National Buy A Newspaper Day

Monday, February 2, 2009 has been declared National Buy a Newspaper Day!

The first of my writing that was published was an article on shopping and playing in the town where I was living. Especially, I recall talking about not going elsewhere to shop and using the huge city park which I had found empty. The editor liked it so much, she put it on the top third of the editorial page. I have always believed in patronizing facilities and shopping where you live. It absolutely makes economical sense! We need to support where we live and work! (Have I said that enough different ways?)

My old friend, Frank Hilliard who now does the blog Mesopotamia West (with lots sterner articles than I do), started his career as a reporter for the Kelowna Courier in British Columbia.

As I have said before, I simply cannot understand people not wanting to read their local paper every day. How is it possible to truly keep up with local events without it?

Most newspapers today have magazines inserted once a week, once a month or quarterly, featuring national and local people, issues and ideas. Most of these are not online.

From a practical standpoint, it definitely is more difficult to drink your morning coffee while looking at the paper online! Online you cannot see all those ads that give you coupons for special buys at various stores. On Sundays, you have all those beautiful inserts to help you find where the bargains are this week! (I hate to pay full price for anything!)

Just by turning the pages, you can see all the little things that are happening in your own hometown. It's true you can see most of the newspaper online, but do you really want to spending the rest of your life continuously at the computer keyboard? You could be in your recliner, feet up, with coffee or juice by your side!

The idea of no longer having a real newspaper every day parallels not sitting down to a family dinner. It is just one more thing taken away from our lifestyle that has kept us in touch over the years.

Do remember to buy a newspaper on Monday, February 2nd and even better, subscribe to your local paper for home delivery today.

Newspapers reflect how our hometown economy is doing. Keep it strong! You can read more and join this effort at

http://www.buyanewspaperday.com

Why Can't I Understand?

Ever since I was a child, I wanted others to understand my thoughts, wants, needs. That should be a common thing among humans.

Buddy, our Lhasa Apso, who is now five and a half, can communicate quite well but he doesn't use words. Oh, he understands a lot of words, but he does not speak words. None of my dogs have done that - bright though many of them have been!

You see, that should be one more thing that separates humans from animals. Humans should be able to make themselves well understood by other people.

Everyday I see young people who have trouble stringing words together to make a sentence, particularly written. I know I am getting older and my ways are not necessarily their ways, but one would think that if they want us to understand them at all, they would make an endeavor to speak some semblance of correct English.

Now, I am always reminding you that I was not born in Texas. I know Texans think I sound more like an Englishman (not even Canadian) than an American. That may be true, but I did pass my American Citizenship Test with 100% and that included a short test of my communication skills. So, I have "passed muster" on how to communicate to an American!

There was an article in this morning's Lufkin Daily News by an Associated Press medical writer using the word "snuck" in the article and in the caption under the attendant photo. Well, our household dictionaries have been here for a while and did not include that word.

In my endeavor to be current, I googled the word, "snuck" and I found it to be acceptable in today's language. Okay, point taken. (My using the word "googled" as a very should tip you that I try to be current.)

Then, I went to my e-mail and found my TSN (The Sports Network, Canada) summary waiting for me. The most interesting story in there for me was about CFL (Canadian Football League) salaries.

CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement,

"The Board of Governors has strived to maintain that affordability, accessibility and prudence in holding the cap number steady for 2009."

Last year, the cap on salaries was increased but this year they are holding the line! What is that cap? My friends, that cap on a CFL football player's salary is $4.05 million.

There is a slight connection - for me, anyway - between the current linguistic skills of the younger generation and this cap on CFL players' salaries.

I have long felt that sports heroes - those who are at the top of their game - should be role models for young people. Young people learn at home and school, true, but they also learn from what they read and what they see on TV.

Sometimes when I see a football player interviewed, I can surmise his attitude from the look on his face, but many times I genuinely cannot understand what he is saying. Is that the way it should be, or should the teams be hiring people - yeah, people like me - to help these young players communicate better and therefore improve the image of professional sports?

Yes, I know the English language has evolved and I think most of us try to keep up with it. The best example of English evolving is the newer translations of the Bible. When I was a kid, The King James Version was the one we used. Now we also have the NIV (New International Version) but we also have some study bibles. When I really want to understand, I go to a special study version so I am not just reading words but am truly understanding.

