mr. King's articles.

Read here for his Terror Diet Advice.

So it's better

...or 'betta's', as Madam Blueberry used to say when she was little.

You can actually _walk_ into my laundry room. Really. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but after the cookie sheet attack, I decided to fight back with some organization of my own. It's holding....I can see the floor.

We still haven't found the time to put up the cabinets we bought from Home Depot. They are making themselves at home in my dining room up against the kitchen cabinets. I've had to dust the top of the boxes; they've been there that long now. This cabinet project will involve Madam Blueberry as I have decided she should learn to use a power drill.

And you can see the floor in my green room. But don't try to open the closet door. Because where do you think all the stuff that was on the floor in the green room is?

I have put some things and books on the shelves in my closet. We doubled shelved in there, so now it's just deciding what will go where in there, then when. That will take me awhile. I probably need the month of January to do that and maybe a new piece of furniture to hold my home school stuff and I still need a desk.

I went for a walk on the beach tonight and it was so beautiful! It looked like a Dan Mackin painting (Mr. Mackin lives about 3 miles from me). The beach kind of reflects some things going on in the earth, like sometimes it just looks all gray and murky, but not tonight ~ it was a beautiful, captivating ocean.

My sister in law and her dog, Buddy, walked along with me. He does know how to enjoy himself!

The boys got back from Gainesville about 5 or so. They went to the Gator/South Carolina game and it was a close one!

I'm just finishing the book Hoot, by Carl Hiassin, a local Florida writer.

It's a movie now. It's been described as 'blandly generic family film.' But it's gotta be cute. I'm reading it because my great nephew is reading it, and so my sister and I decided to read it with him so we can discuss it. I thought that would be fun. It takes place in Florida, and has some Jimmy Buffet in the sound track (who has something to do with it's production along with playing the teacher Mr. Ryan), and since we live in Florida, we thought, oh well, we'd read it, too.

There are reviews of the movie Hoot that just panned it badly because of the behavior of the kids, taking actions in their own hands in a less than get-a-permit-for-a-petition-way. One review admonished parents to keep their kids away from this film. (But I checked out all the films this person did like, and oh well, to each his own.)

And I suppose, if your children are going to learn how to act in this world from a film, you shouldn't take them or rent it. But I look at it as, well, just a movie.

But like a lot of movies, the reviews I read didn't really follow the book's story many times. I think they do that with movies. Ooops, did I give away anything about how the world works? (LOL)

The good old days

This is proof I save everything ~ I'm still sorting out papers and notebooks.

I found a skinny yellow theme notebook with barely the 70 pages. But on one of them I found a note written by Sean, who is now 20.

It says, "run away tomorro at 7:15 AM". It is dated 8-17-98. That's the only thing on the page.

This must have been in the middle of my teaching the lesson on organizational skills!

Learn to support your Core

I had my last session of physical therapy because that's all my insurance would cover for me. I probably could use more, but oh well ...

The therapist really recommended the ball as the best work out tool for Core Strength training. She has been using this only, she says.

I found a couple of sites for the exercises - one gives what they call a slide show, and the other shows some photos.

I will be trying these as I already have a ball. What I didn't have ~ so I thought ~ was the time to take care of myself. So basically what I have done, is spent on hospitals, doctors and pills, the same amount of money I could have spent on a two year membership at the gym for my whole family. And. Probably could have thrown a personal trainer in there, also.

So, if I was allowed to give anyone who wants to listen some advice today it would be this:

The strength of your body is more important than you would ever think it is. You have to do something to keep yourself fit. You don't have to be really buff or married to a gym; but you need to take all this stuff seriously.

All the wrong things you have done to your body over the years, regarding bad posture (and who has perfect posture while carrying all those babies? whether in your arms or into the world?), exercise neglect, sitting wrong, straining your shoulders for reading or washing dishes, or baking, or whatever pulls us forward,

and stress~! Dealing with stress can also do damage.

Stop right now and look at your schedule. Can you fit at least 20 minutes in a day to work on Core Strengthing? Can you fit another 15 minutes a day in for weight bearing exercise? (If you are like me, you are thinking .....ummmm, I could lift weights while I, uh, do this 'other thing'!)

