Chiclets

 

 

3/30/3014

Remember this gum?  I have very fond memories of Chiclets because Grandma always had them in her purse and knew as well as I did, that as soon as the gum had lost it's flavor, I'd want another piece!

History:

Chiclets was invented by Thomas Adams who tried to chance chicle into synthetic rubber products but every attempt failed.  In 1869 he popped a piece of surplus stock into his mouth and liked the taste. Chewing away, he had the idea to add flavoring to the chicle. Shortly after, he opened the world's first chewing gum factory. In February 1871, Adams New York Gum went on sale in drug stores for a penny a piece.  

The original flavor was peppermint but many fruit flavors were added and discontinued since the introduction of the gum in 1906.  The colors were: yellow, green, orange, red, purple, white and pink.  I'm guess that peppermint was the most popular, but a guess is all it is.

Chiclets came, and still do, in small boxes easily carried in purses and pockets.At some point mini Chiclets were produced and then you had all the flavors in one little box, which is and was a very cool way to get all the flavors in one convenient package.

 

I don't chew gum anymore - it makes my jaw hurt!  Of course, my incessant talking doesn't!  Mind over matter perhaps?

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Remembering Fashion

3/28/2014

 When you look back at some of the things you wore when you were younger, you can't help but wonder what you were thinking.  I know that I fell into that group!  But being "in" was just as important way back then as it is today.  And, just like today, there were hits and misses, but at the time none of that mattered.  You JUST had to fit in.

I was, as some of you were, part of the Bobby Sock generation. These socks were white and had a thick cuff that when the sock was cuffed (and they were always cuffed), were ankle height.  They were the height of fashion and some socks were adored with lace or ribbons.  I had a pair of socks that had little bells sewn on.  Obviously, the ONE time I wore them to school was also the LAST time!  They made too much noise, especially if you spent most of class time dangling your legs!


Then their was the poodle skirt which came along in the 50's.  I never had a poodle skirt probably because Mom never made me one.  Mom made most of my clothes until I was a teenager.  But I do envy the other girls who swirled around in their pretty skirts.

In the 60's everybody who was anybody had to have a "Granny" dress.  When I look back, I can't imagine what we teenagers were thinking.  They were all the rage and I had one, but the look wasn't flattering to most of us.

 

After we went through our "On The Prairie" phase, mini skirts became the new must have.  The  skirt had to be above the knee and the shorter the better, which made sitting down a bit tricky..  Unfortunately, it wasn't a skirt that just everybody could wear - then or now.

Also in the 60's you were NOBODY if you didn't have a ruffled blouse, also called a Twister blouse (don't ask me why).  I, like all my girlfriends HAD to have one and after much whining got one.  Yeah.  Oh, but I had forgotten about the ironing.  In those days everything had to be ironed and a blouse that was all ruffles  was a ---ch to iron, so I didn't wear it as much as I would have liked.  Let's face it, I'm a bit lazy and I'm glad that my ironing board is just collecting dust in a backroom.

Lucky for us girls today, ruffles are pretty much a thing of the past.  AND pants and/or jeans is now considered a necessary part of the wardrobe.  I didn't get my first pair of jeans until I was 16 because my Mother wouldn't allow me to have them.  A friend took me shopping and I came home with white jeans, and I was allowed to keep them.  I think Mom figured that it was a battle she wasn't going to win - and she was right.

And last, but not least was our sweater set days. There was also a period when every thing you wore had to match.  We also wore sweater clips and anybody who was anybody had one or two sets of clips.  

  

Obviously, this isn't all the fashion fads that we suffered through.  Trust me, there was more.  I just hope that seeing these images will bring back some happy memories for you ladies. 

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Mail

3/27/2014

I know that all of you receive and send mail.  Unlike in the "old" days, when you actually received written correspondence from family and friends,what you get in the mail today is generally lumped into three categories: (a) BILLS (ick); (b) catalogs whether you want them or not; and  (c) last, but not least, offers to sign up for a new credit card, the "you've just won" a million dollars (that would be AFTER you send in "x" dollars as a sign of good faith!; or other offers for car and/or life insurance, etc.  

I don't know what 's in your mailbox, but all of the above appears in mine.  Unsolicited mail (which is pretty much everything), ends up in the shredder.  Why? Because I don't want to just toss out a piece of mail with our name and address on it.  I obviously don't shred catalogs, but I do shred the name/address part of them.  

I once worked with a man who was super paranoid and I even had to shred the envelopes! I have never gotten to the level where I believe I need to shred empty envelopes because I can't imagine what use that envelope would be to anyone.  Of course we have lost our innocence and acknowledge that people now can and do hack into our computers, cell phones and gather a lot of information about us from social media.  

Speaking of social media, I stay far away from revealing too much about myself and my life. I prefer to keep most of my business my business.  And if you're family or a friend, then you already know what's going on in my life.  Perhaps, I'm just as paranoid as my old boss was!

Let's talk about bread and butter notes.  I know that some of you are wondering what I'm talking about.  The term "Bread and Butter" has been around for over 200 years and is thought to have originated in England. It refers to the handwritten note declaring one’s appreciation for someone else's generosity in providing lodging and/or food. In the United States, its meaning has expanded to a general thank you for an overnight stay, a special dinner or food brought during illness or death.  And - it should be handwritten on something other than a yellow legal pad!  Just think about how much information I've just given you!

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Solitude

3/25/2013

I enjoy a solitude life.  That may be because I'm reclusive and have been so for many years. Social events puts my anxiety level all the way to a 10!  I have found that I can usually fade into the background very easily and not have to engage in conversation with strangers. Unfortunately, it's been that way for years.  There was a time where I was more of a social person (this is true I swear) and had parties at the house, went to all the Tupperware, etc., parties when invited.  And had a good time.

I raised the boys and for years our house rang with noise from breakfast until bedtime!  How I longed for peace and quiet - even if just for a few hours.  Know we all know that time stands still for no one, and I can tell you that it's the truth.

