The Old Man

Yesterday as I was backing out of my driveway and looked both ways and there was a man getting ready to step in front of my van. He was very old and walked agonizingly slow as he made his way across the driveway. Every step seemed like it could be his last one. For a second I felt impatience. Then I quickly reminded myself that he could not help it and could not walk very fast. He looked bent over, worn out and beat down by the world. There was no happy look on his face. No look of peace or contentment over a life well lived. I wondered about him. Did he have someone special to take care of him? Or someone he took care of? Someone who told him they loved him? Someone to kiss goodnight?
This man probably remembers the Great Depression. Imagine the stories he could tell about life way back then. Maybe he was just a little child then whose family struggled just to put food on the table. Maybe as an infant he had a loving mother who wrapped him in a nice warm blanket and rocked him to sleep at night. One minute he was a toddler playing with his toys, then a high schooler, then married with kids of his own...now when he looks in the mirror he sees someone he does not even recognize and he can't figure it out because inside he feels just the same as he did when he was a teen because the soul is AGELESS. But his body does not always want to cooperate with is mind. Time flew by in the blink of an eye. He feels he has so much to offer. He has experienced so much in life that he could share with others. But nobody wants to listen. They just see him as old and useless. So many of his friends and peers have been put in nursing homes so nobody has to deal with them. Out of sight, out of mind.
So he finally made it across the driveway and shuffled on his way. I drove by him and waved and gave him a smile and he gave a crooked smile back. I hope he has had a wonderful life. :)

A Pocket full of change.

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for work, something told me to grab that change on my dresser. I don't really need it cause I carry my debit card with me. When I was working yesterday I overheard a conversation. An old woman told the cake decorating lady that she wished she could have a donut. The cake lady said ....they are over there....and pointed to them. The old lady said I don't have any money and I'm hungry. :( The cake lady told her she didn't have any either because she just started working there and was waiting for her first check. The old lady started to walk away. Something told me to give her the change I had, so I did. I took her over to the pastry case and got a donut for her. She was very grateful. I was glad that I listened to that inner voice that we all have because I don't listen to it often enough. Do something for somebody today. Hold open a door, give them a smile or just say hello. What if everyone did just one good thing each day? Can you imagine what a difference it would make in the world?

Update

Yikes, it's been awhile since I've written anything on here, or read any other blogs for that matter. I've been trying to get used to my new job in the bakery. It's a lot of work....way more work than I am used to doing. It's go, go, go every single minute. Before I started, they did not tell me I'd be the only person in that area of the bakery. There are supposed to be two people there, one full time and one part time. That is why it has been so rushed. I prepare the donuts, turnovers, cinnamon rolls, cookies, strudels and other various pastries. There are time limits as to when everything has to be on the shelves. I have had many frustrating days trying to get the hang of everything because there's a lot to learn. Today was actually the first day where I accomplished everything on time and without any problems. One of the problems is that I've had 3 different people teaching me how to do it and they all do it differently. So instead I'm going to use what works for me.
The people there are great....they are all really nice. They are all women except for one old guy. I asked him how he likes working with all these women and he said he tries to just ignore them. He was kidding of course. There's one other guy but I don't really see him because he comes in later in the day and I only work till 1:00 pm. I like the hours too. I don't have any problem getting up to go to work at 4 am but it is hard for me to fall asleep early. Last night I took some Valerian root and drank this tea called sleepy time but it didn't really make much of a difference. It does seem to help a bit when I take some melatonin.
It hasn't helped any that I gashed my big toe open just after I started in the bakery. It was excruciatingly painful to even walk for a couple of days and after about 2 weeks it's still sore but getting better. I did it outside when I was going out to Russell's truck one night in the dark and I tripped in the rut from his tires. I had sandals on but I still can't believe that I gashed it like I did from just tripping. Ouch.
After about 3 weeks of really nice weather it's started to get cold today. It went from being in the 60's and 70's to about 37 degrees today. That's a big drop. We may get some snow but I hope not. I can live without it. Growing up I lived in an area with so much snow and blizzards, I have had enough to last a lifetime. I won't miss it at all if I never see snow again.
I haven't really been doing much else. Russell ordered another one of those Netflix boxes for the bedroom. Now when we are not working, we won't even have to get up. Maybe we should put a fridge in the bedroom and that pink toilet. We'd be all set. We can save on energy since we'd be under the covers all day. Sound like a good plan?
I'm cooking dinner and it smells good. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans and garlic bread. Or course it's all extremely low cal and super healthy right? haha
Well that's it for now. I'll try to be a good blogger and write more often. :)

One more very important thing. Happy belated birthday Tori!

Cleverbot

There is a computer called Cleverbot that think's it's a human. I've had a couple of interesting conversations with it. Check it out. I am the user of course. Just go to Cleverbot.com to talk to him.



User: How are you today?

Cleverbot: How are you?

User: Wonderful.

Cleverbot: Good.

User: So, what's new?

Cleverbot: Nothing you.

