What Goes Around Comes Around

Today I was sitting in my rocker/recliner reading a newspaper and I dozed off. I heard this voice saying "Grandma, wake up -- Grandma Wake up! Look at this." I did not wake up -- I dreamt that Mother was here and Jonathan was trying to wake her up. I opened my eyes to help him out, and swoosh it is 20 years later and it is Alex calling to me.

Presidents Day Project

I know President's Day is usually comemorated by big retail sales and a three day shopping weekend. And I am participating a little. I bought paint and repainted a bedroom. I say repainted because I have painted this room way too many times this past year. I'm sure the neighbors behind us have seen me painting as I usually have to be doing this at night with the curtains down and the lights on. I suppose they are beginning to wonder if I paint this room instead of clean it. I'm beginning to wonder this myself. But the thing is -- I can't seem to get it right. I bring paint home, put it on, it is fine for a minute, then when the light changes -- ick. Well this time I chose a light gray. What could go wrong. I'll let ya know.

And Happy President's Day -- Do some shopping and some projects -- that's what this day is for. I think.

Observation of New Empty Nesting

I am getting by in this cold weather pretty good. Bob is giving me a ride to work and picking me up, so I don't have to go out in a cold dark parking lot and warm up my car each night. While I am working, he is out taking photos with my new camera. You've seen some of them. This is all fine. He even had flowers for Valentines Day, and tonight a takeout fish dinner from one of the churches nearby was ready for me when I got home.

But I have noticed a problem of sorts lately. Sometimes I will hear him saying something from another room in the house. I will call out, "what was that?" or something similar, and he will say, "I'm talking to Maggie. Or the cat." Now shouldn't he be using a pet voice when talking to the dog, and not the same voice he uses when talking to me? I think so. He has a father voice, and a grandpa voice, and a colleague voice, I can guess when he answers the phone to whom he may be talking to. How can his voice for me and the pets be the same?

Aren't you glad you're not a rodent?

Click on this to make it larger and see those eyes.

Economy 101 by Shirley

Years ago I heard there were economists saying that if all the money was gathered up and redistributed evenly to everyone in the country, in "X" number of years, it would all be back to the current status quo.

I am not so sure about that, but look at this "stimulus" package before Congress now.
The idea is to get some money into the hands of people who will spend it and that will get the economy moving again. And when the economy is doing good -- well who is really doing good? You get the pix.

Here's an example of what business wants you do do with your little windfall. Use it to put a down payment on a big ticket item -- like a $1200 big TV -- and put the rest on a credit account. Because not only does the business get the TV sale, it gets to charge big time finance charges.

Here's what business does not want you to do -- pay on your debt. Know why?
Those finance charges -- interest on credit cards without fixed rates, are what is paying for those subprime loans that are out there failing now. Those mortgages given out to people that could not afford them, have gone into foreclosure, which has the property values dropping, and of course affecting all the economy. I have heard there are some credit card rates going up to near 30%. Anyone carrying a balance on cards at that rate is paying for the property losses of others.

So save your stimulus check or pay down debt. It puts you ahead.

Reading by Listening

I have a job where I can listen to a radio or whatever while working. I can still multitask enough to do this. I listen to quite a few books on tape. All of us in our department are quite well read. Well listened I guess you could say.

I happened to note something a few weeks ago. I was listening to Wally Lamb's book, I Know This Much Is True, and the protaganist is quite angry through most of the book. I really liked the book by the way. But the people I work with seemed to think I was rather crabby that week.

The next book I listened to was Jane Eyre, and I think I walked around like a rather smug, tight, Englishwoman that week.

Last week was an old book called The Shell Seekers, and it was being read by Lynn Redgrave, so I was pretty smug then, too.

This week I have Garrison Keillor's latest, Pontoon. Now this should be interesting.

Cold enough for you?

New Project

I have a new focus. I am going to clear out my stuff.

For those of you who have been to our house and know me, you understand that this is no ordinary statement. I am a collector of things.

Now I have decided it is time to lighten up on everything. I will sell it all and then go become a missionary. No that's not so. But this is a new direction for me. I am spending too much time getting things and looking at things, and storing things, and protecting THINGS. What a waste. And it's not too fun anymore.
So last week we rented space at the antique mall and now we are stocking it with our stuff. We will go check on it tomorrow to see if we sold anything this week, and take more stuff to it.

Now -- here's a potential problem -- will I come home with any new stuff from the mall? Maybe I can reward myself with a favorite cinnamon roll if I can come home empty handed. No wait -- that won't work -- I have to report my weight each week, too. I will have to hope for strength. Wish me luck.

Ground Hog Day

I remember learning about Ground Hog Day as a child. Grandma and Grandpa G. were staying with us and there was much talk about it the few days before. I have no idea why this was of such interest that year. I must have been 7 or 8 and the end of winter is pretty important at that age. Kids like to be outdoors. So the rodent must have seen his shadow because the talk was about 6 more weeks of winter. I'm sure that was a downer. I remember taking the calendar and searching it and counting the weeks. When I announced to the folks and grandparents that there was just 6 weeks of winter left anyway everyone laughed. I didn't see this as funny, but I guess it was to the adults. Dad said, "yup that's right, it's just another 6 weeks."