Sunday morning musing

It is early on a Sunday morning, the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. Back to work tomorrow, rising in the wee hours of the morning, leaving home while it is still dark.  But today I am in my usual seat, in the café, coffee before me.   The café is empty and quiet just minutes after opening.  I am preparing, in my booth, to enter my own little world.  These café days fly by, while I while away in my private world, not noticing most of the comings and goings.  Events external of my private world do not exist, for a little while.  And it is most peaceful, as I allow my muse to consume all thought.

Frequently this early hour is spent consumed in whatever song I woke up with.  I wake up with a song in my head…almost every morning.  Toughest are the days I must go to the job, because there is no time to find the song, whether owned or searched on the internet…. So I am stuck, either having to try to forget the music, or to find something else to listen to.  Later my music for the day is changeable, depending on what cds I have brought with me, or what someone else brings,… or a Beatles cd in a Nirvana case –irony, as the Beatles are a kind of nirvana….

Slowly the café grows busier. A few regulars have wandered in as I slip away.  I make my escape in the private world of my own making…..

This is NO allergy.... Celiac disease, an honest article.

It is a question that usually annoys me because it is an inaccurate statement….

"Have you always been allergic to gluten?" 

This is NO allergy.... it is an autoimmune disease, and it is very possible to die as a result of it.  

Yes, I have had this disease my entire life, even though I was not diagnosed until I was over 50.  

It is still a difficult diagnosis to arrive at: celiac disease.

My story really begins in my childhood.  For one thing I have had “dark circles” under my eyes my entire life… that is a symptom.  My teeth were never really white, because celiac disease means that my body does not retain nutrients, minerals, vitamins…. it is a symptom to have discolored teeth.

I had a lot of stomach aches.  I was besieged with environmental allergies…. I slept a lot… not really “normal” teenage stuff, but ‘dead to the world’ naps that could last for hours.  At age 12 I learned that my body, my digestive system does not digest some foods properly,…corn, hot dogs, white bread….. I stopped eating corn, but not hot dogs or white bread.  I was too young to understand the problem, and to comprehend the need for any deeper analysis.  

Until I was about 30 years old,…and I had chronic diarrhea ---for over a year! No health insurance, and certainly no desire to be forced to have,..unpleasant medical tests/procedures.  So I read and researched, and talked to the lady at the local health food store –who happened to be fairly knowledgeable when it came to homeopathic “cures”. I discovered that acidophilus (probiotics) helped.

I stopped buying bread to eat at home, switching to tortillas instead.  A friend who grew up in Mexico used to say that tortillas were healthier than bread, I took that to heart.  Unfortunately I still did eat bread in restaurants.  And I still consumed other grains, never making the final connection to wheat or gluten.

Every winter since my 26^th year I experienced horrible itching.  First it was just my legs,… tortuous, burning itching…. (imagine the fleas of a thousand camels….) No hives, no dry skin, no visible sign except for the marks left from scratching.  I talked about going outdoors and burying my bare legs in the snow.  That sounded/seemed like it would help… I never actually did it.

Later the itching came up on my back as well,…it is called formication….”Formication is the medical term for a sensation that exactly resembles that of small insects crawling on (or under) the skin”… it is torture, pure and simple,…scratching does not help,..where you scratch is not EXACTLY where it itches…. There is NO RELIEF from formication.  It is not good to scratch, and definitely bad to scratch until it bleeds,..and yet one does so – scratches until it bleeds –without realizing what one is doing.

click here to open the Wikipedia article on Formication

click here to open the Wikipedia article on Celiac disease

Another thing I did was to keep a food diary.  That means that I had a little notebook in which I wrote down everything I ate, every day,… for more than 6 years…..   I wrote down what I ate, and the time of day,… but not how much I ate, because I was tracking symptoms more than quantity… I wrote the symptoms in the notebook as well.  It helped to a certain extent….keeping a food diary can be a useful tool for anyone who is trying to lose weight, and to track symptoms and look for links to diet in those symptoms.

