Not just in our Country, This is Brilliant!

My favorite Season is coming

            Rick is putting the tree up and I am enjoying the fact my shopping is finished,  minus one last gift.   Early enough I can relax and enjoy my favorite season.    I love almost everything about it.   

            Yes,  the commercialism gets to me,  the mad dash to spend more then necessary.   Putting up with Rick's Bah Humbug Scrooge attitude.   He hates it.  I know why.   His family always had a ton of relatives get together.   Lots of laughs,  ton's of great food,  traditions starting weeks before Christmas to be completed.   All gone.  His family is almost all gone.  What is left is scattered around the country and starting their own traditions.   His reason to enjoy the season is gone.   I never created any traditions because we had his.

              His brother is still around.   We get news of him occasionally and he pops in when he needs something.    Rumor has it he has gone through all the money he inherited.   But..... why talk about him.  Back to the season.

         I have been missing the Christmas I grew up.   My Christmas was full of making gifts and church.   Working on the Christmas plays.  Going around to the nursing homes and singing Christmas carols.   Volunteering to wrap gifts for the poor.   Pulling taffy and making fudge.   Church on Christmas eve and Christmas morning.   The songs of the seasons.

       After a bad experience with organized religion I remained religious,  but not a church goer.  My believe remained strong but my mistrust of churches and their reasons went deep.   But as we do I have mellowed and now will admit it is not all churches that are like that,  maybe not even most.    And I feel the need to belong to a church again.   Selfishly for the joy of my childhood Christmas's but mostly to spiritually reconnect.   Does that make any sense?

      I am going to have to find a church I like and one that I will have to go to myself because I know Rick won't go.  Not that he doesn't believe either.   But he hates the routine.   I find myself needing a routine these days.   Needing to reach out to people again.   Ready to connect.  

      The stages of your life are interesting.   The changes of my views and opinions,  the things I once thought important and the things I now think important.   I am not where I thought I would be but that is OK and I am not unhappy with where I am, but I think I need to do something to grow more.  I feel stagnant.  And what better way to freshen up your life then with some growth.  Mentally and spiritually.    I think this will be a lovely Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Following the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress recognized the need to give thanks for delivering the country from war and into independence. Congress issued a proclamation on October 11, 1782:

By the United States in Congress assembled.
 

PROCLAMATION.

IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:----- Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.

Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleventh day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh.

JOHN HANSON, President.

Charles Thomson, Secretary

    May the lord bless you all in your gifts of family, friends and food on your tables.   From my home to yours,  Happy Thanksgiving.

Hey, not a political rant, just musings about the ole dog

   
  Zoey is laying at my feet,  as usual,  a soft slightly scuffy old dog that snores louder then Rick.   She spends hours sleeping these days.   And as always it is in the same room as me.


     She is going to be 13 next birthday.   Old for a big dog.   And basically she doesn't look old like some ole labs can look, she isn't gray in her face,  not too fat, except for her cloudy blue filmed eyes you would never believe she is as old as she is if you didn't know.   But we know.


    I hate to move to another room as she heaves herself up to follow.  When I am cleaning house she moves room to room with me.   And she is stiff these days so I feel bad.   I tell her to stay, that I will be back but up she comes.   And with the colder weather she is stiff and sore.

      Running my hands over her body while I pet her I count 13 fatty tumors.   And in her groin I feel a large palm sized mass that has recently gotten larger.   It does not feel the same as the fatty tumor.   Pausing in my petting I momentarily have a wave of sadness wash over me.   My poor sweet ole dog.   And as usually the very tip of her tail will start to wag and she will look up at me as if to ask,  why did you stop petting me.   Spoiled old girl.


       I hate that she is getting older and fondly remember days and years past with her chewing up every type of toy we bought her,   walking through miles and miles of trails and woods,   the happy grin she gets when she leaps in a lake after a hot walk.   I can't understand people who don't like dogs.   What's not to like.


     Mentally I am preparing myself but also I am denying it.    Lets just slow time down,   why does it have to go so fast.   I want to savor it.....  as long as I possibly can.   Soft fur under my fingers.  Warm head on my lap.   Love you Zoey.

Health insurance cost have double.... what's free about this?

   Well by now everyone has gotten their benefit packages and seen the increases.    My son's doubled,  4000 out of pocket before they even kick in.   Then he has to pay a % on top of that.   Mine went up a lot and my out of pocket went up to 1500 before my insurance pays and I have a 20 % deductible also.   Which basically means I will have to be on deaths door before I go to the doc.   But at least my job still offers insurance.   A couple of my friends have lost their insurance through work.   As predicted those companies have found it would be cheaper to pay the government fine rather then offer insurance which has tripled in costs.   Gee,  isn't this free government health care grand.

    I see the death panels are being discussed again.   Not that they are calling it that in anything but sarcastic tongue in cheek chatter,  but they are talking about all the unnecessary things they are doing to keep seniors alive.   After all,  what does it do,  only buy you a few years and look at the cost.   Wouldn't it be reasonable and sensible if they just all took a pill.   Save everyone the expense of caring for them.   Put them on the ice float so to say.  

