It was a fine day---yesterday

This is the Noah's Ark stamped cross stitch kit I want.  So if you see it anywhere, please let me know.
Right now, it's $38.50 on jet.com and I would rather pay in the 20-25 dollar range.

Remember me telling you about the genealogy I did for the young lady named Sam?  A freebie because I knew she couldn't afford any of it.

I dated her Dad when I first moved here.  I don't know why.  He and I had polar opposite lifestyles.   He went to bed at 4:00am and got up at 2:00pm.  He sat at his computer 10 hours a day.

When I went to spend weekends, I sat and cross stitched or crocheted and watched TV, while he sat, with his back to me and computed.  He had two bulletin boards he ran on the computer, so he was involved in conversations.

At midnight, he'd get ready to go to the bar for his nightly drink and then have breakfast afterwards.  I went with him--why?  I didn't drink, but they had Karoke and I loved listening to Karoke.  Some of those singers were waaaaaaaay good.

Every other weekend, his 10 year old daughter Samantha, came to visit him.  The poor kid sat in her room all day and watched TV--waiting for Dad to wake up at 2:00 and take her out for lunch.

That became my role.  I'd take her to breakfast and shopping, or to the park--sometimes I even brought her home with me for the weekend and we'd go to Karen or Jennifer's where she could play with the babies.

That little girl was rather strange.  She had no table manners, laying her head on her arm, while she scooped the food off the plate into her mouth--with her fingers.

No matter what, she never, ever said Please or Thank You.

I tried my best, not in a nagging way, but by example and having her visit my grandkids, to learn to act properly.  I got her Dad, who never had been to the Mackinaw Bridge to take us up for a weekend.  We spent 4 days in the Upper Peninsula and had a great time.  Then I made a memory book of the photos for Sam.  Once, while shopping, she saw a book about manners for young kids.  She wanted it, so I got it for her.

That Sunday afternoon, when we took Sam home and toted her stuff inside, she showed her mother the book.  Some of her mother's friends were there and I felt uncomfortable as it was.

Her mother looked at the book and threw it at me.  "My girl don't need no book 'bout manners!"  I picked it up off the floor and retreated to the truck.  Sam would just have the book at her Dad's to read, I guess.

Her Mother hated me!  She was 36 when Sam was born, Sam's Dad was 50.  They never married or even lived together.  He really was never sure Sam was his, but he sent child support and had her in his Will.


The only thing I missed about that relationship when he ended it, was not seeing Sam.
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Okay, so here we are 12 years later.  Sam's mother died January 7th.  They couldn't afford a funeral and they had to have the money up front, so it took that long to have a visitation.  2 hours at the funeral home, no funeral, private family burial, dark brown wooden casket.

I decided to drive in to the funeral home.  It was only a 20 minute drive.  I walked in and stood kind of at the back and she must have seen me and she came right over and walked right into my arms!  This amazed me because the 2 years I knew her, she hated to be hugged.

Then she pulled back a little bit and said, "Chris, Judy's here." and a handsome young came hurrying over and grabbed me in a bear hug.  Apparently she had mentioned something about me to him, her husband, over the years.  I got to meet her two little girls, the 4 year-old, reached out to shake my hand.  "I heered 'bout you from my Momma."  Hm-mm.  Then I heard someone squeal, "Judy!" and Sam's BFF since kindergarten came rushing over and we were in a huge three-way hug.  She had spent some of those weekends with us.  Now they are 24 with babies of their own, instead of the dolls we used to play with.

Sam had to greet other people so I went to sit down and then---in the back corner, I spotted people I knew.  Sam's Dad's siblings!  His sister came running up to me and led me back to the group.  These are some of the nicest people I have ever known and thought of them as part of my family for those 2 years he and I dated.  I got to meet a new sister-in-law, as one of the brother's had been a widower.

"Judy, I've heard so much about you!  Annie showed me that beautiful Dream Fairy picture you cross stitched for her.  It is beautiful.  You are just awesome!"

Okay, so I could have spent all afternoon with that group. LOL
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As I started to leave I wanted to say good-bye to Sam and give her some money, so I asked if she could step out in the hall for a moment.  I hugged her long and hard and she sort of melted into my arms.  I said, "Give me your paw, Little One."  and I tucked a hundred dollar into her palm..."Just in case," I said.  "Just in case."