So, why can't I understand all the young people? Being understood is fundamental to getting what you want in life. (Even Buddy knows that!)

Could You Leave The Blue Bell Ice Cream, Mr. Bush?

If you watched Larry King Live (CNN) last night, you saw the same interview we saw. Did you have any sense of sadness, watching the President and First Lady answer Larry's questions? I did.

Now is a good time to remind everyone of a few things. Enemies flying (our) planes into office towers did not happen on anyone else's watch. George W. Bush did not cause this to happen but he certainly did his best to see that it didn't happen again and on his watch, it did not!

If there was any live being under George W. Bush's Oval Office Desk, it was as my late husband, John Devlin, used to call them - "Scottish Gentlemen". That would be Scottish Terriers - Barney and Mrs. Beasley. And . . . at no time time did Mr. Bush 43 point a finger at us and tell us otherwise.

Has everyone forgotten the presidencies before Mr. Bush? Apparently so, because we are seeing as much of his predecessor as we can stand.

I was reminded the other day of a quote from (Canadian Prime Minister) Pierre Elliott Trudeau about an ugly remark Richard Nixon made about him,

"I've been called worse (things) by better men."

We have been truly blessed to have such gentle and Christian people as President and First Lady, George W. and Laura Bush in the White House these past eight years.

Ah yes, I am wondering if he was so bad, how did George W. get elected for a second term?

We are awaiting Barack Obama and we pray for him and wish him well. He has a huge load of problems on the desk but is trying to pick advisors who will help him to try some new and innovative solutions. In four years, will the press speak of him like they are speaking of Bush 43 now? Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell.

There was an interesting moment for me at scrapbooking last Friday. I had a photo inscribed to "Mr. Sutton" by George W. and Laura and I cropped it. I didn't use patriotic paper, I used a beautiful green scroll paper to back it. I know how patriotic they are but I am wishing them a fine life back here in Texas. The photo is from when they both looked younger than they do now, after the rigor of eight years. The interesting part was that my friends came over to look at that page and comment that they wished they had an autographed portrait of George W. and Laura.

Now, of course, I live in Texas and the Bushes are Texans. I wish the press would be a little gentler on them because we do not have a crystal ball to see what will happen on Mr. Obama's watch.

Oh yes, there is one thing I'd like to ask of the Bushes as they walk out the door:

Could you leave all the Blue Bell Ice Cream that's in the freezer for the Obama family? They deserve to start off tasting the sweetest, most beautiful ice cream made in America. (And I'll bet that if they like it as much as we do - especially Pralines & Cream - that Blue Bell would continue to ship it from Texas up to the White House! It's especially nice to have a dish of Blue Bell after a grueling day and I think the Obamas are in for a few of those!

Be well, Howie!

This is the way I remember Howie Mandel when I came upon him in the Thornhill Farmers Market, just north of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) limits. Handsome! Smiling! He was casually checking out the fruits, veggies and general merchandise early on a Friday evening. Howie's mother lived a few blocks away and he often visited Toronto.

There are so many entertainers who came from Canada to United States, but Howie is really one of my favorites! He is a genuinely creative person whose accomplishments include the children's cartooon Bobbie's World, the character Fiscus on St.Elsewhere, nightclub and theater stints and more latterly, Deal or No Deal.

Howie, now 53, was working in Toronto for some segments of his new program, "Howie Do It", when he was taken to hospital after experiencing an irregular heartbeat. Fortunately, he did not have a heart attack. He should be released today.

Years ago, Howie had to have medical assistance to remove a rubber glove from his head. This was a prop he used to use. Whatever it took to get a laugh!

Most older native Torontonians know that Howie was expelled from a North York high school for a prank that was beyond what most students would think up. He called a company and made an appointment for them to come out for talks about a library to the constructed in the school. Doesn't that actually seem mild by today's standards?

On stage, Howie did a rather off-color show. I did not realize this and bought two tickets and took an older lady friend to the O'Keefe Center (two names ago). It was one of my more embarrassing moments. (I have heard Howie tell audiences of his current Deal or No Deal that his nightclub shows are not for children.)

