Mysteries

I have a lot of mysterious questions in my life, like---

Why do we call this a Grilled or Toasted Cheese sandwich, when it is basically fried?

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Why is it when I buy my Diet Pepsi liters from Walmart, I have to use an adjustable wrench to get the caps off, but when I buy it at Meijer, I can twist them off comfortably with my fingers?

Why is it, I mailed a Christmas card to a friend.  It came back stamped, "Address Unknown", yet when I sent her a Thank You card a week later, it never came back.  Same person, same address, she received it.
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Jennifer gave me a pre-loaded Visa Debit card for Christmas.  $50.00.  When I tried to use it yesterday, it wouldn't go through.  I came home and called the company that sold these gift cards.  They checked.  I have a balance of $12.00.  They told me the places the gift card had been used: $1.00 Mc Donalds, $37.00 Toys R Us--towns in California.

I told them I lived in Michigan.  The card was securely fastened in its Gold cardboard packaging--how did it get used?

Maybe an employee working at the card company, stuffing gift cards into their packaging, took a card with her on lunch time and made some purchases, then came back, put the card in the packaging and the company sold it on-line to my daughter.

They are supposed to be sorting this all out, but...I had to download, fill out four forms, send photos of the card, and mail it to the company in Pasadena, CA.  I wonder if I will ever get my Christmas gift.
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Why is there this political double standard in America?  When the Tea Party held protests, the Liberals were furious.  When the Liberals held the Occupy Wall Street protests, the Conservatives were furious.  When President Eisenhower played a lot of golf, the Liberals were furious.  When President Obama played a lot of golf, the Conservatives were furious.

When JFK supposedly "stole" the election in 1961, the Conservatives were furious.  When George Dubya supposedly "stole" the election, the Liberals were furious.  When George Soros paid and bussed in Liberals to protest, the Conservatives were furious.  When Conservative Bikers are headed to DC, the Liberals are furious.  

Why is it okay for one group, but the same thing done by the other group, is not okay with the first group?  

Why is "tolerance" the buzz word for both groups, but neither one practises it?

"A house divided against itself, cannot stand."  Abraham Lincoln.

What's bad for the goose is also bad for the gander--right?

Tuesday--this and that.......

DETROIT - General Motors announced a $1 billion investment in its U.S. factories.

The company also announced it will begin work on insourcing axle production for its next generation full-size pickup trucks, including work previously done in Mexico, to operations in Michigan, creating 450 U.S. jobs.

“As the U.S. manufacturing base increases its competitiveness, we are able to further increase our investment, resulting in more jobs for America and better results for our owners,”  said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “The U.S. is our home market and we are committed to growth that is good for our employees, dealers, and suppliers and supports our continued effort to drive shareholder value.”

The announcement comes after President-elect Donald Trump has attacked GM and other automakers for building vehicles in Mexico and shipping them to the U.S.

Earlier this month, Trump threatened on Twitter to tax GM for importing the compact Chevrolet Cruze. While GM builds hatchback Cruzes in Mexico, most Cruze sales are Ohio-built sedans.

Changes already.  It's a good thing--especially for the depressed area around Detroit.

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Mr. Trump annoys me, when he speaks.  I can't imagine him giving a deep, profound inauguration speech, without a lot of "this is going to be YUGE", or arm swinging or any of the faces he makes.  

Of course, he hasn't yet learned how to be or look Presidential.  To me, he acts like he's still campaigning.  He certainly does not have the polish of a politician.  Maybe that's a good thing?  I'll wait a while before I judge the job he does.

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Watched a real interesting show on PBS tonight at 10:00.  The second part if on tomorrow night, same station, same time.  It recapped the first couple of years of Obama's presidency.  Boy--he had it tough!  I had quite forgotten 2009 and the Tea Party protests.  The mistakes Obama made, that he talked about, and the emotional feeling he had after the 2010 election when the Republicans took over the House.

It wasn't biased at all.  People from both camps talking frankly about what happened and how things were changed from that time on.  It was almost like a biography and I actually enjoyed it.
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Nothing much else going on around here.  Schools were closed today because of ice build-up on the country roads.

