Penny-Wise

Penny-Wise, originally uploaded by mortonphotographic.

If you are like me, you think a lot about the economy these days. I wonder if we will ever be back on track. Like my friends, I wonder if investments will come back because we seniors counted on that money to help us live a good life.

It has been very discouraging to see that many large corporations have people at the top who having been receiving bonuses even when the companies are doing badly. In other words, they are being rewarded for bad performance.

So, today, when I opened my mail, I was not feeling too good about a department store that would cut a check for one cent (yes, $0.01) and mail it at a cost of 35.7 cents on a U.S. postage meter.

So, we overpaid our account by one penny. No need to go into "overdrive" and refund that to me. It would have been fine to leave it on account for me.

So, now, I can truly get that answer we used to joke about many years ago, when I take this check to the credit union,

"How would you like that: heads or tails?"

Angel of Joy Fall Festival - Sat., Oct.16, 2010

(Photo courtesy 2010 Pendleton, Indiana Fall Festival & Heritage Fair, originally uploaded by Pendleton-Gazette.com)

ANGEL OF JOY FALL FESTIVAL

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 16. Church sponsored food booth, bake booth, jewelry, crafts, beauty, candles, jellies, household and recycled items booths. (No garage sales.) BBQ Plate Lunch $5.00 from 11 a.m. The church is located at 4003 Daniel McCall Drive, across from Angelina College, Lufkin, Texas.

This Is What Scrappers Look Like!

Each year, Sue Knox of Scrapbooks & Memories in Lufkin Texas hosts a SCRAP PINK. All we gals who love to scrapbook or "crop", put on our pink shirts and get scrapping! All proceeds to go the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Look Out - Here It Comes Again . . .

It is not my intention to give a dissertation on the Charles Schulz' Peanuts Comic Strip. There is lots of material available online for you to learn more about this strip and its late creator. There is now a Museum in California and you can even purchase items online from their store. Every weekend in our newspaper, they post a "Peanuts Classic" strip so we never forget the lessons Mr. Schulz tried to teach us.

My Canadian minister, Rev. David McBride had a collection of Peanuts ties and once lent me a book about Mr. Schulz who had a background of Christian education.

This weekend, I was reminded vividly of one of the most famous strips. It is repeated and repeated, but still - despite several other teachings from psychology and conventional wisdom and the vision of this particular strip, I and I am sure many others, continue this behavior.

What behavior is that? Well, someone is mean to you - or at the very least, not particularly nice. You feel bad about how they treated you. Then, maybe a couple of months later, that person appears up close and personal, seeming very pleasant. You presume they may have changed how they feel and you respond with a well-intentioned response and . . . WHAM . . . they "get" you again!

The repetitive behavior that replicates this is Charlie Brown starting the Football Season fresh in the fall. He is going to kick the ball and Lucy is there holding the ball for Charlie to kick. Charlie remembers how Lucy has behaved in the past, but he always gives her the benefit of the doubt. He is just sure that this time, Lucy is going to be nice.

Wham . . . Charlie moves forward to kick the ball and at just the "right" moment, Lucy removes the ball and Charlie . . . well, Charlie falls flat on his fanny.

Yup, it happens every time. Why? Because Charlie always gives Lucy the benefit of the doubt. Charlie always tries to see the good in Lucy.

It is a metaphor for how so many of us try to forgive and forget and often it works just fine. But, sometimes it does not. Our teachings tell us that we must always keep on trying . . . and I guess there will always be lots of Lucy's in our lives!

Pondering 9-11

Could 9-11 have happened in Toronto? I say Toronto, because of course that is my hometown. But do you wonder if it could have happened where you live rather than in New York City?

Why do you think terrorists picked New York City? Well, first off, there are lots of people there. Secondly, there are people of every nationality there. Third, there are lots of high-rise buildings in NYC.

So could that terrible day have been in Toronto? Probably!

Do you ever think how you would have felt if one of your loved ones had been in one of those buildings that day, nine years ago?

We have a grandson who had just left one of the buildings at the World Trade Center and we were really relieved to hear he was all right.

Do you remember Peter Jennings actually crying on the air during the long hours he spent at his ABC news desk that day? (Peter was born in Toronto, you know.)

Do you remember what it felt like to see planes purposely crashing into skyscrapers? Was there a sick feeling in your stomach, in your heart? Was your head clouded with "why"?

Then, this year, did you have a sick feeling in your stomach when a minister in Florida thought he could square it away by burning the Koran, the Muslim holy book?

Tolerance for others and their beliefs is part of what Christians learn and try to live. If you live in New York City or Toronto, you learn about tolerance or you move away. People of all ethnicities live in both of those cities.

There has to be respect for the differing beliefs of all those people. Lots of people do not believe the same things you do. That is part of what makes the world rotate on its axis. Learning to understand that is a prerequisite for living in a multi-cultural environment. That is tolerance.

Those same people with difference ideas and perhaps different appearance from you also keep the economy growing, invent new objects and ideas. Some have wonderful knowledge about technology. In both those cities there are lots of people of different ethnicities and backgrounds. Those people work hard to be there and many work hard to put themselves or their children through university. Those very people may one day invent a cure for cancer or one of the other diseases that plague us on a daily basis. They may eat different foods, believe different truths and have a different appearance than you. But if you look inside their hearts, you will find there is a lot we have in common.

In every society, every race and every ethnicity, there are good guys and bad guys. Remember the Cowboys and Indians you watched as a kid? Of course, that is not too politically correct these days, but perhaps it is a similar concept.

Today we have bank robbers, home invaders, drug dealers. People ride around using their cars in a fashion that makes you think they are about to get someone killed, so perhaps it was not all that outrageous that someone thought to pilot a plane into a skyscraper. That literally took violence to a new level.

I cannot tell you why some people believe their action against United States on that day gave them a special place in the hereafter. I just know that in my religious beliefs, that special place is probably a lot worse than what we ever have to endure here on planet earth.

No more than you, do I have an answer as to why someone got an idea to turn an invention - the air plane - that has allowed us to travel in short times what would have taken days on a steamship, train or automobile before - into a weapon like no other.

Nine years later, we have still no answer for that.