Eventually, without really thinking about it I began pushing away foods that made me feel unwell....I stopped purchasing anything that made me feel unwell…. Pasta should have been a sign –I LOVED noodles, and I was not buying any pasta…for several years! Another sign of dietary problems is cravings… while I did not actually crave bread –any time I was in a restaurant I ate a large amount of bread. (a basket full of bread was nirvana)

Winter came, 2006, I read an article about hypoglycemia, and decided that perhaps sugar was the problem.  You know those articles that say that “the average adult consumes 8 pounds of sugar a year”,… I used to laugh, but in the early part of 2006 I started to pay attention to my sugar consumption.  What I learned shocked me,… it was not funny.  I really was consuming a huge amount of sugar.  I took immediate steps to cut down on the sugar intake.  The itching went away!  This was a successful strategy, and it worked for me, but only for about 3 years.   

By early 2010 the itching had returned  -with a vengeance,..and the formication was worse than ever before.  I tried a rotation diet.  Meaning that I stopped daily consumption of bread and pasta (I did still eat pasta in restaurants)…. I allowed myself to eat bread and pasta ONLY every 4^th day. The itching stopped.  I made it through that winter with no more itching.  (and no, I have never figured out why it is so much worse in the winter)

When I realized that I had not eaten pizza in 11 months I knew that something had to be seriously wrong.  I did not WANT pizza!  That was CRAZY!! I used to eat pizza at least once a week.  I was not buying/eating frozen pizza, and I had not ordered pizza for delivery for 11 months. 

Meanwhile, several people I knew were fighting various types of cancer.  Adrenal cortical carcinoma, breast cancer, liver cancer, and other types of cancer.  At that time I read an article that informed me of a fact most people are unaware of: colon cancer is curable.  The only thing you need to do is get a colonoscopy! During the procedure they remove any polyps that are found. They analyze the samples and determine what, if any, further procedures are required.  

I never thought I would EVER volunteer for a colonoscopy.  But I did.  They did an endoscopy to look at my esophagus and stomach, and then a colonoscopy.  I did not know they did anything. I mean that the anesthesiologist did a perfect job, and the doctor clearly knew exactly what he was doing.  No pain, no discomfort afterward.  Prep for colonoscopy is as easy as drinking a specific liquid, and not consuming any solid food.

A couple of days later the doctor’s office called me.  The nurse asked me if I knew what sprue was. I was dismayed, but “yes, I know what you are saying to me.”  Celiac sprue was found.  That is celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease.  I am one of the lucky ones.  Most people with celiac disease are not diagnosed until they are hospitalized, losing weight rapidly, and quite literally dying.

I was over 50. I was sick for most of my life.  It is a fact.  Looking back over my entire life, at my health condition, and all of the problems I can remember having,… I was born with celiac disease.  

Knowing what I do about my parents I believe that both of them actually had undiagnosed celiac disease.   Celiac disease is very tough to diagnose without the colonoscopy and blood work.  If they are not looking for it (celiac sprue) they will miss it.  If you have not consumed gluten in several days or weeks the sprue can be missed. 

I was not happy with this diagnosis, but I was very relieved to finally have an answer.  Celiac disease explains so much about my symptoms.  Never mind what medical “professionals” say, because they do not know everything.  After the diagnosis one of the first things I did was to ‘google’ it… Celiac disease.  What I found was Celiac.com, and forums where you can communicate with people who have had diagnosed celiac disease for more than 30 years.  At Celiac.com there is a long list of symptoms….symptoms that doctors do not see as connected.  I had itching, fatigue, “irritable bowel syndrome”, stomach bloating…. And myriad other symptoms.  Those symptoms, to a medical doctor, do not seem to be connected, and yet they are all symptoms of autoimmune disease.  They are all symptoms of Celiac disease.

