I think it's my patriotic duty to serve on juries and over the years, I have served on Municipal, Grand, and Petit juries. Defense attorneys usually excuse me and I think it's because I have terminated people. That is rather ironic as I think I would be a juror who would be very sympathetic of the rights of defendants. At one voir dire, a defense attorney asked me how many people I had fired and I answered that I hadn't counted the notches on my gun belt that morning. Yes, I knew that being a smart-aleck would get me excused, but I didn't want to serve on that particular case.
One time when I served on a Breaking and Entering case, I believed that the prosecutor did not meet the burden of proof and I voted for acquittal. One of the male jurors also voted to acquit, thus the vote was 10 to 2 for conviction. The jurors agreed to discuss the case and the man who voted with me for acquittal said that he would never believe a word a cop said and he wouldn't vote for conviction. I told him that he had to be removed. He told me I was crazy because he had voted with me. I told him that I had arrived at my decision based on the evidence and that I wasn't prejudiced and he was. He was removed when I notified the judge. When the alternate juror was seated the vote was 11 to 1. Yes, I hung the jury!
After the trial, I went to the prosecutor and told him I'd like to give him a suggestion. He was immediately interested as he knew that when the jury was polled I had been the lone vote for acquittal. He told me he was shocked that I was the holdout because I had been so attentive. I told him that I knew that attorneys think they can read juries, but it was my job to be attentive. He asked why I had voted for acquittal and I told him that he hadn't met the burden of proof and he asked me for examples which I provided. He asked about the juror who'd been replaced and I told him that he had also voted to acquit. He said he couldn't believe that I went to the judge about the one who was voting with me. I answered, "He was prejudiced; I wasn't." I then asked him, "You know how the defense always asks the question whether we would believe a police officer more than other people?" He nodded and I said, "You should ask if we would believe a police officer LESS." I said, "You know if we answer yes to the defense on the first question, we'll be excused, and if we answer yes on the second question, you'll remove us!" I continued, "I think that guy would have been excused from jury duty if you had asked that question!"
At the second trial, the defendant obviously had a better lawyer because he was acquitted.
At a drunk driving case, I was in the venire waiting to be questioned and six jurors had already been seated. One of my former teachers was called for voie dire and I knew that she was near my mother's age and she could have been excused because of her age. She sat down and immediately turned to the judge and announced, "Your Honor, I need to tell you that I think drinking is a sin!" The defense attorney immediately jumped up and said that he wanted to poll the jury because she had corrupted the jury pool. He was then allowed to ask questions about the beliefs and drinking habits of the jurors and prospective jurors and two who had been seated were excused. When it was my turn, the defense attorney asked if I thought drinking was a sin and I answered, "No, merely foolish!" I was excused.
At a dope related case, the defense attorney had to punch the defendant in the side to wake him. During my voir dire on that case, I answered that I thought the use of the drug was "merely foolish" and I was excused by the prosecutor.
I doubt if I'll ever serve on another jury (CLICK HERE to see my BLOG article JURY DUTY), if not for requesting "affirmation", then because of age!
Why is it so difficult to get people to vote? I think it's astounding that the most frequent excuse that I hear is that people don't want to be called for jury duty.
When I began voting, the age requirement was 21. When I presented myself to vote at the Primary of my first voting year, I was 20 years old. Of course, one must provide proof of birth and when I gave my birthdate as July 19, I was told by the poll worker I could NOT vote. Being quite aware of the law I told the worker I most certainly could vote because I would be 21 before the General Election. It was unbelievable to me that the poll worker had to confer with others before allowing me to vote.
I have never missed an election. One time, when I was out of state; I had to vote by absentee ballot; another time I arrived at the polling place at 7:20 PM because we'd had an emergency at work. I exceeded the speed limit on Route 38 and was stopped by a Sheriff's Deputy and he actually let me go with a warning.
It seems the only time there's a big turnout is to defeat levies. At our last General Election, the vote in Fayette County was 24.3% of the registered voters; in our last Primary the percentage was 21%. That is shameful.
My husband and I have no children, but we have always supported school levies.
I don't usually watch the Grammy Awards, but I did this year because I wanted to see the tribute to the Beatles. I was pleased to see Pharrell take home four awards for his multi-talents and I loved THE hat!
