Merry Christmas

I'm a little slow and unorganized this Christmas season.  My excuse?  There really is no good excuse except that I took a short trip to the Christmas Markets in Germany earlier this month (more about that in the new year).  I put off most of my decorating until I returned so I was about a week and a half behind.

I tried to fit decorating the trees, baking cookies and writing cards into 2 1/2 weeks.  It didn't work.  I only managed to bake two batches of cookies.  I plan to do more later this week.  Instead of my usual four trees, I only did three trees.  I know, it's a bit much, but I love, love, love Christmas and seeing a tree when I come in the front door is, I think, very welcoming.  I have the regular tree in my sunroom and trees in each of my bedrooms.  It's so nice when I go to be and the tree is all lit up.

Unfortunately, I never got around to sending my good wishes to all my friends.  To anyone reading this, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza and to all a Happy New Year.  I promise to do a better job next year.

When Will It End?

Yesterday's massacre in Texas has again started the gun debate.  They can't even let the living mourn and bury their dead before blaming the tool used and not the user of that tool.

Many people are giving their opinion, so I might as well give mine.  The Las Vegas massacre, the West Side Terror Attack and now the Texas massacre all seem to have one root problem.  There is no respect for life, human or animal. 

We live in a disposable world.  Inconvenient pregnancy - abort, terminal illness - pull the plug or assisted suicide,  child misbehaving - punish/beat/starve to eliminate the problem, family disagreement - kill who you disagree with, sick pet - put it down.  Life has been put on the same level as machinery - car giving you problems - junk it, computer running slow - get rid of it.

I have a theory about the lack of respect for life, but it will never be proven because it is not politically correct to do any studies on it.  I feel it all started in January 1970.  That was when the Supreme Court decided it was OK to kill an inconvenient or ill baby because the pregnant woman did not want a child. 

We hear all to often about child abuse, elder abuse and now mass killings.  Where will it all end.  How many more will die because so many people won't respect the life of family members, neighbors, unborn children, churchgoers, etc.

Retail Problems

I've worked in many fields over the years, but the most exciting job I had was on Wall Street.  Maybe it's because I'm fascinated with money and how it's made.  While everyone else is watching Kelly Ripa or Today, I'm tuned to the business channel.  I have to witness the market opening.

For the last several months, the commentators have been putting Sears and J.C. Penny on a "death watch".  It has become the "retail ice age".  Amazon is king.

As I listen to this, I can't help but think that the management of both Sears and Penny are regretting the day they decided to eliminate the catalog.  For many years, people of all ages looked forward to receiving the seasonal catalogs.

When my boys were young, I did most of my shopping from the catalog.  In fact, I had a neighbor whose wealthy parents bought her anything she wanted for herself and her daughter.  One day, she asked me where I bought my sons' clothes, they were so cute.  I surprised her by saying, "Sears".  They had the best styles and clothes and they wore very well.

I firmly believe that if Sears and Penny had not discontinued their catalogs, they would be giving Amazon a run for their money, instead of being on a "death watch".  I will be sorry to see them go.

Gad, I miss those catalogs.  The Christmas catalog would be arriving about now.

Second Amendment

I just saw an article stating that Michael Moore has suggested that the Second Amendment to our Constitution be repealed and replaced by the 28th Amendment which would severely restrict the ability to buy and own guns while prioritizing public safety from gun violence.

While we are in the process of repealing the Second Amendment, maybe we should look at some of the other amendments and repeal them, or change them.

Let's start with the First Amendment and make it illegal to criticize or make fun of the president.  We should also make it illegal to burn our flag or gather to protest perceived offenses by the government.

We could also change the Fourth Amendment and make it legal to search or seize a person's property without a duly authorized warrant.

How about changing the Fifth Amendment that would allow a person to be tried for the same crime if the prosecution does not agree with the finding of a properly selected jury.

You can see how these amendments could be changed to adapt to the mood of certain segments of our population.  The original Bill of Rights was added to our constitution after much deliberation by the Founding Fathers to ensure that we would continue to be governed by rational thought and not the emotion of the moment or whims of any president or congress or political party..