Howie has done well over the years, appearing on all the talk shows and always enjoying people. We say a prayer for him today that this will just be a warning for him that he is no longer that kid back at Graydon Hall H.S. We'd hate to see Howie grow up totally - we want him to still be funny - but we also want him to be healthy!

National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

Well, I received an e-mail mentioning that today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

Does that mean to do all the work on my desk or to tidy the piles, filing some items away in the cabinet?

Well, January is a time for fresh starts for all of us so let us clear at least some clutter today.

Oh, and Mr. President, that would include you! Time to clear off the Oval Office desk and polish your cowboy boots. In eight days, you'll be outta there and back here in Texas!

Oh Look, It's Martha From Texas!

Well, we're planning a trip to Toronto in the spring! Even after twelve years in East Texas, I still enjoy going "home" for a visit! I think probably everyone who lives far away from where they were raised feels the same way!

We were there the year before last and since then one cousin and one friend have died. Time does march on and although I don't dwell on it, I do feel bad that I am not there to be part of the grieving process and so closure is a bit harder for me.

Writing my book, Bumpy Road To Texas, has helped me put several things into perspective. Also, it is so nifty that I have a close friend living near me who shares Canadian roots with me.

I think people who have always lived in one place, or at least in the same country all of their life do not realize that just the little things you take for granted make up part of the picture you look for when you go "back home".

We have often gone up in May and that is in part because my High School Reunion is held then. My birthday is then too, so I always look for lilac bushes because in North Toronto, that is when they bloomed. We always picked bouquets and brought them in on my birthday. We have bushes called Crepe Myrtle here in East Texas and they look very similar but they do not have the same scent.

I always go to Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws. I usually go to the Bay because they generally have some nifty souvenirs. Yes, we do have drug stores and grocery stores and a department store here. You cannot get a Hudson Bay Company striped scarf at the Belk Department store and you cannot purchase Habitant French-Canadian Pea Soup at Brookshire's!

Swiss Chalet is always the first restaurant I look for in any Canadian city. Now, Hubby Keith does not always order the Quarter Chicken Dinner and that really centers him out as an American! To me, Swiss Chalet is a BBQ chicken restaurant, but to an Southern American, barbeque is "kicked-up" a lot hotter than that. Ah, yes, that reminds me that I really must take a bottle of real hot sauce . . .

Toronto has got bigger and bigger and so I am very lucky that I still have friends in Port Hope where it is very laid back. Oh yes, there is a Swiss Chalet there!

I think one of the very best parts of "going home" is that it always seems like just yesterday I last saw everyone. That probably has a lot to do with keeping in touch via e-mail and Facebook.

There is one young man who wasn't yet born when I lived there. So William sees me a little differently. I will knock on the door at number 17 and he will open it and say,

"Oh look, it's Martha from Texas!"

Do You Think It Will Be Snowing On the 20th?

It will be moving day for two families on Tuesday, the 20th of this month. Closing day for both families is the same day. One is a young family of four moving in from their house in Chicago. (Well, actually, they have been staying at a hotel. )

The couple moving out are retiring - going back to Texas. Their problem will be to separate the things they want to take back to their Crawford ranch from the items that will go to their new home in the Dallas area.

The retired couple will be flying out that day to another city - Midland, Texas to greet all their old friends from their home town who are organizing a celebration of their homecoming. That's kind of nice!

The family moving in will have to have their bedrooms in order and you can bet their daughters will be making their own beds on Wednesday before leaving for school.

I read that a staff of 93 will be putting all this into effect so that Barack and Michelle will just have to climb the stairs after the ball is over.

(I seem to recall us having only three men move us eleven years ago and they even had time figuring out which was the "great room" which was marked on the most boxes. Typical for the south, our house has one main room which has to be divided by furniture placement to create a living and a dining area.)

Now, the last time the girls were out late (Election Night), they didn't get to school till 10:00 a.m. You remember the fuss and the comment from one of the girls: "Well, that was embarrassing!"

Sometimes we forget how even the most famous people have to go through all the ordinary things we all do. It's just a little more complicated . . .

Now, I do wonder if it will be snowing that day?

2009 Looks Busy for Us!

That's Missy on the Left!

This is the year I get to go to my St.Clements' School Reunion Luncheon in Toronto on the house. (That's only 1600 miles there and 1600 miles back for a free lunch. Hence the expression, "there are no free lunches!")

