Buffalo Gal

I recently hurt my knee being an overzealous housefrau.  It is not worth it.  I have to go back to my familiar mode as a house cleaner…..take a swipe with a dishcloth when you walk by things that are sticky or dusty.   Back in the late 1960′s or early 1970s I read a little paperback book by a lady named Peg (her last name escapes me) who advocated leisurely housekeeping.  She even  said she had a great urge to start her own magazine and it would be titled BAD HOUSEKEEPING.  She had some great suggestions for lazy housekeepers and cooks, like always having on hand 2 ingredients for emergencies…beans and ham.  She had two recipes: one was for "hamnbeans" and the other one was for "beansnham".  I tried them both and my family spit it all out, so I could no longer rely on lazy meal cooking.

I could write a lead article for BAD HOUSEKEEPING; it would be called "Why Organized House Cleaning Is Not Necessary".  I would cite all the examples of how I do this job myself. It is not a good scene for a fussy woman.  For instance, I get distracted.  I open up a shower in a bathroom intending to clean the shower stall only to discover I have been depositing dirty towels in the stall, so I pick them up and head to the laundry area to put the towels in the washer.  In the washer I discover some sheets I washed a day or more ago so I have to put them in the dryer, but I find a load of dry socks and underwear in the dryer.  I get totally distracted so by the time I should return to clean the shower stall, I have forgotten all about it and start dusting the furniture in the living room.  The phone rings, I answer, I talk, I hang up.  I start up the vacuum cleaner forgetting I have not finished dusting.  The cat is terrified by the vacuum cleaner and runs hysterically around me trying to escape. She flies up the stairs to the second story.  I feel so sorry for her I follow her and try to  locate her hiding place.  In the process of looking for her I notice that there is an unmade bed so I make the bed and decide that it is a good day to hang out the bedspread and the blanket. I forget the cat and her terror and go in search of the clothesbasket and clothespins and make it to the clothesline with the bedding.  After those have been hung, I notice that some quackgrass is already making its appearance in my flower bed on the east side of the garage so I go to the garden house to find a digging fork.  In the garden house I find two flower pots I have been searching for, and I take them along with the digging fork.  After digging up the quack grass and excavating as many of the white creepy roots as I can locate, I take the pots into the basement to wash them up in the laundry sink.  The buzzer goes off on the dryer and I remove the sheets, and take them upstairs to put on one of the beds. There are already sheets on that bed and now I am really confused.   I put the sheets away and go back downstairs to find the dustrag and the vacuum cleaner sitting idly.  I once again tackle those jobs…sort of.  I have to pick up a bunch of newspapers first in order to vacuum and I see a really interesting article in section B so I sit down to read it.   I have also not done that day’s crossword puzzle so I get a pen and work on it.  By  this time I am desperately hungry so I return to the kitchen to see what I can rustle up for a low calorie lunch;  all I can find is flour tortillas and cheese so I make some quesadillas which are not very low calorie.  Oh well.   I spill on myself when I tip over a jar of juice on the the counter and run to the bathroom to clean myself off.  Then I see that blasted shower stall where I started two and a half hours ago, but I am so worn out from running around like a chicken with my head cut off, that I decide I have done enough for one day and head for the recliner to rest my aching knee and finish the crossword puzzle.

I wonder if there are any others who have days like this?  I really hope so because I am not proud of my poor track record…. to say nothing of my haphazard house cleaning and  lack organizational skills.  I was never good at the low hurdles either. (my track record).

I do not know that Peg ever started up her magazine BAD HOUSEKEEPING.  I should pick up her fallen torch and start anew as the Editor.  I am really qualified to do it.

One of the best known of sayings in our society is "a tempest in a teapot".  It kind of reflects Shakespeare’s play title, "Much Ado About Nothing".   We are currently in the teapot again with "Don Imusgate" being promoted by the mainstream media, both print and non-print.  If you pay any attention to the "news" in any form, you cannot escape the most recent tempest in a teapot. 

When one makes tea in the truly correct way, you do not use Lipton tea bags but you use "loose tea" that is probably more expensive..but it also tastes very distinctive.  You put your loose tea in your ceramic teapot (can also  be very expensive), pour boiling water into it and allow your tea to "steep" for a period of time.   Then you take you tea-strainer (kind of expensive also, if you buy it at a kitchen specialty shop)  and pour the brewed tea through the strainer and enjoy the delicious well brewed tea in a lovely teacup. You are involved in quite a high-class activity when you really make tea.

