L.....is for Laughter

We've all heard that laughter is the best medicine so many times but do you believe it?  I do.  As far back as the 1300's, Royalty used to have jesters as part of their court just for the sole purpose of creating funny situations and stimulating laughter. I don't know what the king's "fools" got paid but  if they weren't funny enough and didn't produce laughter, they were often whipped and eventually lost their place in court.  Talk about performing under pressure!

The last couple years I worked before retirement we were all working under a lot of pressure. There had been some changes in administration and I think that was the main cause. I had a co-worker who had a talent for making people laugh and I am eternally grateful to her for getting me through those last years riding the funny train. She found humor in almost everything and had us laughing every day.  She has a true gift.  It's been a lot of years and she just recently retired and she still has that wonderful sense of humor. I hope she's able to keep it when she enters senior citizenry. That's when mine packed it's bags and fled town on the red-eye. I did manage to get some of my sense of humor back.....but, unfortunately,  not all of it.  I find it takes more to get me laughing now and some things I used to think were funny, I don't so much anymore.  But, also I find that things I never thought were funny, I now laugh at. So, it shows we are constantly growing in one way or another.

Laughter kicks stress and tension right out of the room. This is proven over and over by the popular television programs and movies. People want to be entertained; they crave something that will take their minds off of worries. The only thing I have to say about the entertainment industry is that they have gone off the main road when it comes to comedy. Most of the comedy now is totally inappropriate. For the most part, you can't sit down as a family and enjoy a comedy that every family member can laugh along with. Sex is playing too much of a role now. Remember back when we all laughed at Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello, Red Skelton, Milton Berle and Jackie Gleason, just to name a few. Good clean fun that gave us all the giggles.  I really wish they would bring some of that back again. OMG, remember the Flip Wilson show and his portrayal of "Geraldine"?  Now that was some funny stuff.

I think the leader of N. Korea is in desperate need of some good belly laughs....what do you think?  So, keep smiling, laugh out loud and set free all those worries and fears....even if it's only for a little while....every little bit will do you good.  Laughter is really and truly the best medicine.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

K.....is for Kenmore

Well, because I can be unpredictable, this post finds me skipping down memory lane.  Sorry but I couldn't resist. The set up pictured is close to how my mom had her washer set up except the laundry tubs were against the wall in the basement. Wash and two rinses and then lug the basket of wet clothes up the stairs and outside to the clotheslines. In case of rain or in the winter, there were clotheslines strung in the basement. I remember the whole procedure for washing clothes like it was yesterday. Hard to believe it was so many years ago.

I have many happy memories associated with helping mom with the laundry. I was the one who "guided" the clothes out of the wringer so they wouldn't wrap around again and jam the rolls. I loved it that I could be an actual help to her on laundry day.  I remember when dad bought mom the automatic washer....not the dryer, just the washer cause mom loved the smell of clothes line-dried outside. She was very fussy about her laundry and didn't quite trust the new machine; she wasn't certain that it would get the clothes clean. She was pleasantly surprised.

Mom always pre-soaked my dad's white socks and they were blindingly white. She always used Fels-Naptha soap on the collars (no ring around the collar here) or any other areas that needed some extra attention. Even after she started using the automatic washer she did all that pre-treatment. Now me, I'm not into any more work than is necessary. I will pre-treat spots and if something is really dirty, I will pre-soak it but usually I just wash them as I regularly would and I have nice clean laundry. Maybe mom did all that extra work unnecessarily. But I'll tell you, when someone would compliment her on her whites, she would beam.....so the extra work involved brought her great joy.