The Canadian Kennel Club has sent me a message congratulating me on becoming a Life Member of CKC this year.

My feelings about these honorariums run from feeling rather old to feeling pretty good that I have now lived longer than my parents lived and even though I now live in East Texas, I still have ties to my homeland.

I was not a great achiever in school. As you might expect, I did well in English because I always loved writing. If you like doing something, you generally can do well at it! One tip I have tried to pass on to any youngster who might listen, is that I felt badly once I realized that History and Geography were strictly memorization subjects. Why didn't my parents point that out? I did play basketball, field hockey, and tennis. I even taught tennis to children at St. James-Bond United Church, one block from the family home in North Toronto.

I loved socializing and partying and making friends - I was always outgoing.

My feelings about the Canadian Kennel Club run deep and I think it is very special to be a Life Member. I had never owned any dog, much less a purebred dog until at age 37 I married an international all-breed dog judge (John Devlin) and was thrown into the deep end, as it were.

I quickly learned a little bit about all purebred breeds because I never knew what breed my dinner companions would own. We travelled Canada extensively and into the U.S. and Latin America. I wrote about purebred dogs and travel. I am still pretty good at identifying the breeds as well as their characteristics. I edited the Canadian Shih Tzu Club bulletin for about four years.

I owned, bred and showed Shih Tzu for 25 years and really studied that breed. When my last homebred Shih Tzu (Harry) died, we decided on Buddy, the Lhasa Apso. I had owned three Lhasa - BoBo, Garbo I and Garbo II, so I did know quite a lot about the breed. We found Buddy in Nacogdoches on a street named Martha at Lucas Lhasas who breed very fine dogs. The great part is that we do not show or breed Buddy and so he is free to be himself.

Buddy has become a wonderful addition to our household and tends to keep us on our toes! He is pretty much to the standard, although perhaps a bit Texas-sized. His joy is guarding our backyard, something his breed is supposed to do. He also is a little more clown-like than my others as well as being very smart.

So, we are just at the beginning of the year and already have lots planned. I get to visit my dear friend, Judy in Port Hope who always treats us like royalty. And on our way back, we will get to visit Keith's sister, Louise in the Cleveland, Ohio area. (Note to Missy, Louise's cat: sorry to be talking so much about dogs today!)

Barack Obama: Not a Moment to Waste!

Every time I watch Barack Obama speak, I cannot help but see what a calm, quiet and quick thinker he seems to be. Back during debates I noticed this and now that he has been elected and we see him with his proposals to get America back on track, it is even more obvious.

Sometimes it seems as though he is not using a teleprompter, although I would think he does.

A person who speaks this well is very rare! This man instills confidence in his listeners and if we pay attention, I think we will get a true feel for the reason he will be our next President.

As for the complaints of his having an Office of the President-Elect, picking his team of advisers and delivering updates to the American public, I can only ask if you really think we have a moment to wait? I think not! We need to get United States - in particular our economy - back on track.

God Bless and watch over Barack Obama and God Bless America!

The King Lives On

If you've been paying attention, then you know that today would have been Elvis' 74th birthday. So, that means that I am older now, right? So, you must be older too!

For some total relaxation, today, Turner Classic Movies is running Elvis movies and early this evening (6:15 p.m. Eastern), they will show Elvis on Tour 1972.

Let's watch this man who never really seemed to take himself seriously and kick back!

If you want a little more, Larry King Live (9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN) will have Priscilla Presley from Graceland.

I see, however, that Larry doesn't want us to totally relax as he will also have Suze Orman with her 2009 financial tips. Hmmm . . .

A Special Lady Helps Us Honor a Special Father

When I married Keith and moved to East Texas twelve years ago, I didn't have too many close relatives in Ontario to leave behind. The only living family I had were cousins, and I had some good friends. (I do still have extended family in Nova Scotia and British Columbia.)

I made a new friend here in East Texas about two years ago, through her father-in-law, an Illinois snowbird who attended our church during the winter months.

As you get older you realize that there are more unusual things happen than you would ever expect. You also realize that there are plenty of coincidences. Many times when you travel you meet friends from way back or people who live just blocks from you. But over the years, I had only met a few Canadians here.