Recently on CBS' Sunday Morning, Williams was interviewed (see here) and he was remarkably humble. He stated: "My story is the average story, you know. It was filled with special people."
He went on to give credit for his success to others, especially to his teachers. He said, "Well, what am I without them? Take all of my band teachers out of this. Where am I? I'm back in Virginia, doing something completely different." He went on to name all of his teachers!
He said that he writes his music "to raise people up"; he certainly accomplishes that.
When my brother read my article CEE-MENT GEESE (CLICK HERE), he reprimanded me by telling me that the geese would be made from cement but would be concrete. As my article shows, my friend Patty and I have had an ongoing competition to identify the most ridiculously clothed concrete geese.
See a friend's BLOG article about her own gaggle of clothed geese. (CLICK HERE)
I swear I have never heard anyone say "LIAISE". I have never seen it in print. I guess I've been lucky.
GRAMMARPHOBIA
The saucy source of “liaise”
Q: The word “liaison” has been around for quite some time, but at a recent lunchtime meeting someone offered to “liaise” with others. This usage makes me cringe, but what’s your take on it?
A: We liaise a lot—that is, we work together on matters of mutual concern—but we don’t use the term “liaise” (it sounds like jargon to us).
Nevertheless, the verb “liaise” is standard English, a back-formation that’s been around for nearly a century, and a word with roots in the 1600s.
We’ve written many blog posts about back-formations—words formed by dropping parts of existing ones. New words have been formed this way for many hundreds of years.
Examples of verbs that started as back-formations from nouns include “injure” (from “injury”), “babysit” (from “babysitter”), “escalate” (from “escalator”), “curate” (from “curator”), and “surveil” (from “surveillance”).
We can add the verb “liaise” to the list. It’s a back-formation (from the noun “liaison”) that emerged in British military slang during World War I, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
“ ‘To liaise’ … was at first frowned on by the pundits: its usefulness … soon came to outweigh its objectionableness.”
The OED defines “liaise” as meaning “to make liaison with or between.” By the 1950s, according to the dictionary’s citations, the usage had been absorbed into civilian usage.
The noun that it came from, “liaison,” can ultimately be traced to the Latin verb ligare (to bind). And when it first came into English, in the mid-17th century, it was decidedly civilian.
I have one acquaintance in particular with whom I cannot recall EVER having a conversation with which did not quickly dissolve into a compilation of her ailments, complaints, and negativity.
Since we belong to the same club, I see her at least once a month and I admit that I try to avoid her, but she seeks out my company. She telephones frequently and I listen patiently. I don't want to hurt her feelings and I try to say something uplifting.
I gather that she recently finally noticed my attempt at changing the subject when she began her usual whinging.
She asked, with a tone of irritation, "How can you be so UP all the time?"
I asked, "Did you ever see the movie All That Jazz?" She said she had not seen it. I told her it was Bob Fosse's roman a clef and that my favorite part was when Roy Scheider playing the character Joe Gideon, would get up in the morning, he would have Vivaldi blasting from the stereo and after completing his usual morning ritual, he would look in the mirror and say, "It's SHOW TIME, folks." I told her that I do the same thing because nobody wants to hear my griping and that's the face I'm going to show the world! She whined, "Well not everybody can be little Suzy Sunshine!"
CLICK HERE to watch the Roy Scheider video.
So much for that "constructive criticism" which everyone pretends they want to hear, but actually don't!
When I read the following article Habits And Feelings Seem To Be Contagious from The Wise Geek, I was not surprised that the study shows that happiness is less contagious than sadness. This is why I want to surround myself with happy people!
MANY HABITS AND FEELINGS SEEM TO BE CONTAGIOUS
Many habits and feelings seem to be contagious, but research shows that happiness is less contagious than sadness.
Emotions and habits might be contagious and spread within groups in a similar manner to diseases, research suggests. A long-term study found that emotions such as happiness and loneliness as well as habits such as smoking and overeating were often found within groups such as families or friends.
For example, having an obese friend increased the likelihood of a person becoming obese by 57%. It is not known for sure why emotions and habits spread, but it might be an evolutionary response in which people mimic one another because of the need to fit into a group in order to survive.