Link to Celiac.com

By time I was diagnosed it was easy for me, because rather than eliminate foods I was able to add foods! because the whole world of Gluten Free foods opened up to me -at the same time the market for it was beginning to grow by leaps and bounds. I lack nothing!!! sometimes I do wish I could have whatever my head desires whenever I want it, but I am OK and I am Gluten FREE!!

Are there foods I miss? Well, there are,… but in most cases there is a gluten free substitute that is as good, or better.  And: GLUTEN FREE FOOD TASTES GOOD!!!   

link to: celiac.org/celiac-disease/understanding-celiac-disease

Links to brands I recommend:

Canyon Bakehouse bread -the BEST ever GF bread

Food Should Taste Good -excellent chips and crackers

Enjoy Life (excellent soft GF cookies, and tons of other healthy snacks

Kind snacks -excellent healthy protein bars and other healthy snacks

also look for Freshetta Gluten Free Pizza, Tres Pupusas, Pacific soups, Van bars....

AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS, READ THE LABEL BEFORE YOU BUY!!!!

Remembering weekend (evening) television of my youth

Lately I have been thinking, quite a bit, about my own adolescence.... not childhood, rather the teenage years,..more to the point from about age 11 or 12 onward.  The time of our lives when we really hold on to memories of things we felt and did. In my life the point from which the person I have become started to emerge, the influences in my life at that age.  One of the first things that comes to mind is The Partridge Family,... mainly because, a few days ago, David Cassidy died.
The Partridge Family was a television program about a family band, airing on Friday night. The performed, sang, before audiences. At that age it was pleasant to believe the illusion that the children were actually doing the singing,... the mother (portrayed by Shirley Jones) tried to keep her brood under control, but growing children rebel and have adventures, and being a television program, hilarity ensues....

 but the music....  Happy songs mostly, ...sung by David Cassidy (stepson of Shirley Jones). Various songs, some happy, and some sad, but songs I still enjoy listening to, and having stuck in my head.  Cheerfulness without which my life may have turned darker.  Thus I follow that memory with The Mary Tyler Moore Show...

link to the Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Love Is All Around

"..you're gonna make it after all...."

When I hear that theme song I am transported...  in my mind I am 12 years old again,...sitting in a red, swivel chair, before a television set, in a living room in suburban Chicago-land.... innocent, absorbing ideas like a sponge.  Mary lives alone, she works, she struggles, and she takes care of herself.  She shares with her friends: Rhoda (Valerie Harper), Phyllis (Cloris Leachman); and coworkers: Murray (Gavin McLeod), Ted (Ted Knight), Lou (Ed Asner).....  It is a lesson that a female human can make it on her own.  That women are strong, capable, and still nurturing.

Following The Mary Tyler Moore Show was The Bob Newhart Show, a funny, fun program about a psychologist in Chicago, his wife, their neighbor, and featuring scenes of group therapy with a bunch of neurotic patients, a kooky office mates... innocuous and enjoyable... a little innuendo, some pratfalls, and just plain good laughs.

Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Marcia Wallace, Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily

And, rounding out the Saturday evening viewing fun, this was followed by The Carol Burnett Show... which never failed to include a plethora of hilarious skits and segments, thanks the brilliance of Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and a variety of guest stars....  And part of what made it so enjoyable was that the cast had a tough time keeping a straight face themselves.... seeing their glee made us laugh harder, like we were a part of the joke.  

Mrs. Wiggins and Mr. Tudball; the infamous Gone With The Wind takeoff with Carol wearing the drapes.... Tim Conway and Harvey Corman cracking each other up with whatever silliness they attempted to perform.... 

link: Mrs. Wiggins, The Intercom,..again...

link: Tim Conway -The Elephant Story  (Tim Conway keeps a straight face, while Carol breaks down.)

link: Went With The Wind (drapery dress)

From these I formed my sense of humor, irony, seriousness, and my self....

other life lessons were learned before this time, and many many more lessons came after.... but from this brief period of pleasant weekend evenings grew my identity....

the older we get.....

the older we get, the more nerve shows up.
we have the balls to ask for what we want, because we know that the worst thing that will happen is that we will be told, "no", and that's okay.

