Oh my gosh, it's soooooooooo hot!!!! We've had days and days of 98-101 heat and no break in sight. I wish it would rain. I keep getting emergency weather warnings about a heat advisory in my email. How depressing. I'd rather have an ice advisory. I just want to sit under the ac and do nothing but watch tv. We went to garage sales this morning. It was ok till about 10:30 and it was getting too hot to stay out. This weekend was the town wide Crazy Days sales so there weren't too many garage sales and the ones there were, weren't very good. Whenever you have to compete with holidays or sale days, it takes away from the caliber of the garage sales. If anyone is interested in how to have the best garage sale around, check out my lens on Squidoo at: http://www.squidoo.com/garagesales

I was cleaning out some drawers and I found a gift I had given to my mom many years ago. It is a gift she loved and that cost me only the price of a booklet of recipe cards. Tell the recipient to read a card each day. You get the one that has the 50 cards attached at the top with a spiral wire. Here is a list of the daily chores I put on each card. I also pasted some pictures of things on the cards, that I found in a magazine or newspaper, that go along with the subject. (Adjust to your family situation)

This day could be worse - your water pipes could be frozen!
Smile for one minute - or till your lips hurt.
Have a cup of coffee and watch a good soap opera.
Call someone today that you haven't talked to in awhile & say I said to call.
(Paste four newspaper letters on the page with the saying) Think of things you like that start with these letters.
Write someone today and tell them I said "Hi".
Think about Saturday Garage Sales.
Wear something purple today.
Let your dog take you for a walk today.
(Paste a bird picture on the card) Watch a bird today and think of me (I don't watch birds).
Play 3 songs on your piano or listen to 3 songs.
Cook something totally new today.
Write a favorite memory here: (add 1 each time you're on this page).
Pick an HBO movie and watch it today.
Sit on the porch today and if it's too cold, think about sitting on the porch.
Do your favorite thing at least once this week - plan it today.
Straighten up one room - completely - today (it might lead to more) then again it probably won't - oh well.
Look at a photo album today - it'll be fun.
Count your blessings.
Think about shells and the seashore today.
Do something today that you've been putting off doing.
Do one thing different today.
Make up a four line poem and write it here.
Take pictures of something today.
Call your son.
Write a relative today or call them.
Buy 2 Christmas presents and put them away - you're ahead of the game.
Write your grandkids (all of them).
Eat some shrimp today.
IOU one supper - collect anytime.
Think about teddy bears today.
Sing in the shower.
Call a friend.
Take one of your children somewhere this week.
Surprise someone today.
Write down what bothers you - turn left twice - point North - spit South. See you feel better already.
(paste a picture of food on the card)
Have something with butter on it.
Send a card to a friend.
Go visit a neighbor today.
Think how much we love you!
Buy yourself something silly today.
Do some exercises today.
Wear something red today.
Take a break today, do something unusual.
Smell flowers today - somewhere.
Plan something for someone special.
Be silly - take a drive - call a relative - to out and eat.
Call one of your children and see what they are doing.
Clean out your purse - it needs it.
Wander around some stores today - just look - don't buy.

This weekend was pretty good for garage sale items, not as good as last week, but see what I got. Great baskets, like new, three for $1.50. A stack of Junie B Jones books, for $2, for my granddaughter and a new pair of crocs for my grandson for 50 cents.

I don't know if anyone but me has been disappointed in the major network prime time programs. It is always a rerun and a rerun and a rerun. The new shows are just plain dumb or not funny. Of course it is probably just me. I got to flipping through the channels last year and stumbled on Bravo and TLC and have really been enjoying the reality shows like Flipping Out, Real Housewives of New York City, Jon and Kate plus 8, Little People, Big World, etc. These shows are so refreshing, different and pure entertainment that I recommend any of them. Some you have to watch several months to get the names, occupations, etc of the characters and after you become familiar you will love them. HGTV also has some really informative shows and will give you lots of ideas for remodeling, fixing and updating your home. They also show lots of people looking for a new home and you get ideas from seeing those homes and what you can get for the money. Design Star is fun entertainment. Give some of these other channels a chance and see something different for a change.