John called.  He was at Meijer and they had Pepsi on sale--10 for $10.00 with the 11th one free.  He got me 11 and dropped them off this evening.  Bless his pea-picking heart!  Then we sat and HE chatted for an hour about his job as custodian at the high school.  He has earned enough money to buy a new stove and fridge and has nearly enough to get a new furnace and new windows.

He always said that when his dog, Maizey died, he would move back to town, but with the money he's putting into his place, I don't think he will.  He sure wouldn't recover what it is costing him if he sold.

I walked up to visit Merle and Pearl.  He's doing great, she is declining rapidly.  They unsubscribed their Internet service because Pearl can't figure out how to "'work" the computer anymore.  She can barely walk around the house, but is back in PT again.

Merle walks or rides his bike everyday--depending on the weather--and after the garbage men come to pick up the trash, Merle comes out and picks up the garbage cans and brings them up to the porch, for about half a dozen neighbors.  Once they put him on the meds for Parkinson's, he has improved back to the way he was 3 years ago--it has been amazing to see.

Pblett Day

WOW!  I didn't expect you all to sign-in, but so glad you did and made the appropriate additions to my list entitle: My Blog Buddies.

I still don't know who stops in from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, or Owatonna, MN, or Flushing, MI.
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We have had a day of gray, freezing mist.  Not exactly rain, but mist that freezes a coat of ice on everything.  I am NOT going out there, even though my cats only have one day's dry food left.  Hopefully tomorrow will be more stable for driving my car?
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MLK Day.  Looking back, I appreciate the man more and more and personally, I think President Obama undid in eight years what Dr. King fought and died for.

I thought we were coming along pretty good with our civil rights for everybody policy and now--it feels (to me) like we are much worse off than we were in the mid 50 & 60's.

I thought that this President would do so much for his race.  I could see him bringing real hope and change for them, but all I see is more hatred--mostly from the Blacks.  He didn't speak to them of peaceful protests.  Non-violent protests.  He rather gave them an entitlement that they could riot, and kill and do whatever they wanted and he certainly wouldn't chastise them.  Sometimes I even felt like he was encouraging them.  He is no Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for sure.

I have always had great respect for John Lewis.  He marched with Dr. King.  He took a lot of abuse in Dr. King's non-violent protests.  It seemed, finally we were all becoming aware of the injustices and working together to correct them.  

Now, that same man wants a protest at the inauguration?  Al Sharpton wants a violent protest. 

Back in the day, I joined Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.  I was even for  Affirmative Action, until it bit my own daughter.  She graduated 1st in her class.  I was divorced with low income and she couldn't get one stupid college grant, because she wasn't Black or Latino.  Reverse discrimination.  

Can you even imagine if "people of non-color" had protested at President Obama's inauguration?  We would have been called "racists, Nazi's, White Supremacist's" and arrested, if we weren't shot first.

I just wonder who the real racists are nowadays.

Ain't it the truth...............

How could I possibly hate someone who voted the opposite way I did?  In my family we have Democrats, Republicans, Green Party and other strange party's I've never heard of who write in their vote.  This last campaign and election has seen many people lose friends.  It's ridiculous!!!
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I am so curious--new people coming to stop by this blog and I don't know you.  Can you leave me a comment with your name and where you're from?  Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  Owatonna, MN.
Flushing, MI.

You see, I keep a list of all my blog buddies, with your name and where you're from.  That way, I can look at my side bar to see who stopped in, by the town listed, and check my list, and even though you don't comment, I can visualize you.

I may have to resort to a full roll call of everyone, and you know, that's no fun.  LOL

OH! Isn't this counted cross stitch going to be fun?

... and I cannot start it until I get the baby quilt done!!!  This is going to be large and gorgeous, when it is finished.  Ready for next Christmas!!!

Thursday is garbage pick-up day and this morning, I waited until it quit raining and scooted out to take the garbage can to the street.  Not realizing that the rain had been freezing on, I almost took a "seater" off the porch.  My right foot slipped on the ice and I grabbed the railing just in time!

I had to inch down the driveway, holding the can in one hand and hanging onto the iced over car with the other.  I made it though and then walked on the grass to get back to the porch.  
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I am considering NOT watching the inauguration.  I didn't watch Trump's press conference yesterday and I didn't watch Obama's farewell speech.  There is still a lot of rancor "out there" and on Face Book about the election.  The Trump people are still posting negative stuff about the Liberals and the Liberals are still posting angry stuff about Conservatives.  I don't really consider Trump a Conservative.  I am a Conservative, or thought I was.  Apparently the definition has changed and now, I don't know what my title is, and really don't care.  