What we do have to know is that each of us must do the best we can in our own little part of this world. We volunteer to help; we quietly do things for others that they do not expect; we do our job - at home or at work - the best we know how. We love our children, our families, our neighbours and we believe and hope that each day will end with some quiet restful time.

There is no place in our hearts for hatred of people of other cultures, other skin colors, other ways. Our ways are not everyone else's ways. We must pray that tomorrow and every other day goes smoothly and peacefully for not just for where we live but for everyone everywhere.

Don't forget to put your flag out and God Bless us All!

FIVE DOLLAR BILLS - Where To Keep Your Money These Days . . .

FIVE DOLLAR BILLS, originally uploaded by chego101.

In our morning paper today, there is something interesting in the Police Column. Well, it was interesting to me because I truly try to see the light side.

No one needs to be a rocket scientist these days to know EVERYBODY is suffering economically . . . well, at least 95% of the population!

So, imagine my surprise to see that a house was broken into and money was stolen from a mattress!!

If you recall, a mattress was always considered a pretty safe place to keep your money. And today, well, you only get about 3/4% less on your money in the mattress than from the bank.

If there is a moral to this, it would be to not tell anyone if you have money in your mattress.

. . . and no, there is no money in our mattress so don't wreck it looking for five dollar bills!

Facebook - Could You Possibly Learn Anything From It?

There is one game on Facebook that I really enjoy playing. It is Farm Town. I have played another farm game but Farm Town is interactive. This means I can hire others to harvest and plow on my farm and actually make more "coins" and "XP" (Experience Points). Or, I can work on someone else's farm.

What do I learn from Farm Town? Well, I learned a long time ago that if I "hire" someone from the Marketplace to work for me, I should look for someone with grey hair. Well, that is, their avatar has grey hair!

Actually, I have pretty grey hair in real life, but I do not on Farm Town. And I have a different name. Sometimes I get some interesting comments, but generally I just keep on working and racking up my points. I have five farms and lots of "toys" in the way of housing, pools, lakes, cars and equipment.

I also have been playing Family Feud which may or may not be more intellectual.

I learned a long time ago that we never stop learning and that often our best lessons come from people we do not really know at all. In a way, that is what it is like while playing the games of Facebook.

I enjoy keeping pace with what others are doing and getting notices of what is coming up and going on in our community as well as across the nation. I get to keep in touch with friends and relatives across United States, Canada and anywhere in the world.

If a friend and I are online at the same time, we can type messages and conduct a conversation, as it were.

Lots of people post pictures and let you see just what they have been doing.

It is very true that some people post every little insignificant thing they are doing, like a sports play-by-play. So be it, if they either think they are that interesting or if in fact they are so bored and lacking for something to do, there is an easy way to "hide" that person's comments. Another type of person you might want to hide is one who uses bad language or discusses what you might consider inappropriate remarks.

There has been a lot of press recently about privacy concerns, and Facebook is one of the targets.

Well, it just makes sense not to be specific about when you are leaving your home unattended and exactly when you are leaving. Better to mention what you did after you have done it.

Facebook is a great way to let people know when you have a special event or fundraiser coming up or a fundraiser. It gets the word out to more people right away.

The whole thing is that Facebook is instant.

It is still a learning process for us older people to adjust to all the tools we have to keep in touch with people all over the world, more or less in a heartbeat.

Facebook Outage - Memories of Powerless Nights in Northern Ontario

Up on Yonge Street (Toronto), when the lights went out, well, you got out a flashlight, turned on a portable radio or sat and talked to the person you were with. Some of you remember talking to people . . . right?

Up in Ontario cottage country - for me it was Muskoka, lots of beautiful places have no electricity, so that was good training for the times we have lost power here in East Texas. When it was 'way too cold, we could get in the car and turn the heater on.

How did we survive? Quite well, actually. We heated water on a wood-burning stove to wash dishes, wash ourselves. Of course, we had all that water from the lake and we also had a nifty creek which not only yielded water but also small fish. We usually cooked on the barbecue. Ah, to recall the time some of the fellows wrapped some stones in foil to replace Uncle Jimmy's potatoes. There was lots of kibitzing!

What did we do up there in the evenings? We played cards or board games by battery-powered lanterns or candles. We sang - my favorite was an improvised, "I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskokee" . . . a knock off from Merle Haggard's famous hit.

I guess I forgot to mention we also had an outhouse and an uncle who liked to scare us with bear noises after dark. No indoor plumbing?

There is a phenomenon in Ontario where people work very hard to purchase a beautiful, fully equipped City Home and then when they have really made it, they purchase a place up in Northern Ontario where they have no amenities. They rough it, as it were. Roughing it . . . camping . . . it is a nice way of life, really. People interact with each other and have lots of good times. We have lost the ability to sit down and talk to another person, to sing songs, to tell jokes and stories.

Here in Texas, we lose power because it is hot and all the air-conditioning systems tax the electricity sources. Sometimes we lose power because there is a storm - heavy rainstorm, hurricane, tornado - and the lights go off.

When the lights go off in Texas, especially in the summertime, we got trouble - yup, Trouble Right Here in River City, as the song went. We have had an extremely hot summer this year and there are some people who live in small homes who don't have enough to eat, much less air-conditioning. Those people - hopefully - are visited by neighbours and church members who take them to somewhere cooler.

Well, when the power goes off, so do computers, internet, TV - you name it!

We have come to rely heavily on communication and automation and frills which we consider necessities. We do not live better, just different.

So, today, it looks like Facebook - the love it or hate it social network is down - at least for a while. Guess we will have to talk to someone in person!

I will miss the Farm (Farmville/Farm Town - take your pick) but I think I can survive.

There is lots of talk these days about Facebook - a 1600 pound gorilla that is probably not going anyplace any time soon. It invades our privacy, causes people to divulge information they may later be sorry they did. Some people make comments that they might not even realize could be hurtful to someone. Some people make inappropriate remarks that someone they did not think would see it, in fact does see it and has hurt feelings from it.

Some people give a burglar a perfect opportunity but telling everyone with access to their page when they will be leaving their home.

I won't go on, because you know the the good, the bad and the ugly of Facebook and Twitter.

I kind of like Twitter, especially, because I can quickly let people know I have posted a new blog and more people will read it.

