Politics

This morning, we were shocked to find that President Trump and his War Cabinet had made a military strike on Venezuela's President Madura and his wife for drug crimes. They arrested President Madura and are transporting him to the US for trial on many different charges. 

President Trump is well known for his "surprises" but I think this was the biggest surprise to date. Of course, the liberals are screaming foul, but they do that every time Trump trims his toenails. Some Republicans are not happy with his brash behaviors either. Many are complaining that Trump did not consult congress first. Come on, get real! What would have happened had he asked for permission or even announced his plans?  The leaky sieve we call Congress would have warned Madura, and the outcome would have been tragic for our military.

Another point of contention is President Trump's plans to "run Venezuela" until a better government can be placed. And some are no doubt crying foul because their corrupt practices may soon be revealed.

Whatever the case, I am praying for our military, for President Trump, and for all who are in danger from the drug cartels in the world. I pray for good judgment from our government in handling these threats, and a return to honest governing in all countries leading to worldwide peace. 

I pray for those who are addicted to narcotics of any kind, and that they might find the help they need to remove all cravings from their systems.

Won't you join me in these prayers? One prayer is heard, but many have a much bigger impact.

I hope you all are having a good year so far.

55 Years Together

Today marks our 55th wedding anniversary. We were married on this date in 1971 at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Clifton, Kansas. The officiating priest was Fr. Roger Meitl and he baptized our first son in 1972. It started out a beautiful day, a little chilly outside, but the sun was shining and there wasn't much wind. I felt like God was approving of our marriage.

My maid of honor was my sister, Linda, and I also had two bridesmaids, Joyce Derousseau and Janice Bergquist. They were friends from my college days. 

Dennis had his brother, Jim Barnes as his best man, and his brother Mike Barnes and a cousin Randy Brown as groomsmen. After the traditional wedding mass, we had a few pictures taken and then a reception in the church basement. Following that, Dennis' parents hosted a small lunch at their house. We relaxed until early evening at the house and then Mike and his wife, Deb, asked us to go to the movies with them in Concordia. They had been married a few months prior to our wedding, and Deb was expecting her first baby.

The movie was not one of my favorites, Five Easy Pieces, but I survived it and afterward, we said goodbye to Mike and Deb and got a motel room there in Concordia. It was right on the corner of Hiway 9 and Hiway 81 and was called The Baron's Motel. It wasn't a dive, but it certainly wasn't the Hilton either.  At least it was clean and private. 

We had originally planned to travel to Salina for our wedding night, but after the movie, we were tired and didn't feel like driving that far, especially driving his dad's jeep. That was a completely different story.

Dennis had planned to drive his own car home from Great Lakes, Illinois where he was stationed in the USN Seabees. But he had let a buddy drive it before he was due to come home, and the "friend" had torn the clutch out of it. It was a 1969 Ford Mustang with a 429 Cobrajet engine and was so hot he had won trophies drag racing with it up in Wisconsin. Anyway, the car was in the shop, so Dennis flew home and his friend was to bring the car to Clifton to be in the wedding as best man. Confusing, huh? The friend got drunk and didn't show up with the car, so Dennis had to find a new best man, and different transportation.

Our life back then was very complicated.

Anyway, back to the wedding night. We woke up around 3 a.m. and were hungry and thirsty, so we decided to make a run to the nearest quick shop to get food supplies. We opened the door to the room and looked outside. There were snow drifts about a foot deep on the top of the jeep and everywhere, and that was in a sheltered area.  We made a mad dash to the quick shop and got our goodies and returned to the motel.

The next morning, there was even more snow. Drifts were taller than the jeep and the roads were nearly impassable.  We decided we'd better get back to Clifton as soon as possible with that jeep, because we knew it would be needed.  

We did stop a couple of times and helped pull people out of the ditches. It was a real mess and it was really cold! We had thought we would make it back in time for Sunday mass, but it was lunchtime by the time we got back. So we just relaxed at his parents' house.

I'll continue my story tomorrow.

Year End Blusters

Saturday, December 27th was a gorgeous day. We had grandchildren and significant others in our backyard and garage to help Dennis organize his "shop" which used to be our garage. A huge thank you to Colin, Lucas, Karsyn, Jacob, Whitley and Blake for all your help. The temperatures were in the high 60s and the sun was shining. Dennis was in his shirtsleeves.

I think winter has arrived. Sunday was a shock to the system.  We went to church on a freezing blustery cloudy morning, with temps in the twenties.

One hour later, we came out of church and it was blowing snow, which was already drifting in the parking lot. We decided to forgo our usual breakfast in Clifton and hurried home to enjoy our day in the warm house. 

We quickly changed into our warm sweats and snugged into our recliners to watch tv and read or play with our phones. I did get some laundry and Bible Study in. I watched two full episodes of Symbolon on my computer.

Maizie was in hog heaven having us available for cuddles and licks.

