Kicking up the spirit

Just a quick little snapshot ~ and there it is. I hope your Christmas Season kicks up as much joy in your life as my Granddaughter does in mine.

Just a Simple Well Wishing to Those Non Thinking Souls

To all those people, who during the year, have hit our cars and then decided not to own up to your responsibility by driving away... May you experience the true joy of commitment. May what you have given us, come back to you, two fold and twenty. You know who you are, my chicken hearted little darlings.

May you come upon that experience that teaches you redemption, may you always wonder when it will happen to you, but here's hoping it's right after you make the first payment on that brand new ride you saved up for with the dollars you used to cheat others by not paying for the damage you have done.

To all those who are driving while talking on their cell phones, oh, you are the special and dear ones.

The universe has not given you enough time to declare just how important you are above others, and it can't be your fault that you find yourself in the position to risk the life of mankind, as you mindlessly chatter on a piece of compressed plastic, while motoring a 2000 pound machine forward or backward or into a small parking space, and heaven forbid, making a left turn on a yellow light.

This universe is not good enough for you. May the aliens find you and lift you off to the regions of space where you can roam free and in harm's way of no man.

If the aliens should not find you, may your connections be lost, your cell phone bill ever rise, and you see the lights of your local police in your rear view mirror, always.

To those of you on the top of the corporate ladders in all companies, like not excluding Wall Street and At The Down and Dirty Mortgage Loan Companies or Insurance Companies or Pill Coporations,

who don't look down and see how they got there, who don't take the time to give back to the little guy who bought your countless amounts of stuff and stock and not so great loans, may the explanation of your rise come to you clearly, and may you reap what you have sown.

May your children learn the song Cat's in the Cradle as their anthem, may each of your friends treat you with the feelings you have for those less fortunate than you, and as you enjoy your massage and spa treatment at the expense of people loosing their homes, may the the massage therapist be one of them.

To those of you who care nothing of sneezing and coughing into the universe, with your grossness of wild abandon all the while, sharing your cold and flu season germs, and to those of you who allow your children to do the same, May you be rained upon with knowing the profits you have coughed and sneezed up for the cold and flu medicine industry, the ER rooms you have helped fill, the doctors time you have helped waste, and the countless number of people who had to take time off work because you couldn't take the time to either stay home or at least sneeze into your sleeve, and May you be blessed in heaps with that which you so freely share with the rest of the world. For you, there is not enough tea in China.

In the end, we all get back what we put in, as many of the wise sages before us have tried to tell us. It all comes back on you, People. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of us, as we are the sum of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

So make it a good one for yourself and others.

On figuring it out

1. Every dollar you spend is spent on your education. You either learn something or you don't.

2. Silence is not awkward.

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

I tried to post it properly, but it's just not working for me. But it's called Silent Monks sing Hallelujah ~~ But sometimes it's spelled Halleluia on the link.

4. More stuff later.

Spinach Balls with Stuffing

Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup melted butter
3 eggs, beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl combine spinach, stuffing mix, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, Italian seasoning, melted butter and eggs. Shape into walnut-sized balls and place on a baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until heated through and browned

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have these premade and will be cooking them tomorrow for a family party. I did use a Seasoned Pepper - which means I kicked it up a knotch.

I'll make a note to let myself know what I think of these.

A List of Noticing Things

A List of Noticing Things:

1. Lots of people think they see things as they are. When they don't really. They see things as they are.

It would take much stillness for all people to see the same thing. And, stillness of soul and spirit and body? ~ very, very hard to do, grasshoppers. It is hard to cross those streams.

2. Sockdolager is a strange and crazy word you don't hear everyday. Or any day, that I can recall. I don't even recall reading it in a book! I found a definition here, but they seem to be of very different meanings.

3. Watching others living life and not taking your good advice is tough. Try to remember whether or not you took everyones good advice. It's a giant paradox we are in.

(My advice is: give the good advice anyway, just make sure you give it with kindness and caring and no swear words.)

4. It's hard to accept that all is as it should be when we don't feel comfortable with what we are seeing. (Part of the paradox, you know.)