I realized this at an early age, but did not always put it into practice.
Now I am older, and perhaps a little wiser,...and I ask for what I want.  Phrase your question carefully,.... and I have to tell you that I hear "no" far more often than I would like, but that does not kill me.... nor does it make me stronger.  What is does is make me sad..... and more lonely.

Anyway, a friend of mine goes to a lot of concerts,... she likes a particular style of music, and she pursues those bands, and manages to befriend the musicians.  She may not fully realize exactly how cool that is! but she achieves it because she is not afraid to ask.  I know that she does not see the magic of it, but she is blown away when they tell her "yes" and then join her for a chat, or for an adventure.  (You GO girl!)

Back when I was still in school I had a friend who's mother had died some years earlier... so the dad was the only parent.  My friend had two younger brothers.  They were all teenagers at the time I am talking about here.  So, their mom had been the "easy" parent, and the thing they heard a lot was: "wait until your father gets home". Dad was the disciplinarian.  They were a little afraid of him.  They did not have conversations with dad.  One day they came home to find me having a conversation with their dad.  They were flummoxed.  "What were you doing?" they demanded.  "Talking about television programs." simple.  Their dad and I had a nice conversation about television programs we remembered from the 1960's.  But that was when it really hit home for me -they were afraid to talk to their own dad, who was a pretty good guy.  The three of them wanted to go out for the evening, with me in my car, and they were afraid to ask their dad if they could go.  I sent the 3 of them to the living room with instructions to ask their dad if they could go, and if they could stay out until 9:00pm.  They were shocked at his response, which was not only a "yes" but they were also told that they could stay out until 10:00pm.  It blew their minds.  I was delighted that they had learned this simple thing.

I learned something too..... Never, ever be afraid to ask for something.  Think of what is the worst thing that will happen.... no one gets killed for asking for something.  The worst thing that can happen is "NO".  If you cannot wrap your head around that idea, ...well, then I am very sorry for you.

Take the Time to Communicate (In Memory of my cousin Doris)

Today I learned of a nonverbal talk show host named Carly Fleischman…. She is “nonverbal” due to Autism, and uses an automated speech device to communicate.  The first person I thought of was Doris. 

Doris, age 9

Doris was my cousin.  She had polio in 1948, when she was 14 years old.  I do not have a lot of details....  .......... I do not know how long Doris was ill.  ..........Doris did not want to do the exercises to help her own recovery.  By the time Doris understood the importance of doing those exercises many years had passed.  Doris never walked again, although she did try.  Doris never spoke again, her vocal chords atrophied, leaving her able emit only guttural grunting sounds.

While this may sound dire and prohibiting, Doris led a full and interesting life.  She did live in nursing homes for most of her life, yet she traveled a good deal for someone in her position, unable to care for herself.  

The magical thing was how many friends Doris accumulated over the years.  You see, Doris was incredibly smart,...probably a genius,... imagine spending the larger majority of your time listening and observing....  and reading....  The result of this, for Doris, was that anyone who took the time to communicate with her found a delightfully intelligent, wise woman, with a great sense of humor. Even as I write this I wish that I had spent more time with her.

How did Doris communicate, you may be wondering.... this is the answer:

This is one side of Doris' word boards --this is how she communicated. By pointing to words or letters on the board.  The flip side of the word board had words Doris commonly used, like: mother, father, aunt, uncle, months of the year, and an explanation of how to use the board to talk with her.

There were several such boards over the years, this is one I remember best. I could often guess at what Doris was trying to say. When we visited her, any time others had trouble with what she was trying to say they would call me to come and be her voice. This was a great privilege and it really tickled Dory that I knew what she was talking about every time.