  What is left is referred to as the "dregs"(used up tea leaves).  That gets tossed out.  But the tea is exquisite and much enjoyed, alone, with sugar, cream or lemon,  or with a scone, a muffin, or a "biscuit" (Londonese for little cookie).  I have learned all this from watching British comedies on PBS!!!!  I have not made this kind of tea too often but I have seen Hyacinth Bucket (pronouned "Boo-cay")  do it many times!!

But seriously, there is a metaphor here to the current tempest making the rounds on our public airwaves in in our public print media.   Certain individuals have taken the "dregs" route.  Others have risen above the dregs at the bottom of the pot and become the highly exquisite tea. The Rutgers University womens’ basket ball coach and her team have made themselves into exqusite "tea" by meeting with Don Imus, accepting his many apologies for what he said on air a few days ago, the coach says they can forgive him, and go on with their life at Rutgers, on the basketball court and on the adademic field as well.  The coach and some of her players exhibited a most elegant grasp of this "affair".   I only wish the Hysterical Media along with a few opportunistic politicians could rise above their "dreg-like" drawing out of this current national tempest.

Since when is a sincere apology not acceptable?  Since when do people who bear the title "Reverend" not accept repentance and offer forgiveness.  "Are these Reverends even Christians?" would be my first question.

Hypocrisy to the max is also a part of the tempest.  The two Reverends referred to,  have made statements that are equal to that of Imus; one of them referred to New York City as "Hymie Town" a very crude slur against those who are Jewish.  The other Reverend created another tempest years ago with his accusations about a young woman named Tawana Brawley that were later proved to be totally false.  I cannot remember if either of these gentlemen admitted or apologized for their own words, but they certainly expected forgiveness and forgetfulness on the part of the people of this nation…and they got it, since they are still riding high in what they do.   Neither of them got fired.  

There is also great hypocrisy involved in some being so affronted by the words Imus used on air…this is his stock in trade as a member of the "shock jock" elite in the media. He and Howard Stern have stood on  this form of media for years and have brought in tons of revenue for their advertisers and their stations. They have had loyal listeners who eat up their so called "humor".      However the use of such words by Hip Hop or Rap musicians in totally pronounced to be "different" and "not racist" by the very people who engage in their form of "music" (I gag when I use the term "music" to refer to hip-hop or rap)    They are the ones screaming for Imus to be villified, fired, ruined, banished, exiled from life as we know it.  Then they have the gall to defend the same foul language when it is part of their "music." They are the ones who have put their foul language into our national psyche.

I despair sometimes at the craziness of so-called leaders and their followers;  I despair when I hear that a leading contender for the Democratic nomination for president has taken an 800,000 dollar donation from a Hip Hop performer while at the same time castigating Imus for what he said.  There is another familiar adage that should be followed closely in our society: "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

We have way too many stone-throwers (tea dregs) and not enough high quality tea, in my opinion…..and those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know I am not short on opinions. 

Hey what are blogs for anyway????

First Old Business must be taken care of.   My L.A.T.T.E. goof-up is solved with word from the one who cleverly named us the LATTEs.  The reference is "Taught a LATTE" and goodness knows, we have….collectively we must have way over 100 years of teaching among us…maybe over 200 years as we all put in long careers in our school district.  So now that is settled.

Today after getting my "pearly whites" cleaned and shined at the dental office I frequent, Buffaloguy and I went to West Acres to take in the marathon fund raiser  for the Honor Flight that will sponsor many veterans of World War 2 visiting Washington D.C. together and seeing for themselves , the World War 2 Memorial that honors their service.