But mostly . . . just miss the farm.

Up On Yonge Street - That's Where We Were . . .

After being in East Texas almost 14 years, I can tell you that one thing that absolutely defines Texans is their vehicles. They like them big and when they pull up to your house, well, they just pull up to your house!

Well, in Toronto, land is at a premium - because that is where everyone comes to get a job. (Must mention here also that Toronto's TTC - Toronto Transit Commission is among the best and there is nothing quite like The Subway.) There are tidy curbs on every street and you park your car parallel to the curb. A driveway at someone's house . . . well, that generally is occupied, probably with one of the owner's vehicles.

We have not been back very long from our trip to the wedding of "This Bride" (see blog below) and one of the fun things was the wonderful family party at the bride's father's home the night before the marriage. (The rehearsal was during the week - how organized is that?)

Hubby & I checked into the hotel and got ready to go to the Party. Then Hubby went to bring the car around from the Parking Garage. (No, we do not have even one of those in the city where we live northeast of Houston.)

How was Hubby to know that there was a space M-14 on all four levels of the garage?

So, we were late arriving at the Party and Hubby looked at all the cars parked on the street. I think he was thinking we would have to park elsewhere and take a taxi . . . Lo and behold, as we came right to the house, there was one tiny spot in the driveway.

"I think we can fit in there!"

Hubby: "Do you think we should park there?"

"Oh yes!"

Our Texas-size SUV just fit and we got out and went up to the door.

This bride's sister-in-law was waiting at the front door and we were escorted inside and eventually out to the deck where you see Hubby and Daddy chatting in the photo above.

Caribana Festival was being held that weekend and so we were blessed to have several musicians play in the garden for us.

For me, it was like being home. I have known this family for about 52 years and their offspring must have heard some of the stories and those they had not heard, I told them.

Like when B left me to watch Daniel the baby while she went to the convenience store back when they lived in a small apartment on Avenue Road. I tell you, I did not know babies could cry that much and I sure didn't know that people upstairs would bang on the floor to let me know that was too much noise!

I didn't know a lot about babies, so I was rocking him and gently asking him,

"Don't cry, Danny!"

Those upstairs neighbours taught me to ask Dan just a little louder to "Hush Little Baby, Don't You Cry".

Yes, yes, I had to tell Dan about that. I don't think he was embarrassed. He and his wife, Carol had flown in from London, UK and I think that story was the least of what they were thinking about.

We were treated like royalty and so were others who flew in from Washington State, Italy and Iran.

Oh . . . This Bride . . . well, you might have to wait to see her picture. But, I will tell you she was radiantly beautiful and her groom was very handsome.

And B . . . my Dear Friend, B? Oh, you could feel her presence. She was the Angel in the hearts of all of us who had come to see her only daughter marry her college sweetheart, the I.T. fellow with the droll sense of humor who we met many years ago.

Like it was yesterday:

"And what are you studying?"

"I.T., Sir."

And silly me, just had to ask, "I am sorry, exactly what is that?"

"Information Technology, Ma'am."

You stick around a fellow like that, you get smart! You stick around a family like that and you feel pretty special!

Willam In Port Hope Writes Today's Blog - How About a Letter to the Troops?

Hi - I am William in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada and I am a guest blogger here today. I am almost 8.

My friend, Martha in Texas is visiting today.

We just wrote a letter to the troops for the Legion to put in the boxes for August. I hope that those boxes have neat stuff in them - like hard candy, cookies, soap, and other things those men and women would like to have.

Have you donated anything to put in those boxes that get shipped to the soldiers?

You could write a letter or give some toiletries for those boxes?

If you do that, it will make the soldiers feel good! We were talking about it, and we know if you do that, it will make you feel good too.

So, this is William in Canada signing off the Yonge-Street-Texan blog!

This Bride

I met her mother, B (as she referred to herself) 51 years ago, at college in Toronto. She and I had great times - laughter and serious times. Her mother would help anyone in need - any person, any animal. Her biggest salvation - literally - was probably a horse named Paddington, and what a beauty he was. There was always a dog too, of course.

If B was your friend, you hardly needed another. There was the angel she promised her friend in the hospital, too sick to think about anything else. Do you know you can courier a glass angel door to door, 1650 miles in less than 24 hours? Well, you can - if you want to or need to. Do you know that National Film Board of Canada will ship to anywhere? B knew that and she wanted me to watch a program she had seen.

Before I met her mother, B, I knew her father. A group of us loved to have parties and enjoyed playing tennis. Not gonna tell you anymore about her father. He is quiet and to the point, a great friend who calls me an "old friend" and gets away with it.

Kinda seemed back then that we probably would never grow up . . . guess that is what our parents thought.

You had to know her mother and her grandmother to truly appreciate This Bride. That will be her identity for this blog.

Her grandmother was petite and I was always taken with how great she looked at 8:30 in the morning when she answered her front door. She would be wearing a shirtwaist dress and lipstick and offering me her latest find, a product called Coffee Rich that made your coffee literally sing with flavor. She's gone now too.

On a night in September after a Clint Black concert, we got the word that B had had a stroke. That was when I cried and screamed and carried on. How could that happen to B? After she was settled in at the hospital and tests were run, it got worse. B also had cancer. I think that is one of the saddest times of my adult life.

Here was this terrific gal who would do anything for me, for you, for someone she did not even know. Here was this gal who didn't care about fancy jewelry, make-up, pretense of any kind.

So, it is with honor and pride that I (with Hubby, of course) will watch This Bride marry a handsome, wonderful, charming and light-hearted man next week.

She is herself, her mother, her grandmother, a special person whom I am honored to know.

Speaking of honor, This Bride has called Hubby and me FAMILY! Wow!

If you have been following the weddings Hubby and I have been going to over the past year and if you also know I have lost weight during this time, then perhaps you are wondering, "So, what is Martha wearing to this special event?"

Well, I will wear the green dress. Yes, I feel very comfortable in the green dress. And when you are being treated like royalty, it is good to feel comfortable!

Hey - you - "This Bride" - you will be so beautiful and I will see not only you, but your Mother, but your Grandmother that day.

Sometimes - if we sit back and look at our lives - we see how truly blessed we have been.

