Saturday, July 31, 2010

Modern Frustrations

Those people in the pioneer days may have had it rough, but they should come back to this electronic world we live in now. Sometimes it’s enough to drive you nuts. Something starts beeping and you have to begin a search to find where it’s coming from. Was it the microwave, or one of the phones, or maybe the battery in the smoke alarm died.

Or you decide to watch a movie that you have on DVD. I don’t watch many movies, so I forget how to get the TV in sync with the Video player (or whatever they call it). There is remote for each one, but what button do you press on the TV remote. Now I have to search the house high and low to find the remote for the DVD player. I finally find it, but it seems to be deader than a doornail, so I put new batteries in it and it is still deader than a doornail. I finally ask Kenny to come over and guide me through the procedure again, as I want to watch another movie.

He comes over the next day and decided the remote I am using is not the correct one. I still have not found the correct one. He showed me how to turn it all on manually. I had already tried  that alternative and couldn't get it to work.
Do you think that was a simple solution? Not at all, I was out of any mood to watch a movie so it was a day or so before I decided to watch that DVD movie. By then I had totally forgotten which button to press on the TV and after trying for half an hour or so I decided to watch it on my laptop. I know how to do that, but I like to use the earphones when I watch a movie on the laptop. I put the earphones on and as the movie was starting I could not get any sound to come through the earphones. After several minutes of more frustrations, I decide that must be the earphones for a special radio I have. For whatever reason they would not work on the laptop.

I have another set of earphones so I begin and all out search for those. They were finally found in a bottom dresser drawer. I plugged it into the laptop and a miracle happened. They worked and I watched, I’ll Walk the Line with Johnny Cash. No, I don’t mean Johnny Cash was here. I mean the movie was about him. And I have a remote control that belongs to something, but who knows what.


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

My Long Sad Tale



I have a sad tale to tell. When I was a small child my parents decided the grass would be much greener in Colorado, than it was in Oklahoma. We were living on our granddaddy’s farm when the Great Depression began. I think it was blamed on the president. That’s why we elect a president, so if something goes wrong we’ll have somebody to blame it on.


My parents sold most of our belongings and loaded up the car with the five kids and headed for Colorado. When we got to Colorado, there was not an abundance of jobs. My Dad found some lettuce picking jobs and worked as a farm hand on a couple different ranches. A ranch was called a farm in Oklahoma. I don’t know why, unless they have more cows on a ranch. Anyway it became quite a challenge to find a job to support this family.

We set up a tent and lived on the Rio Grand River bank for one entire summer. My memories of that event are very pleasant. It was fun camping out all summer, but one day our Dad had a brilliant idea, at least he thought so. He decided we needed to move into a house and get the kids enrolled in school. We moved into a huge white two-story house, two bedrooms up and two down. Winter set in and we didn’t get warmed up again until the spring thaw. That was the coldest winter I have ever experienced. The entire family slept in one of the downstairs bedrooms.

Everybody in the family got sick. All of us kids came down with mumps and whooping cough. Dad could not find any work. We finally had to ask for public assistance. In that era you didn’t get food stamps or cash. The welfare folks would deliver a box of groceries to your home, and it didn’t seem to happen very often.

Clothes were made for welfare families. When you saw a boy with maroon-colored corduroy pants and jacket, you knew the family was on welfare. Being on Welfare in that day was a horrible disgrace. Nobody would ask for help unless they were desperate. Girls wore the same maroon colored outfit, only with a skirt instead of pants. I also had two print dresses, which was another trademark that you were needy and begging for help. This is the clothing the kids had to wear to school. We had no gloves, boots or anything to help keep us warm.

Even the stray animals were looking for warm shelter. A beautiful big fluffy white cat came to our door repeatedly begging for a hand out or a place to get warm. Mom felt sorry for the cat so she finally let in live in our house. I don’t think it got too much to eat, but at least it didn’t freeze to death. I don’t think we ever gave the cat a name, we just called it The Cat. The Cat was somewhat feral and you couldn’t pet it, but my baby sister (age 22 months) managed to get close enough to grab the Cat. The Cat retaliated by clawing her face. Eulabell received a long deep claw gash across her face. It became infected and swollen and about the same time she came down with whooping cough and pneumonia.