This man's daughter-in-law not only turned out to be Canadian-born, she had come from Peterborough, which is about a 30 to 40 minute drive from Port Hope where I was living before coming to Texas. (I had lived in Toronto most of my life, moving to Port Hope for a little more than two years.)

Last year, we met this friend's mother and father and visited with them over lunch here.

A few months ago, my friend's father became ill and was in Peterborough Hospital off and on for a couple of months.

Now, this was not a good time to be travelling back and forth and there were a lot of trips - both flying and driving from East Texas to Ontario.

One time, my friend and her two elder daughters drove non-stop (and had a blow out) from here to Peterborough. His grandaughters were able to see their grandfather alive one last time. They made it back home safely.

Sometimes, my friend would e-mail, sometimes we talked on cell phones. Once she was in Windsor; once in the grocery store, once at Houston Airport. I never knew where she would be!

We prayed at Angel of Joy every week for her father and mother and family and for her and her family as they travelled back and forth.

My wonderful Port Hope friend, Judy, was available if needed and she had everyone praying up there too! Thank you, Judy!

He died on December 12th. The funeral was on December 20th.

There was nothing we could do but pray that everyone would be safe and everyone would get back home well and healthy and in one piece.

When the family came back, some came on planes on various days and four in a car through BUFFALO at night during a blizzard. (Now they know they should have come through Windsor/Detroit!)

My friend stayed with her Mother. They went to the Guelph area during the holiday week. Then they travelled over to Quebec to spend New Year's with relatives there.

I got a call yesterday from my friend that she was home safely now. Could Keith & I come to her friend Cindy's home for dinner to honor the memory of her father tonight?

How special was that? There were photos - old photos and photos from the funeral. Cindy knew we felt quite helpless down here. It was a big gathering because these people have a lot of friends and family. My friend knew everyone was there for her.

Keith and I sat with a couple and their daughter who originally had come to East Texas from Niagara Falls, Ontario in the late 80s. She had brought date squares - exactly like my Grandmother used to make! And we talked about how my Grandmother and Grandfather lived on their Canadian pensions of $40 each. Then I had to mention that my Uncle Gideon and Aunt Flo lived on only one of those $40 pensions and banked the other. I told them about how they used to walk across the street to Loblaw's (Supermarket) do buy their groceries.

(My friend and relatives know I like to stop into Loblaw's and Shoppers Drug Mart, Swiss Chalet and Tim Horton's when I am up there. There's something about sharing the special places you miss with someone else who misses them too!)

Keith told them how we were married in Niagara Falls. She said, ah yes, "Honeymoon Capital of the World". Of course, that is the title of one of the chapters in my book, Bumpy Road To Texas.

It was so comfortable. So special. Cindy's home was still trimmed for Christmas. Unsure what I should do, I took pink roses and that seemed just right.

The evening was just a short get-together but it seemed so special. Thank you, Cindy, for doing that! Thank you for helping us all to express just how sorry we are. You are a very special lady!

How good it is to have caring friends!

Number One Resolution: Lose Weight!

Probably the number one resolution made each new year is to lose weight. Of course, quitting smoking used to be big and I am not sure how many people want to quit drinking.

If we believe that losing weight is the number one resolution, then we also know it is probably number one on the list of things that get forgotten.

I have fought weight all my life. I lean very heavily (oops . . . ) on Richard Simmons and this week we have been able to watch Bob Greene (Oprah's consultant) with his advice as well.

Most of Larry King Live (CNN) tonight focused on Oprah Winfrey's continuing battle to keep the weight off. The salient point made was that we who have this problem, must continue for our entire lives to "watch the weight". Nobody wants to hear that because basically we feel if we have tackled a problem - lost the weight - that should be it.

Well, reformed alcoholics can tell you that they have to take life one day at a time and their battle is never really over. Probably we should understand better that over-eating is also an addiction.

What was said tonight was that keeping weight down to the level we would like is a lifetime mission.

Richard Simmons is his own proof that keeping weight off is a lifetime event. I remember his talking one time about frying up and eating a whole pound of bacon after a California earthquake. (It is worth noting that in 2008, Richard ate fast food only once and only three pizzas. So, his healthy eating habits coupled with exercise are beyond the level of most of us.)