5. Many people speak on about how at Christmas time we remember the poor, but at other times of the year, we don't. But, try to remember that the poor are looking forward to Christmas just as much as anyone else, so reach down in those pockets and give a little more to the poor. (And then make sure you remember them the rest of the year, as well.)

6. There is no excuse for driving badly. None. (Nope, not one. Sorry.)

7. Don't ever let something get you down. Maybe let it stand you still for a second, maybe leave you speechless, or even breathless ~ but don't ever let something get you down. And if it does manage to get you down ~ don't stay there.

Food.Inc ~ The Movie

Food.Inc.

Wow. This film made an impression on me. I've eaten only refried beans and vegetables since. It's not a new film, 2008, but I just got around to watching it. I would recommend this as a must see for everyone. Actually, I would challenge everyone to watch it.

I had heard a few people say that once you watch this film it will be hard to eat for a week. And, depending on what you eat, it just may very well be so (and perhaps longer than a week)!

Does it matter to you that your food is being genetically altered? If that fact is, indeed, true, don't think it won't affect you because it will. Everything in this universe is connected. The evil and the good all cycle around, well, maybe it's like a spiral, but it is all connected. And when you eat food that been fooled around with, your system is about to be fooled around with, too. You can believe me, or you can just take your chances. Either way, it is what it is.

I don't want to eat meat from animals that have not been able to breathe the fresh air and been treated kindly or forced to eat stuff they don't naturally eat. My gosh, salmon are even being force feed food they don't normally eat!

You may not think that has anything to do with you, and maybe it won't. Maybe you are older, like me, but it sure will have something to do with your children, (or grandchildren, as they are still developing.) I say To You People, give this film a viewing and at least give the kids a chance. Educate yourself. If the people who made this film are all crazy, then walk away mumbling how those of us who are still shaking our heads at what is happening with our food are all crazy, too. I would seriously recommend you take that chance.

My head is spinning here after just viewing this...but maybe you should view it, just to be sure this blogger is not stark raving mad...

Think:

1. If you begin to eat genetically altered food, what do you think your body is going to do with that foreign stuff entering your body? It has to deal with it. And your body will become genetically altered, or mutated, as it were, or something other than the normal we know. It may even evolve into another species. Maybe you think that means nothing to you, as I am not a scientist, so how could I possibly know what I'm taking about.

Then, I ask you, does the word natural mean anything to you? If it does not, then fire up the grill and cook up some burgers and steaks and go to sleep tonight without thinking that the meat you are eating, unless you know specifically where it has come from, has, most likely, not lived a lovely life, and is quiet possibly shot up with some kind of something-weird that doesn't belong in your system, and, also it has been washed in ammonia to kill some bacteria that will kill you, and who knows what else.

If it does mean something to you, then you need to get on the train that will try to stop this madness. It may not be too late.

2. Does anyone out there have a concern about the government having to much control? What would you think, if you knew that maybe three or four Corporations had control over what you eat and what you eat is fed, and doesn't want anyone to know about it? And They and the Government are best friends?


3. Do you know what Veggie Libel means?

"The realistic objective of the frivolous 'veggie-libel' statutes and lawsuits is not money," says consumer advocate Ralph Nader. "It is to send a chilling message to millions of people that they better keep their opinions to themselves."

Not a fan of Ralph Nader? Is he to liberal for you? Better Goggle the topic for your own research and information.

There is no side to be picked here, except for the side of health. But the corporations are not picking that side. They are picking the side of ....well, watch the movie and draw your own conclusion.

I am Spatially Impaired ~ Respect That

If I kept this blog the way I would like to, it would take a lot more work. I think I am lazy. I get so messed up on the simple things ~ like Archiving and Labels. I forget all about labels. I'm not sure anyone cares enough that I should even bother with it.

Truth be told, I have enough trouble just locating my shoes on a daily basis (okay, well, hourly, or any time I need them. And I live in a small house, so - I have no excuse).

All the above was injected and has nothing to do with what I was actually thinking about.

Directions is what I was thinking about.

I am Spatially impaired so, i.e.

Map reading, transformation of visual arrays, navigation around an unfamiliar space are just some of the many tasks which are beyond the spatially impaired brain. Suffers display the phenomena of neglecting the left half of their surrounding space and the inability to recognise even familiar objects viewed from unusual perspectives.