Now Kenmore has been around for years and years. That old wringer washer probably is still working somewhere. Because of my parents' luck, I stuck to the same name brand and haven't been disappointed so far. I may hate to iron, but I love to do laundry. Call me weird, but I have stood, leaning on my elbows, and watched the clothes agitate in the washer for several minutes at a time; it has a calming effect on me plus I love the smell of soap. Pictured below is my set.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

J.....is for Jealousy

Well, you may not believe this.....but I am not, nor have I ever been, a jealous person. I think it may be due to the fact that I grew up around a bunch of kids who were always jealous of me, as well as others; they were literally consumed by it. It hurt me deeply.  It hurts everyone deeply. My mom was not a jealous person either and I really do think there is truth to the fact that your moral fiber is based on your every day life; how those around you live their lives as well as the lessons they teach. I was exposed to jealousy and all the hurt it brought at the hands of my peers from a very early age and I never wanted to do that to anyone.

I don't hate someone because they have more than I do or they are more intelligent than me or better looking; I'm happy for them. If there ever are any bad feelings, it's me beating up on myself for maybe not studying harder for that test or not applying for that certain job or sticking to that diet. If a man cheats on his wife, why be jealous of the other woman? It's your husband you should be miffed at for throwing those wedding vows out the window.  I never could understand people who would go to extremes and damage someone's property or maybe damage someone period because they are jealous.  I had a cheating husband and I certainly didn't feel jealousy. I felt anger that he was such a shallow person and anger at myself for just plain picking the wrong guy.

I worked as a police dispatcher and believe me when I say that I've seen some pretty horrendous sights due to jealousy. There have been murders committed over this emotion as we all know.

So, I'm very grateful that I don't have this problem; I tried to raise my children to be the same. Have a friend who has achieved something you'd like to do?  Then work harder and DO IT. Be glad for your friend and use her for an example on how to reach your goals. This is what I taught.

I've seen a lot of mean spirited young people in the schools now, picking on other kids. It's obvious that a lot of parents are falling down on the job when it comes to envy and jealousy.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

I.....is for Instinct or Inner Feeling

The dictionary's definition of "instinct" is: "an inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli".  This doesn't exactly define what I'm talking about but the inner feeling is instinctive to me.

My mom always called these feelings, "hunches" and she had them a lot. I inherited them from her and until I was old enough to know better, I thought that everyone had them.  My inner feelings have been very accurate and I've learned to listen to them. For example: there are several ways in which I can come home from work but I usually stick to one particular route. Every once in a while I will deviate from that route just because I have an inner feeling about it. I don't question it, I just do it.

When I was in my 20's I started having instincts about people; I found that my accuracy rate was nearly 100%. I kept my thoughts to myself at first, then as I got older, I shared them with family. Now that I'm a senior citizen, I share my thoughts with close friends as well. They have come to respect what I think and are impressed I have this gift.....their words, not mine.  I actually thought everyone had these same feelings about other people and was surprised to find out otherwise.

When I meet someone for the first time I can 'feel' whether they are a troubled soul or not. Sometimes I feel like I want to help them....just by being a shoulder.  Sometimes I really do help. Then again, sometimes the feelings are so strong that I want to get as far away from that person as possible and as soon as possible.....they feel toxic to me. Please don't misconstrue this as judging because it's not like that. I can't help what I feel. I'm having a hard time explaining it. But I have learned to respect it. It has saved me and my family from a lot of heartbreaking circumstances....in one case it involved a child molester years before it was discovered that's what he was. It's interesting to note that my son inherited this ability, but not my daughter. My daughter thinks that everyone she meets is basically good and kind. No matter how much she's been burned, she continues to feel that way. I'm not sure it's a bad thing.....it's just a dangerous thing.

I truly believe that if we would all listen to our inner selves....no matter what it may be about.....that we would be happier and safer in the long run. We tend to push those inner feelings aside and plunge into a situation without giving it a second thought. We all have an instinct to danger but we tend to push those fears aside, thinking ourselves to be silly or having over-active imaginations and go right ahead and walk down a dark path or open that door to a total stranger.

I think the reason why most people don't pay attention to their "hunches"  is the fear of ridicule. Afraid that their friends will think they are "weird" and talk about them. Do me a favor please.....if you're ever in the company of someone you trust who, for example, suggests you take a different route or maybe eat at a different place, and they really can't give you a reason..... try and respect the feelings they may be having.  It just could save your life or, at the least, from food poisoning.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

H.....is for Hairstylist

Even though this picture is from one of the funniest cartoons that Bugs did, we women take our hairstylists serious.