I try really hard not to have fattening things in the house, but especially over the holidays, they creep into the shopping buggy. I know not having them around is the way to not eat them. Of course, it must be noted that portion control is very important.

There is an interesting thing I know about losing weight and getting down to the weight you should be. As you are losing the weight, people are very interested as they watch you fit into smaller sizes. When someone comments on how good you look, that is very exhilarating! As I watched the clips of Oprah getting ready for photo shoots for her O Magazine tonight, I saw how good she felt about herself and how she was - well, kind of giddy about it! Part of the problem for us who have lost a lot of weight is that those comments tend to trickle down. People just assume we will look great every day.

All of us who have to be careful about what we eat have triggers that set us off eating badly. It could be an argument, stress, loneliness, loss - any number of events in our everyday life. As Oprah phrased it, food is the drug of her choice. That would be true of a lot of us!

If you have friends you know have problems keeping trim, do encourage them with kind comments and invite them to restaurants where it is possible to eat healthy. If a person says they will not have any of the pizza you just ordered in, leave it at that. Believe me, the smell is very strong and it takes all the willpower available to resist it! (A trick I use is to always have a 100 calorie snack bar in my purse. I try to never let myself get hungry. That is the only way I can resist the pizza.)

Now, I am down ten pounds in my current push to get healthier again. When I lose ten more, I will be down to my lowest weight in the past 35 years again. So, it could happen that I lose even more this time and really feel good and good about myself!

Below are the websites for Oprah Winfrey and Richard Simmons:

http://www.oprah.com http://www.richardsimmons.com

Keeping Track of Friends & Relatives in Real Time

My Space and Facebook help us keep track of people at a distance in real time.

I know how the weather is affecting my niece and sister-in-law in Nova Scotia and my friend visiting Ontario can tell me exactly where she had lunch in Port Hope yesterday.

No large phone charges, no roaming charges, no wondering if someone is going to answer, and no worry about time zones.

I can also keep track of some old friends in Raleigh - okay, sorry guys - you're actually pretty young!

With people being so scattered, this is an easy, time-effective way to see what everyone is doing. People can post photos they took yesterday!

A major advantage is just going to one website to see all messages. Yes, yes, I know this is the lazy man's way of keeping in touch, but it's effective and I am trying to learn to be part of the times!

I have one friend in Port Hope who writes beautiful letters to me, and I have a lot of trouble sitting down to reply. I know that is a great art. Somehow, although we have all the time savers we have, we no longer seem to have the time for these niceties

So, I'm just trying to keep up . . .

Need A Way to Spend Your Cash?

Well, here we are in this new year of 2009, with a new President coming to office and all of us trying to forge ahead to clear off the slate and start fresh.

Did you ever notice that when times are tough, there are more offers, more ways to take your money than usual?

Anyone who has been in a big city mall has probably seen at some time celebrities - particularly athletes - signing autographs for pay. I always thought that was pretty odd because these people get paid big bucks for just doing their job. I think it is strange that they would sit in the middle of a mall and sign an autograph for cash. Seems a bit greedy!

Well, on the computer today, there is an ad from our old friend, William Shatner, for a new online autograph service. Yup, you can go to liveautographs.com and get something signed - with a video of the person signing it - for a price. Makes a nice birthday gift. Hum . . .

So, here we are in 2009 with no shortages of ways to spend our money. Would this be your choice of a way to part with your cash?

Delaware Punch - Another Forbidden!

This weekend seems more than a transition than a totally new beginning. There are still parties to attend, people to write and everyone needs to catch up on their sleep!

We got to meet Ziggy today and she was just as sweet as she could be. She was very polite about all the people visiting her family's home. She's a Welsh Terrier, two years old and is in Pastor's family.

They opened their home to us and everyone brought their very fanciest treats for a smorgasbord of delight. (We took an assortment of pickles - some homemade.)

We were introduced to Delaware Punch which was very delicious but when offered the can - available they say at H.E.B. - there it was in fine print - 45 grams of sugar!

I swear on Richard Simmons' video that I only drank one glass of that cherry-colored elixir!

Wow! I gotta keep away from those punches or Richard will kill me! On second thought, the punch will kill me!

It was a delightful party to kick off the New Year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Writing That Makes You Go, "Huh?"