I usually enjoy being with younger people. A young friend had invited me to have lunch. In the midst of our conversation, he began "texting". I reprimanded him and he said, "I'm listening!" I said, "No you weren't; you were texting, and trust me, you are not clever enough to multi-task!"
He said, "I was listening; I know what you said!"
I said, "OK, then tell me what I just said just before I yelled at you."
He answered, "You said old dog!"
I said, "No, my sentence was that I wouldn't want to be old AND dull!"
I told him that in the future, if he began texting, I would get up and leave and he could text to his heart's content, but I wouldn't be there.
Hey, that would be one way to get out of my picking up the check!
I learned that one of my nephews calls me "Hyacinth" behind my back. This is from the character Hyacinth Bucket from the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances which aired from 1990-1995 and is still played occasionally on PBS.
The character Hyacinth demands that the name "Bucket" be pronounced "Bouquet" and she is prissy, nosy, snobbish and she "monitors standards". Her long-suffering husband Richard loves her, but everyone else dislikes her because of her flaws; however, Hyacinth has good qualities as she is very kind-hearted and always reaches out to help her various family members.
Being called Hyacinth is preferable to being called Mrs. Betty Slocombe which is from another British sitcom Are You Being Served?.
My brother was expecting to receive $480.00 as a tax refund. Imagine his consternation when he opened the envelope and the check was in the amount of $48.00! When he called to complain he was told it was a "SCANNING ERROR"!
I exclaimed, "Another addition to my THREE OLDEST LIES IN THE WORLD!" (CLICK HERE)
The total is now 56!
At a recent City Council meeting, one of the Council members stated that people expect the government to do everything for them just like parents expect the schools to do everything.
I hate generalizations.
I know quite a number of parents who do NOT expect the schools to do everything for them and their children, and I know a greater number of citizens who do NOT expect the government to do everything for them.
I don't know why I was surprised at such a gross generalization; after all, the Council member who made the statement is a former school administrator who, after retiring, became a "double-dipper". I bet he was glad the school administration (the "government") was there to "do everything" for him by giving him a job instead of giving the job to a younger person.
Yes, it's different when it's oneself to which one refers!
I expect "OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES" to be an ongoing topic for the BLOG.
My friend Vivian Thomas and I have been known to do impromptu recitations (CLICK HERE to see my BLOG article LET SOMETHING GOOD BE SAID).
Last year on April 18, we were at a political meeting. Before the meeting began, I looked at Vivian and asked, "Are you ready?" She gave me a look of disgust, immediately sensing my plan.
At the end of the meeting, the Chairperson asked, "Are there any further remarks?" I stood and said, "Vivian Thomas and I would like to do a recitation."
Vivian is truly amazing; she recalled more verses than I; I think we learned it in the 6th grade.
Please read the words to The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere and listen to the recitation. I believe the recitation by Vivian and me was more forceful! I wish I had a recording of our performance.
After writing my BLOG article HOW FAR AWAY FROM YOU? I posted the same question on Facebook (see the responses here).
My favorite is about the two guys in a bar in Phoenix and they found out they were cousins!
Last year I heard it said TO Catherine Deneuve in an interview; although she handled the question deftly with grace and aplomb, I literally screamed at the television: "She's ageless--she's Marianne in France!" Marianne is one of the national symbols of France and during the history of the Republic of France, there have been sculptures, official seals, money, and stamps with the idealized female image representing Marianne. In the 20th Century, France began to choose living women to represent the feminine ideal of France. In 1985 Catherine Deneuve was chosen for that great honor. (CLICK HERE to see the article from The New York Times.)
I was at one of my birthday parties last year in a public place and I heard several "cutesy" remarks such as: "Are you 39 again?" And, "You probably won't admit your age." Even the waiter (whom I dislike), felt free to make an age-related remark. I'm glad I was being treated for lunch, because it would have been difficult for me to leave a tip--and I always tip--because of his inane remark. I have no problem telling my age, but I do wonder why people are so interested. I would never ask a person his or her age. I do wish I possessed Deneuve's sangfroid. (I could not refrain from using that perfect French word to describe Deneuve!)
See the article from Grammarphobia below.
