It would, Jim. And Wednesday was very smart and creative, too, so that's REALLY like Nadine! :-)
Compassion For Physically Challanged Gardeners #13
I'm Nadine. Seacanepain's weird-and-proud-of-it god-daughter. Haven't been on this thread in a while. I think Wednesday was the daughter on "The Addams Family". She played with a headless doll she called her Marie Antoinette doll. If I am Wednesday, wouldn't that make Papa Jim like Uncle Fester. Grandpa Smith did tell me stories about his blowing things up and accidentally setting fires when he was a kid. He wanted to work for NASA and design spacecraft when he grew up. . His Dad says he is lucky their house and barn survived his rocket scientist phase.
For the record, Barbie's head used to come off and go back on easy and it was easier to change their clothes with their heads off, then put the heads back on. I grew up in the 80's so Barbie, of course, had the fashionable 80's Big Hair. I guess she's had many looks over the years. Mama Kay had a Barbie from the 60's. She had shoulder-length brown hair, bangs and the tips of the hair sort of curled up. ~Nadine~
I had one of the first Barbies....1958 maybe. She has long blond hair in a poney tale and her arms and legs did not bend. My moma & granma made lots of little outfits for her. then I got a Ken doll and soon grew out of the doll playing stage. I think Ken got me interested in boys!
It always bothered me Ken didn't have realistic hair. They should find a way to give that guy some "real" hair! :-)
Hope you're still around, Linny. We really do talk about gardening sometimes. Right now, Debra's pics keep me going. It's been unusually cold here.
Katiebear, Nadi’s dad was a student of Scottish history and the Gaelic language. He told me once the original Scottish meaning of “weird” was a person who sought to control their own fate. Someone who didn’t accept the destiny the world gave them. You don’t have to go very far back in history to the time when people believed that the only way to change one’s fate was through supernatural intervention so the word weird came to mean eerie, uncanny or something supernatural. Very recently, it came more often to mean something that disturbs our sense of what should be. I try very hard to teach the troubled people who come through Amargia to be weird in the original sense of the word. If that makes them weird by the current definition, so be it. It is worth an occasional emotional bruise or even outright rejection to be at the rudder of your own life. . Your neighbor sounds like just another mindless leaf in the stream. Your polite, but distant approach does sound like the best course. It is a pain to be on bad terms with a neighbor. I have one that is very difficult. I hate everything about him from his violent temper to the way he treats his animals. I will deal only with his wife or step-daughter. It has been a long time since he and I have had words, but it is still a joke. People approach me when I’m working in the garden by announcing their names and that my neighbor is not in their company. It’s a joke because I once slung open the door and verbally laid into my neighbor without giving him a chance to speak. (Jim had been unfailingly polite and controlled and it hadn’t worked. I wasn’t going to let him verbally batter Jim again. I thought my neighbor was a crude, rank amateur when it came to verbal abuse. I decided to show him how a pro did it). It wasn’t my neighbor at the door. It was a police officer come to investigate the disturbance One of my more embarrassing A.B.A.P.I.T.A. moments. (Ain’t Blindness A Pain In The Anatomy) :-) Thankfully it was an experienced police officer with a sense of humor. He let me rant until I ran down and realized there was something wrong.
This neighbor and I NEVER got along though. I didn’t have to deal with feelings of betrayal. I imagine that is tougher. I don’t suppose you can’t just avoid dealing with her in future? Or, at least, until the emotional bruising has a chance to heal? Your Santa gig sounds like a blast.
The only real definition for "normal" is a setting on the washing machine.
Kay*
LOL Kay, Jim has told us about your ability to get to the heart of a matter.Way to go girl!!!! It would be so-oo-oo dull to be normal.
I let things go and let them go.Than i explode.Not a good thing. I go round and round with our Forest Service head about our road.She is a witch.
Got another seed catalog today,from White Flower Farm. They are too expensive but i love the pics.
Love the line about "normal." I laughed out loud.
I have just not been going over to see the neighbor and she hasn't come over here. We have a fair amount of space between us so it's not hard to do.