While every single hairdresser has skills that I certainly don't have, there are only a choice few that can make my hair do what it's supposed to do. I have never really understood it but that's the absolute truth.

Years ago I found a terrific hairdresser.  I just loved what she did with my hair. Now this was back in the late 60's when updo's were the thing and also hair that added maybe a good 6 inches to your height. Marge Simpson and her blue hair had nothing on me as far as updo's were concerned. For years I followed this one specific hairdresser, Susan, to various shops within a 20 mile radius. She was a gem as far as I was concerned but when I think back on it, she may have been hard to work with....why else was she always leaving one shop and going to another. I can safely say that I followed her to at least 8 different places before I stopped because she was getting just too far away. She eventually quit to become a SAHM so it was good I found someone else. Even though I've found some great hairdressers since, she's always been my favorite.

A hairdresser is not only your hair's best friend but she or he is your confidant; they must know more secrets than the FBI and CIA combined. They have the ability to make you overjoyed or the ability to shove you to the depths of depression.  When a woman does not like her hair.....she is not one to be messed with. Jokingly telling someone they have a "bad hair day" is not really funny to most women. If a hairdresser screws up your hair once, you may never ever sit in her chair again simply because the trust you had is gone.

Now I no longer get my hair done once a week; I get it cut about once every 2 months. If the one girl cuts it, it will be super behaved and do just what I want. If I can't get an appointment with my first choice and have to take my second choice, my hair has more of a mind of its own, even though it looks like they are both giving me the exact same cuts. That's the mystery.....how something that looks the same can be oh-so-different.  So....here's to our hairdressers.....they are certainly loved and cherished; do they even know how much?

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

G.....is for Games

If I had a dime for every game of Pinochle I've played, I would be a very wealthy woman. That is our very favorite card game. As a young married couple, my husband and I played cards every weekend with our neighbors. We had 2 sets of neighbors that were fond of this game and if one couldn't play for some reason, the other family pretty much always could.  Besides that I belonged to a Pinochle club where most all the members were residents of the subdivision I lived in. We met once a month and had it at a different house each month.

After we moved from that subdivision because we outgrew the house and the neighbors we most frequently got together with moved out of state, we didn't play so often. We would make a date and play cards maybe once every 3 or 4 months.

I remember one particular night we went to our friend's house in the old neighborhood. He had been working on a remodel of his house and we were initiating their new family room. He had a lovely fire going in the fireplace and we set up the table there with our usual snacks; beer for the guys, chip, dip and Pepsi for the women.  We always played guys against the girls....we were all seasoned players but we always had fun playing.  That night she and I were acting sort of silly. We hadn't seen each other in months and we were enjoying the game to the max. Everything was pretty much ok while the guys were winning but then.....she and I started acting goofy and we were chanting little songs and acting like we were putting spells on the cards. "Acey, acey, where you been....come back to us girls again".  What was hilarious is that it was actually working.

We won hand after hand.....game after game.  The more we won, the more giddy we became. Finally, her husband could take no more. He jumped up from the table.....gathered up the cards and threw them into the burning fire in one big swoop, announcing that it would take a burning fire to get rid of the curse we had put on the cards.  It was the end of the evening anyway.....so we left shortly after that.  I found out later from her that she found out that her husband actually believed in spells and curses and felt that we had really done something like that.  Amazing.  We had known them for way over 15 years at that point and never knew that about him.  Heck....she was married to him and never knew it.  I guess it came as no surprise when they divorced about a year or so later and my husband and I followed suit shortly after that.  Anyway, we did make lots and lots of happy memories with our get togethers....even this one is a good memory because we were having so much fun.  Gosh, I miss playing that game.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

F.....is for friends

I grew up on a farm and when I was young like the girls in the photo my best friends were animals. There were the dogs and cats but more interestingly was my Rooster. As I grew I started making human friends. I can safely say that my friends fell in the quality category more than quantity. I have several really good friends and we made many wonderful memories.