A euphemism of a certain age
Q: How old are women of “a certain age”? Are only French women of that age? Can men be of “a certain age” too?
A: The expression “a certain age” is generally used now (often tongue in cheek) as a euphemism to avoid saying a woman is middle-aged or older.
However, masculine and unisex versions are not all that unusual. In fact, the earliest example we found refers to “men of a certain age.”
The Oxford English Dictionary describes “a certain age” as a time “when one is no longer young, but which politeness forbids to be specified too minutely: usually, referring to some age between forty and sixty (mostly said of women).”
The OED’s earliest example of the usage is from a 1754 issue of the Connoisseur, a short-lived satirical weekly in London, edited by the essayists George Colman and Bonnell Thornton:
“I could not help wishing on this occasion that some middle term was invented between Miss and Mrs. to be adopted, at a certain age, by all females not inclined to matrimony.”
The expression is used there to describe an older, unmarried woman, similar to the terms “maiden lady” (1700), “spinster” (1617), and “old maid” (1530). “Spinster,” which dates from the 1300s, originally referred to someone who spins thread or yarn.
The phrase “a certain age” was a work in progress during the 1700s and 1800s, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, sometimes referring to women, sometimes men, and sometimes children, animals, or things.
A search of literary databases indicates that the usage first showed up in English in the early 1700s and in French (as d’un certain âge) in the late 1600s.
The earliest English example we could find, from a 1709 book written by a London midwife, refers to “men of a certain age.”
In A Treatise on the Art of Midwifery, Elizabeth Nihell argues against “the utter impropriety” of men, especially young men, examining the “sexual parts” of women:
“It may perhaps be granted that men of a certain age, men past the slippery season of youth, may claim the benefit of exemption from impressions of sensuality, by objects to which custom has familiarized them.”
In the 1700s and 1800s, the expression was generally positive when used to describe men. The Earl of Chesterfield, for example, used it in a June 13, 1751, letter to his son, Philip Stanhope, to refer to men of substance and refinement:
“You would not talk of your pleasures to men of a certain age, gravity, and dignity; they justly expect, from young people, a degree of deference and regard.”
The phrase was sometimes used positively and sometimes negatively to describe women.
SPELL is the acronym for the Society for the Preservation of the English Language and Literature and I am a member of that organization. Our newsletter is entitled SPELL/Binder and the motto is "Binding Together Lovers Of Our Language". There's a section called "MURDERERS' ROW" with "Examples of the Pervasive Poisoning of the Mother Tongue as Seen and Heard by Members of SPELL".
After I joined, I noticed that there were regular submissions to MURDERERS' ROW from a fellow resident of Washington Court House. His entries were usually items from the Record-Herald of Washington Court House. One of my favorite "goofs" which he reported: "With election time coming up, it's time that American's started to vote their conscious." He pointed out "American's" should be "Americans" and "conscious" should be "consciences". (see MURDERERS' ROW page here)
When I saw his submissions, I knew I had found a kindred person and I wanted to call him but his telephone number was unlisted. Serendipitously, a short time later, I was working at a Poll on Election Day and his name was on the voter list.
When he came in to vote, I told him that I was also a member of S.P.E.L.L. and he exclaimed, "I can't believe there are two of us." I then recited one of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems:
"I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you Nobody too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell--they'd banish us--you know!
How dreary to be Somebody!
How public like a frog,
To tell one's name, the livelong day,
To an admiring bog!"
He liked my BLOG and gave great opinions, suggestions, corrections, and critiques. He was a retired school teacher who was old enough to be my father. As I always ask permission before writing about people, I requested several times to write about him but he always declined.
I was saddened to learn of the death of my fellow antagonist.
A mother was driving her young daughter to a friend's house for a play date.
"Mommy," the little girl asked, "How old are you?"
"Honey, you are not supposed to ask a lady her age," the mother replied. "It's not polite."
"OK", the little girl said. "Then how much do you weigh?"
"Now really," the mother said. "Those are personal questions and are really none of your business."
Undaunted, the little girl asked, "Why did you and Daddy get a divorce?"
"That's enough questions, young lady! Honestly!"
The exasperated mother walked away as the two friends begin to play.