It is the feeling of betrayal that's hardest to deal with. I don't think she is really stupid and I can think of several ways she could have handled the situation other than telling me about the party the next day and offering me the leftovers. That smacks of nastiness and a deliberate attempt to "keep me in my place." I think Birdie really touched on the issue when she said I am the only person who can make me feel bad. Unfortunately, I seem to draw afair number of people who seem to want me to feel bad. I could regard it as the big challange of my life. It is a lot of why I am so grateful to have Tony in my life. He thinks I'm just fine.
My father had problems with depression and alchohol and he was endlessly negative about me. My mother would assure me it was his problem but alos give me part of the blame. She never took any responsibility. Guess what? The same as my neighbors!! Isn't it funny how that works.
I've been getting through it. I don't want to wallow in it but I'm also not going to pretend it wasn't very painful. Hard to walk that line.
Today, I woke up a little before seven and basically said "enough of this." Got up and dressed - with breaks to play morning games with the dogs. Don't know what I'll do today but I'll find something. Probably outdoors when it warms up a bit.
Don't let the b......ds get you down,
hugs, katie
I can’t take credit for that line. I borrowed it from Whoopi Goldberg. K*
Whoopi G and Dolly Parton have more than their share of good ole common sense.
My Gmother was always totally negative about me. When i think about it, She never said a good thing about me ever. But thats alright i had about 3 teachers and a librarian who did. I had all the wild things and the stars and the universe that loved me. What else could i have asked for.
Katie, You've got the ocean to love you and whales too. And US.
Happy New Year, everyone.
I did my grocery shopping yesterday. I should be safe for the weekend.
Are any of you getting the storms? It is quite chillly here in the night and early morning but for us that means maybe mid 50's and it warms up during the day.
Lots of lemons and grapefruit and the tangerines on my n#2 tree are ripening. The #1 tree is done for the year.
hugs, katie
My family is extended proof that humor can be found in the saddest of occasions. Our brother had been in hospice care for a year and died yesterday about 10:00PM. He was on Morphine, Methadone, plus a few other narcotics and still in pain, so the release was a blessing for him. His girlfriend called my sister to come out because she was too upset to handle anything herself. So my BIL drives them to Hutchins (about 20 miles from where they live), all the authorities were duly called...and the same police officer that answered the call when my niece died in June answered THIS call. Even though it was her daughter and now her brother, my sister thought that was the funniest thing ever. She said the expression on his face was priceless. Well, I GUESS so!! LOL
Katie, it's supposed to get down to 25 overnight Saturday, but since the temps always warm back up into at least the 50s next day, no real damage has been done this year, except to the most tender plants (like my Coleus). A La Nina Winter, it is, it is. Happy we got more rain overnight, we're behind for the year. Don't know abut you, but weather extremes affect my mood drastically and I like having these mild seasons.
The weather here has been having some wild mood swings. Snow flurries just a few days ago, but Kay worked outside in a tee shirt and shorts today. Upper-70s. Heavy rains expected tomorrow. Back down to below freezing by Sunday. Erratic even by the standards of this area.
Steak for dinner was our only concession to the holiday. I’m making my usual resolution about losing the extra lbs. You never know. I might actually succeed this year. :-) I’m looking at one of those one person, heated, therapeutic pools so I can exercise without so much pain. Going to the pool at the local college or the one on the military base is such a hassle, I don’t keep my resolution to go.
Sorry to hear about your brother, Debra. Our prayers for your family. Question: Will that police officer who died in the line of duty you mentioned on the “Thankful” thread be included on your website? (Jim)
Yes, she is there, Jim. :-)
Happy new year, everyone.
I did some work down in the arroyo today. It's the first time in months that I've both had the energy and felt sure enough on my feet to do so. Didn't do a lot but I'mhappy to get started.
Getting caught up on doing the dishes and the laundry. Also, general clean up both in and out of doors.
It is good to be feeling better. I think the new medication is helping. Also, making it through the holidays.
This is our working weather. We have a few months when we can get some things done before the heat of summer sets in again and we go back into survival mode.