This morning, I had a Dr. visit here in Clyde. It was just a follow up from my last visit. Everything was looking good, according to Audra. No changes, except for the ones I received last week from Kayleigh Knox, my endocrinology nurse in Salina. She had canceled my 70/30 Humulin insulin and started my on Tresiba insulin, which is a long-acting insulin. She also ordered me to take Humalog Regular Insulin 10 units with each meal.

I was afraid that would be a problem for me because I don't eat at regular times, just when I feel hungry, and I tend to snack a lot. That's why I haven't lost weight.

We also discussed some back/neck pain I've been having, and I asked her about my possibly seeing a chiropractor. She didn't like that idea, because she said my bone-density scan hadn't been that good, and she didn't want me to risk a bone fracture. So I'm going to use my neck massager I've had for a while but hadn't used much.

I did get a regular flu shot. I hope it doesn't give me any side effects. 

Dennis and I have been working on financial accounts and sorting things out in our front room today. My bank account is a disaster. And so is our front room.

Guess I've bored you enough for today. I hope everyone has a happy New Year. I'm looking forward to Friday. That will be our 55th wedding anniversary. I never dreamed we'd still be here that long, with all our past medical issues. God has protected us well.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today was a great day. We took two of our granddaughters out for lunch at El Puertos in Concordia. After lunch we returned to Clyde and the young ones helped Dennis in his garage, getting things moved around to suit him. I'm hoping that will help him get organized so we can get our front porch cleaned out. I want my porch back so I can sit in a rocking chair with a glass of iced tea in the summer and enjoy the day.

We've been organizing inside as well. I'll be placing things on the curb for pickup, either by neighbors or by the trashman. We put out a good recliner last week after Dennis bought me a new one for my Christmas gift. No one picked it up, so the trashman did. I hope someone found it a good home. It was my mom's chair. After she passed five years ago, I inherited it and used it every day until I got my new one.

We had a great Christmas Eve, attending Mass then we went to Josh's house and had our annual Christmas mess. Lots of good food and then gift exchange. There are so many of us that we can't give to everyone on our list. But we have a tradition that makes it easier for everyone.

We give to each child under 18.  we start with the youngest, who opens a gift, then next youngest, and so on, as many times around as needed until all the children's gifts are opened. Then they play with their gifts while the adults have their exchange. 

For the adults we have a drawing for a number. Each adult has brought a gift for either man or woman as appropriate. Then starting with #1, the lucky winner chooses the gift of their choice. #2 then chooses to steal the gift #1 took or chooses another gift from the selection available. Then #3 takes a turn, using the same formula as above. 

It can get quite crazy sometimes, especially if one of the gifts gets stolen several times. But it is a lot of fun and it gets even more fun when the used wrapping paper is wadded up and used for target practice across the room before being stowed in trash bags. Following the trash and smash, everyone gathers up the opened gifts and takes them home. The mess is cleaned up and no stress or mess left for the adults.

Christmas Day we went to Becky's house and watched them open even more gifts. A come and go breakfast was enjoyed there, then naptime eased some very full tummies, and refreshed everyone.

I want to open my blog up to allow family members to read it, but not quite sure how to set the parameters and how to invite them to view it.

Maybe that will come to me later.

Big brother is watching. As I finished that last paragraph, HP Support Assistant popped up on my screen. How cool is that? :D

 

Hacked! Again!

Trying to send some money to a good friend in Oklahoma, I found out my PayPal account has been hacked, and the payment I was trying to send went to an organization in Miami, Florida instead of the Oklahoma address it was meant to go.

I contacted PayPal, and after over 30 minutes of their investigation and instructions, I still did not get my money refunded. I may never get it refunded. And it was not a small amount, either. So I sent the money again, only this time, the correct recipient received the money. Then I changed my password to my PayPal account. 

The man at PayPal was very courteous and helpful, although it was difficult to understand him as his command of our language was not the best, and we got disconnected twice. He told me that I had many hackers after my money and someone in Texxas was trying to buy BitCoin from my account. I had a transaction that was marked completed from Edward R. Jones, a financial trader for $300.00 and I have never done business with that company. 

I have been instructed to no longer use PayPal until this mess is resolved. Which is a real hassle because I pay many bills and shop online via PayPal. I'll have to contact each of these businesses and explain why their expected payments will not go through. I will be socked with expensive late fees and a lot of trouble to get alternative payment sources set up. All on my measly Social Security income.

Hackers are doing a booming business out there, folks. So watch your accounts closely. If you see anything you don't recognize, let your financial institution know immediately.  It will help prevent you becoming a victim like I am.

Merry Christmas!

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Blessed and Thankful

I have been truly blessed in my life. I've had many misfortunes, bad luck, whatever you want to call them, but each setback has made me stronger and taught me something new.

Growing up on the farm, I learned from my parents about the quality of life I loved. We always had good food on the table, much of it home-grown in our own garden or in the fields surrounding our house.