Doris was a delight.  She knew all about the world, kept up with current events, followed the Chicago Cubs and other sports teams, and participated in many activities such as painting ceramics, playing bingo, attending church, and visiting with anyone who realized it was well worth the effort to chat with her.  One of Doris' best friends was a woman who had gone to the nursing home to visit a relative, and got to know Doris -and, like quite a few folks, returned again and again specifically to visit Doris.

So, that is what you need to know..... just because a person is non-verbal, does not mean that they are not vital, interesting, intelligent.... think about that the next time you have a chance to sit down and work at communicating with someone who is non-verbal.

This was one of the jokes that made Doris laugh out loud:

Doris really loved 'tongue in cheek' humor, and the subtle joke.

Around 100 people attended her funeral, on a cold December morning.

We celebrated that our beloved Doris had gone to heaven, where she can dance and run and sing and talk to her heart's content with her mother and aunts and uncles, and all who went before her.

In loving memory of my cousin Doris.  1934-2012

link to - I Hope You Dance

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

I hope you dance

________________________________________________________________

LINK TO wikipedia.org/wiki/Poliomyelitis

_________________________

Heartbreaking and Devastating (to Danny and Bri)

To be honest I did not know whether I would write anything today.... but yesterday I happened to open Facebook in the afternoon to heartbreaking news....  A young couple I know of,...they were on vacation with their children,... and while they were enjoying a family trip their home burned to the ground.... they lost everything they owned, and (horrifically) they lost more than 30 family pets.... ferrets, birds, and reptiles. 

there is nothing left to salvage. nothing.

I cannot imagine their sorrow.  Fire. My house burning down is probably my biggest fear,..throughout my life nothing has ever worried me more than that thought.


Brianne and Daniel are fellow Stargate fans.  They may not know me, but I know them.  Brianne was a volunteer at several of the conventions I attended, and she stood out because she is so happy and full of life.  They met at a Stargate convention, they fell in love. I was in the audience when Daniel proposed to Brianne in front of hundreds of Stargate fans....   and their wedding took place at the final Stargate Convention in Chicago in 2016. I was there.

Bri and Dan were married on the stage at the final Stargate Con in 2016

To Brianne, Daniel, and the children:  I am so sorry for your losses.  My heart breaks for you over the loss of the pets you loved and cared for, and everything you lost.

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below are 2 links to fundraising websites to help the Jackson family begin to rebuild their life:

https://www.gofundme.com/help-bri-danny-and-the-family

https://www.youcaring.com/danielandbriannejackson

ANY donation will help and be greatly appreciated.  

Please share this blog post.




addendum: link to news story WTVR.com

More --I don't give a good gorram.....

Today: John Denver.  I will NOT apologize for loving his music.  These songs speak to my heart, and of my own life....

Country Roads take me home...to the place I belong................ take me home country roads.........take me home.........

Thank God I'm a Country GIRL!!! Yeah!!! ....leaving on a jet plane....

Rocky Mountain High!! yes!!("..he was born in the summer of his 27th year..........on the road and hanging by a song...")

"Music makes pictures and often tells stories,...all of it magic and all of it true............... the music is you...."

----------------------------------

Perhaps because I first listened to John's music in my early teenage years... that time just sticks with me,...it's in my heart and in my soul.  I understand the stories John Denver tells through his music,... they touch my heart, they live in my soul. 

If you do not understand I feel sorry for you... you cannot know the joy that music brings to the heart when you open your heart and mind to all music.... Thanks Dad and Mom for loving music and watching all of those variety shows on tv when I was small... you have no idea how much it means to me.  

my favorite John Denver album

link to An Evening With John Denver     ...   a link to my other favorite John Denver album...