   Remember...... the way Obama got elected was by telling all the seniors that the Republicans were going to take away their medicare and social security.    Now what is happening?   They are having huge cuts in medicare and talking about seizing our 401's and cutting social security.  Double talk.  Campaign speeches mean nothing.   I even heard one politician say that.   That was just a campaign promise,  nobody seriously believes them do they?   Well yes,  some people did.   some people really thought their houses would be paid for,  their health care would be free,  a chicken in every pot.

    And I see all the socialists care coming out of woodwork like bedbugs out of a bedframe.    Finally they are admitting to being what we knew all along.   Go on youtube and you can see the video where all the socialists are making a sweet little commercial.   We are socialists,  we are your neighbors,  we are your doctors, blah blah blah.   Well then,  move to a socialist country you little pampered uninformed idiots.   If it is so great move.   Don't force it on us.   You will see more and more socialists coming out and trying to convince you it is just OK and nothing to be ashamed of,   like being a Lutheran or catholic.  Yeah,  right.

    I think we have to start getting rid of political correctness.   We have to stop bailing out countries that hate us anyway.   We have to secure our boarders.   Did you know that Mexico is building a wall on their boarder to keep out Guatemalian people who are sneaking across their boarders.   Many countries are very successful at keeping their boarders secure.   We need to profile the ones that have been proven to be threats.  Not pat down nuns and children.   Fake security at our airports when they have been told they can only check certain nationalities a certain percentage of times so they don't get accused of profiling.    Well you know what.   I don't care how it looks to you.  If your country routinely sneaks into our country and tries to kill innocent people then you will have to pay the price of having your body scanned and searched.   Your country would pat us down and scan us.  Fairs fair when your trying to save innocent people.

   Gee,  this turned into another political rant.    Lots of things going on.  Lots of things that we feared would happen are happening.   So tell me,  how much did your insurance go up and what is your out of pocket these days.  Hows that hope and change working for you?

Christmas Catalogs...AAARRRGGGGHHHHH

 

  I love Christmas,  I love the reason behind the season,  I love the sights and the smells,  I love that people actually smile at each other.    I love the way my house looks like when the tree is up and it's decorated.   But...........................  I hate Christmas catalogs.   Oh sure,  the first few are kind of fun.   Then you toss it,  only to get another, plus 10 in the mail.   Repeat that day after day.   By garbage night our can is brim full with Christmas catalogs weighing in at probably a ton.

   

      What have I bought out of one of the catalogs?    Maybe 2 things.   We are downsizing our Christmas this year and giving practical gifts.   Times are hard.   Gone those cute but silly gifts that get worn or looked at a couple of days and then buried in a closet.    Now we get steaks cut up at the butchers,  cute warm socks from sock dreams,   gift certificates for the barber.   And I am having a support your local business Christmas for as much as possible.   Difficult in a town where so many stores are closing, but we don't want to lose what few we have left.   No catalog shopping for me.

      And then to top it off.   I check my email and the same catalogs I tossed in the garbage are in my email.   Doesn't create quite as much waste there as it does getting them at home, but still.....   What is green about a landfill full of Christmas Catalogs.   Where are the green police for this?  And why am I getting them in September?   Who makes all these catalogs?   I think they are the only thing I get by snail mail these days besides my Netflex movies and bills.

         Ok,  got that out of my system.  I swear each year it gets worse and worse.   I kept track this weekend.  13 catalogs from Friday until yesterday.  Isn't that insane.   And the worse part.  I own this house and the one next door.   So I get duplicate catalogs for that house.   And it's empty.  It's empty people.  AAARRRGGGHHH.     Well,  time to meditate,  must calm down.   I heard that new study.  Us medical women are more prone to heart attack from our high stress jobs,  and lugging catalogs from the mailbox to home.   Must breath,  breath, breath.

Repeal the Death Tax

   Well congress will soon be having another Lame duck session where the out going pass as much crap as they can before they are booted.    One of the things coming up again is the death tax.   They want to take even more of what they don't deserve.   What in the world makes our government think they deserve even one penny more out of a person just because they have died.   Talk about double taxation.   And if you thinking,  well this only affects the rich....  think of this.   Many farmers own lots of land,  although they are being bought out and the land is being turned into government owned farms more and more,  and they are land rich but money poor.   But when they die now the government wants to do their death tax and demand 55 % of the estate.   Forcing the family to sell off the family farm to pay the death tax.  And why.   Did the government do anything to earn the right to double tax this family?   The farmer probably paid quarterly taxes his entire life!

    Then think about this.    Your local favorite store.   Family owned and one of few remaining.   It was their fathers store and now 2nd or 3rd generation owned.   Now they are going to punished for working hard and being successful by having to pay off the government when a loved one dies before they can keep their business.   And maybe they don't have the ready cash to do it.  Sure their business is worth this much but that doesn't mean it is ready cash for them.    So they fire employee's and try to make the death tax as best they can.   And if they can't they may have to close and then the government seizes the company.   And what the hell gives them the right?  To take what you and yours have worked for your entire lifes.

    So once again we all have to start writing or calling our representatives and demand the repeal the death tax.  Just because the elections are over doesn't mean our job as voters and the public is over.   We have to remind the government all the time that we have hired them.  We are the employers,  not them.   So where is this going?   Please go to this site and sign the petition.   Get the letter and send it to your elected officials.  Even if like me you have little to pass on to your heirs.   Because it just isn't right.  So click here.