I think I was a good mother to the boys.  I allowed them to fill up trash cans (clean), fill them with water and take turns rolling down the driveway - they never tired of this.  I also was okay with launching mashed potatoes from forks to see if the potatoes would stick.  Hint: they don't, but the dogs loved this game!  I tolerated the boys playing in the mud and then traipsing through the house with no regard to the mess they created on my floors.

Then they grew up.  They learned to drive, went away for college, dated and then married. Jeff and I are very fortunate that we have a grandson who will be six next month, which doesn't seem possible. When Benjamin comes to visit, the house is filled with laughter and playing silly games.

Once the boys were all out of the house, then the quiet settled in around us.  Nobody called looking for the boys anymore, horns weren't honking when their friends arrived.  When your children are young, and the noise in your house is deafening, you don't even realize that the clocks in your house actually make noise!

Now that it's just Jeff and I rumbling around in the house, we are able to hear the clocks when they chime.  Food actually sticks around for more than a day or two and we don't have to have milk delivered to the house twice a week!  (Yes we actually did that)!

There are no video games being played, no rooms filled with the sounds of laughter from the winners and losers.No steady diet of Diet Cokes, chips and/or cookies, or for that matter anything else they could get their hands on!  There is also no more experimenting!  The boys just had to know if it was true that if you put a Mentos inside a bottle of coke, coke would spew out - and all over the carpet, and it does!  Luckily, this was a one-time experiment but it really did a job on my carpet!  Even with all the things that the boys did, I believe that I was a "cool" mom, because I didn't let a lot of things bother me.  I knew that eventually they would all leave home and there wouldn't be any more adventures.

Now I've become accustomed to the quiet of the house.  I enjoy the silence, probably more than I should.  I like my house, it's comfortable and I'm surrounded with all of my glass treasures that I've collected over the years. I can play Christmas music all year long - with no complaints!

Having said all of that, while I do enjoy the quiet, it's not necessarily the best thing for me.  I can actually go days without leaving the house, and I don't get itchy feet to go somewhere. My solitude and/or or my recluse tendencies is not helpful for a person who (me) is depressed.  

I'm hoping that when spring arrives, the sun shines and flowers grow, that I will find some level of peace being outside and poking around in the flower beds.  

As I write this, it's snowing outside - lightly, but snowing all the same.  I can't wait to see the dogwood and oak trees start to wake up.  Or the pleasure of seeing a freshly mowed lawn (particularly if you're not doing the mowing)!  When the weather warms up, Jeff and I will take the "beemer" out for rides with the top down and hair (at least for those of us who still has some!), blowing in the breeze.  It just doesn't get better than that.

I hope it's sunny where you are today.

P

Vintage Books

3/23/2014

Okay this is a long shot - but do you ever smell books?  Do you ever wonder who read the book in the past?  I know, I know, you're all thinking I've just about gone over the edge.  There is a certain smell that only old books have. These books I don't buy so that I can read them, I just enjoy owning them.  I love looking at them and wonder who has owned and/or read them in the past.  

One of my old books is "The Joy of Cooking" published in 1946.  After my mother-in-law I was lucky enough to be able to own this book.  This book has lost it's binding between the front and back of the book.  The book is stained an yellowed.  What I found while thinking about talking about old books was that tucked inside the cookbook are notes from friends.  Both notes contain recipes for both something called Klejner (fried diamond twists) and Medaljer (Medallions).  The notes are old and have a little boy and girl dressed up in clothes from Holland.

Jeff's mother as well as Jeff made barbecue sauce for ribs that is outstanding.  Nothing I have ever tasted in a restaurant even comes close.  So today I put the 1946 cookbook next to my1973 cookbook to see if the recipes were the same.  The recipes are identical and based on my mother-in-law's cookbook for the sauce, she must have made it often because it's it's got all kinds of spills on the page. The pages devoted to spareribs appear to have been used often, based on the amount of spills on the pages.  My mother-in-law did write the word good on a recipe for banana cake.  Unlike my mother-in-law's cookbook, I never used my cookbook as much as she obviously did.

We bought at an antique store a long time ago, a book written by Mary E. Stone Bassett and published in 1913.  The book is entitled "A Midsummer Wooing".  Each page is outlined with flowers and ivy, with colored illustrations.

I did some research and Mary E. Stone Bassett lived from 1857 to 1924.  Apparently Ms. Bassett only wrote three books and we're lucky to own one. Long lost relative?  Doubtful, but it does make you wonder.

I think all books should be treasured, and obviously some more than others. My copy of "The Heart of Rachael" was published in 1916, with very small print and a old book musty smell, that I enjoy. The author lived from 1880 until 1966 and published 18 books.  I also have a book published in 1921 and a more "current" one published in 1940.  

I treasure these books because none of the authors are now living and they are worth hanging onto, if no other reason, than they don't make books like this anymore!

Happy reading.

P

Military Justice

3/21/2014

What is about the military making news above and today below the fold in the A section of the newspaper?  

First, why did a Brig General only receive a $20,000 fine but avoided jail?  You know as well as I do, that if we did the same thing as the General did, we'd be sitting in a cell by now.  His crime? Having an affair with an officer under his command as well as having improper relationships with two other women.  The officer who had an affair with the General for three years, also reported that she was sexually assaulted on two occasions and threatened to kill her and her family about the affair.

Do you remember the movie "An Officer and a Gentlemen"?  Well this General is neither. I think he's an embarrassment to the Army and by only having to pay a fine - and a small one at that - where is the justice for the women?

The military's promise to have a zero tolerance for sexual offenses doesn't seem to be happening.  Had these offenses been conducted by a enlisted man (i.e., not a high ranking officer), you better believe he would find his fanny in jail in record time.  Once again a person in power suffers very little.  The same cannot be said for the women "involved" voluntarily or involuntarily.  No justice for these women and we can only hope that they will not be put back under the General's command.