I get so choked up over the World War 2 vets; they were all young men in the Great Depression of the 1930′s and knew first hand what deprivation and economic disaster was. From that momentous event in U.S. history, they went to an even more frightening one…the attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor which pitched our nation into an already existing war.  They fought in places all over our planet…the South Pacific, New Guinea, central Europe, Africa,the Aleutian Islands,  India and Burma.  They did not see their families or friends for 5 years or more in the great struggle against the totalitarian regimes of Germany, Japan and Italy. They landed on beaches, they fought in deserts, some flew over "the Hump" in Asia, delivering supplies to the Chinese who were our allies; many slogged their way through the Battle of the Bulge and crossed the Rhine River in the final agonizing push into Berlin. Some were captured and tortured in prison camps.   Then they came home and took up their lives with the same sort of courage and fortitude they had shown in battles.  I am sure many suffered consequences for a long time, maybe even the rest of their lives, but they persevered anyway, married, raised families, worked hard, went to college, lived productive lives in their communities and have now grown old.  Many are dying every week from the ravages of old age in their eighth and ninth decades. They still serve in American Legion  Honor Guards at each other’s funerals. 

The only time I broke down and cried hard in a bookstore or other commercial place of business was when I read the introduction to THE GREATEST GENERATION by Tom Brokaw in Barnes and Noble some years back.  I was so overcome by his description of the people who were like my own parents, I could not hold back the tears.   These old veterans are a Great Generation; so are their wives and children; they deserve all the Honor we can heap upon them.  They saved our democracy in World War 2 and would, if they were able, save it again for those of us who live in much newer generations.

We contributed to the funds needed for the Honor Flight.  More is needed because over 600 have applied to go to Washington and another plane is needed.   If you have not given to this cause, I would highly recommend doing so.   It has been bought and paid for by these Heroes who gave their all between 1941 and 1945 or longer.

Every spring I wait for the crane migration to pass over head.  I have gotten in on this phenomenon for several years in a row but you have to be outside at the right time…it has been on a sunny clear day in the past and there is usually a wind.   I am not even sure what kind of cranes they are, but they appear to be brownish gray.  They are very big birds easily spotted even though they are often very high.  I have looked up Sandhill cranes and they might be Sandhills….I cannot see all the details from the ground….only that they are very big.
The thing that really intriques me is their gutteral sounds that they constantly cry while in flight.  You can hear them coming long before you see them.  They seem to ride on the air thermals when I have seen them….the are not using their wings but drifting in circles on the air currents, slowly making progress in their constant circling motion.   It is one of the most spectacular bird migrations I have witnessed.

If anyone reading this knows what I have been seeing, please let me know on the comments.    I just hope I am outdoors when it happens again this spring.

The information I looked up about Sandhill cranes said they migrate far north in Canada and Alaska to their breeding grounds and also that they mate for life…just like Canadian geese.

The second Wednesday of each month is special to me and to a bunch of other retired teachers….we all taught at the same school at one time or another.  Some of us are quite freshly retired and some of us have been away from it as long ago as 1981!  We still share the bond of having been teachers…both elementary and high school teachers and we all enjoyed our days in the classroom, the special ed. room,  the library, the music room or the Title One Rooms.  We have much in common.  One of our clever girls came up with the acronym "L.A.T. T.E. S." which roughly stands for "lots of teaching"..I missed something about that acronym because it was a lot more clever than what I just typed.  Maybe the originator will clue me in because it was really good, trust me!   What we do is eat breakfast together on the second Wednesday of each month and all of us look forward to it.

We used to talk about our experiences with students and school things; now we share adventures of traveling, going south in the cold weather, being with adult kids and also with grandchildren and our summer gardening plans.     The best news today is that one of "our" grandkids, who was born prematurely, has progressed to crawling and weighs almost 20 pounds after a very scarey start in his little life.  Neo-Natal care is marvelous these days…he has come so far since nearly  a year ago.  

We also discussed the upcoming vote in our retired-from school district for a new school building that would house all the grades, K-12, in an up to date district school….it is much needed since the buildings used now are all old, mixed with new, and patched together over years and years of adding on, etc.  However, there is a group in the community that opposes EVERYTHING when it comes to the school district making any sort of progress that involves a referendum or a bond issue.  This radical group has gone so far as to hire a "hitman" who specializes in defeating school votes for such improvements!  The portable billboards are up in the district again…this time saying "Here we Go Again….Vote NO on May—- (whatever the day is..I cannot remember).    It makes me so sad to think that such people exist…those who never think of the good of the students in the school’s very excellent district educational program.   They will resort to most anything to defeat any school issue that involves taxes or progress.  All the surrounding districts successfully move ahead, but thanks to these "Know-Nothings" our district suffers each time there is a school vote on such issues. 