I remember the following scene with vivid detail because I think it’s etched in my memory forever. She was lying on the kitchen table in her blankets and her stomach was swollen so big it looked as though it would burst open. All of us kids and Mom were just standing around the table looking at her. Dad had gone to get Grandma, who lived, in the same town. She would stay with us kids while they took Eulabell to the hospital, which was a special facility for the needy. They left with Eulabell and we went to bed. Much later that night, I was awaken when I heard Dad telling Grandma, that they lost her. I pretended I was asleep and didn’t say anything. The next morning it was explained to us kids that Eulabell had passed away.

I was eight years old. I watched my Mom and Dad cry and saw the big tears coming out of their eyes. I didn’t get over it, ever. To this day, I cannot tell anybody about Eulabell without tears coming to the surface. Grief counseling was unheard of, and especially for kids. It was a natural assumption that kids would soon forget about it.

The picture of the doll that I have included sort of represents my baby sister in a way.
Anyway it does to me. One week after my sister died was Christmas day. My Mom’s family lived in the area, and that is partly why we chose to move to Colorado in the first place. This Christmas the relatives came to our house to celebrate Christmas. I am sure they brought all the food. My cousin, who is my age, received a Shirley Temple doll. I had seen a Shirley Temple movie and was enamored with her and I envied my cousin so much because she got a doll and I didn’t. Her mother said, “Yuba, let Lorrene play with your doll. “ Yuba said, “No, it’s my doll.” Aunt Murl said, “ If you don’t want me to blister your butt, you better give her that doll, now. “ So she finally handed me the doll, and I said, “No, I don’t want your crazy old doll, I want my own doll”.

Many long years later I decided to buy myself a Shirley Temple doll. It is not the doll of that day, but sort of makes me think of Eulabell.



Saturday, July 24, 2010

Trivial Drivel

Miracle of miracles. My drug from Medco,  that I thought would not get here for at least 5 days, arrived by the US postal service in 2 days. From Nevada to my door in Washington in two days. I don't think I can even get a letter from Moxee in 2 days. It had no special rush put on it. It just happened to be the way the cookie crumbled. (Moxee is just a couple miles down the road)
So my pill will only be one day late. I guess this particular drug needs to be taken on a very regular basis, same day each week. It has to be taken the first thing in the morning, 30 minutes before food or beverage. If you happen to miss one, the world won't come to an end or anything. I just like to follow the rules. I am 81 years old and have never spent one day in jail. Isn't that remarkable? It's the only thing I've accomplished in my life. Maybe they'll put it on my tombstone.


Friday, July 23, 2010

Next to Nothing


This one is loaded with small tomatoes
Next year I'll use a bigger pot

This is all the news I have. Still waiting for the tomatoes to get ripe. My air conditioner in running non-stop. So I would say that Summer is officially here. How about your neck of the woods? Isn't this the most exciting post you ever read. Our town just had another huge drug bust. It's one or the other. Somebody gets shot or there is a drug bust. Or another city official gets fired. Never a dull moment.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Another Day Older and Another Rant

 This is a follow up on the rant about my doctor’s office. This is not my primary doctor. It’s my bone doctor and I visit him once a year. He requested a bone density test this year, which was done, but I still have not found out the results. I call their office and the robot that answers the phone said she would transfer me to the voice mail of the nurse. I leave my message and she never returns the call. I wait a few more days and call again. The robot tells me she is transferring my call to the voice mail again. I became extremely rude, and said a few things I regret. I guess the test was okay. I am not going to let myself get in a rage over it so I decided to drop it. I recently signed up to get my meds through a place called Medco. They sent request for 90 day prescriptions to my doctors. The first round of medicine would be sent automatically to my home. The first medicine arrived and it was great not having to drive to the pharmacy. One of the medicines is a tablet that I take once a week. I had taken the last tablet and had not received the new ones yet so I called Medco to see if they had mailed it yet. No, because the doctor had not returned their request for an updated prescription order. It just happens to be the same doctor that refuses to return my calls. I took a deep breath and dialed their number once again, and while I am attempting to explain about Medco not receiving an updated prescription order, I was transferred in mid sentence to the voice mail. I left my message and added, “Please return this call, it is very important”.


The nurse returned the call and now my pills are going to be a week late and I will miss my weekly pill, but I guess I won’t die. I know most places have very polite and well trained help. I still don’t know the results of the bone test. I’m glad I only need to go there once a year.


