The Ring of love (love after 15 years requires a ring)

Bonnie my 25 year old love bird.  He has now joined the traveling convoy.  Bonnie's first trip was to Orlando. a nice 10 hour drive.  He did much better than his seasoned counterpart (Roxie)!

Picture is in reference to the March 13, 2012 blog about love requiring a ring.   

I missed the Grim Reaper Again---By Mere Seconds

I almost died again yesterday!  If my husband could get a life insurance policy on me I would be really concerned.  Twice in three months--(even if you are not good with math you should know this is almost too close to be coincidental)--I almost died due to food.

I'm not allergic to peanuts or shellfish or the things most people think of when you say food allergy. I am allergic to cheese (think molds like blue & swiss cheese).  Not being able to eat cheese coupled with the fact that I am a self-imposed, vegetarian in denial, makes life hard.  I do know there are two things I can safely eat, ice cream and fudge.  Okay forget the fudge, all I need to eat is ice cream.

Regardless, yesterday I grabbed a potato chip out of the pantry, and  bit off a microscopic piece.  Within seconds my throat and airways closed. I was going down for the count and I didn't even swallow!  Thanks to God and the makers of the  Epi-pen I was able to stop the anaphylactic reaction.  No major damage, although if given the chance my husband might try to say I lost oxygen to my brain and am now no longer capable to fulfill my vows (i. e. clean house, fix meals, help kids....).

I do have a point- Really!  HERE IT IS: starting next week  April 30, 2012 there will be a minimum of 3 blogs a week.(MWF)   Now my 2 loyal followers will be guaranteed something to read when they check-in.  No more hit and miss!  It's time to step up--- time to produce something besides children, traffic accidents and medical bills.

Just give me a couple of days to catch my breath, and in return I promise to blog regularly about things that will have you in a sound slumber faster than any sleeping pill!

P.S.
Can I also start my ice cream count over again?  I did almost die!?!

The Pants Don't Fit so I Won't Wear Them!

Everyone who has a child knows what it's like on a school morning.  The frantic pace is kicked up a notch when for the 5th time this year they can pay $1 and wear blue jean shorts.  I was prepared for my daughter, had her one pair ready, and didn't think twice about my youngest son.  He had blue jean shorts everywhere in his room--no problem.

My son was trying on his third pair of jean shorts when he declared "they would fit but the hole is too far away from the button!"


The laughter only went on to make things worse for him.  Our weekly milkshake ritual had played havoc on my family, and our clothes! (I can't even keep count of the buttons that have popped off over the past five months--obviously a design flaw.)  I grabbed a pair of dirty uniform shorts and threw them into the bathroom.  My son peeked out of from behind the bathroom door, having to make sure his siblings weren't around before he astounded me.

"Mom since it's the last day of school can we get a shake on the way home?" he asked with the innocence only a child could have or the indifference that men have to weighty issues.

"Not today," I replied tugging on his shorts to check the strength of the button.

I barely thought about this morning again until after buying new clothes for my daughter for our upcoming trip.  She asked if we could stop at the new frozen yogurt store.  At  this store you fill your own giant cup with as much yougurt as you want then add toppings from Lucky Charms and M&M's to the good old fashioned chocolate and caramel sauce.

The Battle on Ice Cream week one:

Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt Score 1 point
I the loser gain 1 pound

I will  live to fight the ice cream demon another day, but will have to remember about ice cream's  caloric side kick Frozen Yogurt.

The problem with ice cream!!!

Today is the first day of April, and it is my intent to cut out ice cream to once a week.  There should be some great prize, if I persevere and drop my( almost ) daily intake.   Once you quit moving around as much, the weight creeps on.  Okay it didn't creep on, was an open assault on my stomach.

I have to admit I am spurred on by my husbands loss of over 20 pounds while celebrating 3 birthdays in March.  Also our 20th wedding anniversary is less than  8 months away.   More than anything, I see this as a challenge.  Each morning he cheerfully announces his weight loss, while I look at my waist and blame my mother!  Sorry Mom, I can't be an adult and take ownership of my ice cream addiction.

Here's to starting and finishing  a new challenge!

Should I kick it off with a milkshake?

Plagiarism is Fine

ABC's national morning broadcast stunned me yesterday.    It wasn't  because of dead bodies laying barely covered in yellow tarps, or the fact that another teenager found a gun and shot and killed his friend.  No, in its own way it's much worse.   The anchor's of the morning news show were talking about the internet and how anyone could post something on the internet.  (I agree look at me) 

These anchors whom audiences trust, went on to say that because of the popularity and accessibility of social media, stated that there wasn't  a need to give credit to either an author or photographer.   Why should you when you are only going to post it on Facebook, Twitter,  or Pinterest? 

These anchors  are fine with plagiarism.  High School seniors everywhere REJOICE.  They can copy anyone's work and claim it as their own. (Okay it's not like they haven't tried this before).  The issues of copyright and plagiarism  go hand in hand.  Without proper attribution to the author or photographer, we are left with an American public trusting undocumented writings, and people's opinions as fact.  (Think Wikipedia)

 I guess to  news anchor  not giving credit to a writer is normal and justified.  They have to be dressed and  have their makeup on in time to read the morning news off of a teleprompter.  They  deliver a story to millions based on the facts and information that someone else wrote.

Dance Moms-no longer just Abby Lee Miller

Abby Lee move over, Lifetime announced that coming in April there would be another show, Miami Dance Moms.  Abby Lee Miller will be doing some competing of her own. When a show draws in viewers like Dance Mom does, I should have been prepared for the announcement  of the new show.  Miami Dance Moms will probably have a similar winning combination.  For example, a caustic dance teacher combined with kids fighting to be the top dancer, and moms willing to do everything to help their child succeed.