Then we turn to the Navy.  A midshipman was acquitted of sexual assault at the Navy Academy.  The judge find the midshipman not guilty, but has been dismissed from the Academy.  Okay that's a smudge on his resume but for the assaulted woman it sends a clear message of "these people aren't going to believe me", which leads to any number of unreported incidents.  Who can blame the women?  I certainly can't.  

For me it would be really difficult, if not impossible, to run into the this man on campus and feeling that justice was not served?  Luckily the woman will graduate this spring and hopefully put this behind her.

I don't know about you, but frankly I'm tired of women being walked on when they bring an offense to the light of day.  No wonder women hesitate to accuse a man of inappropriate sexual behavior - likely they're not going to win.

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Quiet Elevators

3/19/2014

We've all been there of course. And where is that exactly?  The inside of an elevator packed with passengers standing elbow to elbow.  When I see a jumbo packed elevator, I've been known to walk away - I'll snap my fingers as if I had just remembered that I needed to do something - anything to avoid getting on that elevator. 

It's not that I don't like people, but my friends also know that I am a reclusive person with a capital "R"!.  I hate being smashed into a small space with a lot of people who are strangers.  Ever notice the unspoken elevator rules?  No?  Next time you're on an elevator, watch your fellow passengers.  All or some of them will constantly check their cellphones as if some new urgent message has just arrived!  There is little to no eye contact and nobody smiles.  You might get, if you're lucky, a quick nod from somebody, but that's about it.  And forget about any conversation, other than the a quick mention of the weather, or last night's game.  Stuff like that.

Next time you're on an elevator, like probably today, observe your fellow passengers, you will see, among other things: a fascination with shoes, watch checking, pulling down sleeves, futzing with hair, checking the contents of a purse, and/or try to give an air of importance because of the stack of paper/files they carry with them.

When I'm on an elevator - reluctantly - I'm generally stuck at the back and need to be the first person off!  Then comes having to jockey my way to the front of the elevator, all the while trying not to invade anybody's personal space, which is not easy to do.  

So if you ever find yourself "lucky" enough to be on an elevator with me, no worries I won't engage you with idle conversation to cover up the quiet!

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Sun Purple Glass

3/19/2014

I can almost hear you asking yourself what the heck am I talking about?  What I'm talking about is glass that when left in sunshine, turns purple - really.  

In the mid 19th century, glass contained manganese dioxide, popularly called "glassmaker's soap," began to be used by American glass manufacturers as a decolorizer.  By including a small amount of this ingredient in the melt, they could produce glass that appeared virtually colorless.

An interesting characteristic of colorless glass, which contains magnesium dioxide as a decolorizer, tends to turn different shades of purple when exposed to the rays of the sun or to other ultra-violet sources.  This changes the manganese compound into a form that causes the glass to turn purple. 


I'm pretty sure there isn't a huge market for sun purple glass and I doubt that if you were to try and sell it, you wouldn't be able to demand a high price.  My favorite colors are lavender and purple, so when I saw glass in various shades of purple, I was hooked.  My pieces even though they have remained by windows, has never gotten any darker, but I'm fine with the lavender.  I'm pretty sure the newer generations simply don't know about this special kind of glass.
   

This is a sample of sun purple glass.  The longer you leave it in the sunlight, the darker (i.e., purple) the glass will become.  I own several pieces of sun purple glass and unfortunately most of my pieces are generally light lavender.  Even though they have never turned to deep purple, they are still beautiful - to me.

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Children's Art

3/18/2014

If, you belong to a family, and I assume you do, then you are probably familiar with children's drawings.  Even if you don't have a child of your own, it's more than likely that there is a small child in your life.  It might be a niece or nephew or just the child that lives next door.  What small children do best is draw or paint pictures.  These art pieces will never adorn a museum wall, but they look great hanging on my refrigerator door!

My sons' artwork were front and center on the refrigerator while they were growing up.  Some pieces were framed and were put on the walls.  Art doesn't always have to be a drawing or a painting.  I have some pottery pieces that the boys made over the years.  One of the earlier pieces of art was made by Scott and I don't know what medium was used, plaster perhaps.  Anyway, he made a face that has HUGE eyes, a big nose, bushy eyebrows and a very large mouth.  That face (or mask), was put up in the stairwell going into the basement over 20 years ago.  That piece of art will not come off the wall until we sell the house and move somewhere else.  Oh, and when we do move, the face will come with us.

In my living room is a framed hand print of Benjamin's that he made in 2012. On the top of my computer is a Popsicle caterpillar made out of assorted colors of fuzzy balls.  I have had it on top of my computers for a very long time.  Also on my computer, is a felt heart that he made stitched with the letters: I (picture of a heart) and U. Benjamin also decorated a coffee cup with different colors of his thumbprints. 

On a bookcase I have a jar or vase that was made by Scott when he was in camp when he was in I believe junior high.  Throw it out?  NEVER.  If life is made up of memories, then I'm a very lucky person because I have a lifetime of memories to call on to help me remember all the good things in my life.

Anybody who knows me well, also knows that I'm a super sentimental person.  I have a large cedar chest in my bedroom and it's chock full of handmade cards, artwork, pottery pieces and pretty much anything that the boys or Benjamin have ever made.  What I'm going to need soon, is another cedar chest!  I don't intend to stop putting all kinds of sentimental treasures in chests.  

I don't open the chest unless I have something new to put inside.  I know that taking everything out of the chest would make both happy and sad.  I have no intention of ever removing anything from the chest, even when I run out of room!

Spend some time with your own memories.

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Fiestaware

3/17/2014

If your of a certain age, and I assume you are, then you remember Fiestaware. Old Fiestware    Fiesta is a line of ceramic dinnerware that was glazedin differing solid colors manufactured and marketed by the Homer Laughlin China Company in West Virginia. The original shapes, glazes and concept of combining various colors were designed by the company's art director in the 1930s. The dinnerware was introduced for retail sales to great success in 1936. Homer Laughlin withdrew Fiesta from production in 1973 in response to declining sales before reintroducing the line in 1985. Some of the original shapes were redesigned.

