On Turning 70

A British friend and I were talking about how we are doing as we approach 70.

 My 70th year will occur in late fall.  Until then, I am making some changes.  Back to my short hair cut.  The fling of a longer bob was fun, but this is easier.

I want to get out more to see friends so that means more evening gatherings.  Enjoying one's own good company can be overdone.  I have taken it to the 9s this past year.  

All in all, I think I am doing ok.  Haven't found my life's passion, which is a bit of a disappointment, and may be a problem,  but I guess, that all comes in good order.  Or doesn't.  

I think kindness and compassion are so important and I hope I am doing well on that.  I could do to give less opinions, but they only really matter to me in the long run.  We all have to find our way.  

I try to do that better with my children, but my scorecard with one of them is no better than a "C." It is my intention to raise that this year. I wonder if they will notice.

Finally, this may be the largest area of growth.  It took me until recently to realize I prefer living on my own, that is no roommate, no marriage. A boyfriend would be nice but I don't see it happening in this remote area.

Yesterday, I had a psychic reading. The psychic correctly identified all the members of my family by name.  Mentioned a friend to be wary of.  I think I suspected that one some.  She told me I need to live by the ocean.  She suggested the Florida area.  Not sure I would to live there as summers are unbearable.  I like being familiar, if only when I am in town or in the grocery store.  

The psychic told me some wonderful news. I will share that later in the year.  

When I stopped by a cafe to pick up my lunch order, a friend was sitting at the bar.  It was delightful to lunch with her for a bit.  I would lose things like that if I relocate. And, then, there is the huge distance from my children.  I want to summer in Maine and that would be nearly a 30 hour road trip.  

Lots to ponder in my 70th year.  Lots to live.  

Scrappy

ONE

     The phone rang.  It was my brother.  Just as he was about to talk, I already knew.  Mom was dead.

She came to me in a dream about 4 a.m.  She wasn’t very happy then, nor was she much of her life.

     “I am going now.  You will be okay.”

That was it.  That was consummate Mom.  One liners. Never an explanation.  Words spitted out.

I knew better than to ask from more.

     I had three mothers.  The mother before her divorce, the mother after her divorce and the mother after her accident.

My earliest memory was of wanting to be tethered to be big red balloon.  Balloons can go anywhere and I wanted to get as far away from here as I could.  

I didn’t want to be home.  No one was ever there.

For years I wished I had a warm and loving mother.  My earliest memories of her was that she was always absent.  Of course, it wasn’t just her body that was gone, she wasn’t there even when her body was present. 

She was always reading. Anything Agatha Christie.  George Bernard Shaw.  The Pink Panther. There were academic books, too. She even read when she cooked.

That is how we knew when dinner was ready.  My brother and I could see the smoke coming from around the corner.

“Dinner’s ready” she would say.

Maybe that is why I was always such a skinny kid.  Food was never appetizing in our home.  It was plain, English food.  No seasonings.  

Her cooking didn’t seem to embarrass her.  But she made a scrumptious pineapple upside down cake.  It was the only dessert she made except for birthday cakes.  My favorite birthday cake was angel food cake.  She iced it with chocolate and it just melted in my mouth.

A Grand Day

Today is a grand day.  My youngest granddaughter's birthday.  She is two now.

Today, her dad took off work so that the family could go sledding.  This is a family who knows how to have fun.  Mainers dress for the weather.  In any home, you will find a mud room.  There are always lots of hooks on the wall for coats, up to fifteen at times.  Often each family member will have  three or four coats hanging on the hook.  Changing weather and all.

Then there is the boot rack.  We changed ours out recently and I added a bookshelf.  Keep in mind this is a family of three.  Each shelf has slippers, shoes of every sort and one, two or three pairs of boots, weather dependent.

There is always a bathroom in the mud room.  Running in and out of the weather.  The mudroom is just next to the garage and often next to the family room.  In most Maine homes, shoe removal is a must.  So if you visit, be sure to bring your slippers.  It really saves on the wear and tear of the floors.