As long as Lifetime doesn't end up with a dance show in every city;  the fans will eagerly watch another dance group.  Unlike the surprise hit Survivor which went into at least ten seasons, Dance Moms cast of characters will only make it another couple years, because there's one thing that money and fame can't stop...puberty.

Love after 15 years requires a ring! Doesn't it?

Love and rings generally equal marriage; but after 15 years with this guy it would just be disgusting!  He even has love in his name-think back to all the Harlequin romance novels you read, only to hide them under the bed or better yet tossed in the trash.  In the novels his name is some weird unused name like,  Drake, or Sebastian, or Sir Galahad the Gross.  Anything to get you to not run into a guy at work with the same name in the book.  I digress--my guy's name is Bonnie.  Yep, you heard that one right Bonnie!  His first true love was Clyde but after ten years her image and cruelty has faded and I am the one with whom he is enamored.

Okay, truth is he bites me; not little love bites either; but then again it's part of his nature.  Bonnie is my 25 year old love bird. The love there is real,  its always been there I just kind of forgot about how endearing and tenacious he can be when he wants to be.  Now if you don't own a bird you probably want get this-- but think of your dog who has gotten white around the eyes, and has a little problem standing up on cold days. Remember yet?

Birds have just as much personality, so it makes it just as hard to decide whether he has lived long enough, and whether it's cruel to keep him alive.  I can honestly say now that the only reason he is still around is because of me...and a ring.

I thought my little guy was a goner.  I even brought my teenager to drive me back if I became too hysterical to find my keys. (I did mention Bonnie had a mate)  I put him in a box with towels to cushion him and air holes and drove the 45 minutes to the avian specialist.

 After calming me down and telling me he needed antibiotics 6x a day(no problem I thought) and with a clear plastic ring around his neck he would be fine.  Bonnie didn't think so at first, and neither did I. When she brought him out with his new collar, I cried.  Acting as all birds do,  when he saw me watching he threw himself around the box and then would stay still until I left.
 Months past, he learned to swing upside down again, get out of his cage and overall just got better.  We  started to have fun together again (i.e. bite me, shred paper and chew on anything).

The down side is that he will wear the collar for the rest of his life.  Every now and then we take it off for a couple of days; but inevitably it has to go on to keep his wing safe.   So the collar stays and what may seem brutal to most  gave me back my bird.

I call it my ring of love.




  

Obama Comes to Town-Gas hits$4

On Wednesday President Obama came to visit Mt. Holly, N.C.  He came singing the praises of  Freightliner 's sale of its 1000th natural gas truck in November. ( Do you think he noticed that its March? ) He was also touting the praises of Daimler Trucks North America for its recent addition of 1000 jobs.

If he could have only taken the time to drive 3 miles down the road.  Literally, it is only three miles before you see the stark empty houses surrounding an inhabited one.   These subdivisions were basically done when Freightliner laid off half the town in 2008.

Everybody in Mt. Holly knew someone who was let go, but while some went to wait on unemployment  checks, others opted out of the uncertainy of working for Freightliner.  So yes it's great that they hired 1000 people,  but most of the "local folks " knew that eventually jobs would come back around, that is how Freightliner works.  Now the rush is to find finished houses to rent, not own, because you never know when Freightliner will flip the switch and cut the jobs off.

My views:
Just a side note:  Obama's constant extending of unemployment benefits didn't really benefit anyone except those that are lazy.  Trying to save everyone's house isn't the right answer either.  People not the government should be responsible for their own actions (like buying a bigger house than they could afford).  I would write more about Obama's visit to town--but right now I won't say anything because its not nice (and I don't want arrested).

Check out Obama's Energy Secretary's comments on how he would be thrilled if gas hit over $10 because then we(the gas guzzling public) would be forced to buy smaller cars, or maybe even walk to work.

Can teenagers write--without texting?

Just yesterday, a group of Juniors at a local High School took the A.C.T.,  paid for and mandated by the state of North Carolina.  To my son this was a  torture test, to me it was vindication.  Currently the North Carolina only requires half a year of English classes for Juniors and Seniors.  Having to take the A.C.T. will give North Carolina a more appropriate view of the skills, or lack thereof, these children are receiving in their final years of High School.

In the age of a new written language, specifically designed by today's teenagers through texting, the written form of English is going through a metamorphosis. The written and spoken forms of English have always adapted to the nuances of each generation, but the ability to express themselves adequately through the written word is in danger. Today's teenagers spend more time learning a second language than they do learning how to write papers, documents and other forms of communication that will be necessary in a business world.  

Regardless of what the state finds out from this mandated testing; I hope they realize how desperately they  need to bring back a full year of English / Writing for each school level. ;)

Bumper stickers-

  While I was growing up, bumper stickers were used to cover the rust spots on cars. Driving through a college campus once, I saw a 60's Beetle completely covered in stickers.  We've gotten smarter.( sometime after  the, "My Child is a Honor Roll Student" bumper sticker was made.)  The magnetic bumper sticker! In fact this weekend I saw one proudly stating that she was a  "Dance Mom." ( soccer moms are so passé)

During an election year bumper stickers supporting candidate choices are everywhere, and they aren't the magnetic kind.  These stickers are meant to stay.  Obviously they last through the election, but often go on to haunt the person 4 years later, when they can't deny their presidential pick.

I'm sure it comes down to cost, and if you are willing to make a" donation."  Just remember if you're not willing to shell out a couple extra bucks now for the "upgraded sticker", your choice may mock you later.