Everyday I read really good material written by bloggers and everyday I read newspaper copy that goes without proofreading. There are lots of accounts that make you go: "Huh?" Here is today's gem:

"The study identified food 'stressors', such as sugar, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate as improving mental health when participants reduced or removed them from their diets.' "

People relying on spellcheckers without anyone actually reading through the copy are sure to produce statements that make you go, "What did they say?"

In writing as everywhere else, we have come to rely on technology and some of us tend not to double check by reading and perhaps having someone else read our copy.

Shall we re-write that sentence so you know what was really being said?

"The study showed that sugar, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate are detrimental to mental health. Improvement results when these foods are removed from the diet."

You got that now?

Not Quite Into Routine!

We definitely were not into any type of routine today. Hubby was watching scattered bowl games and we did catch the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day Concert on PBS.

We sent out an e-mail greeting card with the same theme, so that was kind of fun.

Thank you notes have been sent - we try to be good about that!

We still need to sit down to look at the Christmas cards we received from folks we did not have a proper address for and send them little notes.

We ate very badly today which is not good for starting the new year, is it? We did have a good breakfast, but kinda snacked from there. Hmmm . . .

Now, I did get all my stuff together for marathon cropping (scrapbooking) tomorrow and Hubby has it in the car. He is so efficient! He will be taking down the outdoor decorations tomorrow. He says it's easy. Easy for him - he's an Engineer!

We are lucky, we do not have to be anywhere tomorrow, so we can use the weekend to finish off the little details to get the new year in gear. I do have my daily calendar book in order. I have my potluck ready for cropping. I have my outfit set out for tomorrow. We always set out clothes out the night before - it makes life so much easier! Hope you do that too!

Trust you noticed that the Waterford Crystal Ball pictured below from last night's Time's Square Drop was called the Angel of Joy ball! Hmmm. . . sounds familiar to us because that is also the name of our church.

Let us all pull ourselves together, spending less, planning more and counting down to the new administration who just might have some goodies for us in a few months!

Could any of you use a bailout? Well, how 'bout a tax break (Two months' reprieve was suggested by our very own Louie Gohmert!) How 'bout a larger incentive program than we had last year?

Let us all pray that finances will recover and we will see more plus days on the Dow. Let us pray for the wisdom, guidance and good health of Barack Obama and his team!

Let us pray for a better year in 2009!

Happy 2009!

In With The New!

In With The New! That's what we care about here in East Texas and probably everywhere in North America for sure!

We have to let go of 2008 with a weak wave of the hand and get on with fixing, cleaning and getting rid of old messes. The old expression, "No use crying over spilled milk" surely applies today!

The media is full of all the bad stuff that has happened during 2008. I think we all have that quite memorized. We must move on!

We need to go to the supermarket and pick up our very favorite snacks and watch the TV New Year programs. This year, there is one person who will be very busy indeed! That would be the person at CNN who will have his/her finger on the bleep button. I think that person has about a 7 second delay to clean it up. Anderson Cooper (Anderson Cooper 360) will have Kathy Griffin joining him this year. That will be interesting . . .

Dick Clark will make his usual appearance as the ball drops in Times Square. We all like to see this man, even if he is not able to do all he used to, because he reminds us of the great years gone by when we celebrated with him. Of course, we have to remember also his wonderful American Bandstand Show on weekday afternoons. (I have a friend here who actually used to go down to American Bandstand in Philadelphia! I was impressed!)

By now, you well know that I am a nostalgia and trivia buff. I do like to think at least a bit about the "good old days" which this year, truly do seem just that!

Also, of course, tonight is the night that we take pen and paper and mark down all those things we know we should try to do next year - tomorrow plus.

Special Blessings to the new administration here in the U.S. because they will have to work 24/7 to get things back and put a few smiles on the taxpayers, and stockholders and - for the last time this year - Joe - yup - "Joe Six Pack".

By the way, he used to be Champagne Sherman until he could only afford to split a 6 pack of beer
in 2008!

Happy, Happy New Year 2009 and may you and yours have many blessings, Good Health and Prosperity!

Hello - Goodbye

They're home for such a short time! Our Soldier is on her way back to South Korea today. We love you, Meghan - God Speed!