In my family's home, the wood floors are beautiful.  Solid wood floors.  Not manufactured.  I am told manufactured last longer.  I do not know.  I have manufactured and I much prefer those floors to mine.  So much richer  in grain.

Most Mainer homes also have an outdoor shower.  Since southern Maine families are frequently on the water, it keeps the sand from both the winter salt/sand and summer sand out of the house.

If you visit friends or family in Maine, be sure to bundle up.  Most homes are kept about 65 during the day.  Fuel is very expensive. Most of it is oil.  The bathroom in the mudroom may be in the low 50s so prepare yourself.  It is mighty cold!

A brief conversation with my youngest granddaughter this morning was fun. She was stirring her oatmeal and so proud of herself.  She is eager to participate in just about everything.  And her favorite word right now is, "MINE."

It is always lovely coming home.  I was in Maine for just about a week.  The temperature today is colder than Maine.  I just de-iced my driveway for the third time.  A tiny path to get me out and about hopefully in the early afternoon.

Have a grand day.  I sure will!

Entitlement And Excuses

This is hardly the post I thought I might write today.  I was hoping it would be lots of photos of snow and maybe a snowperson or two.

I am not feeling well.  Horrible cough, sore throat, aches head to toe and terrible sinus congestion.  It started a week or so ago.  Lots of meds, so much so I have to keep a list when I take them.  Then my nitwit neighbor above.

Now the nitwit has written several Fb comments.  What ever became of respecting your elders.  My children would never do that.  People say it is a millenial thing.  If you think it, you say it.  I have observed that to a certain extent.  But we must be careful not to paint everyone with the same brush.

However, there are generational tendencies. Some feel entitled.  One neighbor responded, "Believe it or not, there aren't that many options in this county at "affordable" prices. I'm thankful that those medical and D.O.T. staff are there if I need them.


I am so at a loss to understand why I need to care about these people's housing when they don't give a hoot about anyone else.  If you can't find what you like, move.

I worked in health care and was required to be at work under any circumstance.  So you live near your job, on flat ground.  Not a problem.

If you are a medical person, or work in a job that requires you be at work, choose another place to live.  It is not my problem.  It is yours.  Time to act like an adult.

Enough of these lame excuses.

Entitlement?

Just a little while ago, a neighbor above backed her car into my driveway. She told me she ran into the ditch.  My ditch.  We have two inches of snow on the ground.  The road she will traverse has an 8 degree grade.  Tell me why this so called labor and delivery nurse would live at 3,000 feet elevation when she has a critical care job.

Tell me why she would risk damaging herself, my property and the community property sliding in the snow.

This same person has nearly hit me twice on the road as she speed along the road.  Her husband had a very loud turbo truck that annoyed everyone.  Apparently, neighbors suggested he quiet it down as he violates our noise regulations.

A bit ago I put this incident on Fb.  This woman, whom I have never known before made a comment to my comment.  She denied running into my ditch.  I can still see the snow tracks proving it.  Then she planned to leave her suv on my property, thereby blocking my ability to get out in the snow.

Some of my neighbors think they are entitled to turn around in my driveway,  They are not.  They have damaged my road, damaged my retaining wall, damaged my landscaping and hardscaping doing this.

It is probably time to put up a sign reading PRIVATE DRIVEWAY, NO TRESPASSING, RESIDENT AND GUESTS ONLY.

Plus, they ruined my beautiful snow photo.  I was heading out to film the newly fallen snow it when I saw the car in my driveway.

Entitled?  This IS private property.

American Airlines Flight 1990

Shame on you!  This morning, we sat in the plane for THREE HOURs.  No water or food were offered to us.  The flight attendants seemed more bothered than helpful.  We were told multiple excuses for the delay.  It appears to be something about the airline did not have fuel for this flight.