On Jul 10, I had the following email in my in box:

"Hi!
I saw the web site for the Enid HS Class of 1958 missing list and thought I’d see what I could find. I’ve been tracking missing classmates for my own Ohio high school for years and recently started tracking other high schools with web sites looking for missing classmates in preparation for special upcoming reunions. I’m retired and enjoy working on my computer. I used 1940 (plus or minus 1-2 years) for the average year of birth your class and Oklahoma as the home base, if needed. Anything below in parentheses is what I found for each listed name and can be used to verify or eliminate names using middle names/initials and DOB’s found in old school records or yearbooks if available. I can’t guarantee any or all listed below are correct or current but they are worth checking. Much success for your 50th this year!

Pat (now living in Tennessee).

P.S. I didn’t notice that your 50th had already taken place in April (call it a senior moment) until I went back to your web site to get the e-mail address to send the following – maybe it will help for future reunions."

Now is that nice or is that nice? I can't believe that out of the blue someone would do something so nice and so time consuming and was never asked to do it. This is a great example of a person giving of herself for others just out of the kindness of her heart. This is a true RAK (Random Act of Kindness). Thanks so much Pat!!!!!

Note: she had info on 23 missing classmates.

My son did a list of things he didn't have growing up in the 70s so I thought about the things I didn't have or things I did growing up in the 40s. If you have something that you remember about growing up in the 40s (if you did) add them under comments.

1. without a TV
2. without a microwave
3. no space program
4. with party line phones
5. rode our bikes everywhere
6. no swimming pool
7. we helped parents
8. we helped grandparents free
9. we walked to school
10. no drive ins or fast food places
11. Saturday went to cowboy movies and serials
12. didn't lock our doors
13. wore homemade clothes
14. mayonnaise sandwiches
15. made things from orange crates
16. movies cost 10 cents
17. gas was 18 cents a gallon
18. a stamp was 3 cents
19. WWII was going on
20. played at home or neighborhood

I guess I have missed a couple of days of posting. It has been raining! Finally after weeks of heat and dry as a bone, it finally poured down yesterday and all night. What a good sleep. In Oklahoma, 9 times out of 10, you will have a cool breeze from the south after midnight when it cools off. I always turn off the ac and open my bedroom window and let the breeze in. When it rains it is especially nice.
I have been thinking of making a list of things I think people do that are really stupid. I guess i will put a couple here and maybe more in just a list somewhere later. Now these are definitely my opinion but I am wondering if anyone else feels the same. #1 stupid is the man who spent millions on the water falls in NYC under the name of art when that money would have fed and housed so many people who are living on the streets and in shelters of the city. I can only imagine how many children could have eaten or had a nice bed to sleep in. #2 stupid is how much people who are running for office spend. I get so tired of months and months of the same old stuff and we all know they just say what they think we want to hear. They can never full fill all their promises and we all know it. Lets just have a couple of debates on tv and they can keep their money or spend it on people who need homes after floods, or other disasters. #3 stupid is old but I still think the American people gave too much money to the families of 9-11 and what about all the other families of disasters who don't get any money? To me that is what life insurance is for. Yes it was tragic but if we can't give the same to everyone why pile it on a few? Is a car accident or plane crash not as tragic as the towers collapse?
What is being spent on a memorial? Sometimes I think Americans are just too soft hearted and don't stop to think how unfair it can become. Now #4 stupid is Oklahoma State University raising their tuition 9 point something percent after Billionaire T. Boone Pickens just gave them millions and millions of dollars. Duh!!! So much for stupid today.

I am a water person, maybe not by astrology, but by just loving rain and the sound of running water. My daughter dug a small pond in my front yard and then we found a neat pond form with a water fall so she covered the hole back up and we sat it on top of the dirt. We got a pond plant yesterday to try to keep the water from turning green. I sure like this better than the other one as it is easier to keep clean and besides I love the falling water sounds. Wish they were louder. She has a big pond with lots of gold fish and says when we get mine a little less green I can have a fish. Do I want a fish? Probably not, because I am afraid the wild neighborhood cats that drink water from my pond would eat my fish. I think the flower is enough. I also have a bucket and pump water fountain on my porch that makes a great sound. My porch is my favorite place. I have a screened in front porch with a ceiling fan and a tv so you can imagine where I spend my time on nice mornings and cool evenings. I even take my laptop out there. I have porch furniture and I put my yard swing up there. My grandkids love to swing. The other day my granddaughters were laying on their backs with their heads off the seat, their feet up the back of the swing and laughing themselves silly. Its so special that they can swing and enjoy the outdoors without the mosquitoes eating them alive. My office gave me the swing as a retirement gift and we are sure making the most of it. The porch is a special place when it rains. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have a front porch. Most people don't have any idea what they are missing by not having one. I saw a new house the other day and they had built a porch on it. You rarely see that. I am very lucky that I have a home that was built in the 30s and I love it!!!