In an early Homer Laughlin Company brochure stated:

"COLOR! that's the trend today..." and it went on to say, "It gives the hostess the opportunity to create her own table effects....... Plates of one color, Cream Soups of another, contrasting Cups and Saucers....it's FUN to set a table with Fiesta!"

 While many collectors love all the colors, some only want the "original 6" or "Fifties Colors which were:Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Old Ivory.   By 1938, two years into production, a sixth color was added: Turquoise. 

The Yellow glaze is the one glaze that was in production throughout the life of vintage Fiesta. Turquoise, while not an original color (having been introduced about a year into Fiesta's production) was otherwise also in continuous production until the end of the original vintage era in 1969. Although it was brought back into production from 1959 to 1969, this was after most of the unusual serving pieces had long been discontinued. Red pieces also usually command a premium price in the secondary market, both for its vibrancy in the mix of colors and for its scarcity due to limited years of production. While many collectors love all the colors, some only want those of the "Original 6" or "Fifties Colors".

People today want more muted colors like: sunflower, lapis and peacock. You can still find old pieces and the colors are just as vibrant today as they were back when manufactured.

My Grandmother loved Fiestaware and when we stayed at her house, setting the table was such fun. One place setting might have a green plate, a red salad bowl, a gray cup with a yellow saucer.  It was so much fun and Grandma didn't mind in the least when she came to the table and saw the hodgepodge of colors.  I actually believe that she liked looking at all the colors.  Place settings of just one color get boring, it's much more fun to mix things up.

Unfortunately, I don't have any of Grandma's Fiestaware.  I have bought several water pitchers but the colors pale in comparison to my memories!  If I had a lot of money, I would seek out and buy vintage pieces, which would bring my Grandmother back to me when I sat my table with a vibrant 
mix of colors.

Maybe you also have a special memory of your grandmother and that memory will remain with you forever, I promise.

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Packaging

3/16/2014

Can you look back to at least the 60's, and possibly back even further?  Back then we we didn't have child proof pill bottles.  All liquid medicine wasn't sealed with an almost impenetrable piece of plastic.  Once you manage to cut off literally the plastic your still not in the clear.  Nope, now you have to get out scissors or a sharp knife to poke a hole in the shiny cover.  My advice is: don't wait until your pain level is out of control before trying to break into a bottle.  If you do then not only will you be sick - but you'll be so frustrated trying to open up the bottle, that you may just give up entirely!  I know this because this has happened to me.  My solution - Jeff!

How did we become so safety concerned?  You can blame it on the Tylenol scare in 1982 which resulted in seven deaths.  Allegedly, the poisoner used a syringe filled with cyanide and injected the poison in the pill bottles.  

Since the 1982 scare, precautions were put in place to prevent another occurrence like the one in 1982. I know that the precautions were necessary but now I find myself, as well as probably thousands of people, in a quandary about actually getting the bottle opened.  In my kitchen I keep a very small pair of scissors that I use to cut through the outside seal as well as to cut away the inner seal. Turns out it's a lot of work and I do rely on Jeff's help most of the time.  I don't know what I would do if I lived alone.  I repeatedly ask not to put child proof lids on my medicine, but that request seems to fall on deaf ears.  

Of course it's not just medicines that are hard to open.  Have you tried to get something out of the blister pack?  Argh.  Again scissors have to be involved.  So when a package arrives you have to first get the box open (scissors or knife).  Once the box is open, and you pull out whatever you ordered.  And, of course, the merchandise inside the box also requires scissors.  

I know we have to have these measures in place for safety, but I long, and maybe you do too, for days when you bought something through the mail, it didn't come to you packed to withstand all levels of destruction - whatever they are!

So I have a few things that I've ordered coming in the mail next week.  And, if you're wondering, yes the little scissors will be by stide.

P

Detested Household Chores!

3/14/2014

Notice I said chores, because that's exactly what they are.  I know each of you out there have one, two or maybe more "chores" that you just don't seem to find time to do.  I know that's true of yours truly.  I thought I would share some of the things that need to be done around the house that I put off.  

Obviously, I have to do laundry and while it's not as time consuming as it used to be when women scrubbed their clothes on washboards, I still don't enjoy it.  Why?  Of course, I have a washer and dryer so the work isn't hard, and yet when the buzzer on the dryer goes off, I almost can't make myself rush into the laundry room and scoop up all the clean clothes and start folding.  This isn't hard work yet I don't want to have to fold clothes.  Theory is that as soon as you fold the clothes and put them in drawers, somebody comes along and has the nerve to wear them!  This is a never ending cycle!  Good news?  None of the boys live at home now, so it's just Jeff and I which means less laundry.  I wish I had a fairy that with one swoop of our wand, all the clothes would be folded - oh and even better - put in the drawers!

My next favorite thing to do is empty the dishwasher.  I have no trouble putting the dishes in there and slamming the door shut.  Confession: I have been known (but don't tell Jeff, though I think he already knows) that I never really actually take out all of the dishes.  Sinful I know.  Blame it on just being lazy.  I have no trouble whatsoever filling the dishwasher, but then when it's time to take the dishes out and put them away, I just groan.  Emptying the dishwasher is a chore much like folding clothes - boring.  And, like clean clothes, the dishes just get dirty again!

Lastly, it's washing all of my decorative glass pieces.  Those of you who know me well, also know that I love beautiful glass, and I have a lot of it.  Our bathroom has a garden tub and standing guard over the tub is 27 (yes you read correctly) beautiful and all different Murano glass clowns.  My heart's desire is to go to Italy and visit the island of Murano. Of course if I went to the factory I would definitely need an empty suitcase to bring home some new treasures.

Cleaning the clowns is actually easy.  I fill the tub up with warm water and give each clown a quick swish in the water, which removes any dust, and then put them back to continue guarding.