She didn't say Thank You--I didn't expect it, but she did say, "Would you make one of those family things for Chris?  I want to give it to his mother for her birthday."  That was the first she even mentioned the genealogy I had done.  I hadn't heard if she had received it not.

"Sure," I said.  "Just e-mail me his parent's name and grand parents, if you know the information."

"Okay.  I will."  We hugged again.

"Bye, bye Sam,  I love you.

"Bye", she said.

When I got in my car and started home, I realized---I hadn't even gone up to look into the casket.  Oh well--that wasn't why I had gone there yesterday anyway.
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10:30 Wednesday night--I just received this e-mail from Pammie:
"Just got the greatest call from Cindy regarding Marks  test results. PSA is at 5...which is good. All scans came back good. Cancer is-in docs words "at bay"

Praise be to God!!!"

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Indeed!  Praise be to God.

Projects

I don't know if I mentioned it before.  I have 9 grandchildren.  I decided 5 years ago to cross stitch a baby quilt for each one of them to have for their 1st child.  When finished, I wash them, iron them, let them hang for a day to completely dry and then pack them in tissue paper, put in a large zippered bag, (like drapes or curtains come in) and into a large plastic storage box.  I figure I'll be long gone by the time the last grandchild marries and births, but at least there will be a gift for their baby from the Great Grandma.  They can choose whichever one they want.

 #1

#2--this one is for my grandson Marcus, if he keeps

dating and marries that cute little farm girl, Morgan.

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7--this is the one I gave to grand daughter Helene,

for Della.

#8

I need to do one more.  I know the one I want to do.  It is another Noah's Ark one, but it is expensive.  I search E-Bay every now and then and also check the Salvation Army store.  When Dar worked at the SA, one like I wanted came in and she grabbed it.  She showed it to me and I asked her if I could buy it from her.

She said, "Oh. No.  I'm going to make this one."

"I didn't know you cross stitched."

"I haven't in years, but one day, I will again.  I do lovely work."

That was 4 years ago.  She doesn't have the patience to sit and cross stitch.  I doubt she will ever make that quilt.  She has no expected grand babies or great grand babies.  

So I just keep looking.  These are stamped cross stitch, so I kind of "sew" them rather than do the "punch" method.  I don't want any stitches to show on the back of the quilt, so I move the needle between the layers.

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Della is 3 months old today.

Why Is Monday Always Wash-Day?

Welcome Jane from Naples, Florida.  

Thanks you for the lovely comment.

Glad you found me from Ernestine's woods.  

She is a love, isn't she.

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I know there is some kind of history on why Monday is wash day.  Tuesday was/is ironing day.  Wednesday was baking day.

I am a structured person, so I always do laundry on Monday.  Although when I had my nine-room house to care for, I did "certain" laundry on certain days.

Monday I did the whites and the bedding, and cleaned bedrooms.
Tuesday, I did bath towels, kitchen towels and cleaned the bathrooms.
Wednesday, I did colored clothes, which were folded and put in baskets set on the stairs for the kids to take up and put away and I mopped and cleaned the kitchen and entryway.
Thursday, I baked bread and cookies and pies and cake and laundered the dark colored clothes.
Friday was the day to vacuum and dust the living room and dining room--as the other rooms had been done on their special days.
Saturday, I washed the car, mowed the lawn and weeded the gardens.
Sunday, I went to church and crocheted or cross stitched the rest of the day while watching whatever the hubs wanted to watch on TV.

That schedule worked perfectly for me.  At least part of the house was neatened up and clean.  This schedule was posted so the kids knew what clothes to have in the hamper.  If you forgot to get your white blouse in the hamper by Monday morning, you either had to launder it yourself or wait until the next Monday. 

Yes--with 3 teenagers and a baby, I had to have a schedule and it worked great.

Now, with this wee house and maybe 4 loads of laundry a week--no need for that schedule, but I still do laundry on Monday and change the bedding and tidy up the bedroom and bathroom.
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One of my blog buddies mentioned a new TV program on her post the other day.  Since Downton Abbey has been canceled and there is absolutely nothing on Sunday night viewing, I clicked on PBS and lo and behold, a Masterpiece show all about Queen Victoria.  It was lovely!!  The show that came on after wards is all about Henry the VIII's wives--in order of their marriage's to the nasty man.