Listen here.  If you want to be in business, you need to treat your passengers with respect.  Start on time.  Have a comfortable seat and leg room.  Large bathrooms to accommodate disabled people.  Courteous and interested flight attendants.  Decent snacks.

There is no reason for my luggage to be continually damaged.

And do not tell me to go online to file a complaint.  I just did!

TIME'S UP!

TIME'S UP!

It wasn't just a label pin.  The people have spoken.  The time for sexual harassment, rape, mistreatment of women is up.

I am hopeful Hollywood can.  will.  Keep up the momentum.  All too often these bandwagon trips end before they fully start.  They take commitment, the ability to stand up, integrity.

I can not tell you how impressed I was with the crew of Three Billboards.  Over the years, I have had the opportunity to be near the set of many Hollywood productions.  There was something unique about this group.  They were among us.  No hierarchy. Lots of talent.  Good manners.  Class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGFbXJkaoBA


It goes without saying I loved The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  I loved the the first film, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  They were complete films.  Had all the elements.  Compassion.  Rage.  Misunderstanding.  Wanting to just be accepted.  Martin McDonagh does that in spades.  So does producer, Graham Broadbent.

Many of my readers know I had a UFO encounter in 2012.  I sitting next to Graham for nearly an hour during the filming.  He wanted to know a lot about our town.  I told him about my UFO encounter.  He was all ears.  Asked lots of questions.  I gave him my contact information.  One never knows where this will go.  He said it was a compelling story, one that needs to be told.

Enter December, 2017 New York Times UFO disclosure.  Well, it was more of a shell game.  Crumbs for the poor peasants.  But at least, if nothing else, the story got out.  Our story.  The story of the universe.  A story just beginning.

Numerous speakers in the UFO community are doing the radio talk show circuit again.  Telling their version of the story.  Some who I admired believe Trump is actually trying to open things up.  I must tell you that when I heard that, my respect for these speakers went down the tube.  Wishful thinking? I hope everyone can evolve.  Get to a higher frequency.  Even a pathological liar, narcissist.  I truly do.  But over nearly seventy years, I have learned to follow one's behavior.  If we listen, people do show us who they are.  Where they are.

TIME'S UP!

Think Before You Meme

Think before you meme.

Be Careful!

Be careful who you trust.

For too long, perhaps my entire lifetime, perhaps even since mankind had surplus, those in power do whatever they can to take it away from those without it.

Listen to alternative news first.  You know the media is bought.  There are fewer owners now who own most of the networks to ensure their place in the power structure.  Make your own decisions.

The main street media (MSM) will do anything to control your thought process.  Think about all the controls in our society.  Think about who doesn't pay taxes, who has rights differing from you.  You already know that there is a deep state.  That corporations, government and media work together.  It doesn't matter who controls who at this point.  It does matter that their ultimate victim is you. Be careful!  Or, the MSM will continue to sell you lies, fake news, and keep you in a continual state of fear.  Vulnerable people are gullible.  Just look around.

Just a quick survey on Fb will tell you that.  They admitted to a Congressional committee that they have no clue who tampers with their site.  That their site is vulnerable.  Do they care?

Moreover, look at what THEY have achieved.  The hatred among the political parties is palpable.  People refuse to see that they are following someone else's agenda.  The Dems have dumbed down worse than expected.  The same is true of the Republicans, and RINOs (Republicans in Name Only).

One of the best radio talk shows I have heard is this one.  It runs just under two hours put contains all the elements.

"Dan Willis, with Senior Director of Content Production at gaia.com, JAY WEIDNER, and world-renowned #UFO researcher/award-winning video producer, JIM NICHOLS. 
Jill, Dan, Jay & Jim explore #Hollywood's established roll in curating global perception through#media and #film, the implication of a recent clustering of dramatic movements in the field of #Ufology, hidden histories entangling the US, #Germany, & #Russia, and MORE!"

http://kgraradioarchives.com/shows/qpsience-project/?loc=2017#archive

Click on December 29, 2017.  Then wait for the download.  I am curious what your comments are.