This is a bittersweet post, however, because almost all of my friends are no longer here; some have passed on, the rest have moved to warmer climates. I can't even begin to tell you how much I miss them.  Of course with the Internet we are able to keep in touch....but it's not really the same as sitting down at the kitchen table and having cups of coffee together.

My dearest and closest friend and next door neighbor had to move to Phoenix many years ago and we tearfully promised to never lose touch.  We were able to keep that promise for a whole lot of years (about 18) but then our interchanges became further and further apart. She met and married a great guy and.....well, I haven't heard from her in about 5 years now.

Anyway, the memories we make with our friends last forever. And I know that everyone believes this to be true....that they are the luckiest in the world because they have the best friends that could possibly be. That's how I feel and to each and every one of them.....no matter where you are.....I think of you often and I still love you with all my heart.  God Bless.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge

E.....is for Exercise

I so envy people who love to exercise. I hate this activity even more than I hate to iron. I have tried several times to get with the program. I've joined clubs with my girlfriends quite a few times only to quickly lose interest.

One of the worst things about "going to work out" is that you walk in there, all porked out, obviously in need of a new body only to look around and see all these women who look like swimsuit models. They flit around the place having a great time while you self-consciously try to hide behind the nearest machine. With all the mirrors in the damn place it's hard not to see what you look like and also you get to see yourself in comparison with the other clientele. These gyms would do a far better business if they restricted entry to only those who have a fat problem. You'd sure feel better if you walked in and noticed immediately that everyone else was far larger than you are. Matter of fact, you'd probably feel so good about yourself that you'd skip the exercise and go have a hot fudge sundae to celebrate.

Hmmmmm.  I think I just discovered why gyms don't have those restrictions.

Feeling too self-conscious to go to a gym, I figured that I would do exercises in front of the TV. Maybe you're supposed to have an exercise program ON the TV at the time and do more than arm lifts from snack bowl to mouth, but it didn't seem to do much for me. Now that I'm a senior and I have all sorts of aches and pains, I've found that it hurts to exercise, so I don't. I really and truly know that I would feel better if I could just get around that pain problem, but then again, if I didn't have the pain problem, I wouldn't need to feel better.

It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it.  Pass the M&M's please.

In participation of the AtoZ Challenge 

D.....is for Daisies

All flowers are beautiful but I'm a daisy type of gal. When you see a bouquet or even a bunch of daisies growing wild, it just makes you want to smile. It's a flower to cheer you up and make you think of happy memories. It promises you that better days are in store for you so you'd be wise to wipe that frown off your face and get with the program.

Daisies are hardy, no frill flowers. My loved ones know to get me daisies if they are in the flower-buying mood and I've had them last way over 2 weeks in the vase. Unfortunately, if you're talking about fragrance, the daisy is really not anything to write home about. Actually it smells more like a weed than anything else and it just may be since it does grow wild. They don't expect to be pampered and don't expect uppity people to cherish or even acknowledge their presence. The daisy is quite used to stepping back and letting roses and the fancier flowers get all the attention.

Daisies are no-nonsense flowers and don't expect much in return for their ability to cheer a recipient up. They look wonderful in a fruit jar or a cut glass vase....your choice, not theirs.  Just some water and a grateful gaze once in a while is sufficient.  Confidentially, they don't even care about the grateful gaze.....I just threw that in cause I thought it sounded poetic.

Next time you're grocery shopping stop and pick up a couple bunches of daisies in the cut flower section. You'll be amazed how much it cheers up any area in which you choose to display them, plus the cost is minimal.

What's YOUR favorite flower?

Submitted in participation of the AtoZ Challenge. .

C.....is for Couch

Ever really think about your couch?  How about all the couches you've had in your life?  Ever thought about what they would say about you and your family if they had a voice?