May "This Bride" have a beautiful wedding, a fine marriage and may she carry on all those traits that made these women such good friends to everyone they knew.

Love you, "This Bride"!

Is There Some Way We Can Go Back?

Mostly because I like to be current, to keep up, as it were, I have maintained a Facebook page for some time now. (Also, I get to tell people when I put up a new blog, as I will when I finish here.)

I learned to text for the same reason (QWERTY keyboard indeed).

Of course, I am on Twitter also to alert people who might be interested in my blogs. I have a rather nifty following of dog-related groups there!

All my life, I have been a communicator. Even as a grade-schooler, I would go downstairs to a room by myself and write both poems and prose. Always got my best grades in English Composition. Always enjoyed writing!

I must say that I have met some really interesting people on Facebook who I probably never would have met otherwise and I do get to keep in touch with a few people who are several thousand miles away.

Mind you, if I were not on Facebook, I probably would have the time to sit down and write a nice personal letter to those friends and relatives in Ontario and Nova Scotia.

I have re-connected with some people who have left East Texas and that is also fine.

Last week, I took my "Friend" list and well, I did a lot of clicking! I pared it down to about 40 people.

Hubby, smart Engineer that he is, simply deleted his page. Period. That's the kind of person he is: very straightforward and to the point.

I am held hostage at Facebook by a nifty game I like to play called Farm Town. Can't play Farm Town elsewhere.

Tonight, I saw two postings from my friend's daughter that really broke my heart. Yup. They almost broke my heart as much as the one I saw about myself a few days ago.

Family. You really cannot choose family, only friends. When a friend does you in, you generally get rid of them.

We live in the toughest times of our lives. We have a horrid economy, natural and man-made disasters that strike us down routinely. We have people "in charge" stealing from us. (Oh, I am so sorry, if anyone is offended that I think perhaps some major executives have stolen from taxpayers and investors.) And, of course, we are at war.

We have lost the art of sitting down with one another and talking.

I do not think that either family comment would have been made to someone in the flesh.

People have computer skills but alas they have no heart.

If they were to put their hearts and brains into what they were thinking, they would not make hurtful remarks like they do. Why? Well, the person on the receiving end would tell them they were full of blank and that would be the end of the conversation. (By the way, BLANK is just about what is in some of these minds.)

We have a major obesity problem in United States right now. Well, I guess so. A person hurts another's feelings and the first person gobbles down the first high calorie snack they can get their hands on. Unless, of course, they reach for a bottle of something stronger.

What is the matter with people? Families do not support one another and in fact, they are extremely competitive.

I remember my first father-in-law coming over to our apartment to tell us in no uncertain terms that something had been said about a cousin and we were to fess up. I knew it wasn't me and even though I did divorce him, I don't think it was my then husband. But, Pop - as the head of the family - was going to get to the bottom of it all.

Today, parents are afraid of their children . . . heck, teachers are afraid of children.

So, the generation who are now in their twenties have many among them who go 'way beyond Clark Gable in not giving a damn. These people don't care about family, "friends" or really anyone beyond what they need for the next 24 hours.

Has social media contributed to this? Do people not realize that what they write goes to friends of friends of friends. Or is it more like: they do not care? Have they no heart at all?

My readers, here we are in the year 2010 and we have come a long way . . . backwards and beyond.

I think we need to sit in a recliner with eyes closed for a while and just think. Is there some way we can go back to enjoying people and life?

Changing Face Of The Workforce

We may have grey hair and walk a little slower than we used to. We have more aches and pains. But we do remember the work ethic that made this country (and Canada too, of course) great!

Yes, there is a lot of technology we did not have when I first worked at a heavy equipment jobber in Toronto (a.k.a. manufacturers agent). But dealing with people is still at the heart of a lot of business.

"Good Morning, Furnace Department, Miss Croome speaking: how may I help you?"

Used to take a lot of ribbing but that was how I was to answer the Department's phone!

I hammered out letters, proposals and invoices on a Remington Noiseless that was probably the noisiest machine ever. I transcribed letters from my shorthand notebook. My shorthand was Pittman (from England) but some of you used Greig here in the United States.

I walked one block to the Nortown trolley (electrically powered) on Avenue Road. It swung the corner at Eglinton and turned left on Eglinton, over to - yes - YONGE STREET - to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Subway System. (The line went from Eglinton to Union only back then and was about eight years old.)

I walked down a flight of stairs and took two escalators to get to the actual subway car that would noisily take me downtown. I got off at Front Street - by Union Station (the Railway Station).

Then, I walked past the attendant at the turnstile with my paper transfer to get me into the area of the buses and streetcars.

I took the bus over to Jarvis Street to the building where I worked.

So, that was a lot of walking and three public transit vehicles just to get to my first job.

Even with some references from my father, I was interviewed by forty (40) different people for this first job that paid $195 Canadian - per month. (By the way, the Canadian dollar at that time - 1960 - was a little higher than the American dollar.) That is a little more than $45.00 per week for a person right out of Weller College with honors and typing of over 60 words per minute and shorthand of over 120 words per minute. So, I was well qualified, but not experienced. I had just turned 20.

Notice that people interviewed me; I did not interview them, as we hear now.

The Office Manager's name was Mr. Lilly and he was an accountant, totally lacking in personality who dealt strictly in facts.

Williams and Wilson, whose head office was in Montreal, had various departments on the second floor with a central switchboard. In Lufkin, we have a mural downtown of a woman using a central switchboard - historical of course! The main floor was a showroom for the heavy equipment. The building was large and there were lots of employees, including sales staff, managers, and executives.

I started at 8:30 in the morning and finished at 5:00 p.m. We had 20 minute coffee breaks morning and afternoon in a nice break room and one hour for lunch.

At lunch hour on Fridays, I would walk across to Bay Street (the equivalent of Wall Street in New York City) to get my hair done. They knew how to do a bouffant hairstyle and get you out of there in 40 minutes smelling of a stinky hold called Princess Patricia Hair Spray. That got you through the wind and back to your office on time.