"The boy from the country, he left his home when he was young

Boy from the country, he loves the sun

He tried to tell us that we should love the land

We turned our heads and laughed

And we did not understand

Sometimes I think that the boy from the country

Is the only one who sees

Because the boy from the country

Doesn't want to see the forest for the trees

Boy from the country, he left his home when he was young

Boy from the country, he loves the sun"

When John Denver died it broke my heart,.. a little piece of me was lost forever in that moment...........

(don't be a spoil-sport, I DARE YOU to give John Denver a try.... at least listen to: Leaving On A Jet Plane)

".........my friend, I will remember you, think of you, and pray for you....and when another day is through I'll still be friends with you......"

No words,..... afterword...

The funeral for Rockford Police Officer Jaimie Cox is today.

They expect a huge number of people to attend and to line the route of the procession after the service.  The procession is to cross through downtown Rockford, passing police headquarters and then cross back to the east side of town.

I will not be attending either the service or those who line the processional route.
It is cold, and I expect that there will be a lot of people, ...parking is limited,.... I will be staying away from the chaos. Lord knows, the police don't need more people out there....

I will be observing a moment (at 10:00a.m.), more likely several minutes.... of silence and stillness, praying for the soul of Jaimie Cox, for his family and loved ones,... and reflecting on memories of those who have gone before me whom I have loved.


The findings, on the unfortunate death of Rockford Police Officer Jaimie Cox were that he died due to blunt trauma, and the other man, Eddie Patterson, died of a gunshot wound.  The actual facts of what occurred may never be known. 



Links:

no-words-no-silly-this-morning. Sunday, 11/5/17

Facebook/Jaimie-Cox-Memorial-Page

Afterword:  

The funeral of Jaimie Cox was over two hours long, ending outside the church with taps and a 21 gun salute.... and the ceremonial final radio call,..."We will take it from here."

Fifteen minutes later the procession began, following a 20 mile route across the city of Rockford and back to Mulford Road, south of Newburg where it ended at funeral home for a private service for the family of Jaimie Cox.  The procession was over 620 law enforcement vehicles, carrying more than 2,000 representatives of law enforcement from all over the state of Illinois, and across the United States.  Respect.  Hundreds lined the sides of the roads in a display of respect and support.  It was moving and sobering.  

I don't give a good gorram if you know this about me.... (part 2)

I own and actually like my Partridge Family albums.... (yes vinyl), .... and David Cassidy.....

link to I Think I Love You

link to I WOKE UP IN LOVE THIS MORNING.....

Cheerful happy songs.  What? you know that I am not a happy cheerful person? Well, I DON'T CARE!!! There I said it.... I don't care what you think.... These are the songs of my youth,... formative time of my life 

link to my favorite David Cassidy album: Cherish  (I dare you to listen ....)

to be honest Cherish is the only David Cassidy album I own, and I don't need another David Cassidy album if I have this one.  Beautiful songs, heart break, love, longing..... 

I guess that it was a time in a girl's life that is the most memorable in some ways....still retaining some innocence, and having a lot of hopes and dreams..... if only............. could it be forever......

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

If you know me at all then you know that I have that wide range of musical tastes.... eclectic... I still own all of my vinyl.  Some mainstream, some obscure,... some very rare, exclusive recordings of lesser known singers.  Jane Jones Band, Jim Croce, John Denver, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Sherman, The Beatles, The Monkees, Cher, Charlotte Church, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Foreigner, Styx, Pink Floyd, ELO, Signal Room,......oh heck -ask me a group or singer,... too many for me to think of all of them.....

I am not ashamed of liking a song, regardless of who is doing the singing!

Addendum November 19, 2017: Link to article: David Cassidy hospitalized organ failure.

"David Cassidy has been hospitalized with organ failure, needs liver transplant."

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I have this album:  

I LIKE THE SONGS! and he is an ok singer.....

the single released was Let Her In ...DANG! A total blast from the past..... it has been a very long time since I listened to Let Her In.....   He could carry a tune, but the world had moved on to a smoother, sythesized rock and roll, and this album was quickly forgotten......