I was thinking about directions today. I was thinking about people who give me directions. I try not to find these people irritating, you know just to be fair, because what I am realizing is, everyone is in their own little world, with their own little view finder, and have their own little way of seeing things.

And, if someone tells you, "it's on the west side" -- they really have no idea that you have to stop and figure out where the ocean is, so that you can find WEST. And, while you are trying to remember where the ocean is, your brain has no input to any of the words they may be saying. But, as long as we on on the topic of directions, let's discuss some general rules that really should work for anyone. Even those of us with special needs.

Here is a beginning list:

1. Never tell anyone, or even use the phrase "It's just a little ways down the road."
There is no such thing as "a little ways" in driving. Unless, for some stupid reason, I have to make a complete perpendicular turn that keeps me from going into a ditch, do not say 'it's just a little ways' because you know that it is not. It never is that. That's a myth.

"A Little Ways Down the Road" might be the name of a band, or a song, or a movie, but it is definitely not a driving direction.

(I have a friend, a darlin' from the South, and once, she told me to drive a little ways down the road -- how about 15 miles?)

You could say, "a short distance" or "a car's length" or "make the turn as soon as you can or you are going into the ditch". Those things would work.

2. Never tell anyone, "You'll go through a couple of lights" if those lights are miles apart. Firstly, a couple of lights is only TWO lights. And when you say, 'you'll go through a couple of lights', I will tell you honestly -- People think those lights are together.

And, if they go through the first one, and the next one is not for 4 miles, they will forget about the first one they went through when they go through the second one. So. Write that down.

3. Never say, "You will see a long line" ~~ What? What does that mean anyway!? A long white line painted on the road? A line painted on the side of a building? A line of people waiting to get in a building? A line of cars? I could be sitting in a line of parked cars for hours! (which I did do, so seriously, it could happen). But, just never say that.

4. Never give to many details. Especially all at once.

Never say things like, "You'll go through the round-about near the hospital that isn't really a hospital it's an old folks home well not really it's a rehabilitation center and my friend's father's uncle was there a couple of years ago maybe three and he and his family used to go through that round about and forget to turn in it was the funniest thing going over there with them and they would just go round and round...but you'll see a tree and a rock and a shell and there's a flag pole with a pair of shoes on it if there are still there and..."

(I am scrunching my eyes shut real hard right now in the conversation, and my jaw is held firm in an effort to not let my mind just totally drift away to the planet Narcan where directions are no longer feared... and this is what I hear you saying "wot wah, wot wah, wot wah, and blah blah blah blah blah blah blahhhhh.")

Stay on task, say, "Go to the round about, and keep to that first right which will bring you right into the road you need to be on". That's all you say. Learn when to shut up. It's a polite thing to do.

I'll continue this list later. This is all I can handle for now.

Lists again. Spelling Optional.

1. I was listening to Christmas songs on the radio today. The station played all different ones from all kinds of standards to rock groups who had made a contribution for a Christmas song. Some people get really annoyed by Christmas songs.

I mostly just get annoyed with people getting annoyed with things. So here is a message for you all:

~~You know. People are going to do stuff you don't really like. So what? You're most likely not going to die from most of the things that annoy you. So time to just Get over it.~~

2. Last week at school, police officers blocked the pick up car line while they approached one of the parents, had her get out of her car, then handcuffed her - all this in front of her wide eyed little girl -- then after what seemed like forever, they uncuffed her, and told her they had the wrong person. And they left.

No apology. No Have a Nice Day.

3. Tiger Woods. Whatever reputation you had before -- ummm, I'm not sure it will be all about your ability to handle a 2 iron that will be remembered most in the days to come.

4. Christmas Day is tomorrow! Not really, but it might as well be. Time will be flying fast now, you watch. Get your stuff done!

5. Pray for your children. They need it. You need it. It will be the tie that binds.

Does your 'fridge tell a story?

A lot of families I know, put things on their refrigerator for lots of reasons --

1. Special photos
2. Reminders
3. Inspirational Stuff
4. Magnets from stores and doctors they frequent
5. Calendars
6. Etc, you get what I mean ....