It's been c hilly and windy here today. Good weather for doing a little of this and a little of that..
Not mych news here. A good day to take it easy.
hugs, katie
Debra, sorry to hear about your brother, but so many people don't understand that 'blessed relief' part of it. That part of you can actually be relieved that he died? Oh, I hope I'm not offending anyone, I'm just weird, and proud of it.
So many people said things like "ordinarily, we don't let people park here" or "most people just climb up these stairs" that I have decided I am clearly not ordinary; hence, I must be extraordinary!
DD#2 wants a Disney princess wedding dress from the Disney store in NYC. I hope it's a phase.
Oh compassionate ones - a little support for your weird friend here. You know I mentioned that my jaw was very painful. I had kind of wrenched while wailing over my neighbor's nastiness to me. It has been very bothersome and I had no idea what was wrong or what to do. Then when I woke up this morning my ear popped twice. Then it popped again. I've no idea what happened but my jaw and ear are much better. Very weird.
I remembered another Christmas story. Tony started working for me in the fall about fourteen years ago. A person who had employed him previously told me that he would have Tony come to work on Christmas Eve and they would have a cup of coffee and he would then pay Tony and send him home. Knowing that Christmas Eve is the day of the big parties I told Tony a couple of days before that he could have all of Christmas Eve off. He hesitantly replied that he would rather have Christmas Day off. When I was able to stop laughing I said, "Of course you have Christmas Day off." It still cracks me up.
I'm up early again today and feeling pretty good. So happy my ear/jaw thing is better.
It's been quite chilly at night and in the early mornings so I finally brought in my little propane heater for when I'm at my puter. Yesterday was cold and windy and my house is very Mexican, i.e. lots of places where the wind can get in and not a lot of insulation. I don't leave the heater on when I'm' sleeping - the dogs have to cuddle with me and we keep each other warm.
Looks like another clear beautiful day in The Baja.
warm hugs, katie
Katie, I am glad you have Tony. And glad that you are feeling so much better. Doing even simple things seem enormous when you feel poorly. I have a small pier-and-beam frame house that could use more insulation, too. Although there is still one of the gas wall heaters in the bathroom (which still works!) the previous owners put in Central Heat and Air. It helps to keep the winter out, but the thermostat is kept between 60 and 65 degrees because of fuel costs. I have five layers on the bed and two to three dogs sleeping with me each night. We stay toasty!
Enjoy your day!!
Debra
Thanks, Debra. It has been all I could do to keep up with feeding the dogs, laundry and dirty dishes. Tony is good about keeping the plants watered and leaves raked up when I'm not doing well.
I am competing against 749 other people for a $10,000 seat in the WSOP this afternoon. Got to get my game face on.
Cooking hamburger, chicken and rice for the dogs. I suspect it would cost me a lot more to heat the house than it does to feed them.
I took half tablets of Wellbutrin for a few days along with Prozac. I seem to be tolerating it better. I am also careful to take it with food (not a real sacrifice, I must admit).
katie
Go kick butt, Katie!!!! :-D
You sound so much better, Katie!
Happy Everything to Everybody! Children (offspring) stink.
Carrie, understand it completely and I, for one, don't find it offensive. It's reality. I'm relieved my brother, my niece, my mother, and my father are all no longer in pain, or fighting their addictions and mental illnesses that, in them, would never be cured. My sister and her grandkids are now starting to remember the real daughter and mom, and to forget the insane person who slowly took over her body the last few years until there was nothing left but the crazy one.
There is a reason God did not grace me with children. I am too much like my father and it would have been a real bad deal for any children I might have had. Watching my sister, I know it isn't easy and takes more strength and courage than I ever had, but that she has in abundance. You have my deep admiration, Carrie. :-)
Yes, I have definately perked up.
Remember that insanity is hereditary - you get it from your children.
kb
Oh, I had forgotten, Katie, that explains a lot! Thank you, Debra. Your eulogettes (new word - like it?) are lovely.
Back to work on my article on Frankincense and Myrrh. Katie, do the locals celebrate 3 Kings Day by you in Mexico?