We had good clean clothes. I had a mother who was a talented seamstress. She made new clothes on that old clunker sewing machine of hers. We got our underwear, socks and shoes from local stores. Most of the rest of our clothing was made by Mama. 

I didn't get an allowance like many of our "neighbors" but if I needed money for a school or church activity, I always got it. 

At Christmas, I always got nice gifts and almost always what I had asked for. I think my favorite gift was a Jon Gnagy Learn to Draw set. It had a book giving detailed instructions on how to draw each picture, a pad of paper to draw on, as well as all the tools to do it: pencils, erasers, sharpener, blending stick, and more. I gained much self confidence in my drawing ability, and something to keep me occupied while my dad watched his favorite shows on tv. 

Of course, school homework and our daily farm chores always had to be done first. Along with my sister and brothers, we fed cattle, hogs, chickens and horses. We helped our dad by chopping weeds and carrying iron and other items from one place to another. We cleaned out the grain dryer (my least favorite job) and mucked out the hog pens (another least favorite task. We slipped and slid on frozen ice and animal waste to carry bales of hay to the lots to feed the animals. We were our dad's hired hands, and our pay was to have a roof over our heads, three square meals, our clothing, shoes, and the activity cash we received now and then.

We learned to appreciate what we had and to not beg for more. We didn't have a lot of toys when we were little, and we learned to share what we had with each other. If we squabbled with each other, we got the privilege of chopping more weeds or some other nasty chore. 

We did get some mini-vacations throughout the year. I remember one weekend trip to Dodge City, where we picnicked in a park with Mama's delicious fried chicken and all the fixings, then we toured the "Ole CowTown" and the nearby tourist attractions. It was fun. We didn't spend a lot of money, but we spent time together.

We visited many of the area lakes and other interesting places in Kansas. We traveled along to Nebraska, one time going to the Nebraska State Fair, which was a lot of fun. 

One summer, when I was 16 or 17, Daddy decided I was responsible enough to take care of the farm while he and Mama went to the Kansas State Fair. We had our usual chores to do, and we were given the keys to the pickup to go wherever we had to.  Linda, my sister and I would do our chores, then drive up to Scandia to take a dip in the sandpit waters. That was so refreshing after getting sweaty from working on the farm. We loved the socializing with others at the pit too.

All in all, I had a pretty good childhood, even if I wasn't able to socialize with others my age that often. I don't think I'd change it much, even if I could.

And the family keeps growing!

A lot has happened since my last post!     

Dennis underwent thirty-five cancer radiation treatments right after Christmas, and it left him with some very unpleasant side-effects. He has hot flashes like a menopausal woman, and complains about it a lot! 

I don't tease him about it, but I'm afraid I haven't been the most sympathetic supporter either. He used to tease me about my hot flashes, but I really don't remember complaining about them to anyone. I just kept a sheet of paper folded in half to fan myself with. I bought a little handheld fan and carried it with me to use. It helped but took up a lot of room in my purse, so as soon as the symptoms slowed, I put it away and now I'm not even sure where it is.

Some of his other symptoms are too personal to include in this blog, but he is more than happy to talk about them to anyone who will listen. After a while they all get a glazed expression and I try to change the subject.

Anyway, we have added to our family. We now have seven great grandbabies, and half of them live close by, so that's nice. We have another coming in July, so can't wait for that.

Tomorrow I will have book club at the library. Then Tuesday will be art club. We'll be celebrating the birthday of one of our members, Joyce Menard. She is my chauffeur to and from art club, and a good friend. 

I've been collecting some of the used books from the "Weedy Shelf" at the library.  I bring them home, read them, then try to find a new home for them.  It's a great way to get something to read for little to no cost. I also check out some books from the library from time to time. 

Dennis and I are in the OCIA class, which is held at the church every week and we've both been enjoying it and learning a lot of new information. I'm also ordering books to help me to understand how my faith fits in with my world.

Our new priest, Fr. Andrew Rockers, is very knowledgeable and interesting to do Bible study under. I'm taking notes and then reviewing them the next day, so I can ask questions that may come up between sessions.  Our son-in-law, Rusty, went through the class and eventually did a sort of Rite of Initiation at the Diocesan Cathedral a few years ago. I wish I could get Becky into one of these classes. I'm afraid her faith has a few holes in it. 

We've been working on sorting through things here at the house, trying to clear a path to walk through. We should have bought a larger house, but then we'd just have even more stuff hoarded in it. This tiny house just isn't big enough for two hoarders.

For myself, I don't really keep that much stuff out of sentimental value, but rather I am the product of a Depression Era dad, who kept crickets saved for fish bait until they disintegrated with the slightest touch. He pinched pennies until they were paper-thin.  And if something didn't increase in monetary value or generate a monetary income, we learned not to buy it. Or so he thought. LOL.

I guess that's enough for today.  I am, as always, a Living Fossil. And these are my images for today.

God bless anyone who reads and gets some value out of my words. Please let me know if you do. 

Dixie