Fridays I ate my lunch at the salon. I took a lunch from home every day unless it was payday - twice a month, when I would do my banking at The King Edward Hotel Branch and eat in their cafeteria downstairs. That was up on King Street and required brisk walking and quick eating. My boss was less than kind, taking us to a Christmas lunch at Letros Tavern (not so high class) and requesting my presence back at the office for more typing while the sales and accounting staff of the Furnace Department went home.

I guess I forgot to tell you that my high heels were kept in my lower desk drawer and I wore laced up Hush Puppies to make good time comfortably.

When I logged about a year at that first job, I was able to advance to New York Life Insurance where they purchased the newly invented IBM Selectric typewriter for me and I moved into the big time! I had a kind boss and made friends but we still had a strong work ethic.

I describe this from 50 years ago because it is people like me who remember what working conditions used to be who will be hired to clean up the messes in today's workplace.

There will have to be some special allowances. I will be 70 in a few weeks and I cannot do 7 or 8 hours a day, five days a week. Some of us will need ramps and railings and certainly will not be able to transverse public transit systems as I did back then.

Why will we be coming back to work, if we are healthy enough?

Well, times are tough - very tough. The "Golden Years" are not 24 carat and we cannot afford to have some of the nifty inventions like flatscreen TV, bright red appliances and furniture to replace the old.

You might be surprised how well we can navigate a computer - I know my Hubby and I do pretty much everything needed.

When you call my employer and I answer the phone, I will enunciate my name and you will understand me - even with my "accent, eh?" - no will be asking me my name or to repeat what I said.

I will not be using my cell phone for texting (yes, I can do that) during office hours and you would never find me on the internet unless my Boss asked me to google some information or post something on his website.

I don't look bad for an old gal (as Anne Murray, the singer would say) but I will wear appropriate attire that covers what should be covered.

You see, business is business - or as the French say, "Les affaires sont les affaires".

No one should be paying you for personal tasks or amusement. Government, a professional or company pays you for your time dedicated to work to advance their business, efficiency, image and (for business and professions) profit.

It was pretty bad when we learned the staggering bonuses executives were making at major companies. It was real bad when we, the taxpayers, had to bail out banks and major corporations with household names. But, it is over the top when we learn that there are government employees who have been spending long hours on websites not quite as gentle as Facebook.

So, have a smile for that grey-haired person who greets you next time you are in an office. That person knows how to save us from ourselves!

"Good Afternoon, Furnace Department, Miss Croome speaking: How can I help you?"Changing

America - The Land Of The Free: Have We Distorted The Meaning Of That?

Joe Biden's zipper is open, originally uploaded by DonkeyHotey.

This week I was just sort of wondering if perhaps some people take our Freedom a little to extremes.

So, this is The Land where the Vice President can say - quite clearly, while a microphone is open - an obsenity as he is introducing the President?

So, this is The Land where a teenager posing with others for a photo of their "Against Drugs" Group with a skirt just barely covering her thighs and high heels?

So, this is The Land where an 80-year-old former Astronaut (Buzz Aldren) thinks it is a good idea to compete on the rigorous, not to mention foolish and sometimes rude Dancing With The Stars?

What are these people thinking? Yes, we have the freedom to be as foolish as we wish, but perhaps that is not what our Founding Fathers were hoping for!

Please remember to pray every night for President Barack Obama. In case you have forgotten, if anything should happen to him, Joe Biden, or next in line, Nancy Pelosi would become President.

2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver - A Warm Fuzzy Feeling!

OLY: DEC12 Olympic Torch Relay Day 44, originally uploaded by TotalPhoto (Leon).

Pictured: Elizabeth Manley (1988) and Barbara Ann Scott (1948)

Probably because I am one of the few Canadians living here in East Texas, lots of people were asking me what I thought about the Olympics held in Vancouver.

I have been waiting to write this probably because I wanted to put it all into perspective and explain how I felt and what it meant to me to see Canada showcased like that.

The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary and I remembered the wonderful opening ceremony and I remembered Elizabeth Manley winning not a Gold, but a Silver medal in Ladies Figure Skating. (So like Canadians . . . make sure your guests are having a good time.) I am sort of kidding about that, but it is true that Canadians just love for you to visit. I hope that many of you who watched this wonderful event will think seriously about taking a trip to somewhere in Canada sometime soon.

To help readers not quite so familiar with the geography of Canada, let me explain that Vancouver is on the West Coast Mainland in British Columbia and Calgary is in Alberta (oil country). I am from Toronto (Ontario) and lived just east of there in a small town called Port Hope before moving to East Texas. I also have relatives in Nova Scotia which is in the eastern part of Canada or The Maritime Provinces.

I am truly blessed to have seen nine of the ten Canadian provinces and there are differences just as you can think of differences between American states. It is also interesting to note that 90% of Canada's population lives within 100 miles of the American border. Looking at a map, one sees the huge expanse of Canada but might forget just how cold it can get toward the Arctic Circle.

Lower British Columbia is one of the more temperate provinces and I recall in 1982 seeing spring burst forth there in May, back home in Ontario in June and in Newfoundland in July.

One thing this event made me think about is that Canadians do not leave Canada because they want to leave Canada. We leave because there is an opportunity for us. In my case, of course, I met and married an American (born in Illinois) who was living in Texas. Many entertainers move to the United States because there are more opportunities for them.

All of us feel very strong about wanting to go back home on a regular basis. I have been truly blessed to be able to go "home" just about every year and a couple of years we went twice and once, by driving across the border from our niece's, we were able to have lunch at Swiss Chalet and say we'd been in Canada three times!

The Closing Ceremony featured Michael J. Fox and William Shatner among others but the Opening Ceremony was the one that had me crying.

Much as I am very proud of him, you can see Wayne Gretzky lots of places, so it was not him. He grew up where my father was born - in Brantford, Ontario - and his father used to freeze the backyard for him to skate when he was a kid. So did my Dad, but I'm no Wayne Gretzky! (Yes, they would hook up the water hose and flood the backyard. I have to tell you, it was not the smoothest skating I did!)

My real thrill was watching the flag being hoisted by lots of people I remembered well, including singer Anne Murray who actually lived around the corner from me near Thornhill Pond, just north of Metro Toronto. She looked a little nervous for her, actually. She used to try to sneak into the supermarket up Yonge Street and she never wore makeup, just pinched her cheeks for color. She was beautiful. You might not have picked her off if you had not heard that speaking voice - that Alto just like when she sings.