Enough is Enough

OKAY, IVE HAD ENOUGH!

I've been quiet for a long time while the media, the democrats and some republicans have been doing everything in their power to bring down our President Trump.  The latest attempt is an allegation by former FBI director James Comey that President Trump "ordered" him to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn's ties to Russia.  Comey claims that he took notes at his meeting with the president and will produce the memo showing those notes.  It seems to me that if he truly felt that the president was interfering with an investigation, he should have made the charge immediately after their meeting.  The fact that he waited until after he was fired and the president didn't speak kindly about him seems very strange.  I know that if I had been in his position and believed the president was interfering with an investigation, I would have spoken up immediately and shown the notes the day after the meeting, not hold them as blackmail.  But then, I'm a strong believer in doing the right thing, not the easy thing.

As far as the investigation into the president's ties to Russia, how bad could they be.  It's not as if he had a private server in Trump Tower, or whispered to the Russian president that he would be more flexible after the election.  I'm sure that Melania won't have a secret meeting with the attorney general on some airport tarmac.

I have some advice for all the democrats and sore losers out there.  Hillary Clinton lost the election that everyone believed was her right.  GROW UP!  I and my fellow conservatives were not happy that Obama won two elections, but, we accepted it.  Yes, we tried to investigate his lies about Benghazi, but well, he's a democrat and therefore can do no wrong.  We all heard the lies about health care and Hillary's innocence with a private server and the foundation, but no one would challenge them.  I guess having a D after your name gives you a free pass.

I'd like to know what everyone is afraid of with president Trump.  Are they afraid that middle class citizens have finally gotten a voice, that they may soon be able to get a job, that some will even get a raise?  Has anyone noticed that China sent troops to their border with North Korea right after their president met with president Trump?  Has anyone noticed that members of NATO will start to try to pay their fair share toward their defense?

We do need a new FBI director.  Someone, I think Mitch McConnell, suggested that the president should nominate Merrick Garland or I think he should nominate a woman.  The democrats would have to agree with the nomination or show the world what hypocrites they are.

Haste Makes Waste

Yesterday I spent the greater part of the afternoon gathering and scanning my tax papers.  I took a break to get something from the freezer for dinner when I remembered that I had forgotten to give Crash and Burn their afternoon snack.

As well as I can remember the sequence of events I was removing the lid from the can of cat food while I was walking to the garbage can when I felt a very sharp pain in my finger and warm liquid flowing down said finger.  I quickly put it under running water, but the blood kept flowing and the cats kept meowing for their food.  I applied pressure and raised my hand, but it didn't stop the bleeding.

I had to scoop the food from the can one-handed while the can was sliding across the counter.  Finally there was enough food in the dishes so I called a friend and asked her to take me to the urgent care facility nearby, which she did.

After the physician's assistant and doctor looked at it, they decided it needed stitches.  Now, I must admit, I have lived a very easy life.  Even with two boys I never had to go to the emergency room or even had stitches.  This was a new experience for me.  I asked for a little distraction so I wouldn't have to see what they were doing.  We talked about my favorite subject - cats.

After the stitches, the doctor wrapped my finger in gauze and covered it with neon orange tape.  It looks like this

Of course this is my left hand and I'm left-handed.  It's very hard to do anything.  Eating and writing are a chore.  When I went to charge something at the store, I had to make sure I wouldn't have to sign my name.

The bandage is supposed to come off tonight and I'm not looking forward to seeing the stitched and what they look like.  I'm very squeamish.

I guess I should stop rushing and pay more attention to the task at hand.  For a while I'm feeding the cats Meow Mix.  Those cans have a foil cover, much safer.

Hoarding

The other night I was watching "Hoarding".  I like the show although sometimes I have to turn it off because of the living conditions of the hoarders.  Other times, it spurs me on to clean up my own collection of "stuff".  I had already been in the process of cleaning up my office for about the millionth time, but this gave me additional incentive.