They also do all they can to interfere with school board matters.  It is a sad situation when you have individual(s) who have so little to do in their own sad lives,  or so little concern for the education of a community’s young people.  Many of these people have no children or grandchildren living anywhere near the District but they oppose everything.  Their almighty dollars (in their bank accounts) are like a pagan Idol—they must worship their bank accounts or retirement funds.  None can be parted with if it involves progress in a school district’s education of its young citizens.  Many of these retired people could have spent years of service as volunteers in our school but they never darken the door for such activity; they only show up to complain, to grouse, to oppose and on election day you would not believe the number of elderly people wandering around the hallways, often in a state of confusion common to the aged, but they are there to vote NO!!!!

It is disgusting to see such goings-on once again.

A few days ago I was peeling potatoes and looking idly out my kitchen window when I spotted a parade coming out of the shelter belt trees.  A big flock of wild turkeys was walking across the road and into a field heading for our neighbor’s grove of trees.  It was one of the recent bitterly cold days with the wind blowing hard out of the north but these wild turkeys seemed unaffected by the weather.  They faced the cold wind and marched across the field heading for feeding grounds and roosting trees for the night, I presume. I watched them til they disappeared over the small rise leading to the grove of trees.

Until recent years, I  had never seen a wild turkey except in the picture of an ornate bottle of bourbon called "Wild Turkey" or some such name, the ads for which used to appear in my Dad’s copies of "Field And Stream" and "Sports Afield".  I always paged through these magazines as I was a voracious reader and also enjoyed the colored pictures.  Then more recently I saw wild turkeys come into the yard of my in-laws’ neighbor, an avid Audubon Society member and  feeder of birds of all kinds.  In December the wild turkeys would be eating in his bird area and flying up to the branches of trees to roost.  I was fascinated because they were huge birds but they seemed to fly easily, low to the ground.  Then a few years ago we took a "Sunday ride" in the early spring and went south from Valley City to Fort Ransom on a lovely small county road that winds through the woods along the Sheyenne River bottoms. We saw a big flock of wild turkeys that day, all of them resting in a clearing along the road.

After we realized that wild turkeys are now populating our own river bottoms, I have looked up information about these birds.  The males are more colorful than the females and are also much larger..up to 18 pounds for males and around 8 pounds for females.  Male turkeys are "polygamous" ,says the encyclopedia, and usually try to have a small harem of hens in their retinue.  The more colorful the bird, the better sign of its good health.  Parasites rob the turkeys of their colors when they get overly infested by them.  Wild turkeys are foragers and are not fussy about what they eat…they eat vegetation and meat in the form of small frogs, salamanders and insects.  Much of their diet is wild grasses and seeds and wild fruit. They also eat acorns and other wild nuts.   They can fly as fast as 50 mph but they fly low to the ground.  Walking is usually their chosen way to move about unless they are threatened.  Turkey courtship sounds a lot like that of wild prairie chickens; there is much displaying by the males, drumming, wing dragging, swelling of fleshy parts on the heads and a lot of vocalizations to attract the hens.

Ben Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers, wanted the turkey as our national bird but was overruled by Congress which spent about 6 years trying to determine our national emblem. Franklin wrote a letter to one of his daughters in 1784 in which he expressed his disappointment that the turkey was not chosen as our national bird.

"For the truth, the turkey in comparison {to the bald eagle} is a much more respectable bird and withal a true native of America…He is besides, though a little vain and silly, a Bird of courage and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a Red Coat on."

Franklin had previously discussed the bald eagle’s disgusting and lazy habit of hanging around fishing areas and waiting for a smaller fishing hawk to catch a fish and then take it away from the hawk as it was flying to its nest.  I know whereof Franklin spoke about a turkey being a "Bird of courage", as I recall being chased by a big male turkey in the farmyard of one of my mother’s cousins!  I was still a pre-schooler and fortunately I ran faster than the big Tom Turkey who did not want me invading his territory.  I never went back outside in that yard again without first ascertaining where that male turkey was spending his time.

I am glad to see the wild turkeys doing the turkey trot on our farm fields and in the woods down by the river.  They will do well around here and I hope they are here to stay a long time.