Betty Fox was with them. Betty Fox is the mother of Terry Fox who lost a leg to cancer when he was in his late teens. He was from British Columbia and started walking across Canada from Newfoundland. (Yes, you would have to get on a ferry or plane to get to the mainland.) He walked right past my house in Thornhill one summer afternoon - I think it was August - and we contributed to the Cancer Society as did everyone. He had freckles, and curly brown hair. He was tired: you could see it. I wished him Happy Birthday and he told me it would not be until the Monday. (Terry only made it to Thunder Bay where they realized the cancer had spread.) There is a statue in Thunder Bay to honor him now. He flew home and I think he lived for about another year. His mother, Betty, has been at every Cancer Research Fundraiser she could to honor her son. What a special lady! (I think in many places there are still Terry Fox Runs each year.)

Then I saw Rick Hansen. He is known as The Man In Motion. He has a website where you could learn about this fellow. Rick also went across Canada - in his wheelchair. He raises funds and organizes events for people with various disabilities. He is a living legend of a man who cares so much about others!

Now, I am coming to the one who really had me actually crying! Barbara Ann Scott. She was an Olympic Figure Skating Champion in 1948. There she was . . . also hoisting the Canadian flag.

When I was a little girl, I went to school at Havergal (yes, as in Frances Ridley Havergal, the hymn writer whose name is in your hymn books) , Barbara Ann and her mother would stay at an apartment on Avenue Road across from the school when they were in Toronto. We would look and see if we could see her perhaps standing on a balcony. (Her home was in Ottawa.)

My letter to Santa Claus that year went like this:

"Dear Santa, I have been a good girl. Could you please bring me a Barbara Ann Scott doll for Christmas? You can find it at the B & W Store on Eglinton Avenue. Love, Martha"

Oh yes, I did indeed get that doll and to actually see Barbara Ann Scott, after all these years out of the limelight - living in Chicago, I believe - hoisting the Canadian flag . . . well, that really made me cry!

Yes, Canadians love for you to know about their country and all the indigenous peoples dancing and singing in their special dress. We like for you to know about all the entertainers we have sent to United States. We would love to show you Canada - all of it - each province different from the next.

Winter Olympics Open Today - Surely Not in Texas?

Well, this is what East Texas looks like today. Here we have a young man who is finally able to get out into the snow and actually build a snowman! Yes, I know it is a little small, but, hey - this is what Hubby calls a "tropical area" and this is probably only the fifth time it has snowed since I arrived from Toronto thirteen years ago.

We will tape the Opening Ceremony from Vancouver being televised on NBC here. (Yes, I still scrapbook on Fridays.) I do recall the wonderful festivities with all manner of singing and dancing by so many different groups of Canadians at the Calgary Winter Olympics so I am expecting a wonderful show!

Canadians like to have the opportunity to show the rest of the world what Canada really is like and you will not be disappointed to see this ceremony. There will be dancers representing Canada's indigenous people. Canadians take great pride in showing you their country which is clean, expansive and rich in natural resources including friendly people.

(On the map, Canada appears huge and it is. Keep in mind, though, that about 80% of the population live within 200 miles of the U.S. border. There are many natural resources in the north, but it takes stamina to leave the hustle bustle behind and seek the riches of the north.)

The last figure I have for Canada's population is about 33 million, which is just about 10% of the number of people in United States. So get out your atlas and take a look where the games are being held. It is on the West Coast mainland and if you follow this blog, you know I came to Texas from the Toronto area which is pretty central - north of Buffalo, New York.

Hope you enjoy the games - especially the opening ceremony tonight - and we do hope the snow melts away from East Texas because we do not have the resources or clothing to handle it!

(Photo courtesy Denise Hoeffner, editor of Charm Magazine, Lufkin, Texas.)

CORRECTION FROM TOM BROKAW ON NBC AT THE OPENING TONIGHT:

Now, the figures are 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US/Canadian Border!

Name Calling: Labeling of those different from ourselves

If you read my blogs - and really, most of my writing over the years - it is generally pretty kind, soft, gentle as it were.

Today, I feel the need to address an issue that just will not go away. If it was bad when I was a kid, it is much worse today.

What I am talking about is people labeling people who are different from themselves.

You know that when I was a kid, I was overweight - fat, I guess we should call it. So, I took some abuse there.

In Toronto in the 50s, there were some groups of ethnic people immigrating from other countries. I don't recall any name-calling of people from the Ukraine, but I do remember a general term for all people such as the Polish, who came to Canada for the fine fertile land, particularly out west. I also remember that these people were very family-oriented and hard-working.

The Italians came and many became the master builders with their trades of plaster and marble work. More hard workers!

We had a lot of Jewish people in Toronto and I think they were probably the most depressed group of people. They were "politely" banned from elite clubs and some fine housing. They, of course got back at everyone else by turning out a huge percentage of doctors and lawyers in the 50s and 60s.

After World War Two, in about 1944-45, many British came to Canada with Canadian military they had married. There used to be mean-spirited comments about them.

Many Hungarians came over during the uprising of 1957 and although they seemed to have their own strong community, I don't honestly recall them being sought out as different from a native-born Torontonian.

Also in the 50s, many people came to Toronto from the islands, particularly Jamaica which was a fellow country of the British Commonwealth. They actually integrated quite well.

I know that people saw these people as different from themselves and perhaps that is exactly why people resorted to name-calling. They do not understand someone who is a little different from themselves, so they call them names. It is a defense mechanism.

So, with that preamble, let me get to today.

Why are we - particularly in the Southern United States - still concerned with the color of a person's skin? Does each human being not have the same basic hopes and dreams for his offspring? Should we not be helping our fellowman to achieve his highest goals? Should we not give our neighbor's child a helping hand to graduate college and be the best he or she can be?

At a very basic level, one can perhaps forgive prejudices. I think prejudices arise from lack of knowledge. The point is, people do not stop to talk to the Indian from New Delhi who is operating the best bakery in town. People do not stop to admire the Hispanic's child at the supermarket. In the big city, I imagine a young white person is unlikely to offer his seat to an elderly Black person.