I do regret that I put myself in this situation and neglected my body the way I did. I knew I had something wrong with my spinal column for 20 years. I took care of it until I got involved in this moving project, and then I took advantage of it by totally neglecting it and thinking everything would hold together for just a little while longer. Reflecting back now, it was not worth the price.

What's it worth to you to take the chance that you could end up in my situation?

Please find a way to fully take care of yourself. I'm sure a lot of people depend on you.

~~Miss Roxie

PS ~~ Madam Blueberry is walking almost everyday, but she has tapered off her exercise so I made it a part of her school assignment. She has to exercise for at least 20 mintues everyday. This is apart from her walking. We don't consider school finished until the an exercise is done.

When we get the finances straightened out, we will join the gym again. Unless we manage to get in shape first! I am looking at this wall behind me and thinking ....ummmm, I wonder if a bar would work there!

Miss Dickenson

All but Death, can be Adjusted—
Dynasties repaired—
Systems—settled in their Sockets—
Citadels—dissolved—

Wastes of Lives—resown with Colors
By Succeeding Springs—
Death—unto itself—Exception—
Is exempt from Change—

~~Emily Dickenson

Belly up to the bar in a new way

I was doing a search on the flat back ~ as those seem to be the main muscles I have damaged and found this Bar Method of exercise. I think I like it. I just need a bar.

Today a Post it moment

I learned today that the muscles across your core are for posture only. They are paper thin. They are like the plastic around the six pack of soda. Once they are stretched, they may not go back, or they may with time.

I don't know. I'm trying to play by the new rules and undo the damage I have done. I feel like I'm in a Neil Young song.

I just came home from physical therapy. I reached up to get some ibuprofen and someone had not tighten the bottle. Probably me. And there are probably about 50 or more ibuprofen pills all over my kitchen.

I bought Jacob a garbage truck today. He picked it out. He loves it! It comes with two little garbage cans and they empty right into the truck, and he kept asking me today for 'more garbage! I need more garbage!' Too funny.

My mom made me a grill cheese sandwich today. I mean, what's a grilled cheese sandwich? Bread spread with butter and cheese in the middle, right? Well, let me tell you - this was the best grilled cheese sandwich I'd ever had!! "MOM," I said, "Why is your grilled cheese so good?" She gave me a look, piercing, I thought, at first, and she said, "I'll tell you what I tell everyone else who compliments my cooking. It's made with love." Okay, then. I'll take a grilled cheese any time.

Did you vote today? Go ahead and get out there if you haven't! Every vote does count. However, I do wish they would word the amendments a little simpler. Like just say, 'we want to take your money and spend it on this,' _not_ -- and if we thusly find thatly so wasn't there in the last place after the first place of the party that was removed on a 3/4 to a 66th percent vote of a majority of county men who must be elected by the sherriff's brother Carl, after January 1st of the following year closest to the moon's latter day phase of counterproductive and negative balancing of the swale area near the river or within a 5 mile radius of said such roadway of the contact with the pizza palour on 32nd avenue....--- you get my drift ....

Have a nice day.

~~Miss Roxie

Face value

What a weird way I've felt all day. Don't know what it is. But yesterday I did get whacked in the face pretty hard.

I was cleaning out a closet that was packed with stuff from the moving, and in the meanwhile was alternating with rearranging things in the laundry room, and I placed a heavy cookie sheet and a cooling rack in a place that I thought temporarily would work, only thing I didn't realize was how temporarily it would be, as it came flying down in my face! Whacked me square in the center of my nose and right between the eyes as well! Couldn't have asked for a better hit had they been aiming! Two places of sensitivity.

Now I have a swollen nose and a bloody mark on my face. I'm trying out some scar therapy, as I don't think I needed a stitch, but well, when your skins apart in the center of your face, you feel a little self conscious. However, no one noticed. Bunch of blind people out there.

I found Emily Dickenson in a Book about ADD

A thought went up my mind to-day
That I have had before,
But did not finish, some way back,
I could not fix the year,

Nor where it went, nor why it came
The second time to me,
Nor definitely, what it was,
Have I the Art to say.

But somewhere in my Soul, I know
I've met the Thing before;
It just reminded me--t'was all--
And came my way no more.

