Dumb

Tonight I am kicking myself for being dumb. No excuses. Just plain dumb.

Due to first of the year medical expenses, I have not been getting my house cleaned by my monthly cleaning goddess. I am hoping to get her back once these deductibles are met and things settle down.

The thing that drives me nuts in my house is dirty floors. Ironically, this is the one thing I am really not supposed to clean because of my asthma. Vacuuming carpet is a particular "no-no."

Today, I decided I was going to see if I could just vacuum the hardwood floor in my office with my little electric broom designed for this purpose. The dirt was just making me crazy.

9 hours and 3 uses of my inhaler later, I can truly say that this was the dumbest thing I have done in a while. Next time, I am just gonna name the dust bunnies and make pets out of 'em.

Anybody know any good dust bunny names?

Parade

One of the best parts of the Sunday newspaper for me is Parade Magazine. I love the "Personality Parade" section, Ask Marilyn, and James Brady's "In Step With."

But today, when I turned to that last page, "In Step With" was missing for the first time in my memory. For a moment, I had forgotten that James Brady passed away last month. His respectful and insightful interviews will no longer grace that last page of Parade.

It is truly the end of an era.

One that I will miss.

It's Me!

Just in a new guise. My friend, Carrie, just debuted a new blog, complete with a template from:
http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

I have not been totally happy with the last incarnation of my blog template, but was not happy with many of the other Blogger templates, either.

Soooooo, I went to the cutest blog on the block and found myself a new one. I donated a bit for their time and effort via Paypal (though this is not required) and dressed up my humble blog.

If your blog needs a face lift, check it out!

Secret Life

My niece's favorite show this season is "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." I got a call from her mom last Monday wanting me to record it because my niece was not going to be able to watch it and no one there could work the DVD recorder. So, I set my DVR to record "House" and decided to watch/record the niece's show.

Most teen fare these days is pretty trashy, but my niece is a class act. I wanted to see the show that had captured her fancy. For those not acquainted, the premise is 15 year old Amy, the smart, band nerd kid, gets pregnant at band camp after having her first sexual experience with a cool, worldly guy. The show deals with everything from deciding whether or not to terminate the pregnancy to dating as an unmarried, pregnant teen. The supporting cast includes the girl with the (earned) bad reputation and how the boys lack respect for her, the girl who is trying to wait for sex until marriage, the boy who wants to "rescue" Amy, and Amy's so-called "best friends" who are less than supportive now that she is in trouble.

Sam was over this evening and I decided to watch the show again with her. She recognized her classmates in the characters and asked a number of questions which I answered to the best of my ability. It is amazing how much teens can be exposed to without knowing the facts. This is a show about consequences, a concept that is far too absent in most of today's teen TV.

Sam and I will be watching Monday.

And, maybe, learning.

Sick

Ugh! I had a lovely time in Nashville. Ate wonderful omelettes. Found cute shoes. Sat in the hot tub. Had quality time with my BFF.

Coming home, my throat got scratchy, I started to wheeze, and I had a headache. In two words, the crud. Four days later, despite an increase in my steroid and frequent puffs of my inhaler, my throat is still sore. I have cut my talking to a bare minimum and warned friends and family that I am not answering my phone unless they call twice in a row which indicates dire emergency.

I admit that after having nodes last year, I get pretty paranoid any time my throat gets sore now.

BIBO...

Repeat as necessary.

Nashville!

Tomorrow morning, I am headed to Memphis and then to Nashville. I am grabbing my best girlfriend in Memphis and we are heading to Nashville for a couple of days of R&R.

It will be good to get away for a few days. I am going to get Walter the chef to make me a cheese and mushroom omelette. I am going to sit in the hot tub till I become a prune. I am going to put my cellphone on silent.

:)

Community

I don't know if this is a particularly "southern" thing, but ever since I was tiny, my life has never been about just me. Or even about just my blood kin family. It has always been about community. I grew up in a time when people took care of each other. We did not consider it an unbearable burden. We did not look upon it as partiularly "heroic." We just did it. By the time I came along, families were beginning to scatter across the country, sometimes leaving elderly parents or grandparents dependent upon the kindness of non-family members. Even when family lives "close," they may be too mired in addictions, debt, and other problems to care for aging family members.

People tend to shy away from the thought that they may one day be helpless. That physical and/or mental deficits may put them at the mercy of strangers. Sure, there are professional facilities, but in most of these places, staff is overworked and underpaid. They have little time to pay attention to all but the most basic of needs. Even in a good facility, residents are treated better if staff knows that an outside someone is liable to pop in unannounced.

But, we have largely become a nation of "not my problem." Few have the time or patience to be there for the people who have no close kin or whose friends have passed on. I find it sad and a bit scary.

One day, that person with no one may be me.

6 Weeks?

According to ol' Phil, who saw his shadow today, there are to be 6 more weeks of Winter. Phil is obviously NOT in Mississippi, where weather changes are the norm rather than the exception. Saturday was a beautiful day with temps in the mid 70s. Sunday was a windy, wet, and chilly 49.

I hear friends from other parts of the country talk about putting up their Summer or Winter clothes. I really can't do that. I have worn shorts on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day in the past. And, sometimes, I have been known to need a sweater in June, though, I admit, this is rare. But let me put up ALL my sweaters the first of June and you can bet I will need one at some point during the month.

This year seems to be a particularly challenging one to dress for. Even when the temps are 60 degrees, my toes have been cold. I have been wearing my RedHead lambswool hunting socks just about everywhere but church. And I have to admit that I have been tempted to wear them there! But if it hits 70, I am reaching for the Capris and sandals. I don't seem to have a happy medium temperature zone.

So, as always, despite what Phil says, I will keep all my clothing options open. After all, if i don't like the weather in Mississippi, give it a minute. It will change.