Those of you who have been to my house know that I have beautiful glass pieces all over the house.  I own glass elephants, frogs, birds and too many other treasures to mention.  Let's just say that occasionally somebody will tell me that my house reminds them of an "old lady's" house.  I'm okay with that.  I love having these beautiful things around me and a number of treasures I have a real sentimental attachment.  My parents bought me my first china tea cup when I was in high school and I've never stopped collecting!  

Well my blog is finished, as is the dryer and dishwasher - curses!

Have a good day.

P

Commercial Plane Travel

3/13/2014

I'm sure all of you have taken flights on commercial planes.  The plane ramps up to speed as it races down the runway.  In mere minutes, wheels are tucked in, and in minutes you're airborne.  I haven't been in a commercial plane in a long time, but I do remember that kind of whoosh feeling I get in my stomach as we take off and begin to ascend into the clouds.  Very cool.

On "big boy" planes, you are crammed into narrow coach seats.  As you go down the aisle looking for your seat, you're saying a silent prayer that you have an aisle seat.  You also pray that your seatmates are (a) not chatty; (b) overflow the seat who take ownership of the arm rest and (c) even worse, fall asleep and SNORE!  

There was a time when flying on a plane was a fine adventure, the stewardesses were attentive, and a very long time ago the food was even pretty good.  Now your food options are pretty much: rubber chicken or mystery beef. I'm not sure that there is much difference, taste wise, from rubber chicken or mystery beef.   All airline food now is blah, so why bother picking an entry, whatever you choose is not going to be very tasty anyway..  Airline food these days, unless you are in first class, tastes just about as good as hospital food - and that my friends is not a good thing.

Planes were more spacious (or we were leaner!) and you actually had leg room.  Now if the person in front of you reclines their seat, that person's head is almost in your lap.  Yuck.  Of course I'm only speaking about coach because I've never been in first class, where I know that the service and food are supremely better than those of us who are packed in a small space like cattle.

Years ago on a flight from Maui to DC, we had intentionally booked an aisle seat for Jeff and I.  We were in the same aisle, but aisle seats assures that you don't have to climb over other people.  Which is a definite plus.  Jeff and I were in our "matching" aisle seats, when a couple with a very superior, or perhaps even haughty look about them, realized that their seats were next to Jeff!  Given no choice they had to take their seats because the plane was full and there were no empty seats.  As we took off, I took Jeff's hand and asked if he needed a snack or something to read.  The woman, in particular, sent daggers my way.  I know what she was thinking - why aren't you sitting to this guy?  Why?  Because we both wanted an aisle seat - what a dummy!

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot indicated that we had a problem with the luggage door and he was returning back to Maui.  The sound of the groaning was deafening.  When we landed, we were all hustled into a "holding area" to wait to see if the problem could be fixed.  After a few hours, the plane was deemed air ready and I was really surprised how many people were afraid to get back on the plane.  Our reasoning for re-boarding was simple - if the pilot wasn't concerned, then neither were we.  Many of the passengers took advantage of the airline's option of a room in a nearby hotel.  Well who do you think was the first one to opt to stay behind - yep "Ms. Haughty Pants".  My sincere hope is that the next day when Haughty Pants boarded a new plane, she and her husband were stuck in the middle of some really obnoxious and "well-fed" seatmates!

For our flight, we pretty much had many available seats to choose from - heaven!   Such fun.

P

Let's Make A Deal!

3/12/2014

One of the perks, and I assure you there not many, is watching game shows during the day.  I only allow myself one hour during the day.  Please don't ask how many hours I allow myself at night!

My favorite show is Let's Make A Deal and Wayne Brady is the host.  It's a fun show filled with some pretty fabulous prizes and some "Zonks" (like a cardboard camel riding a cardboard surfboard).  I am amazed at the enthusiasm for some of the prizes.  Somebody wins a pool table and the winner goes crazy.  Me, with my perpetual glass half empty attitude, can only wonder if the winner even has a place for something so large on their house/apartment.  You need a really big room to accommodate something so big.

Some people win ski equipment, designer shoes, his and her watches (that aren't attractive at all - just saying), a boat (which would be really a lot of fun if you lived in a land locked state.  Sometimes the winner gets a new kitchen, complete with a free standing range (I thought just about everybody had a stove top and a separate oven.  Perhaps I'm wrong about that.  But if I won that prize, I'd be taking pictures and posting on Craigslist!

Some of the trips that people win are very nice, others not so much.  Who wants to take a vacation to let's say Salt Lake City?  I'm sure it's a beautiful city, but it's never been on my top ten of places to visit.  Maybe I'm just jealous because the contestants have won something.  As for myself, I can't even get lucky on a scratch off ticket, and I've never ever won so much as a dollar!  Sad but true.

The cars that people win are all stick shift and I'm pretty sure I'd never be able, or for that matter, want to drive a car that isn't automatic. I think it would bet difficult to get this old broad to develop a new driving skill!

Then there's the taxes! Most of us know if we win a cash prize, there are taxes to pay. Big prizes mean big taxes. But many game show contestants don't realize when they win merchandise, there's also tax to pay, and you might not get out the door with your prize until some of that tax is paid. 

When the prize is merchandise or travel, appliances, a car or a cruise, that's a different ballgame.  One contestant won $33,000 in prizes of "The Price is Right".  After the show, the contestant whisked backstage for a dose of reality - the tax issues.

Remember - nothing in life is free - there is a price to be paid - eventually!.

So for me, I think I would rather watch the game shows on TV and watch the game host give away prizes to people who seem to be really thrilled to have won a new blender (does anybody use them any more?) and an inexpensive stand mixer (the mixer is never a Kitchen Aid, but a more generic mixer - i.e., less expensive ). My entertainment is watching the over-the-top reaction when somebody wins something.  And when I see what the prize is - more often than not - I'm glad it wasn't me taking something home that I really don't want, or worse yet, have no place to put it in my house.

I know that if I don't buy a lottery ticket, I'll never win!  So if I don't win, it's definitely my fault.  But actually I'm okay with that.

