Old So What

  For starters, the house itself was unusual. It was haunted. No really.   It was. I don’t normally believe in phenomena like this but I experienced it myself. I know what I know. The reconverted barn had reconverted ghosts. You became the victim of its wrath if you fell asleep in its room. Usually it struck (if that’s the right term for it) at 1 in the morning.   Then sharpened bony fingers would grip your shoulder and hold on tight until you woke up in a fright.   (I always thought of it as a he, but it could very well have been a she .   I mean why not?) This “thing” whatever, was not friendly.   Its physical language was aggressive, clearly saying, “get out, you’re in my territory!” Besides me, it appeared to both my brothers, and a friend of ours who knew nothing about what happened in that room, but slept there as a guest one unfortunate night for him. Because it was now a house and no longer a barn, it took on the hybrid effects of both.   So, it had a haylof

On a February day in 2024, in Athens, Georgia, Laken Reilly was brutally struck down for no reason by a monster.  Laken was a nursing student. We will never know now how many patients she would have helped had she been allowed simply to live her life. She has left us too soon at 22 years of age. She has left us with just a glimpse of her promising future. She has left us with her middle name:  Hope. Laken Hope Reilly.

  In case I didn’t mention it in Part 1, and I didn’t, the film, “Bridge of spies” was based on the Berlin Wall, (built by Communist East Germany in 1961), and how various world powers swapped two famous prisoners trapped on either side of it.   Rudolf Abel was the convicted Russian spy and Francis Gary Powers was the convicted spy from the US. The hero in real life who should be mentioned in capital letters, was the American attorney, James Donovan, who actually achieved this difficult feat…in real life!

  You will enjoy this 2015 film I’m very sure. It has everything:   good script, good director (Steven Spielberg) good producers, (one of whom is Steven Spielberg)   good actors. Based on a good story. A true story.   It grabs your attention and holds on in no small measure to the acting ability of its star, Tom Hanks.   He should be called:   Mr. Believable. You find yourself so caught up, so captured by the story and actors that you end up rooting for everyone, even a communist villain. Warning:   This is a feel-good film!

  Those sneaky little things that are supposed to help you, but are really there for pure sabotage. You think you’re putting your glass on something protective, when at the very last moment the coaster segues to the right or left, and there you are with another spilled mess on your hands!

  You can see just what it’s like to live in another land; practice another religion; eat different food without having to literally do it. Treat yourself to an adventure (or have you already been there, done that?)

  You know that you’re old when… o   you start having difficulty cutting toast. o   people who are older than you…are now dead. o   you keep misplacing your cane.

  When I run the water in the shower for too long, the cat comes looking for me. (She’s afraid of water.)   When I’m late with her meal, the cat comes looking for me. (Just a friendly reminder as she passes by.)   When someone knocks too loudly on the front door, the cat comes looking for me. (Irritated at the intrusive noise.)   When she hasn’t seen me for a while, the cat comes looking for me… just to see that all is well.

  We used to learn this stuff in school. So here goes… George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. The most important fact about him to me has always been that at the beginning, the founding of this country, he was offered the title and role of “king,” but declined.   He didn’t view this title as appropriate for the American soul, mind or spirit. Bravo to him. The world had had enough kings and queens.   This was a new chapter and it deserved a new beginning, a new title. President Washington was a hero! Period! He served as President from 1789 to 1797. He is known as the Father of Our Country.   Born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia (One of the original 13 Colonies.), President Washington commanded the Continental Army, which fought for independence from England during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Because he was so trusted, he was asked to preside over the  Constitutional Convention,   which was responsible for drafting the United States Co

  For all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’                     John Greenleaf Whittier

  Is that you can never have enough chocolate! As soon as you start to eat it, it’s gone, so always buy a little extra.

  Zsa Zsa Gabor If you don’t know who she was then why are you reading this blog? Ms. Gabor was an actress and celebrity, known for her many marriages, approximately nine (though I don’t think she counted one as an actual marriage), and her many humorous, inciteful quips. (I used to see her in New York City when I lived there as a child/adolescent.   My family and I seemed to run into her often right outside the entrance to Saks Fifth Avenue. Not that we knew her, we did not, but after every encounter my mother would embarrass us, her children, by doing her imitation of Zsa Zsa ad nauseum.) Zsa Zsa was an actress, mostly known for her style, beauty, sense of self-deprecating humor, inside stories about fellow celebrities, wealth and most of all her vulnerability. That last characteristic was what people liked most about her. We felt as if we knew her, personally.

  Have you ever thought after you pray and you don’t get an answer right away, that all the angels and saints may be busy at the moment. They can’t answer, just be patient and wait. Just a thought I had while waiting for an answer to a prayer.

  You will survive Menopause, honest, even though it may not seem like it right now. You should take something to help you with the symptoms, which can be:        Hot flashes,        Excessive perspiring (including Night-Sweats),        Excessive bleeding. I took an over-the-counter product for hot flashes, but I don’t know if this item even exists today. However, do a little research and try one of the products available now. I did not take any hormone replacement. I can tell you what I did and you can ask your doctor for advice, but remember these are YOUR decisions to make. I am not a medical person; I make no specific suggestions, except to say that getting something (or someone) to help is probably a good idea. In my menopause memories, I can recall many evenings coming home after work, and the tail end of the trip was on a trolley. I was fatigued, which worsens symptoms; I started out at the back of the trolley, and as I came forward to eventually get off, the r

  Instant coffee can be delicious. The secret is to let it brew (develop). Use boiling water (some in the cup to warm it up), then pour a cupful on the coffee. Let it steep, let it brew for a few minutes. I use Nescafé Clasico. But I have no horse in this race: you can use whatever you like best. Don’t ever put milk or cream in coffee before letting it brew first. If you do the coffee will be rendered pretty much tasteless.