Now, I love historical stuff.  I will watch any biography, any documentary of famous people.  I watched one this afternoon on Tiger Woods.  A lot of the truth comes out, which normally wouldn't from a News source.  There is a another documentary coming up--can't remember when, called "After Camelot" and explores the lives of not just Jackie and JFK, but the entire Kennedy family.

Anyway, Sunday night at 9:00 on PBS, it's a good as Downton Abbey and supposedly, true.
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I finished up the cross stitch baby quilt on Saturday night.

and had promised myself to get started on the Nativity cross stitch.

but, as it often does, something got in the way.

I used to have a silk flower sway above my back door.  Karen made it for me in 1992.  This fall, I had to toss it out.

I have been wanting a cross stitch picture up there ever since, but it is a narrow space--6".  I created and made this one of my childhood "spaces", but I got carried way and it got too wide.

Well, New Year's Day, I just happened to be browsing through the Stitchery magazine and.....

The total design height is 3".

Silly people!!!Of course I ordered it.  

Started it yesterday afternoon.

If I get the narrowest of frames, it should be 4 1/2 inches in height.  Just perfect to fit above the back door.

Also, remember that crocheted all in one piece cardigan that I couldn't understand the pattern?

I contacted the place where I had purchased the pattern and, they gave me some help and yes--I had it right--it is supposed to look like this at Row 27:

It's a mystery, isn't it?

Apparently (hopefully) when I get up to the top of the sleeve, there is going to be a change.

Those strips are supposed to be the left front and back.  I can tell you this, the back part better increase, because this is an XL size and my back is way wider that that one strip.  HAH!

This Woman's Movement

I don't quite get it--another double standard.  

Who were the women talked about and recognized by the speeches, at the Women's March in DC?

Susan B. Anthony.  Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug?  Was Kellyanne Conway recognized as a woman who had achieved something no other woman had achieved?  She is the very first woman in history to organize and run a winning Presidential campaign.  Was she praised and recognized on Saturday, for her accomplishment?  Probably not.

Back in the day, while I was reading "The Total Woman", those early feminists were reading "The Second Sex".  Then they started telling me, on the TV programs, that I was "unfulfilled."  After all, I was just a housewife and mother.  I needed a career, outside the home, to really find all my potential and be fulfilled.

Then the whole premise of "choice" came up.   A woman has a choice to do whatever she wants with her body.  Well, yes, I agree.  When it comes to what she wears, or piercings, or tattoos, or hair style.  I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am that abortion was not legal in Michigan when I was having children!

I got pregnant 2 months before I graduated from high school.  My Dad was pushing me to get an abortion.  My Aunt, a nurse, knew a doctor that would do it.  I was told that foregoing college and having the child would, "ruin your life."  I stood fast and did not kill my son--the only son I would ever have.   Then, when I found out I was pregnant again, so soon, I tried everything I knew to have a miscarriage.  I jogged, I jumped off the porch, I took hot baths and laxatives.  I so did not want to be pregnant.

If, in those first few weeks, there was a way to have an abortion in Michigan, in those first few weeks, I just might have killed my first daughter.  Because, in those first few weeks, it really isn't a baby--there is no heart beating, right?  It's just a mass of cells that could be swept away by a simple D&C.

I had no such thoughts with my third child, but 10 years later, when I was pregnant again, thankfully abortion wasn't legal in Michigan, because I was pressured by my husband and step-mother--"There are easy ways to get rid of it."  

Abortion was then legal in New York.  My husband had it all figured out.  We would travel to New York, I would have "it" done and we would spend the weekend there.  A fun time.  I refused.

This was the only baby I had planned.  Wanted more than anything.  Had prayed for.

Two weeks later, he brought up the subject again.  If I didn't go along with his choice, he would leave me.  I refused and he did.  