P

 

Retirement Party

3/11/2014

Well folks I did it.  I really was dreading, in a good way (I think) of going back to the office and be the center of attention (which I try to avoid at all costs).  My department had balloons, bagels and other pastries as well as coffee.  I didn't take any coffee because I really didn't think it would be wise for me to jumpy on coffee - I was already a bundle of nerves!

There was a framed picture, signed by friends and coworkers, of the front of the building with pink dogwoods, which over the years, I always thought was the prettiest picture you could pick.

There were many nice things said about me which made me feel quite special. I have difficulty in seeing the good in me, but I'm working on it.  Baby steps you know.

Two of my bosses who both took a chance on hiring me were at the get together.  It was truly wonderful to see both of them again after such a long time.  My first boss took me on even though I didn't know the difference between a franchisee or a franchisor!  I finally know the difference.  My first big challenge in Franchise was the annual filing of the "UFOC" (we sometimes had other words to describe the work involved to produce these annual documents before the filing deadline.  I did pick up some great overtime money and honed by Word skills.  I had previously only used WordPerfect, so there was a "small" transition period!

My boss at the time was great to work for, but eventually I thought it was time for me to move on and do something different.

My second boss was in the Benefits Department and all I could tell him about benefits was that I had some!  Still he, like my former boss, took a chance on me and we worked together for many years.  With the help of the Benefits paralegal, I was introduced to the numbering scheme for the benefit files.  My favorite benefit plan that I enjoyed most was working with documents for the Pension Plan.  I considered my work on those files to be my "Picasso" and I was very proud of the work I put into it.  This will sound silly, but to me it was truly a work of art (and no I'm not crazy)!

The department gave me Ebay money, which everyone knows is my favorite place to shop, so I always appreciate Ebay bucks.  I was also given a gift certificate for movies, The Children's Place and Toys-R-Us.  As a coincidence, Ben's birthday is coming up shortly.  I will have no trouble finding him some toy or game fitting for his new age of 6 (he's nearly grown up)!  Whatever I buy for him at The Children's Place I know will be ho-hum for Ben.  He is, after all, a boy and they never want new clothes.  But Mom Mom will pick up some "cool" clothes for him to wear in the summer.

For all or any of you that are reading this, I appreciate the opportunity to see all of you again and having a chance to talk to everyone.  The work you put in to getting the breakfast put together as well as the decorations was wonderful, and I appreciate it so much.

If you want to find out what my thoughts and/or rants are, visit me here.  I try to keep my blogs "G" rated.

It was so good to see all of you today and I thank all of you for your kind wishes for the future.  I'll be sure to let you know how Wilma is progressing.  I would love to actually write a real book that some editor was interested in.  That would be huge for me.  It'd be huge for Jeff too because I told him that if I was ever even remotely a rich woman, I'd buy him a bigger and faster plane!

Again, I thank all of you very much.  I'll be well.

P

My Sister's Birthday

3/10/2014

Today is my sister's birthday.  She is 8 years younger than me, but if doesn't stop having birthdays she's going to catch up with me!

I remember sharing a bedroom with her.  The walls were painted light lavender and our bedspreads had three ruffles on the edges varying from pale lavender to deep purple.  I thought the room was beautiful.  Lavender and purple have always been my favorite color.

It's not easy to have an 8 year age difference, we were definitely at different stages of our life and for the most part had nothing common.  That did change when we both were adults.

One Christmas my sister needed to have an appendectomy and she had to stay in the hospital for a few days.  Opening Christmas presents was delayed until she came home.  I don't mind confessing that my brother and I were not very happy with the delay - selfish creatures that we were.

I remember my sister wanting to stay overnight at a local church for some teen event and I offered to be a chaperone.  Longest night of my life.  It wasn't bad enough that we slept on the floor, but the near constant giggling kept me up most of the night.  I suspect from a teenager's point of view it was a fun night - for me - not so much.

I remember taking vacations by car with all three of us kids in the backseat.  Naturally we didn't get along that well being scrunched together.  Age does have some advantages, since my sister was the youngest and the shortest, she had to sit in the middle where the dreaded hump was on the floor.

When we were living in Illinois, I was responsible for taking shelter underneath the house in the crawl space in case of a tornado.  Okay just for tickles and grins, we looked under the house once and both of us decided that it was too dark, creepy and probably some kind of critters underneath the house.  Luckily, I was never forced to make the decision requiring us to suck it up and crawl under the house.  Whew!  If we had needed to, I know that we would have both survived, but it wouldn't have been pretty!

Once we were adults, my sister and I went to the YMCA for I believe Jazzercise.  Okay I'm not known for being light on my feet, so we didn't last too long in that class!  

I wanted to take a refresher course in Shorthand and didn't want to go along.  So I dragged my sister to come with me, even though she had never had shorthand before.  She was a good sport about it and I know I was, and likely her as well, when that class was over.  We took a calligraphy class the junior college.  My sister has more artistic talent than I do, so she loved the class.  I put up with it, much like she did during shorthand!

My sister was my maid of honor with I married Jeff.  The morning of my wedding, she and I went to the beauty shop to get our hair done.  Once at home we polished our nails and sat around in bathrobes until it was t-minus to get dressed.

We found great enjoyment in browsing through antique and vintage stores looking for pretty much anything.  We weren't particularly looking for anything, it was more about the browse.  When I was expecting Scott, my sister went shopping with me through stores until we found a used dressing table.  Of course in our infinite wisdom, we had no way to get the table home.  Jeff had to come down and pick it up.

My sister went to my baby showers for both Scott and Andy, and suffered along with me, as we played silly baby shower games.  Glad that part of my life is over.  Nobody wants to have a piece of string around your very pregnant belly while people guess how big you are!  Ugh.

We ordered Tupperware and when the order was in, the Tupperware rep. asked us to come down and pick up our order.  The lady lived in Long Beach (if my memory serves me correct).  The night in question it was raining cats and dogs and I was driving.  Now all of my friends know that I hate driving - in the dark - and in weather!  But in those days I was a bit more gutsy, so off to Long Beach we went.  This was in the days before your dashboard talked to you to tell you when to go left and right.  Somehow we made it to Long Beach but not before ending up in the shipyards!