Monday, July 19, 2010

Nuttin Much


I was at Wal-Mart today, minding my own business, when a lady looked straight at me and asked, “Do you know where the canning jars are?” The word ‘Canning Jar’ is a synonym for ‘work’ in my book. I remember those canning days, as though it just happened. First you have to go pick all those things you are going to put in the canning jar. I mean you have to put on your sunbonnet and go to the garden. Bend over in the hot sun for half a day picking the tomatoes, green beans or whatever is in your garden. This is bringing back too many nightmares, I just can’t go on. I love grocery stores and all those rows and rows of canned goods.

It turns out, the lady wasn’t speaking to me at all. There was a store clerk standing behind me.

Monday, July 12, 2010

McDonald Rant

There is not enough stupidity in this world already. We have a nutritional watchdog group that just can’t take “no” for an answer. Today CNN announced they are again putting together a lawsuit to go after McDonalds for giving away toys with their happy meals because it causes the kids to eat too much fat and may cause obesity. A judge turned it down once. He stated McDonalds isn’t responsible for obesity. Now they are going forward with another suit.
If this goes to trial and the watchdog group wins, how long will it be before we have Grease Police knocking on your door to see what you are feeding your kids. It’s totally ridiculous. Parents don’t take the kids to McDonalds for every meal. Sometimes they take them to Burger King or they eat at home. Or they might eat at Grandma’s. Who knows what Grandma might feed them, maybe a few homemade greasy donuts. Not only that, why are kids more important than adults? Adults eat too much fat and nobody says anything about it, at least to your face. The doctor might harp on it a little bit, but you can just tell him to walk a mile in your shoes. He’ll get hungry too.

 I think it’s really about the toys. Those McDonald people buy more toys than anybody does and it’s beginning to infringe on Santa Clauses domain. Santa Claus is probably behind the whole thing. That’s my thoughts on the subject.


Saturday, July 10, 2010

That Special One

I am Leah, and Great Grandma thinks I am special !
Oop's I put my foot in my mouth again !
That's all folks !!!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Have a Nice Day

The heat has been turned up. It’s hotter than a pistol packin mama. Yesterday at this time my indoor-outdoor thermometer read 104 degrees. Today it reads 106 degrees. That is the temperature on my concrete patio, which has the direct sun shinning on it.


My tomato plants are in pots sitting on the concrete. I have about 10 or 12 baby tomatoes on the first plant. I think I may be having fried green tomatoes if this heat keeps up. I just went out and sprayed the concrete for several minutes with water. It brought the thermometer down one degree. I’m such a genius. I know the plants appreciated it. The shade is moving onto the patio now, so they will get a break from the heat.

I went out to buy groceries and do a couple errands. When I finished my errands it was lunchtime so I went thru the drive-thru window at Taco time. Why do they call it a drive-thru window, nobody drives through it, at least not on purpose. I ordered myself one of those Cat Butt Burrito’s. I really didn’t know they were supposed to be called that until I told Chris what I had for lunch. She said her daughter says they look like a cat’s butt. I guess they sort of do, if you look at the end of it. I’m sure that is something you could live without knowing about, but if I have to think about it every time I eat one in the future, you may as well think about it too. That got me off the track, I was going to tell you that I ordered the thing, and didn’t order a drink because I was coming home to eat it. The girl in the window asked me if I would like a cup of ice water. I thought that was very thoughtful of her to offer me a cup of ice water. That was really nice of her and she gave me a senior discount too. I shall return very soon. She helped me have a nice day that everybody wishes for you to have.






Friday, July 2, 2010

Please Be Seated




I have not blogged about a doctor’s office for a long time, but I had a blog experience that I need to share. I had a certain medical test taken one month ago and have not heard one peep about it. Since I do not have an appointment to see that doctor for a year I decided to call and find out how the test turned out. Between me and the Insurance company the test will be paid for, and I think I have a right to know what the results were. So I called this nice person at the doctor’s office and she seemed so eager to help me. She was getting all my vital information as to when I was born. I really do not know why that is so important, but they always want to know. Anyway, she was looking and reading something on the computer sort of under her breath, and finally she said, “I will transfer you to the nurse”. The next thing I hear is a phone ringing in my ear and finally a recording came on and said, “ I am away from my desk, “I will call you back, please leave your name, phone number and the date of your birth, I will return your call promptly.


Just what I wanted to do, sit by the phone all day and wait for a phone call. I have things to do, but if I don’t hang around I will just have to go through the same thing on another day.

I felt as though I had been wadded up and thrown into the waste paper basket.

They have not called back and it has been hours.