When my only two children were born with microcephalism, I bristled any time someone called another person "retarded". I knew that a microcephalic child's brain stops growing in the first three months of pregnancy. I had new respect for every person who had some sort of mental or physical disability.

What I cannot respect is people, elected by us and being reimbursed from our tax dollars for their endeavors with high remuneration resorting to name-calling. How is that for politically correct phrasing? Loose translation there would be people who were lucky enough to be well-funded and get elected to a job they just might not be qualified for in the everyday world.

When Sarah Palin first emerged in the lower States, a new mother with a special needs child, the way she and her family felt about that child radiated everywhere people saw the family. It was a breath of fresh air.

When Barack Obama was elected President, we thought we had broken some barriers. So, why do we still make references to his background? This is an educated, smart and witty man probably as well-qualified as any former president, so why are references to his lineage still being made?

This past week, twice there have been politicians use the work "retarded" with reference to people saying or doing something stupid. Unbelievable!

Notice that I have not even delved into the morals of any of the politicians? You betcha!

Your Family? The Best Family On The Planet!

I love Facebook! It causes all kinds of problems . . . and not just for me! People say what they think and they may not realize how many people see it. You can receive invitations to social events and causes; see who had trouble sleeping or see who is addicted to which game. I have made some friends on Facebook and I have probably lost a few admirers.

A gal who follows my blog and is a co-admirer of my friend, Dr. Carolyn Clansy Miller and who I simply know as 24-Hour-Mom, posted something that really disturbed me this morning.

Please always remember that this whole blog is about a person raised in Toronto, Canada who came to East Texas 13 years ago. There is no way that I have lost my Canadianisms - if you can accept my calling them that.

Toronto is THE most ethnically diverse city in the world - and that includes New York City. Admittedly, when I was much younger, it was quite British and in fact was still a Crown Colony of England until the 60s.

Originally, the immigrants were from other Crown Colonies, in particular England, Ireland and Scotland. When I was a kid, I know there were remarks made about those people. I think the one that sticks in my head was,

"You can always tell an Englishman . . . but not much." One assumes the perception was that they knew everything there was to know and did not respect their new home.

Prejudices have always existed. Every new group who came to America had to listen to racial slurs - in Toronto it was English, Irish, Scottish, Polish, Yugoslovian, Italian, Hungarian. Then people came in from everywhere, just as they have in the United States.

Let us not forget other groups that have been much maligned: gays and overweight people. Since I have been overweight for most of my life, now that I am not, I still find myself thinking as I used to. I forget that I am about the same size as a lot of people and smaller than many. It is just a mindset that stayed with me.

I like to write about topics that are not too controversial - unlike my old friend, Frank Hilliard, whose blog you can access from my main page. I don't know what motivates Frank to write about the stuff he does but Hubby, for one, reads him every day.

I guess the blogger - albeit a great Columnist for low many years - that I admire the most is Leon Hale. Mr. Hale never writes about anything offensive. He talks about simple things and remembrances from his childhood. He is a gentle person who writes gentle stuff and GETS READ!

I hate to write about anything offensive. I guess that is because just turning on the news brings me lots of hate. That's it: I hate hate. Simple?

When I came to East Texas, I found that I was pretty much odd person (ah, yes . . . always try to be politically correct) out. Gee, I befriended Black people whenever I had the opportunity. And, truly, I never really cottoned on (ah, yes, my Dad's old saying and pardon me if you think I meant it as any type of reference or pun) to names like African-American.

So, this morning, 24-Hour Mom asks a general question on Facebook. Basically, she is asking about "blue collar parents" and if they can expect good things for their children.

Unfortunately, I read this before my second cup of coffee and it hit me hard. Then, I started to wonder if she meant this reference to be only a reference to black people?

Hubby came from what I would call a humble family - working class - or blue collar if you must. He was the first in his family to graduate college.

How did he do that? Well, first of all he was smart. Now, mind you when I see how hard it is for us now that we are retired to live on our portfolio, I think about what J.Dee used to tell his son, my Hubby:

"Son, you should think seriously about being a Greyhound bus driver!" (I guess that would have been considered a "blue collar" job.)

I think about that because it makes so much sense. J.Dee had it pretty much down to a science. You see, a Greyhound bus driver had a uniform to wear every day and got to travel a lot. And the best of it? The Greyhound bus driver got a tidy pension and probably a nice gold watch when he retired. I'll bet he got nice medical and maybe even dental insurance as well. And he probably got a reduced rate on bus tickets for the rest of his life!

So, J.Dee, a mechanic for Marathon Oil Company, probably knew what would have been good for his son!

But, no, Hubby held down three jobs while he was in high school in Robinson, Illinois (pop. then 3,600 - 3,800). He thought about being a doctor but then - almost following in his Dad's footsteps - went into Mechanical Engineering.

Hubby had enough money for one semester and if he had not got a scholarship from R.O.T.C., he would not have been able to attend Rose Poly now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He worked at the Alpha Tau Omega Frat House as well.

His Dad sometimes had a car to be driven from Indianapolis to Robinson on the weekend and his mother did his laundry. (Hubby would put his laundry on the bus going to Robinson. His mother would wash it and send it back the same way. ) Simpler times perhaps?

Hubby graduated at age 19, and that was only because he broke his arm playing football . . . He was smart and knew how to listen and study.

So, the statement apparently is that 90% of children of blue collar workers will not be able to succeed in this world.

How can that be? Doesn't every parent want the very best for his child. Wouldn't every parent sacrifice and help his child to do his very best? Don't I see funding, scholarships and loans for young people to go to college? Didn't we create Community Colleges so people could ease their way into University life at a lower cost, funded in part by the taxpayers?

Also, I was kind of wondering where exactly the so-called "blue collar" jobs are now? There used to be some at General Motors - remember? (Don't get me going on the greed that spoiled that!)

Parents spending time with their children is probably the most important factor I personally can think about helping children be successful.

Yes, a lot of parents work but they do come back home at night.

When our black neighbor, Otis, died, at his funeral, his son got up and told everyone about his father working at the factory; coming home and spending time with his three children; and then going back into the backyard to fix small engines and work on peoples' lawnmowers and small engines. His Dad meant everything to Bruce and his siblings. Otis was the one who had to sit at the back of the bus - even though he was wearing his military uniform - when he came back from war. He knew the odds were not in his favor but Otis did not let that stop him from raising three wonderful children and living to see some amazing grandchildren!