I have been doing some regular driving on highway 10 east and west lately and have been made aware even more of the things that drive me nuts….by other drivers.   I learned to drive when I was a teenager, I took the course in drivers’ education, took the on the road training and passed my drivers’ license test.  I have always been very cautious as a driver and have alway believed in obeying the traffic laws (a characteristic of a first-born: obey the rules and laws!)  I have also become an extremely defensive driver due to the bad habits of some types of drivers that drive me nuts!

First we have Mr. or Ms. "Itsmyprivatelane".  This is more  female drivers than  male drivers but the males are just as irritating when this category opts to drive in the passing lane at all times, usually way over the speed limit.  If the female driver has a friend (s) along she will be driving and talking and as a result, she will be  driving erratically, going  from high speeds to low speeds depending on the conversation.  If she is alone she WILL be speeding. She does not use her signal lights nor her cruise control. In almost every case, she WILL be talking on her cell phone as she roars down the left lane which is her very own private driving space.  The male "Itsmyprivatelane" guy usually is driving over the speed limit too, but he almost always has his non-driving arm slung over the car seat.  If an ordinary driver chooses to use this private driving lane for its intended purpose (passing a car) you run the risk of having the privatelaners come up behind you and nearly drive over you if you do not immediately get out of their way.  These folks have never learned the rule about having a certain number of car lengths between you and the driver ahead of you.  If they learned it, they certainly do not give a hoot about doing it….it interferes with their private driving requirements which are definitely not in line with the stuff you learned in the drivers’ training manuals. 

And then we have the Mr. "Getouttamyway" category.  This is most often a truck driver of a big rig and he can be particulary scarey after a new snowfall, either a light fluffy one or a heavy wet one.  He will barrel by other drivers at top speeds, spewing snow or slush on others, often creating a mini-blizzard that can put the humble law-abiders in the ditch really suddenly.  I have seen it happen.  In other weather, you can often count on a Big Rig tailgating you too, which is a lot more scarey and a lot more dangerous than a car or van tailgating… although neither is anything I would recommend.  These fellows often have "an attitude" to boot.  One unforgettable bumper sticker seen on a Big Rig said "If You Don’t Like My Driving, Call 1-800- Eat  – - – -.  (It starts with "S" and ends with "T")   You want to really stay clear of the "attitude" guys…they can be lethal.

And one more category of "Driving Me Nuts" road warriors are the Ms/Mr "Doitallwhileyoudrive".  These drivers think they can write an essay on their way to class, read a few chapters in a book (propped on the steering wheel), put on makeup, do their hair on the way to work, change their trousers or other clothing,  and most irritating and nuts-driving of all….make constant calls on cell phones.  These guys cannot even get into their car in a parking lot without dialing up the next person for their ever-inane cell phone conversations.  They do all this while driving down the highways or streets or avenues…not fully in control of the vehicle or not paying attention to their driving…after all, THEY are capable of multi-tasking to the max.  The only thing I have not seen these "Doitallwhileyoudrive" people do….. I have never observed any of them giving themselves a pedicure while driving…..but just wait a few days or weeks and it ,too, may happen while I am observing the "Drive Me Nuts" drivers that are, unfortunately, on the road at the same time as I am.

I spent time this afternoon watching the History Channel which had some very interesting programs relating to Easter weekend and the Christian faith in  general.  The epic movie, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" based on Fulton Oursler’s classic book was show in its entirety. I had almost forgotten about this book but memories of it came back as I remembered my Dad reading it and I read it also after he finished. It must have been originally published prior to 1947 because when I looked it up on the internet, it mentioned that the book had originally been presented as a radio series in 1947 so the copyright date must be prior to that year.  Fulton Oursler was a much admired and much read author in past years. 

The movie version was premiered on April 9, 1965, and I was not surprised to see a full epic-style movie, 199 minutes in length, with many big names acting in this last of the great Biblical epic films.  George Stevens was the director and was noted for his "big" films.."Giant" being one I remember.   A still unknown Max von Sydow portrayed Jesus and his deep dramatic voice was just right…I did notice that Jesus seemed to have a Swedish accent though.  But it was not distracting.    Charlton Heston was John the Baptist; I recognized a young, but bald Telly Savalas as a Roman official; Van Heflin, Sal Mineo, even Pat Boone played smaller parts.  David McCallum, of a former spy series I cannot dredge up, played the perverse Judas Iscariot.  All the disciples were portrayed but I did not know the actors.  The movie was long and very complete with a lot of direct quotes from the Christian scripture spoken at length by Jesus, John,  and other characters.  I missed the first part about Jesus’s birth and early life and started watching as his parents fled to Eygpt with the infant Jesus.