Out of all furnishings, the couch is used most by far. Whether you're a family like the Addams or the Simpsons or one like the Brady's or the Ricardos.......the couch is used every single day to various degrees. We are, indeed, on an intimate relationship with our couches.

I can think back and remember that since I left my parent's house, I've had five different couches. Each one would have a story to tell as my children were different ages and my marriage itself was either just beginning or beginning to end, depending on when the couch was purchased. The couch witnessed happy times, sad times and stressful times. It witnessed baby's first steps, new pets and comforted us when we lost family members. It supported us when we felt sick and cuddled us when we felt needy. Even friends of the family slept with our couch....we weren't selfish.

Out of the five couches I've had, I had one favorite and I really cried when I finally had to replace it.  I couldn't find another one like it so I now have one that I'm not so crazy about but I keep telling myself it's only temporary until I can find another sectional that I like.  I do not like leather.....too cold in winter, too hot in summer......but I love sectionals like the one above. I love cushy, soft couches.....ones that just hug you back and you can snuggle into on cold blustery nights.

Can you imagine your couch making a deal with you?  "Promise to keep the dog off of me and I won't tell that you watched soap operas all afternoon"...... Take a little trip down memory lane sometime when you've got nothing better to do and think about all the events that took place during ownership of different couches. You know a couch is a pretty intimate member of the family.....just look at all the photographs it managed to get into.  Go hug your couch even if it is a little worse for wear.  You'll feel better for it.

Submitted in participation of the AtoZ Challenge

B.....is for Boss or Bosses

Ah, blessed be the person who never has a boss. No such thing exists, you know.

I've had several bosses in my lifetime and I'm not counting parents and teachers.....I'm talking about being in the work world. My very first boss was a woman. She was old enough to be my mom, which I think helped.  I think she was a good boss and all of us working under her (all female) thought highly of her.  Even though I've only worked at two places, my bosses number many more than that. It was due to the bosses being replaced because of transfers or new positions elsewhere not due to me moving around.  I was also a boss for a time during the last years of working full time and I did not like it one bit. I felt that it was all adults and as such, they knew what they were supposed to do. I didn't like the idea that I was supposed to "spy" on them and then chastise them for things not done or incorrectly done. In most cases a report would become part of their permanent file.

I've had bosses that were drunks, liars and playboys. I've had bosses that would make subordinates do all the work and then take credit for jobs being well done. I've had kind, compassionate bosses who got twice the work out of everyone just because we all wanted to please. These were the best bosses. I had one boss who did not trust any employee and made sure we all knew it. He was not respected and it was entirely his own fault that he wasn't.

I can't really say if I prefer a female boss or a male boss; I think it is completely up to the individual's personality and how they relate to others. If you are honest and give an honest day's work for your pay, you should have no problems......but that doesn't mean you won't. Different types get the position of being boss for different reasons (the company owner's nephew for example) and with that happening, there's always a few wild cards in the deck.

Over all, I've been lucky. I've heard absolute horror stories about some bosses.  I hope you all have been lucky as well. Working some jobs is difficult enough but to have a bad boss on top of it is a stress maker to the max.

Submitted as part of the A-Z Challenge.

A is for.....Well....this IS April Fool's Day

I love David Attenborough's voice. It is just so soothing. So, it goes without saying that I love nature programs that are narrated by him. I thought it was sort of appropriate to share this video with you....seeing that it's April Fool's Day and this bird has fooling mastered. Additionally, this kicks off the A to Z Challenge since it begins with an "A".  Now, back to the bird, who is very AUDIBLE. In an effort to impress the lady birds, this Lyre puts on quite a show. I couldn't believe the chainsaw mimic!  Actually, that's kind of sad. No wild bird in a rain forest should have to listen to something like that enough that it masters the sound.  Anyway, enjoy. You'll be AMAZED too.

Submitted as part of the A-Z Challenge

Finally, an opportunity.......

for me to reward my loyal readers!  I am so excited to do this and I hope everyone who takes advantage of this really scores some super bargains.