"My mom won't tell me anything about herself," the little girl said to her friend.
"Well," said the friend, "all you need to do is look at her driver's license. It's like a report card, it has everything on it."
Later that night the little girl said to her mother, "I know how old you are; you are 32."
The mother was surprised and asked, "How did you find that out?"
The daughter said, "I also know that you weigh 130 pounds."
The mother was past surprised and was shocked, and asked, "How in Heaven's name did you find that out?"
"And," the little girl said triumphantly, "I know why you and daddy got a divorce!"
"Oh really?", the mother asked. "Why?"
"Because you got an F in sex!"
After reading my BLOG article TULSA TIME, Mona Lisa asked, "If the Wright Brothers invented the airplane, why are aircraft terms French?"
Here is a list of aircraft terms which are French that came readily to mind:
NACELLE
FUSELAGE
LONGERON
AILERON
EMPENNAGE
DECALAGE
DIRIGIBLE
HANGAR
SORTIE
EN ROUTE
Even the word AVIATION is French!
I know that I thought that the reason for the French terms was because of the Montgolfier Brothers as I so pridefully stated in my TULSA TIME article.
The French and Germans were very aggressive in the early development of aircraft, especially after the Wright Brothers took their aircraft to Europe to show, and unlike the secretive Wright Brothers, the French liked to SHOW OFF!
Many historians believe that because the Wrights were so involved in lawsuits about their patents (with Glenn Curtiss and others) that they weren't as innovative as the French and German aviation pioneers. When the United States entered World War I, the country was hopelessly behind and had to rely on the French and British to supply the majority of its aeroplanes (as they were called then). The names of World War I aircraft which come easily to mind are De Havilland, Fokker, Nieuport, and, of course, the Sopwith Camel! Only the Curtiss JN-4 comes to mind as an American aeroplane.
It was good that the United States was only involved in World War I for a year.
This is an Autochrome Lumiere of a NIEUPORT FIGHTER in 1917 in Aisne, France,
One time, we were at break at work and a group of people there were discussing a concert, and is my wont, I broke out into song. Another woman said, "That is very irritating." I told her that I was honestly sorry my singing irritated her.
She said it wasn't my singing in particular, but the fact that she didn't "care for music", and the rest of us were always talking about music. Everyone there was shocked and one person asked, "HOW could you NOT like music?"
She asked, "Do you like--say, for instance--soccer?" The person answered that she didn't. The woman said, "It's just the same--you don't like soccer--and I don't like music."
I know that the woman regretted ever telling about it, because after that she was frequently bombarded with questions. She became angry when one person called it a "disorder" and another referred to it as a "condition". She said that she wasn't "sick". Seeing that it made her uncomfortable, I didn't question her, but I was always fascinated that someone didn't like music.
I knew there must be a term for it. I learned that "amusia" meant the inability to comprehend music and that "melaphobia" is an aversion to music and I gathered that neither of those fit her "condition". I then read about "musical anhedonia". Anhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure from what other people consider normal activities such as music and movies.
Recently, in conversation with a young person, I made a reference to a movie and he stated that he didn't like movies. I had the same reaction that I'd had with that woman years ago and I thought, "HOW could you not like movies?" But instead of saying that, I asked, "You don't like ANY movies?" He said, "No, I don't understand why people are so gung-ho about movies." I asked, "Do you like music?" He answered that he did and asked me why I asked.
I said, "I was fearful you suffered from ANHEDONIA!" He asked, "What's that?" I told him about knowing a woman who didn't like music. He asked, "How could anybody not like music?"
TA-DAH! DRUM ROLL, please!
Gerald groaned as he listened to the following exchange:
After my brother read the BLOG article FREE FALLIN', he said that he was surprised by my using an old cliché such as "trip the light fantastic". I remember my mother singing a song with that phrase in the lyrics. Listen to the legendary Lena Horne singing New Fangled Tango.
I laughed and thinking that I achieved one-upsmanship, I asked, "Aren't all clichés OLD, or are you merely being redundant?" (I thought, "Gotcha!")
He countered with, "No passive-aggression allowed here; just admit it's a cliché!"
I answered, "I will admit that I used the phrase in a humorous way and if one makes light of the usage, then it should be apparent to readers that one is also making the point that it is a cliché and readers would grasp that it is also self-deprecating."