(I have a clear memory of going to Woodfield Shopping Mall to see John Travolta live.... there were an estimated ridiculously HUGE number of young ladies --all SCREAMING at the top of their lungs.... It was John's first such public appearance, and he was literally dumbstruck.... he was escorted out very rapidly,.... they could NOT silence the screaming, poor John was in shock.... I did not stick around either..... but we purchased the album while all those girls were screaming their lungs out..... I barely got even a glimpse of John Travolta myself.) 

Seriously! Click on the Let Her In link and listen to the song and then keep listening to Dick Clark interview John Travolta, and listen to how young and relatively innocent he still was..... so sweet.

good memories......

No words,... no silly this morning....

I feel that my world has grown a little bit darker,.... a little bit smaller....
It is hard to believe that just two days ago I told someone that I never cross the river in downtown Rockford unless I have specific business in the downtown area, especially after dark. 
This morning, and hereafter, I will seriously consider ever crossing Alpine Road, particularly after dark, ever again.  (For those familiar with the area I do realize that the DMV is on the other side of Alpine Road.)

In the early morning hours, overnight, last night, a Rockford Police Officer was shot near Alpine Road, just north of East State Street, Highway 20, in Rockford.

Rockford Police Officer Jaimie Cox was a local.  He grew up in the greater Rockford area. 

Today the Internet is not fun and games for me. My heart breaks for this officer's family. My heart breaks that crime has increased to such an ugly extent.  I am upset by the growing hatred and the violence that has come with it. People who claim to not want to hurt others, people who want to open our country to a barrage of immigrants who will overrun the capabilities of law enforcement. 

What has happened to us?  My empathetic heart cannot take much more of this.

I AM TIRED OF PEOPLE BEING UGLY TO EACH OTHER.

I feel that society, as a whole, is failing miserably.  Why can't we all just get along....  I do believe that, ultimately, all of us want peace.  

give peace a chance <click ...................      click> Imagine all the people sharing all the world....

my Dad was a character...

I was talking to myself in the car today, as usual...when suddenly a word,...phrase? ...came out of my mouth and I was struck by the oddness of it...  It was something my father would say when he wanted to make certain that whoever he was talking to really did not do something....   "you dasn't" ..... yes "dasn't" ... meaning "you dare not!"  that "a" in "dasn't" is like a double "a" or similar to the way you pronounce the "a" in the word air.  ..... "dasn't"  --I have to wonder where that came from! Was it something that his mother said?  There is no one for me to ask about that.  But this reminds me of phraseology I have written about in a previous blog post.  I wish I could find it.... but here is another phrase from my childhood memories....  "putnear" or "put-in-near" ---pretty near.... yes,... "putnear" is pretty near to what I heard in many discussions with the range of my father's friends....like: "it's putnear time to get on home." and the like.....

I suppose that everyone has some memory of odd phraseology or odd verbiage from some time in their life, or some place they have visited.  Is it "pop" or is it "soda",.. and please, please do not tell me that all soda-pop is "coke", because I will not accept that,... I do not like Coke, I like Pepsi, and I find calling all soda pop "coke" offensive.  (no I am not a liberal snowflake --no offense to anyone in particular, but I have certainly hurt someone's feelings now -not that I care --GROW A PAIR and don't be a whiny baby PLEASE.)

But this does lead to where we find ourselves in the year of our Lord, 2017.  People get their feelings all hurt by words, or by inanimate objects... and my answer to the bullshite the media report on is this simple:  FEED THE HUNGRY IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!!  HOUSE THE HOMELESS, ... CLOTHE THE CLOTHESLESS!!!  

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT REALLY MEANS ANYTHING??

Help those in your community who need help, whatever they need help with, it does not matter what,.... but rather than waste time protesting over stupid things HELP OTHERS.... DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, that will matter more in the end.

I think my dad would agree.