The older I get, the more ways I look for to enable me to go about my business with as little work as possible involved. If I can find a way to get supplies into my house without driving to the store, parking, walking on ice and snow into the store and then spending all kinds of time looking for items, paying for them and then having to unload them all and get them into the house.....I will jump at the chance. I have turned to online shopping for a lot of things, but only if I can score free shipping. And yes....I know the trick about charging more for items to make up for the so-called free shipping.  I comparison shop so I don't get into that trap.

I usually go to Amazon.com or Walmart.com every month to replenish my supplies. Well, as I was shopping at Amazon today, the site referred me to another site for an item they no longer had in stock. I went there and boy oh boy was I ever surprised. The name of the site is Soap.com and upon reading its history I find out that Amazon purchased it a few years ago. This is a wonderful place to shop; the prices are amazing and if you purchase over $49, you are eligible for FREE two-day shipping!  First time buyers also got 15% off their orders so I went ahead and made my purchases. After I finished, I read a little more about some of their perks and this is where YOU come in.  If you go to this site and make some purchases (this has to be the first purchase you've ever made from them) and put MY referral code in when you're checking out, you will score TWENTY PERCENT OFF that order.  Isn't that great?  My referral code is VALY3626.  If you use it, they will also donate $5 to charity for me.  Remember, it's SOAP.COM   And they sell a whole lot more than just soap....there are several other areas you can also shop like wag.com (for dogs) and yoyo.com for kids just to name a couple. You can get 20% off each site but only for the first purchase.  In other words, if you buy today from soap.com and use the 20% off, you could buy something later from wag.com and get another 20% off by using the referral code.  You can get to those other sites right from soap.com, as it's all the same company, just different categories.

I see this as a win-win situation and hope you enjoy your savings.  By the way, I had three tabs open at once, comparing their prices and they were the lowest....between Amazon and Walmart, except for Gain laundry detergent....Amazon won out there.

So here's my thank you for sticking with me and my unpredictable posting.

Sooner or later.....

I knew if I waited long enough something would happen to bring me out of my blogging slump.

I am typing this with a grin on my face. I know it's not that funny to my daughter......but I can't help but giggle about it.

She lives in a subdivision and really only knows the neighbors who are close to her. She's pretty much a homebody and keeps to herself. She did neighbor with an elderly woman across the street from her and helped her out whenever it was needed. That lady passed away about six months ago and left some things to my daughter and granddaughter. The woman's nephew had been staying with her lately and he was handling her estate. He was the one who told her that his aunt had left some things to them, which was a pleasant surprise.  This guy is about her age, maybe five years older and divorced.  Well a few nights ago he called her up and asked her if she'd like to come over and watch a movie with him. She accepted as the movie was one she wanted to see.

Imagine her immense surprise when he answered the door dressed only in his boxer shorts. He invited her in and she went, thinking that he'd hurry back to his room and finish getting dressed but that was not the case. He told her to have a seat and he sat down next to her trying to be charming. Homer up there is a fairly good example of what he looks like, by the way.

You know, men seem to think that they are stud-muffins their entire lives. Ever notice that?  They look in the mirror and see themselves as virile 18 year olds.  Now I've known a lot of men who actually ARE stud-muffins right up into old age but there are also a lot of men who haven't got a clue on how to woo a lady. I can't even BEGIN to imagine this loser thinking he was so sexy he could answer the door like that and have a woman fall into his bed.

If my daughter was the type, she would have been horribly offended and told him so as she huffed out. But she sat there uncomfortably for about 3 minutes, then made an excuse saying that she couldn't stay and left......exit stage right.  She laughed about it on the walk home but figured that the things that his aunt had left for her and her daughter were probably never going to see the inside of her house.  Today she called him about coming over to get the couch he said she'd been left and he said that he didn't think she wanted it and gave it away to someone else.  Yeah............right.

I extend apologies to my daughter, but I can't help it.....this is gonna make me laugh every time I think about it. And you thought these things only happened in books and movies!!!