My 4 year old grandson kept telling us he needed some
"parent shoots" for the 4th of July. Finally we figured
out he was wanting those rockets with the "parachute".

Happy Fourth of July America! It was a beautiful morning, nice and cool enough to be comfortable. My daughter and I went to the only 5 garage sales listed for today. Holidays are not good weekends for garage sales. Everyone is doing something else. With the gas so high we thought there would be more if people stayed in town. Guess not! Connie bought me a journal of sorts. Its a great book with a place for the date and things you thought about today, etc. She insists I fill it in. She gave me a grandmother book the other day and insisted I fill that in too. A few years back I did a very extensive family tree. I would think that should be enough from me. Connie's family is going to the city to a friends house for food and fireworks and Curtis' family is at the country club doing the hamburger swimming thing. I can't take the heat anymore (ozone warning) and it's supposed to be a scorcher today. I need to do some cleaning on my back porch but I think I'll be Scarlet and think about it tomorrow. Be careful, enjoy the holiday and let me know if you've ever bought something great at a garage sale.

Its hard to believe that its been 50 years since I graduated from High School. I always go to my reunions but this was the best of all. We had more people attend, probably because of the year, and our choice of venues turned out to be superb. The people who catered our food did an excellent job and everyone seemed to have a terrific time. My classmates have held up pretty well. Only one came to the reunion with a walker and that was because she had had a foot operation. There was quite a few who had bounced back from bypasses, cancer, operations of different kinds and they seemed to have taken it in stride. The only complaint we had, was that our 50's disc jockey, was too loud and many could not hear to visit. When I think about it, the DJ was as old as we were and he probably couldn't hear either so he played everything full blast. Check out some "senior" hints if you are planning or attending a reunion in the near future.

*No tours with lots of steps or walking
*Forget about loud music
*Have big round tables for 6 or 8
*People want to visit with old friends
*This might be their last reunion
*Have casual events with casual wear
*No dancing for over 60s - (bad knees and no spouses)
*Some won't have a mate with them
*Build a website and put current pictures on it
*Don't expect everyone to use a computer
*Send out paper reservation forms
*Make name tags with school pictures
*Start a year ahead to locate the most
*Remember your hearing tends to go with age
*So does your back
*And your knees

Labels: cat

Well it's the first of July....where did June go? We are driving to a town east of Oklahoma City to pick up my oldest granddaughter, 15, who lives with her father. That is a story! She is coming back with us, to her moms for a week of summer vacation. My daughter has another teenager at home, a daughter, 13 and a son who is 4 going on 24. I have found that an elderly person will never get alzheimer's if you have in your family or take care of a 3 or 4 year old. They can ask more questions than are in an encyclopedia. Every question is followed by at least 6 why's of some sort. Then there is the arguing, picking, touching, and hitting that goes on in the back seat after about the first 15 minutes on the trip back. One teens fingers are permanently affixed to a cell phone texting, the other teen is using her phone to call people she just left 15 minutes ago and a 4 year old wants attention from someone in the back seat. Mom is driving and granny (me) is trying to referee. I might as well not be there as no one pays attention to me. The girls ignore me and the grandson tells me "I don't get the point." (see I said he was going on 24). Of course he doesn't know the point either and continues to irritate his sisters. In the middle of this at least two people need to go to the bathroom. Naturally we are on the interstate and it takes a physics major to figure out how to get off at a place that is easy to get back on. Finally the bathroom break is over and we are back on the road when half the group is dying of hunger. That is a story in itself. Now begins the usual volley of comments:

I don't have room for my legs
Hunter spilled his drink
My battery is going dead on my phone
Hunter got my lipstick
Move over some
Where are the ear phones
Can I take your battery out and put it in my phone
What time are we going to be home
Hunter is throwing ice
Who are you talking to
Turn up the radio
It is hot back here
Hunter is in my purse
Make her put her shoes on, her feet stink
When will I see a train
Cover your mouth when you cough
He put his booger on me
Ewwwwwww that's gross
She hit me
It is cold back here
Can you pick up or take us to the mall
Shut up
Why can't I go out its not that late
Can I ride my bike in the dark
why not
Are we almost home

Thank God