One of the participants was under orders from his town to clean up his yard.  It seems he would pick through trash and take things that he thought he might have a use for.  He was particularly fond of taking machinery and building supplies that were being thrown out.  There was one comment that he made that got me thinking.  He said something to the effect that he had so many ideas and projects that he thought these things would be useful for some time in the future.

A few days earlier, I said to myself that one of the reasons that I have so much clutter is that I have so many interests and projects that I want to do.  There are bags of yarn in my office for a baby blanket I want to knit and donate, but I haven't gotten too far because I lost the instructions for the design of the blanket.  There is also a ball of styroform, a dowel, a can of stain and a collection of small flowers and bows for a topiary I want to make.  I also have a collection of linens that were hand embroidered by my mother many, many years ago.  Then there are all my photographs, the paper necessary for printing copies and the supplies of ink for my printers.

Am I becoming a hoarder?  There may be hope for me since this is the only room that is in such disarray and I am currently in the process of cleaning my pantry and garage.  Or am I just making excuses for myself?

How to Get Things Done

I was watching The Five tonight and they were talking about the democrats and how they were fighting everything that the president is trying to do.

Bob Beckel, who I like and am glad to see back on the show, commented that that was just what the republicans had been doing for the past eight years.  He is right, but his party is just acting like spoiled children.  Just because someone does something to you, it doesn't mean that you should retaliate. 

The democrats should try to show that they are more mature and want to show our country that they really care about it.  Instead, they are whining that the republicans started it.  When my boys were young, I never cared who started an argument, I just cared that it was over.  If they stopped blocking everything and everyone, maybe something could finally get done.

Recent Protests

I woke up very early this morning, too early to get up and start the day.  I turned on the TV and all I heard about were the protests about the president's latest orders that would delay the entry of refugees and immigrants from seven middle east countries with terrorist ties until they could be properly vetted.

I think I have a solution to the problem.  Everyone who protests should agree to sponsor and house a refugee as soon as they arrive in the country.  This way, we would know the whereabouts of the refugee and the liberals who protest would be showing the world that they are not all talk and no action.  I'm sure many of these people have room in their homes and hearts for one or two of the people who have been forced from their homes or wish to live in our country instead of the turbulent middle east.

Come on all you Hollywood celebrities who have given speeches welcoming the refugees and immigrants, open your homes and truly welcome these people.

LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD

I was born and raised in Queens, NY.  Woodhaven to be exact, actually I still have some ties to Woodhaven.

The local boy I'm talking about did not actually live in Woodhaven, but his father helped to build that section of Queens.  He built many homes there and supported many of the local businesses.  He did live in Jamaica Estates, a short drive from Woodhaven.  I used to dream about living there, but could never afford it.

You have probably figured it out, the local boy I'm talking about is our new president, Donald J. Trump.  He wouldn't have been my first choice, but when he announced his candidacy, I was hooked.

I'm very pleased to call him President Trump. 

If only the children who have boycotted the inauguration would put their hurt feelings aside and attend this historic moment - the peaceful transfer of power.  There is time later for debate and arguments.  You may not like the president (I didn't like Obama),  but, if I had gotten the opportunity to attend his inauguration I would have, just to be a part of history.  And, although I didn't like our former president, but I did respect the office, and what it stands for.

Congratulations to our new president!

Today marks the end of the only week of the year when I say that I actually hate Christmas.

I have finally finished taking down the decorations, undressing the trees and putting everything away, well almost everything.  Knowing my history, in a day or say I will discover some ornament or decoration that was overlooked.  It will then be put in a drawer somewhere and hopefully, next year I will remember it.

It wouldn't be so bad if I were not such a Christmas nut.  I have decorations and wreaths all over the house.  Since I have four trees, there are a lot of ornaments that have to be removed from the trees, wrapped in paper and placed in a storage container.  Then I have to wrestle with the trees to put them in their boxes and put in the garage.  Most of this is done when Crash and Burn are sleeping, otherwise, they will "help" me.