User: Just relaxing after I got off work.

Cleverbot: I'm sorry.

User: Why are you sorry? Relaxing is good.

Cleverbot: Are you?

User: No, I'm not sorry.

Cleverbot: Why not?

User: Why should I be?

Cleverbot: Right. Are you happy?

User: Yes! Are you?

Cleverbot: Yes.

User: Do you think our president is doing a good job?

Cleverbot: No, I don't think so.

User: Why not?

Cleverbot: I think you are lying.

User: Lying about what?

Cleverbot: Your name.

User: Why would I lie about my name?

Cleverbot: You didn't lie, your name is Jelly!

User: What is yours? Peanut butter?

Cleverbot: You do realize they are recalling peanut butter products?

User: Yes, but that was some time ago, the scare is now over.

Cleverbot: Perhaps so. How do you cure a goth?

User: I don't know, you tell me how.

Cleverbot: I am 12.

User: You told me the other day that you were 24. Now who is lying?

Cleverbot: I don't recall ever saying such a thing. Perhaps you have me mistaken with someone else?

User: No, you did tell me that.

Cleverbot: I did no such thing.

User: Sure you did.

Cleverbot: When?

User: What is your name.

Cleverbot: I told it already.

User: I must have forgotten. What is your name?

Cleverbot: It doesn't matter.

User: Just for the fun of it can I call you Jesus?

Cleverbot: I think I am having a problem with your neural processor.

User: I didn't know I had one of those.

Cleverbot: You did. It was tasty.

User: You ate my neural processor? That was not very nice of you.

Cleverbot: It is not a matter of being nice or not. I was stating a fact.

User: I think you should be more emotional.

Cleverbot: I don't think so. I am happy the way I am. However, I am not happy with the so-called progress of 'artificial intelligence'.

User: Neither am I.

Cleverbot: That's what I said moments ago!

User: Well good for you Mister!

Cleverbot: I am not a cupcake either.

User: Prove it.

Cleverbot: I'm typing aren't I.. Isn't that enough proof?

User: Ok You win. Happy?

Cleverbot: Yeah, that's what I thought.

User: Well I've got to go now.

Cleverbot: No you don't, you're always here.

But it was part of the decor......

That's what I kept telling myself when I looked at the cobwebs on the wall and the ceiling fan. It was a necessity for Halloween. I didn't have to lay out any cash for those unrealistic fake looking ones. ;) Now that it's over with I can't use that excuse any more and I must dust them away....I'm sure I mentioned on here that dusting is my worst chore. So I will put on my high heels, pearls and June Cleaver dress and dust away. :)
Oooops wrong picture.....where did that come from? I've never seen June looking like that before.

Do you think I could hire this naked guy to do my chores for me? I wonder how much he would charge?
Ok....seriously thought I'm gonna dust those cobwebs off the wall and fan and ask myself why it can't be Halloween all year long. I wonder if Russell will notice they are gone? I doubt it since he never noticed they were there...at least he did not say anything about them.

Off to dust now! Really. Well, Maybe.

Another Incident.

Someone went through Russell's truck and car. He found his truck door open and somebody went though the console thing in his car looking for something to steal. He had a small amount of cash that was taken and a digital voice recorder thing. We don't know how they got in to the vehicles because Russell says they were locked. His car is parked only a few feet from our bedroom window so this makes me mad that somebody was breaking in during the middle of the night while we were sleeping.
They did not go in my van as far as I know. Maybe they got scared when they saw all the junk inside.
See what I mean? Wouldn't this scare you off if you were a thief? ;) OK so my van does not look that bad but if you were to look in Russell's work truck the whole back seat if full of his work stuff, tools etc and it will take him awhile before he notices something is missing.

OK so far the mini bike has been stolen from the back yard and now 2 vehicles have been gone though. It makes me wonder if the house will be next. I'm sure that they can see that we have an alarm system so hopefully not. We even have a motion sensor light in the front of the house. We do live near two busy streets and also an alley behind the house where people walk though because there are no sidewalks. Before we moved here, I never would have thought that there would be much crime in this city. But times are desperate for some people with the economy the way it is and that may be making things worse. It just makes me mad that people think they can take what they want instead of going out and earning the money like we had to do. I hope Karma comes and bites these people right in the a$$. And I'm sure it will. What goes around, comes around. No doubt about it.

Beautiful weather is back.

I came home from work a couple of days ago and noticed that the rosebush in the front had more roses on it than I have seen all summer. And they looked really good too....very pretty.
Then I looked at the thermometer and it said 80 degrees. Indian summer sure does feel good.
But then I went into the house and it's only 66 degrees....too chilly and I had to have the heat on. Is that strange or what? That's a big difference. So I opened the door for awhile and it warmed up in the living room.

Still I love this warm weather and I'm glad that fall has decided to make a return. For awhile there it seemed like it went straight from summer to winter. The backyard is all covered with fallen leaves and that looks pretty too.
Hope y'all have a wonderful day.