~~Emily Dickenson

So what about you?

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's Your Hidden Talent?

It's overcast and warm and What do the neighbors know?

Again, today, to much on my To Do list ... It's just a time thing.

I know there are the same amount of hours for each of us, and I don't know what I am doing with mine that is wrong, but I am unable to complete things by the end of the day. It's very frustrating.

I have put back into my life some of the time that I wasn't spending with Madam B in the mornings. I needed that. It's a calming sensation in my day having spent some relaxed one on one time with her. She has things she likes to read to me that she has discovered in her books. It's a habit she has that I don't want to break.

My 80 year old mother in law, and my 90 year old father in law are outside mowing the lawn. On Halloween night, one of the neighbors stopped by my son's house to say that he should not be allowing them to do that. I felt bad for him being accused of some sort of elderly abuse because I am here to tell you, it is not his fault! We have tried everything to not get them to do the lawns, but they are just out there no matter what we say or do. Why? Because they like it. They love lawn work. They are from Ireland. It's in their blood.

Now, just recently, my mother in law thought she was having some problems with her heart. She was so very tired and had passed out a time or two. This was all during the moving extravaganza last summer.

She had her appointment with her cardiologist yesterday. Do you think he told her you have problems with your heart?

No.

He said he'd never seen a heart so strong in someone her age. So what's her problem? She doesn't know how to process regular stress. She doesn't know how to separte the different kinds of stess in the world; she calls them all the same. One can't do that. Some things you've just got to take in stride.

Like the remark the neighbor made to my 30 year old son. She has no idea of the situation, yet has put an accusation on him. He can't let that bother him.

Tonight is a rain storm. See how fastly things can change?

November 2006 - Times a/wastin'...

Sometimes there is no next time, no second chance, no time out. Sometimes, it's now or never...

Take a look at that calendar! HOW did it get to the end of the year so quickly!

I am grateful to my blog because I would doubtful remember a day in the order of which it happened had I not had it logged in here. Reminds me, I better back some of this stuff up .... I am so bad at that. It's like I trust something in the universe unseen to keep me covered. I should know by now that’s not a fact.

I keep writing posts and then hitting 'save as draft', and I really don't know why. I get lost thinking 'I'm not finished.'

Well, woman, no, you are not finished. Of course, you are not finished. You are never finished nor are you going to be! Get over it.

Today I spent a great time talking with Madam Blueberry about Vermeer. She is reading a book about him from this series. I can't really explain it all to you, but she is hilarious with her opinion of things. I love her opinion of things. That's really what I miss the most about leaving everyday to take care of my nephew. It's like she's in a correspondence course now. I read over her material, and I write up questions. Then later we discuss her answers. She is just so funny.

I made some cookies this morning, and then I took them and Jacob, my three-year-old charge, to the Fire Department. I've never seen him at a loss for words before. But if I ever wanted to shut him up, I'll take him there again! I mean that in a funny way. He was just so overwhelmed!! The trucks ~ and he loves trucks, all kinds of trucks ~ were Huge! And the two Firemen who showed us around were Huge!! He'd never been there before. And I didn't tell him we were going because I wasn't sure what would be going on. I just, on a whim, decided I would go.

They let him sit in the truck, but he couldn't really stay there. He wanted to be in the seat, but he got down quickly. It was so high! The Fireman, Robert, was going to start up the truck for him, but I think he might have freaked had we done that. Maybe next time.

The Fireman found a little hat for him, some badges, and gave him a coloring book. They were extremely nice.

We also visited my sister in law. She's remodeling and painting and the place is a real mess. An organized mess, but a child's dream of wondering about in search of anything/something/everything. At one point he got himself stuck in the maze of boxes and couldn't find a way out. He was puzzled, but thought it was cool that I rescued him.

Her place is all a make shift of things for tables and counters. No drawers and no regular furniture in most of the rooms. It's like a really huge playhouse. Jacob said all the things were his, and he lived there. I do have to watch him closely, but my sister in law and I get to visit while she paints, and we talk and watch Jacob explore.

He had such a fine day. He got a little upset with me, you might say, as he realized we were rounding the corner to go back to his house, and he threw a little truck at me while I was driving. I’m not really sure quite what to make of that.