I am proud of myself though.  I only broke one ornament when I was putting them away.  I did discover however that one of my nutcrackers which I bought on my first trip to Germany was beheaded.  This morning I discovered how that happened.  I recently had some shelves installed so I can display some of the trinkets I bought on various trips.  I had put that nutcracker on the shelf.  Today, I caught someone, Burnie, climbing up the back of the recliner and checking what was left on the shelf.

I had liked the way I rearranged the furniture for the tree, and planned to keep it that way.  That has to change.  I quickly moved the recliner to another spot, but I'm not sure I like it there.  I'll give it a week or so to see how it works out.

I just have one box to put away and then I can relax, possibly with an adult beverage.

Yesterday's snow made it an ideal day for soup.  Fortunately, I had some stew meat in the freezer and a selection of vegetables.

I browned the meat, added the beef broth (I haven't tried to make my own stock, one day I will.), then searched the freezer for the package of mixed vegetables.  I couldn't find them, so I did the next best thing and used the green beans, corn and carrots I had on hand.  I added some crushed tomatoes and just let it simmer all day.  About an hour before I planned on eating, I added some barley.  Some day I'll tell you about my brother's adventure with barley, but that's a story for another day.

I had a Pillsbury loaf of French bread in the refrigerator, so I set it up and baked it.

A meal this hearty called for a glass of good red wine.  I chose a merlot from the Raphael Winery on Long Island.

While I was eating, I remembered another snowstorm.  It was really more of a dusting, but the sidewalk had to be shoveled.  I took my boys, Bill was about 4 1/2 and Jimmy was about 2.  I let them play in the snow while I worked.  When I was finished, I told them we would go in the house and have a blizzard party.  I made hot chocolate for me and warm hot chocolate for the boys.  We had some cookies and enjoyed our blizzard party.  Little did I know that the next week we would have another storm, this one was  bigger.  After the shoveling, Bill asked for another blizzard party.  I learned that if you do something once with a child, it becomes a tradition and must be done again.

Such happy memories of the times when my boys were little.

Snow

It's snowing today.  I love, love snow.  I guess it's because I have so many happy memories of snowstorms of the past.

One winter we were visiting my aunt and her family in upstate New York.  The pond behind her house was frozen and we children wanted to go ice skating.  There was a problem.  There were five children (I was the youngest) and only four pairs of skates.  My very resourceful aunt found some wood blocks around the house and fashioned a pair of :"skates" for me.  I was thrilled that I was able to join my brother and cousins "ice skating" on the pond.  It didn't matter that they really weren't skates, my aunt cared enough to put some pieces of wood together so that I could join the others.

Does anyone remember December 26, 1947?  The weatherman predicted snow flurries.  Well, we got about 28 inches of flurries.  That was another fun time.  Because there was a garage under our house and a community drive behind the house so that drivers could get to their garages, the snow was quickly cleared.  Our house was near the corner, so most of the snow was piled up right next to our house, giving my brother and me a huge pile of snow which we declared a fort.  We cleared an area for us to hide behind the piles of snow and were safe during our many snowball fights with the other kids on the block.  So much fun.  There was also a hill at either end of the community drive and that made for excellent sleigh riding.

Then there was the year I had planned a family reunion.  My son was coming home for Christmas, so it was a good time to get together with the family.  The snow started in the morning and continued all day as I cleaned, cooked and answered calls from family members saying they couldn't make it.  There I was, clean house, plenty of food and no party.  I called a few of my friends who live nearby and invited them to a "blizzard party", complete with food and adult beverages.  All evening, we commented on how pretty the snow was and were glad that the plows were out clearing the roads.  Then it was time to go home.  We hadn't thought that while the road was clear, the driveway wasn't.  After several unsuccessful tries to move the cars, one of my friends mentioned that since I have cats, I must have some kitty litter.  We put that under the tires of the cars and everyone was able to drive away, only to face the same problem when they reached their homes.  We still talk about that night.

There were other storms including the time we were on our way home from Catskill, NY and the state of New York closed the Thruway in Newburgh.  My husband and I were lucky enough to get the last room at the Howard Johnson where we stayed for two days playing hooky from work.

No wonder I like snow so much.  So many wonderful memories.