We did some ceramics together even though my painting skills was pretty marginal and I hate to say it but hasn't improved over time.

Before I moved to Maryland, I was less fearful and willing to try pretty much anything.  Many times my sister was my "copilot" as we enjoyed our adventures!  Sadly, the last time I saw my sister was at our mother's funeral and that was a long time ago.

We both love books and when I was still in California we shared our favorite books with each other.  Just recently I read two books that I thought were outstanding and I mailed them out to her so that she can enjoy them too.

My sister and I don't talk on the phone.  Don't misunderstand that there is something wrong with our relationship.  The relationship is fine, I just don't talk on the phone and she knows this about me.

I know there are more memories that I just can't bring to mind at the moment. 

I want to wish my sister a very Happy Birthday and I hope she gets to spend it exactly as she wants.

Love P

"Buried" Treasure

3/9/2014

For many years, Jeff and I, together with the boys and their best friend, rented a house at the Outer Banks.  For a couple of years we only rented a house for one week and then decided a week wasn't worth all the effort.  You spend pretty much all day getting there, stopping at a grocery stuff to buy cold foods and finally trying to get settled in.  It was a lot of planning and work, but all of us enjoyed our time at the beach.  We were actually a caravan, Jeff and I in our car, Scott and Andy in our truck and Ken, their best friend in his own car.  

After a few years of one week of vacation, we opted to live life on the edge - and stay for two weeks!  Ah, two weeks is much better I assure you.  Everybody had an assigned task.  The boys were in charge of making sure that we were set up so we could use our laptops.  Staying connected is very important to our family.

What was my job?  Oh I'm sure you've guess it already.  I was the menu planner and cook.  I took my job seriously and even created an excel spreadsheet that I used every year to make sure I didn't forget ingredients.  The boys were always satisfied with my dinners.  I only made what I knew was everybody's favorite dishes  All of the boys liked my particular spaghetti recipe as well as a hamburger casserole which I used to make regularly for the family.  What wasn't my job?  Doing the dishes and emptying the trash - that was man's work!

Jeff was in charge of loading the truck with the necessary beach necessities - umbrellas, beach chairs, cooler, and one year even a tent type of structure where anyone who wanted out of the sun.  Our first trip to the beach with Ben he was only about 3 months old and even at that early age he giggled when his toes touched the water.  At that age naps are necessary, so under the tarp, we dug out a bed of sorts, lined with a towel, Ben slept soundly.  We all took turns sitting under the tarp with him, so that all of us adults could have some fun in the water.

Every time we were at the beach, one of my favorite things to do was to look for shells, unusual was preferable, and rocks that looked interesting to me.  Once at home, I filled the sink and rinsed off all my treasures.  Today, I have four very big containers filled with all my finds.

Last week I was moving some shells from one container to another one.  Don't bother to ask me why I thought that was necessary, but I truly felt compelled.  After getting the right mix of rocks and shells in each container that pleased me, I put the containers back in their usual places.  One morning, for no particular reason at all, I put my hand in one of those containers, and right at the top was an almost perfectly formed rock heart.  Somehow I knew that I was meant to find that rock and remove it from the container and put it on a chain so I could wear it.

Sometimes when you're not looking for anything, you find something that just seems to be a serendipitous occurrence. Finding that heart was that kind of occurrence for me.  I am convinced I was meant to find that rock and I'm glad that I did.  

We haven't been back to the beach for many years.  The boys are now married men and have jobs and can't take two weeks of vacation, all at one time.  While we may never be able to spend time with the boys at the beach again, I have a lifetime of memories of living at the beach, and I hope they do as well.

P 

Cure for Insomnia

3/5/2014

I have found the ultimate cure for sleepless nights - books on tape!  My first talking book arrived from the Library of Congress yesterday.  Admittedly, the book wasn't one that I would have chosen for myself.  The first book they send you is sort of a random choice based on the type of books you like.  They sent me a Danielle Steel book, an author who I a long time ago enjoyed.  I gave up on her books because they were basically all the same: hunky, gorgeous and rich man - beautiful, poor woman.  You can easily predicate the end of all her books.

I sat down on the sofa, hit the play button on my talking book machine and really tried, truly I did, to stay focused on the reading.  Unfortunately, I didn't hit the pause button before I started snoozing!  The drone of the narrator's voice was just hypnotizing!  I can't see what the difference is between reading a book or listening.  Novels don't have pictures, you just make up images for the characters in your mind.  Yesterday, while listening to the machine, I was incapable of imagining anything!  Maybe the difference is that when I'm reading, I'm actually looking at the words and the story comes to life for me.  I tried to conjure up in my mind images of the characters as well as the scenes and it just didn't work..  Since reading is so difficult for me, and a lifelong passion, I'd better become "one" with talking books!

The talking books have to work for me because the only books I can read now are large type and the local library unfortunately doesn't have a lot of books for me to choose from.  I'm going to give Danielle Steel another try this afternoon and hope that I can get further in the book before I fall asleep!

Maybe if the book had been a mystery or a thriller it might be more exciting than a romance novel!  I'll listen to the book later this afternoon.  At the very least, I'll get in a good nap!

P

 

Post Oscars

3/3/2014

Okay people we can now get on with our lives - truly!  Millions of people flocked to the movies last year to watch the latest releases.  Movies have gotten so expensive that I just don't go to see any old movie.  Just because it's new, doesn't mean it's good.  I did see Philomena which was was sad and touching.  I cannot imagine what it must have felt like watching the nuns put your son in a stranger's car, knowing you would never see him again.

My favorite movie of the year was Saving Mr. Banks which didn't get an Oscar nod for Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson.  I thought both actors did an amazing job with the movie and I liked it so much, I saw it twice!  And even convinced Jeff to go with me, thus satisfying my one movie a year requirement!

I saw Gravity and I thought it was a good film, but not a great one.  I was truly surprised at how many Oscars the movie won last night.  Unfortunately, no Oscar for Sandra Bullock or George Clooney, two of my favorite actors.