Which made me think of something, which is that some people's refrigerators are so full of stuff, you don't see any story; you see nothing but a cluttered mess,

So, this gave me the idea, to have your refrigerator tell the story of a year! Then, if you wish, you can take all that stuff down, and scapebook it, or put it in a zip lock bag and mark it that year, or frame it up ...any way you want to remember that year ~~

And then, January One of every year, you can start again~!! That's my idea. And that's what I'm going to do.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I am not sure what to write today. I need to update my granddaughter's blog, truly I do. She is 11 months old now and doing amazing things! Such a bright little star in every ones' life. She does her job ~ she makes people happy when they come into a room! A true gift from God.

Last night the Gators lost the SEC Championship. My kids were really disappointed. They had planned a trip together to California to go see the Gators play in whatever That Bowl would be. I was thinking it was very cool that they were going to California together. But, oh well ...another day for another reason.

It's finally been raining here. The lawn looks great, rich and green. The plants on my porch looked green and so happy. I've been into potting plants now since I am unable to unearth any soil in the yard and buy any new bushes or shrubs. By potting, I can take cuttings and I only have to buy the dirt. I have several more pots around. And it's fun to arrange them on the porch, too. And, also, I like the fact that my granddaughter is growing up with plants in her vision. Looking at flowers makes people happy.

I'll write more later. My granddaughter is coming over for her morning visit. She spreads the love. I wanna get my dose.

More things for no reason

1. I do not support President Obama sending more troops into Afghanistan.

2. Leave Tiger Woods alone. He crashed his car. Maybe had a fight with his wife. It's not our business.

3. Holiday stress is real.

4. I don't have anything for number 4.

5. If you are a person who holds on to stuff - think long and hard about that. It's a habit. I am such a one, and right now, I wish I was not.

6. The public option looks about shot out of orbit. Meaning, we won't get one most likely, and this country goes back to being controlled by the big cooporations.

7. God is good. People are a whole 'nother ball of wax.

These Days

"Well, I've been out walking, don't do that much talking, these days..."
Lines from a Jackson Browne song. And that's kind of like me lately.
I feel like I am running out of things to say. I'm not sure why. Sometimes, I think it's because I'm really realizing how little people listen to what you say, or hear what you say, or maybe think they hear what you say but don't know what you mean, or don't hear what you mean while they are not listening to what you say. (what??) or they really don't care what you say ... or I need to expand on the information I currently have - update as it were, reboot ...get a new battery as it were or is.


It's not words these days that I need to come through. It's some other form of art. Something that involves silence.

And I really need to get to it before I turn into a pillar of salt.

At random, I have decided to just list some things for no reason:

1. I ate a piece of apple pie. I thought I wanted it. I thought I wanted something sweet. I put Cool Whip on top. I hate Cool Whip. IMO, it is nothing but a plastic bowl of chemicals. I hate plastic. I distain chemicals. But, there you go, I did something I didn't want to do, and now I am not happy about it. And my stomach is not happy either. Conclusion: I didn't really want the pie. I wanted chocolate. And - the worst part is, I did something I didn't want to do in the first place.

2. I already forgot the second thing.

3. It dawned on me last night, that now is the time to encourage my granddaughter to express herself with words , even though at 11 months she has some, but not many words, and many that she has may not express how she is feeling at the time she loudly broadcasting, but since she is beginning to use -very loud sounds - to express herself, I should participate in helping her communicate instead of picking her up while she is in the middle of the loud self expression. (Oh, Grandma...)

4. I like to color and don't do it often enough. Some crayons that you buy now are too waxy or something, not nice and soft like crayons of olden year before the invention of Made in China.

5. I want to paint.


A Poem by Me ~~Miss Roxie

Nonsense and ramblings

the trash is piled high

of crumpled ideas, stories and lies,
tales and truths,
and of thought on others,

Obama included
if only Afghanistan, he could have eluded

of choices of colors
and marks on a page
of random notes that me, myself, made
of things needed to be remembered

like a list of groceries
that probably did not include
all that I needed
nor all I could use

I have writer's block

boulders, rocks, flowers and trees,
my passage is on pause

my journeys been slowed

by things in my head

that don't need to be there
but that's totally not true
because we all know,
it's all suppose to be there ...

It's time to grow ....