Sitting down to dinner every evening with your children: that might be number one.

Number two might be welcoming your children's friends into your home. (If they are at your house, you know where they are, don't you. Just bake a batch of cookies and see how quickly you can fill your kitchen with teenagers!)

Next would be asking your children what they did today and if there were any problems. Let you be the first to know if someone bullied them or offered them something you feel is wrong. Ask them what they learned and if there is homework?

I don't care where you work - or perhaps you do not even have a job right now - you care about your children more than life itself. Show them that! Respect them and let them know you respect them. Makes rules and curfews. Show total interest in your children and their friends. Let your house be the gathering place for them.

Every generation and every nationality has had their problems. Do not fall into any stereotypical pattern. Demand the best your children can give and you will be amazed at what they can do.

No matter what your station in life - no matter what your job or your income - your most important job is raising your children to be the very best each one of them can be. Support them, love them, go with them to church, temple or synagogue.

I cannot imagine any thinking person saying that children of so-called blue collar workers do not have a chance in life.

What I can imagine and hope for is parents being totally involved in their children with love, respect and time.

Go ahead, leave a comment. Tell me what you think. Blessings for a fine day with your family today.

Topical But Not Tropical Texas Weather

In this picture, you can see that the snow stayed on the lawns and roofs but the walkways, driveways and roads were just wet. (This was taken in our neighborhood a couple of years ago.)

For the past few weeks, the temperature has been cold here in East Texas, a place where you usually do not see too many coats; a place where some people do not even own a coat. This is an area where in summer, the temperature stays above 100 degrees F. for several days.

So, our meteorologists are in their glory. Yup - we are a training ground for weathermen! You can come here when you graduate and you will experience just about every kind of weather. We watch for the "fire" in their eyes as they tell you about the newest record that could be broken!

Two days before Christmas - on the 23rd at about 10:00 p.m. a tornado came through our subdivision, after first taking out the V.F.W. building to the north of us. Now, we see blue plastic on roofs awaiting repair throughout our area. Many trees are down and some still awaiting removal. (Some of the same homes hit by Hurricane Ike have been damaged again.)

Back in Toronto, we used to covet the south and for many of us, a special treat was a trip south for at least a brief respite. But we did not have hurricanes and tornadoes. What we had was deep snow that had to be shovelled and residual ice on walkways, sidewalks and roads that made it easy for people to fall or cars to spin out of control.

When I was a kid in Toronto, we put snow tires on our cars every winter. They had a different kind of tread. Before snow tires, we put chains on our tires. Eventually, chains were outlawed in Ontario because they caused damage to the road surface. Now tires are manufactured to be used in all conditions and people just use one set of tires all year round.

The problem here in East Texas is that the climate is generally tropical and people are not experienced in handling vehicles on icy roads.

So, we have cold temperatures and possible icy conditions forecast for the next few days. What happens . . . well, smart people stay home because it is going to be dangerous driving!

Almost every year, we have run the air-conditioning the week before Christmas, but not so this year and the cold has been with us for several weeks now. Many people have colds and sinus infections and those of us who own them have been wearing coats most days.

So, you folks up north, do feel for us and say a prayer because our homes are not built for cold weather and our utilities will have trouble keeping up. The doors and windows do not always fit snugly and windows are not triple-glazed.

Are you expecting a comment about global warming about now? Well, how can one resist?

That gentleman - and I will certainly give him that (always seems very polite) - the one who may have invented the Internet? - well, I was just kind of wondering what his heating bill was going to be this winter for that house just out of Nashville? I sure hope it isn't an inconvenient truth that I mention this, but it seems appropriate.

To Resolve or Not To Resolve!

Thinking about resolutions? Well, I am not, really!

I am thinking about taking the good stuff and keeping it and making it better. Good things I did last year . . . going to try to do them more!

I don't think I really personally know too many people for whom 2009 was a good year financially. So, being more frugal has become a way of life for more of us than before.

Now, you can be frugal with money but still do good things. Smiles are still free (except for the dental part, of course!) Helping someone do something that is hard for them . . . well, that requires a little time, a little skill. Thanking someone is still free. Paying someone a compliment is still free. Praying for someone is still free. Most of the caring things are still free. You get what I mean.

One thing that keeps me a little more attentive to how much I spend is paying cash, or even writing a check. In fact, I have a petulant for paying with exact change. Because it is a hobby, I amuse my friend Sue at Scrapbooks & Memories with my exact change habits. Thank goodness I don't have a credit card bill coming in for that!

Every year since I have been an adult, losing weight has always been on my list of resolutions. I always had gained weight over the holiday celebrations. This year, I did not and I am very happy to be on track for that! So, I can just keep on doing what has become routine for me. When I exercise and eat properly, except for catching colds, I usually feel energetic and well. (I have to tell you, that every ten pounds is one size, so there is a little spending there.)

When I have clothes that are no longer suitable, I carefully fold them and take them to Goodwill so someone else can get a bargain on something new to wear.

I think routine is very good. Hubby and I are very much into routine and having to do something at a certain time of day probably helps us a lot. Staying in touch is something else we do - knowing what is happening and keeping up with friends is very good for us.

Many of you know that I eat and exercise using Richard Simmons' DVDs and food guidelines. Every Monday evening, I go to Richard's meeting. Yes - he is really there and yes, he knows most of us by name or pseudonym. He has us doing homework and that results in some really excellent meetings! For a person of his celebrity, Richard is amazingly accessible. He prays for us and he answers email - quickly, I might add.

Part of the reason I did well in 2009 was the resolutions I made at the beginning and am keeping with. The two important ones are "Stay Positive" and "Ignore Stupid Remarks by Others - not necessarily weight-related". You might want to adopt those two yourself!

Of course, the other two resolutions were to exercise and to plan meals in advance.

No matter whether you have made resolutions or not, I hope 2010 is a good one for you - prosperous and happy!

http://richardsimmons.com - Clubhouse, Meetings, Recipes, tools to help.

http://qvc.com - Richard Simmons DVDs