I also saw Osage County and Meryl Streep did an amazing job, but there was so much cursing (and I'm not a prude by any means), and the screaming made my head ache. 

I watched The Butler and loved the movie and the performances by Oprah and Forrest Whitaker.  The real butler Eugene Allen was a butler at the White House for 34 years and served 8 presidents.  Unfortunately, no Oscar nod for the movie or the actors.

There are several movies I want to see but most of them have left the local movie theaters.  I'm hoping that they'll be available on Netflix soon.

When I go to a movie I no longer want to be scared, which means thrillers are out for me.  One of Jeff's favorite tv shows is Blacklist.  I watched the show a few times but the amount of violence was too much and filled me with anxiety.  Jeff now watches the show alone.

Now that we've talked about the movies, let's talk about the dresses.  I have always contended that actresses and perhaps even actors, have a multitude of designers at their disposable.  What fashion designer doesn't want his/her name mentioned as the designer of a dress or dresses.  But truly some of the designs are so horrible, I'm not sure I would want to put my name out there.  I'm also wondering what the stars see when they are trying on dresses and looking in a mirror.  Do they really think that some wacky design looks good on them?  Or does a designer "convince" an actress that they look beautiful?

I thought Ellen did a great job last night.  I particularly loved it when she ordered pizza (I thought she was kidding), the pizza guy brought 3 pizzas along with plates and napkins.  And actually some of the actors must have been hungry because they accepted a slice of pizza.  Of course then Ellen passed the hat around to pay for the pizzas, which I thought looked like she and everyone else was enjoying themselves.

I've made a list of the movies I want to see: Monument Men; American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, Captain Phillips and Nebraska.  I'll just have to wait until the movies come to Netflix.  

Since it's snowing today, it looks like a good day to sit by the fire and read and/or watch cheesy television shows, which I love.

P

Plane Trip

3/2/2014

Yesterday, while a bit on the cold side, seemed like a perfect day for Jeff and I to play hookey and fly somewhere - anywhere.  When you have a beautiful day, pilots everywhere look toward the sky.  Destination?  Doesn't matter, just get up in the clouds and watch the world below you.  Luckily, our plane has a much better heater than it's air conditioning.  During the summer, there are times when you wish you could put your fanny on ice!

We took the plane out yesterday and flew to Cambridge, Maryland for lunch.  The cost of the meal amounted to peanuts compared to how much aviation fuel costs.  Our rationale thinking is that the plane is just about our only indulgence now.  Let's put it this way, I would give up my fancy car just so we could keep the plane.  It's truly that important to us.  The plane takes us anyplace we want to go and we get there fast.  My "pilot" lets me choose the kind of music I want to listen to.  It actually doesn't matter what type of music I listen to, generally only hear one or two songs before I'm making music of my own (ladylike snoring).  

Jeff is a very good pilot and I have no fears about flying with him.  When we first got the plane I used to freak out (a little, okay maybe a lot!) about the other planes flying in our vicinity.  That fear is now gone.  Jeff can see other traffic on the screen and it's the job of air traffic controllers to watch out for planes flying in their area.  We don't fly up where the big boys are.  Our plane would amount to having a gnat buzzing around them, so we stay out of each others way.  When we are close to a big airport and a plane is getting ready to fly, it's kind of neat to look down on these big birds.

One thing you don't ever want to see when looking out your window is a F-16.  If they are flying close to your plane, then you have done something wrong,  like flying over Camp David or other restricted air spaces.  

I am completely at ease when we're in the air.  If something should happen to Jeff, I know there are two things I can do.  One is to talk to the air traffic controllers who will be able to talk a non-pilot to the ground.  The landing wouldn't be pretty, but you'd at least be on the ground.

The other thing I could do is pull the parachute which covers the entire wing span of the plan and would slow down the plane's speed and allow you to float toward land.  Trust me, if I had to either of those things, I'd be scared "....less").  But even when we flew to the Bahamas over a lot of water, the ocean is after all, vast, I was completely at ease.  It's true that I looked down every so often to see if there were any of those gray finned animals were below us.   I would like very much to return to the Bahamas.  Our visit last time was cut short because of inclement weather.  There was only a small window to get up in the air and get ahead of the storm.  Most of the pilots cut short their trip to avoid bad weather.

The $100 Hamburger

Hi, Guest Blogger here (Jeff)

Yesterday - I convinced Patti to join me for a magic carpet ride - for a lunch date.
We headed up to the airport about 1:00 - with the goal to fly to the Eastern Shore (KCGE, Cambridge-Dorchester Airport) and have lunch.

I did a pre-flight, and called for a SFRA flight plan (SFRA stands for Special Flight Rules Area around the Capital here in the DC area)  - We took off, and climbed up to 3500 feet, in order to contact Potomac approach, and be observed on radar, and were cleared on course into the SFRA - to transit thru the VFR corridor back down at 2400 feet - between the BWI (Baltimore) and DCA (Washington Regan) airport airspace.  Once we were outside the SFRA - over the Chesapeake bay, we climbed back up to 3500 feet - for the short cruise over to the Eastern Shore and a decent to Cambridge.

The airport was pretty quiet - only three other planes the entire time we were on the ground for lunch, and they were all at Kay's (the restaurant on the airport) having lunch as well. 

On the way back, we took a few cell phone pictures -as we headed over the bay.  As you can see in the pictures, the clouds were starting to roll in, making it more grey, but it was still very pretty

This last picture shows a number of large freighters in the channel heading to/from Baltimore harbor and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the distance.  These were at an altitude of 3500 feet -

We had a fun afternoon - and overall - managed to keep this in the $100 hamburger price range.  We split a Ruben sandwich - I added a bowl of soup. and a side of onion rings - Patti added some bread pudding for dessert - total bill with tax and tip $20.00  - we flew for 1.8 hours - and used 12 gallons of fuel - so, about $70 for fuel.

-J-