Not much, I think.
I made it through the first third of the tournament, then my kings ran into aces. Next time.
kb
WSOP? World Sink Of Pipe?
Poker tournament
World Series of Poker, you goose.
kb
Debra's birthday, Debra's birthday!
Do you actually bet money? Who's a goose now?
Wasn't it Richard Nixon who said, "I am not a goose." Or something like that.
I pay a monthly fee and there are games for points and for money. I had to be one of the top four in a qualifing game to play today.
I won $15 in cash the other day but mostly I play to help keep my brain alive. Probably a futile hope.
kb
Hey, it beats tatting! :-)
Good Heavens!!! My friends have all lost it.
TATTING ,GOOSE,POKER?!!!! I will devinately stick to my trivial pursuit and answer questions like "Had you rather use someone elses toothpaste or clean up vomit?" I'll try to link to it but i think you have to have an MSN2 to use it.
www.quizland.com
This message was edited Jan 2, 2011 11:27 PM
Goose...crook, understandable mistake. Geese are BAD!!! I was feeding the ducks and geese at the pond and the geese got ticked off when I ran out of bread. They started homking at me and chased me off pinching me on the bum.
Uh-h-h, what is tatting? ~N~
Wait till you have a banty rooster come after you! LOL
Geese can be really nsty. So was Richard Nixon. But geese don't use racial epithets. That we know of.
Another chilly day here.
I don't think the poker is working. My brain feels numb. Maybe it's just cold.
kb
Tatting is a type of hand work like crochet or knitting. Only you use thick thread, usually cotton or silk. My great-grandmother used to make doilies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatting
Tatting is making lace! Read this article....
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1459/
That Wikipedia site says tatting was 'NOT done before the 19th century, but I always understood if you were knitting or crocheting LACE to adorn a garment, then it was tatting, and fiddle-dee-dee about those shuttles. I'm off to light fires.
Good morning everyone,
My ear is still a little "off" but things are going OK. I have started clearing the last kitchen wall, getting ready to brownbag it. I am not rushing.
We are having our fall/winter/spring season. My apple tree has its first blossoms. There's lots of cirtus - lemons, limes and red grapefruit here. Friends have lots of oranges and I get fresh juice.
My neighbor has not been over and I am realizing how much her her criticism-disguished-as-jokes had been adding to my depression.
Found out yesterday that my friend Mel has just moved in up the road from me. He last house gpot 10 feet of water in the last hurricane. He is now on higher ground and within visiting distance. We are both kind of recluses but we really like each other. I'm happy to have him closer. Found out yesterday that he also a recovering alchoholic.
My pain/depression has lifted to the extent that I've been getting up early for the lst couple of weeks. I feel better when I do that though I'm usually done in by early afternoon. My ankle is almost completely better though I'm still being very careful with it.
We have cloud cover today so it's not as cold as it's been. Tony's car has died. There are regulations that keep Mexicans and Americans from driving cars that are registered to each other so I can't loan him my van. He has a motorcycle but it's cold for that right now. There's always something.
I want to be all better yesterday but I'm hanging in and hope all of you are doing the same.
hugs, katie
I'm sorry you're still not feeling well but ,,,, it sounds BEAUTIFUL! I haven't seen anything local and fresh in months. Apple blossoms, lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, fresh OJ (that's not $3-5 a glass). Buy Tony a leather suit and a helmet, boots, the whole ball of wax - up here people ride their motorcycles until there's snow on the ground. (We do, but you don't have to do anything I say.)
Of course I'm hanging in, what else can I do?
Uh-h-h, what's a doily? Just kidding, but I do admit it wasn't that many years ago that I really wouldn't have known what one was. A very elderly lady from church showed me how to use one to decorate a cake quickly. You just lay it on top of the cake and sprinkle confectioners' sugar. When you carefully remove the doily, it leaves the pattern behind.
Hope things continue to improve, Kb. ~N~
Ummm, would ya'll go read my article for today and SAY something, please? DH says if I have to ask you, it shouldn't count, but still, what if I beg you?