The funny thing is, I knew I was pregnant, but the pregnancy tests the doctor ran said, I wasn't.  So I told my husband about the tests, and 5 weeks later he came back home.  Every month, I had a pregnancy test and it came back negative.  It was only at the four and a half month stage that I felt "life".  I went back, told the doctor, he said, "Either you are pregnant or you have the fastest growing tumor I have ever seen."  AHA!   Thankfully, the doctor didn't suggest we "remove" the tumor.

Too late now to spend a weekend in New York.  No ultra sounds back then to see what was going on inside.  Four and a half months later, a beautiful 9# 4 oz. baby girl was born.   Her Dad loved her immediately. 

So when the feminists talk about choice, Yes--we have a choice and I made mine.  I, like many of my friends, choose to get an education, married and have our children.  THEN--when the children were in school all day, if we chose--we went to work and had our "fulfilling" careers.  Or, if we chose, we waited until the last one graduated and still very young, in our early 40's, we had careers.

I did get far more praise and recognition when I went to "work", than I ever did being a housewife and Mother.  What is more important?  The money you make for the company you work for, or raising loving, confident, well adjusted children?

I can honestly tell you, I NEVER felt unfulfilled by choosing to stay home and be a housewife and mother, in fact, it was far more fulfilling than the years I spent out there in the work force.

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Then the feminists campaigned that women must be equal to men.  Well, that's just baloney!  Women are far superior to men and always have been!  My mantra to my girls, "Don't ever lower yourself to be equal to a man.  Our bodies, our way of thinking and doing things, our way of speaking and living are far above what any man is capable of doing."

I also told them, "When it comes to your education and career, you can be and do anything you choose to do."  and they did.  

One choose to marry young and be a housewife and mother.  After 5 miscarriages, she chose to help her Grandfather on the farm and found great joy in that.  She knew how to plow the straightest furrow, birth a calf, milk the cows and even took a class with her Grandfather, on artificial insemination.  So she can plant the "seeds" for that calf and then help birth it.

The next one, chose to get a college education, marry young, have 5 children, home school them, and then, when they started high school, get her Master's and teach full-time.

The next one, took my words to heart.  She chose to get her college education, then spend a year in Spain, then move to Boston where she knew no one, and get her PhD in Juris Prudence.  Then marry, have children and work as an attorney.  She always said, "I'll work for a few years, then stay home with the kids."  She didn't.  She missed out on a lot of their firsts. Her Nanny got to experience all of that.  Now the kids are going to be graduating in the next few years and she may be realizing what she missed.  She didn't really have much of a choice because her job basically maintained her family. 
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To my way of thinking, I am the lucky one.  Thank you so much Gloria for stirring up my life by telling me I wasn't fulfilled as a woman.  If I had a career, early on in my adult life, would I now have more money to live on--a nice pension.  Probably.  But you know what, I don't have any lingering regrets and thoughts about, "I wonder what that mass of cells might have been."   

I saw every "first" my children did.  I was a Room Mother I made more dang cupcakes for the class parties then I care to remember.  I was a PTO member.  I was on the Curriculum Committee at the high school, when the men on that committee thought it was ridiculous to equip the school library with two computers--the school principal and I won that fight!  I worked with the Little League Baseball and 4-H softball programs.  

When the school didn't have a bus they could use to take the girls to their Cross Country tracks meets, I loaded those kids in my 7 passenger station-wagon and drove them wherever their meets were.  The same with the Freshmen boys baseball team.

I chaperoned high school dances and set up the school's annual carnival.  I worked Friday night fish fry's for the band--although the smell of frying fish made me gag. My barn was where the kids made their Homecoming floats and I sat with them and made big flower decorations out of tissue paper.  I sewed uniforms for the newly organized Flag Girls for the marching band because there wasn't enough money in the band's budget.   

Would I have had time to sit in a protest or march with a placard?  Oh hell no!  I was way too busy living my unfulfilled life!!! 

Do women have a choice?  Sure--we always have!  What I don't like is trying to force "their" choice onto me, by telling me I am not quite as intelligent or as important as they are.  (I have actually been called "stupid" on Face Book by a few of my Liberal female friends, because I may have disagreed with their political views.)  

Hey--you do your thing, okay?  I'm not going to tell you that your choice is wrong--for you.  Just give me some respect for the choices I made and remember, it was your Mother who gave you the choices you now have.

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.