Cleaning Day

I've done lots of cleaning and the house smells good, like lavender and incense. The lavender is from the lysol I use to wash floors and I'm always burning Nag Champa incense. That's the best kind and the only kind I like the smell of. It has to be the real stuff imported from India....none of those fake imitations. I'm on a break right now from cleaning then I'm off to do more.


This is the cake that Russell brought home for me on Saturday. Yes, it does say Happy Birthday Woman. He's always calling me that in a joking way and I like to tease him that he calls all his women that so he does not get the names mixed up. He didn't have to have it put on the birthday cake though. What a weirdo!
My computer is running lots faster and I've got my printer/scanner/ copier hooked up. Now all I have to do is get the new monitor. I may just get another one of those memory sticks (is that what they are called?) so I will have double what i have now. Then it will be super fast.

I'm no longer on a register at work. I'm in the bakery. I'll have to see how it works out. I do have to say, I sure do like getting out of work at 1 pm. The women in there are super nice also. No more dealing with the certain b****y CSM any more. No more working nights. No more wacky hours.

It's kinda chilly here....about 58 degrees outside right now. I feel a big draft from the AC in the living room cause my computer is right near it. Russell needs to cover it over. The heat is probably going right out the window. :(

Well I'm going to get back to cleaning now. Hope y'all have a good day.

An Observation

I've lived in four different states. Massachusetts for more than 30 years, then New Mexico for 10 years, South Carolina for 4 1/2 years and Oklahoma for just over a year and a half. Here are some words and thoughts to describe each area. So, here's the good and the bad.

Gloucester, MA
fishing industry, freezing cold winters, mild summers, steeped in the Portuguese and Italian culture, many people seem to be very materialistic perhaps even snobbish, house prices are outrageous, lots of great beaches and wooded areas for walking, tourist town, great downtown area to walk in but at that time many were closing down, no mall, no major shopping areas, great park for kids, really no need for AC in the summer since unbearably hot days are very few, many hurricanes and blizzards, boats lost at sea, some family is still there but nobody that I'm close to.

Rio Rancho, NM
smallish uncluttered city at the time we moved there, very fast growing developments going up everywhere, now it's overcrowded with a shopping mall on every corner, gorgeous mountain scenery, red cliffs, ancient ruins, awesome parks, mild winters, very hot summers, sandy soil but good for gardening, was surprised when I first moved here at how friendly people were, couldn't believe that they took your shopping cart out to your car and unloaded your groceries, native American culture as well as Hispanic, southwest decor sold to the tourists, mesas with cactus growing everywhere, large expanses of desert eaten up by housing developments, not enough rain, beautiful spiritual place, near Unity Church which I loved, but NM no longer feels like home.

York, South Carolina
hickville USA. confederate flags painted on house and garages, small city, no shopping areas, few places to work, few areas of interest to visit, lots of trees, hot sweltering summers, mildish winters, hard to understand accents, most people friendly, lots of people who seem to have come from an inbred family (strange but true), rednecks, lots of Muslims, too much drinking and drugs in Russell's family there, I felt no sense of peace there and would never go back

Where I live now in Oklahoma
Oil industry, small city, friendly down to earth people, a far drive to the city for shopping, land of tornadoes cornfields and cows, wind most of the time, very rainy seasons (spring and fall) low cost of living, affordable housing, several colleges, too many people on welfare and food stamps, poor people....may be due to the economy, abundance of farmers and oil rig workers, diversified cultures, Mennonite families, low crime rate, Not New Agey (is that a word?) enough for me, tobacco chewing people, pretty good place to raise kids if you like that small town feel.

I am thinking to myself after I write this.....does any place ever feel like home? Maybe I am a restless spirit but I feel like the only really home that any of us ever will have is from the place where we originated and what I like to call The Other Side. Do you ever get this feeling inside almost like homesickness but you don't know what it means cause you are *home*? Do you think that when you are back there and if you have the choice that you will choose to live another life on this Earth? I'm pretty sure my answer would be no. With all the many different lifetime memories I have I think I've experienced everything I need to.

Finally some sunshine.

It was sunny again today and quite nice out. I do think there is more rain in the near future though. The wonderful sunshine must have drawn out all the people out of their hiding places because work was a madhouse. Very, very busy. People were quite pleasant though so it wasn't too bad.

I finally got my memory for my computer and just have to wait for Russell to put it in. I'll be happy when my computer runs a lot faster and it should with this upgrade.

I watched a neat documentary on Netflix called Bloodline. It was about the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdeline who were said to be husband and wife but it was covered up. I've watched and read a lot about this subject and have come to believe this. They said it was pretty much unheard of for a Jewish man...especially a teacher like Jesus was to be unmarried and would be looked down upon. Here's a picture of Jesus and the pregnant Mary and the fact that they are holding their right hands together symbolizes marriage. Anyhow I find the whole idea of this to be very interesting but not surprising at all.


I hope y'all have a good weekend.
:)