Lung Cancer

I called my folks about 4 or 5 days ago, and no one answered...which was weird, because they are almost always home. I called again tonight, and found out that my mom has inoperable lung cancer. I can't say I'm totally suprised, she's smoked (menthol, no less), for well on 45 years. Time for chemo, and hope.

Summer Time!

Man, it was so nice today...it was in the 70's, we picked up the bikes from the mechanic, the Ol Man mowed the lawn, I did some training with the Hound. We have the boys this weekend, and they had a blast OUTSIDE. They live in New Jersey with their mother and we get them every other weekend. Since she lives in a "city" environment, they boys don't get a lot of run-around-crazy-in-the-grass time, so when they come up here, they have a blast. They love chasing the dog, riding their bikes, running barefoot in the grass (wasn't that a movie?). We take them back tomorrow and then we're outta here on Monday for the Tour Pennsylvania Motorcycle Extravaganza. I CAN'T WAIT! It's been ages since I did a long motorcycle trip, and I'm so excited! We're going to be taking back roads, so it should be pretty sweet! I had a T-shirt that said, "If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand." There's just something about being on the bike...something you feel inside, like one of those slow motion flowers blooming. A rush of "wonderfulness" that's pretty much indescribable...you really just have to experience it. I suppose other people have their "rush thing", be it painting, hang gliding, cooking, working on cars...what ever. It's just that THING that makes it all worth it. I would hope everyone has it...or if you don't, get out there and find it!

Thanks!

I was chastised by an anonymous reader for the perceived bad attitude of my blog posts. "All you do is complain", they said. I didn't realize that my posts were so negative - generally, I'm not a negative person; actually, I like to think of myself as positive (versus negative). I have a lot in my life that makes me happy - The Ol Man, the kitties, The Hound (when he's being a good boy), a good cup of coffee, my quilting, college (kinda, although the current class I'm taking is kicking my a**!), fresh fruit, our upcoming motorcycle trip, the Jeep, the smell of laundry that been dried in the sunshine, candles, corresponding with my friends, containers, baking, the fact that I'm retired and don't have to work. I have to say thanks to that anonymous reader for making me realize that I need to refocus on the good stuff more. Granted, I'll not always be sunshine and roses, but, focusing on the positive stuff, the good stuff, makes me a happier person, and I like that. Sometimes, we need an outside point of view to make us see the forest for the trees.

London or the Pocono's?

Living in the Pocono Mountains has it's challenges. Weather, for one. It's suppose to be Spring. Today's weather is foggy and cold - more like Fall, or is it Autumn? (What's the difference?) It's like I'm living in London. The fog is "thicker than pea soup", as they say. We haven't seen the sunshine in days. I think there's some kind of disease you can get from not seeing the sun for long periods of time and I think it's called insanity. I'm teetering on the edge. I'm the kind of person who thrives on sunshine and heat...the sunnier, the hotter, the better. When it's cold and gray, I feel like curling up in a ball, under the covers until the weather turns better. The Ol Man loves the cooler weather...he tends to melt in warm weather. Fog, cold, sigh.......

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty II

The Ol Man and I are going to take a 12-day motorcycle trip - "Tour Pennsylvania" , if you will. The Dog will go into the kennel, which I like to think is kinda like a "summer camp" for him, and the kitty sitters will come to the house to feed the cats and clean the litter box. Speaking of cats, once these three kick the bucket, The Ol Man was looking at "exotic" cats on the internet. Wowwee! Talk about expensive! Some of those cats go for as much as $23,000! Yikes! Check out this website: http://www.savannahcatbreed.com/index.php Killer cool-lookin' cats, but a tad bit pricy. Our three will be around for a while, so that'll give us time to save the money for one of these babies! Right...I'm just not thinkin' I'll be spending thousands of dollars on a cat. If you've got enough money to spend thousands on a cat, give me a call...I'd like you to adopt me.

Remain Calm, All is Well

So, let me get this straight...the housing market hasn't yet bottomed out (double digit declines!), the unemployment rate is still rising and corporations are still s**ting jobs at an incredible rate (as of May 8, according to the Beureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed persons increased by 563,000 to 13.7 million in April, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.9 %!), states and the US Federal Government are bleeding rivers of red ink, numerous stores are closing their doors and/or declaring bankruptcy (Circuit City, K-B Toys, Linens & Things, Levitz, GM...) and according to all the news channels, THE RECESSION IS ALMOST OVER!!! Whooo Hoooo! Excuse me? Am I missing something here? And, (gasp!) Ashton Kutcher threatens to leave Twitter! The Horror! The Horror! Does anyone else see the inconsistency here? How can the recession be almost over when the entire country is going down the drain? Call me a pessimist, but I don't see anything turning around any time soon. But, hey, who the hell am I to be such a nay-sayer! Go spend money and let's all work together to get even deeper into debt and save our country!! or not....

Thanks for your service/Memorial Day 2009

On this Memorial Day, I'd like to give a HUGE, heart felt thank you to all active duty, reserve, guard and veterans. Having spent 20 years in the military, I truly appreciate the sacrifice they gave, and especially to those who gave the final measure. Abraham Lincoln, upon notification of the death of Mrs. Bixby's five sons during the Civil War, wrote to her this letter, that said, in part, "that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VIII, "Letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby" (November 21, 1864), pp. 116-117. I join Mr. Lincoln, and add my admiration to all of the Gold Star Mothers ( http://www.goldstarmoms.com/ ). Not enough people understand that Freedom exacts a very high price, and appreciate our Armed Forces and what they have given to us. Again, I say, "Thank You for your service to our country."