I looked it up in several sources to see the background of the film.  It was filmed in Arches National Park in Utah and I thought the Jordan River looked a bit unlike the pictures I have seen of the real Jordan.  The rock walls were also a bit un-Holy Land-like.  It definitely looked like western America but somehow it was not that distracting either.  The music was epic also with Verdi’s "Requiem" and Handel’s "Hallelujah Chorus" featured prominently in more than one place in the film.  The soundtrack was as breathtaking as the story and the scenery.

As I watched for the length of time it took for the movie to play out, I thought that this movie would never go over at this present time.   Biblical epics are "out"…people are not very interested in stories such as this one.  I doubt that the modern movie audience could sit still for this long movie and its long discourses, long lengths of time covered, and generally slow  and dramatic unfolding.  Action!  Action! that is the sort of movie modern viewers are accustomed to.   The general population has been rendered attention-deficit by the newer films and TV shows.  Kids do not want to read books that are "too long".

It was quite obvious that I am among the non-action era;  I am drawn to long historical stories; long Biblical epics that are well done (and this one was well done….way more so than the "Ten Commandments" in  my opinion).  I am drawn to the printed word and am able to read very long books, especially historical ones.

I wish I could know that there will be a generation like mine sometime in the future when perhaps even action, fast paced plots, violence-laced movies and the other parts of the modern genre will grow dull and another generation will appreciate stories such as "The Greatest Story Every Told"      It was an Easter treat for me.

I hope all of you have a blessed Easter with your families and friends!

When I was growing up there were a lot of "Confucius say" one-liners; without knowing who Confucius even was, we had a lot of laughs over his supposed sayings.  The only one of these one liners I can remember is too naughty to put on my blog!  The only hint I will give out is that it was about sitting in your own pew.  Some of you will be able to fill in the blanks!

I got the monthly magazine, a local production of a service agency in Fargo, where my sister is part of the staff.  The final page always has some good quotes and anecdotes and a Confucius saying…a real one…caught my attention when I read through the magazine.  It says "To put the world in order, we must first put our nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right."         Confucius was born, according to Wikpedia, in 551 BCE.  I know that BC mean Before Christ but I am uncertain what BCE means….anyway the Chinese philosopher lived an awful long time ago!!!

I was amazed to read the statement made so long ago about putting the world in order. We still "don’t get it" apparently because the world as we know it is still a big mess.  The quote made me think of my own family—-my ancestors and how they came to the United States. All the family members way back in our history in this nation have been what the neighbors would call the kind of folks who would help you when you needed help;  they have been good citizens who did not seek fame or fortune, but lived out their lives working hard, mostly as tillers of the soil, until the more recent generations have spread their wings and flown into other occupations and also into living in other parts of the country.

My father’s mother knew how to put her family in order.  The family history includes a letter she wrote in the late 1890′s and it was translated from the Norwegian language she spoke and wrote best.  The letter included statements of amazing faith and also amazing grace in her life; she wrote this after she had lost several babies, either at birth or from diseases like diphtheria or whooping cough….killers of young babies in those days.  The family grave sites in an old cemetery where no church building exists any longer, have grave stones for many infants who died before the age of one.  My paternal grandmother was still able to express great thankfulness and strong faith in her letter, which is the only connection I have to her along with a blurry old brown-tone snapshot.  She is remembered for calling all her living children….7 of them…into the home in the evening before bedtime and that time was devoted to Bible reading and prayer before the family retired for the night.  That was her way of putting her family in order, and I can testify to the fact that it was a successful method as my father and all his siblings lived out their lives in that sort of faith taught them by their mother and father.  My grandmother did not live beyond the age of about 52—a victim in the year 1920 of the great flu pandemic of 1918 which left her with damaged kidneys; she died of what was called "Bright’s Disease" and left her 5 remaining children and her husband bereft of her presence in their lives.

I am sure there are many other descendants of families like mine that could tell the same stories about grandparents and great grandparents.  The lives of our families in those times seemed to be far more "in order" and perhaps the greatest reason was that individuals had "set their hearts right" very early in their lives and were prepared to face life outside their own families in a far better way than some folks we observe in the present time.