He replied, "HUNH? WHUT? DUH? How about using I rather than ONE?"
I asked, "But can a phrase be a cliché if it's seldom used?"
He answered, "It's old AND it's a cliché!"
I asked, "But how many times have you heard it used in the past year?"
"OK, OK, I give up; it's an old CHESTNUT!"
I was so impressed by that adroit comeback I decided to give in to his argument! I hadn't heard the phrase "an old chestnut" in years!
Definition of "an old chestnut": a subject, idea, or joke which has been discussed or repeated so many times that it is not interesting or funny any more.
Recently, I watched a fascinating program with Eva Marie Saint being interviewed by Robert Osborne and I was pleased to learn that one of her first Broadway roles was in the 1953 version of The Trip To Bountiful. Eva Marie Saint is 88 years old and obviously has never had plastic surgery. She's witty and incisive and her talking about On The Waterfront, Raintree County, and Exodus, with her insights about the directors and her fellow actors was thrilling.
It was moving when she told about landing her first big part in the Broadway production of Mister Roberts starring Henry Fonda and the director Josh Logan told her she was being replaced. The actress who replaced her was Jocelyn Brando--Marlon's sister--and although she is undoubtedly a good actress, whom I've seen only a few times, I can verify she's NO EVA MARIE SAINT! Eva Marie said she did everything she could NOT to cry in front of Logan, but collapsed at home and she considered leaving acting and returning to college for a Master's Degree to teach. Soon Elia Kazan called her for On The Waterfront and she received the Academy Award and has been performing ever since.
Osborne asked her if the Academy Award changed her life and she said, drily, "Yes, I'll always have Academy Award winner before or after my name!" She also received a Tony, Emmy, and many other awards.
She has had a BOUNTIFUL life, married to the actor/director Jeffrey Hayden for 63 years, with two children. Her family was always her priority and she had it written in her contracts that her family would be with her on location. When filming Exodus, she was accompanied by her husband, two children, her parents, and her mother-in-law, and the filming was done in Israel and Cyprus. She explained that the grandparents were the babysitters!
My favorite of her movies is Hitchcock's North By Northwest. She told that Hitchcock didn't like the clothes the studio had provided for her for the movie; he went with her to Bergdorf-Goodman's and he helped her choose the wardrobe. Those clothes still look chic today!
She has continued to work in movies and plays and her most recent film Winter's Tale was released on Valentine's Day, 2014!
Gerald swears that any place we go I'll meet someone I know. He said, "If we went to New York City, you'd run in to someone you know."
In 1978, I was in Gayfer's Department Store in Pensacola, FL, with my niece, and as we were looking at items, I remarked, "Oh, I saw the same thing at Lazarus." A woman close by asked, "Are you from Columbus?" I answered, "No, I'm from someplace you've probably never heard of--Washington Court House." She let out a little scream and said, "I'M from Washington Court House TOO!" That chance encounter was the beginning of a 35-year, long-distance relationship.
She lived in neighboring Fort Walton, FL. For years I would deliver items to and from her relatives locally and she would do the same for me. [It's truly amazing the things people leave behind when visiting.] She would visit me when she came to Ohio and I would visit her when I went to Florida. She died last year after a lengthy illness.
I especially miss her Christmas cards which always had seashells on them. My downstairs bathroom has a seashell theme and I decorate every room for Christmas. This year, I used her Christmas cards to make a border around the room.
My friend Patty sent a message that she had fallen and fractured her humerus and elbow and not to expect many messages because of her one-handed communication ability. She always maintains her humor, even about her humerus (she knows I couldn't resist that pun).
I am very afraid of falling. All winter I do "the old lady walk" (as Les calls it) and I clutch tenaciously onto anything I can--rails, banisters, my husband's arm--to keep from tumbling. My bone density tests show that I have strong bones with no sign of osteoporosis; my mother and neither of my grandmothers had any broken bones, thus I'm hopeful about genetics being indicative that I won't have any problems.