Anyway, I sure hope Trump is a good President, even though I cannot stand his personality and I don't want to listen to his voice for his inauguration speech.  I can catch the high points (?) on the News later in the day.  

Of course, the national news is still bashing him, which I think is very unfair, but then, they tend to be more Liberal than polite to an incoming President.  I don't like the double-standard.  Liberals bashing the incoming and Conservative's aren't allowed to bash the outgoing.

Oh well--it is as it is.  They think they are going to have a rough 4 years ahead of them, I feel we have had a rough eight years behind us.   

I have voted in 14 elections for 11 Presidents.  Some of them were good, some were mediocre and we lived through all of it.  I guess we'll live through this one.

But, I still think I don't want to listen to his inauguration address.  

Just as I was in the midst of yet another.........

nobody likes me, everybody hates me, think I'll go eat worms mood, Pammie called me.

I hadn't heard a word from any family members since Christmas.  Had I tried to call any of them?  Of course not!  They all are so busy and have different schedules and by the time I'd think to call, it was too late at night.

Pammie and I had a nice laughing conversation for 53 minutes.  I hung up the phone and it was a call from Karen.  We talked for about 35 minutes and then, Karen came over to bring Christmas gifts Jennifer had sent to her house.

Nice gifts from Jennifer, but my favorites included in the shipping box?  Thank you notes from the 4 grand kids.  I miss Jennifer's oldest boy Andrew, so much I ache.

I moved down here, just as they were moving here from Massachusetts.  Andrew was 9 months old at the time.  I took care of him a lot while Jen and her hubs were working and watching over the home construction.  He was the smartest kid I had ever met.  Even at three, he would ask the most profound questions and it got so we'd have some really deep conversations--every time I saw him.  Then last year, they moved to New Jersey.

In Andrew's thank you note, he said he was saving his money for his car.  CAR?  Oh.  Yes.  I forgot.  He's 15 1/2 now.  The last time I saw him, on his 13th birthday, he was almost as tall as me.  I would guess, he's probably taller now.

Those kids aren't on Face Book and don't have e-mail accounts so I really can't communicate with them except by normal mail.

When there is family news of any kind or photos taken, my girls and sister and grand kids all text each other.  I don't have a cell phone and they forget to e-mail me the info.

So--did the notes and the gifts and the phone calls make me feel better?  Momentarily, but in the long run, it just makes me realize how I am "out on the fringe" of their lives.

I remember all the things we used to do together and, oh, how I wish I could go back and do it all over again!
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Helene & me at the Saginaw Zoo--1997

Planting Daffodils with Helene & Stephen

Susanna--a weekend at Gramma's
and every X-country track meet she was in

Planting Daffodils with Marcus and a weekend at Grammas 

and going to every baseball, track meet he was in.

Stephen-a weekend at Gramma's and every baseball game he played.

Madeleine--a weekend at Grammas and Putt Putt golf and every piano recital, band concert

and ballet she's performed in.

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Andrew--

13th Birthday supper

Elise

Alex

Maddie, Andrew, Elise, Baby Alex--Detroit Zoo

8th Birthday Supper

Evan

Sigh

Snowed in and hurting..............

Della's first day at the baby sitters.  Not even 3 months old.  She looks like she is trying to figure it all out.  Poor baby!  At least her Mommy only has to work 3 days a week.

Those big eyes, her forehead and hairline look just like her Grandma, Karen.  Karen and I see it from her baby photos.  The rest of the family thinks she looks like her Daddy.  So we "pretend" when they are present, but.........Karen and I know.  LOL

Karen at 9 months old.  It's the eyes, isn't it?

I can't type too much today--it's a bad day for Arthritis.  Every joint in my fingers, hands, wrists and shoulders are swollen and achy.  Not just achy, but the knuckles in my hands and my wrists throb.  I can't take anti-inflammatories because I am on a blood thinner, so my only course is Tylenol X-tra Strength.  Tylenol has never helped with any pain, but....I gotta try something.

Good luck to me trying to crochet or cross stitch today.  ARGGH!!