I think Confucius had it right so many hundreds of years ago. 

For the past three days I have learned a lot about what it means to be idle….sidelined…how to be a "bench warmer".     A knee injury has kept me sitting in a recliner or lying in a bed since Monday and it is quite a different view than what I get when I am my normal active self.

I have had a lot of time to study the outdoors through one window in particular.  First it was a storm watch as the winds kicked up several inches of snow on Tuesday.   That got to be mesmerizing and I slept a lot that afternoon.  (I was also under the influence of some over -the -counter pain medicine which I take most reluctantly and only when I am truly desperate) 

I watched juncoes through the window another time; they are so busy hunting for food in last year’s flower beds and on the hillside where there must be a lot of wild seeds.  I watched a flock of very fat robins….more than 50 of them…sitting and rocking with the rising wind the day before the snowstorm in a medium sized ash tree on our hill. It was amazing to see so many of them in one place at one time.  I am guessing that their early arrival has sent them deep into the wooded river bottoms where they can still find an abundance of wild berries all dried and "processed" by the fall weather, just waiting to feed them in their need right now.   I have not seen or heard the wild geese; I am imagining that they may have fled to sheltered fields for a food supply but if any of them have already nested, I know that the lifetime pairs of mates are taking turns on the nest, keeping eggs incubated and enduring the stormy weather raging around them.  I think the springtime peepers (frogs) have dug themselves back into the warmth of their mud-beds from which they had barely emerged.  I heard them for the first time just before last weekend.  The wild things seem to handle late snowstorms better than people; at least you do not hear them complaining about the weather.   Those robins were singing like crazy just before the snow started to fall and the winds began to blow at blizzard strength on Tuesday.

Today I am pondering some world affairs after hearing about Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s pratfall in Damascus.  It seems that Madam Speaker is not the diplomat she fancied herself, committing a major blunder for all the world to note, in saying that Israel was ready to start the peace process with Syria.  Ehud Ohlmert of Israel immediately issued statements contradicting "Naughty Nancy" who had been duly warmed about her "visit" to a nation that clearly is a sponsor of terrorists and terrorism; both our State Department and the Administration issued warnings but off she went anyway.  I am sure she will dredge up some explanation designed to cover her backside, but the Washington Post has declared its outrage over her hapless adventure in Damascus and the Post is a very liberal newspaper. Do not chalk one up for Pelosi….she may have decided to try a "diplomatic debut" aginst all odds,  to cover up the unremarkable, but much-touted first 100 days of this Congress.  She has proven to be a rather poor Speaker of the House thus far and has already blundered into some unfortunate domestic areas such as listening to and supporting John Murtha and allowing William Jefferson of Louisiana (he, who stashes cold cash (bribery bills ) in a cold place–his home freezer) to become the chairman of a key house committee, the Homeland Security House Committee.    The national news has been full of this misfortune by Pelosi and I saw it all from my perch in my recliner yesterday and today.

I have decided that enough is enough and this knee thing is not going to go away by itself soon enough so I made the trip this morning to see my second son who is the best D.C. in the whole world, according to his mother.   He has helped me numerous times before through some other muscular aches and injuries from doing foolish things like shoveling snow too vigorously;  the knee is unexplainable however…unless washing the kitchen floor upon my aging knees is not such a hot idea anymore….or galloping up and down two flights of stairs over the weekend past….I do these things thinking that my body is still about 35 years old and then it gives me the message that my  perception of thechronology is all wrong!  Instead of feeling 35,  I feel like 85 or more— brought on by my own foolishness, perhaps.

I have also appreciated  those elderly folks who sit in nursing homes each day with ailments that keep them confined to wheelchairs or other chairs or beds.  The days get very long and I have realized that in nursing homes near us,  are many with active minds but failing bodies….a most unfortunate situation but a part of the aging process that goes on relentlessly.   I am so grateful for the nursing care facilities that are available in our area; they are still staffed by truly caring people who treat the elderly with respect and dignity.  It is not so in many parts of our country, especially in larger metropolitan areas that often give out their nursing home horror stories.  Thankfully we are still pretty immune from such stories…..I hope and pray we are!!!