Everyone knows I am klutzy. Recently I fell UP the stairs. There are two steps from the family room to the laundry room. I had bought a pair of house slippers at Big Lots for $3.00 because Gerald and Les--and practically everybody I know--worry about my going around barefooted. I was still in my nightgown and I was wearing those new slippers as I started up the steps while holding my glass which contained some Coke and melting ice cubes. I tripped (and NOT the "light fantastic"), striking my temple on the door facing and then I fell backwards and hit a Longaberger basket and landed on my back on the floor. (Thank goodness for the carpet.) I was surprised that I didn't break the basket (good work, Longaberger employee) and that there was no cut on my gown.
At the time of my fall, Gerald and Les were still in bed. I crawled to the couch. I could feel that there was no cut on my face or head but I didn't have the nerve to look at my thigh; however, I could feel it bleeding and I put some Kleenex on it.
When Les came downstairs there was the mess of the broken glass and Coke on the laundry room floor and the Longaberger basket and its contents strewn on the family room floor.
He shook his head and said, "I've warned you about these late-night parties."
[One of the sayings of my brothers: "You know where to find sympathy?" It's in the dictionary between s**t and syphilis."]
Obviously I didn't get any sympathy, but just another lecture about how to carry stuff up the steps. When Gerald looked at my wound he thought I should go to the Emergency Room, but I put Neosporin and a gauze bandage on it. When I got to the bathroom I could see the big bruise on my head and the 5-inch gash in my thigh!
About an hour later, Les yelled, "Here's a song to make you feel better!" Yes, he played Tom Petty's Free Fallin'!
A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully, and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.
"Don't forget your sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. "They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them."
"Remember that sisters" means ALL the women: your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. "You'll need other women. Women always do."
What a funny piece of advice, the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!
But she listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her mother really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.
After more than 70 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:
Life happens.
Time passes.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT,
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you, or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family: all bless our life!
The world wouldn't be the same without sisters, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still.
ACE HARDWARE--BUY AMERICAN
Made in the USA - Very Encouraging
Costco sells Goodyear wiper blades for almost half the price that you will pay on the outside and they are made in the U.S.A. Read and do the following. Unfortunately our politicians and top CEO's (GE etc.) have pushed for trade to China and Mexico for years so Americans are now out of work. Did you Know that there is no electric coffee maker made in the US and that he only kitchen appliances made in the US are by Viking? I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA! That is also why I don't buy cards at Hallmark anymore, They are made in China and are more expensive! I buy them at Dollar Tree -- 50 cents each and made in USA!
I have been looking at the blenders available on the Internet. Kitchen Aid brand is MADE IN the U. S. Top of my list already!
Yesterday I was in WalMart looking for a wastebasket. I found some made in China for $6.99. I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if they had any others. She took me to another department and they had some at $2.50 made in USA. They are just as good. Same as a kitchen rug I needed. I had to look, but I found some made in the USA -- what a concept -- and they were $3.00 cheaper.
We are being brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from China and Mexico is cheaper. Not so.
I was in Lowe's the other day and just out of curiosity, I looked at the hose attachments. They were all made in China. The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments. They were made in USA Start looking, people; In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else and most often, it's their job.
My grandson likes Hershey's candy. I noticed, though, that it is Now Marked "made in Mexico".
My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico. Now I have switched to Crest.
You have to read the labels on everything.
This past weekend I was at Kroger and I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I usually buy -- was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared them: they were the same except for the price; the GE bulbs cost more than the Everyday Value
brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was that the GE brand was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in -- you guessed it-- the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio.
It's way past time to start finding and buying products you use ; everyday that are made right here.
So, on to the next aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets: Yep, you guessed, Bounce brand cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value Brand cost less, and is MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday AND the dryer sheets performed just as well as the Bounce Free I have been using for years, at almost half the price.
MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA. The job you save may be your own or your neighbor's!
If you accept the challenge, pass this on to OTHERS so we canvALL start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies -- you're sending the jobs there. Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA.
"Hey, man!" "Say, man!" "Oh, man!"
I wondered where the term "man" originated when used that way.
When I asked my fount-of-knowledge friend, he said, "Oh, it's from black jazz musicians who were tired of being referred to as boys!"
I screaked, "HOW would you know that?"
"I just know things, MAN!"
When I persisted, he challenged, "Just look it up, MAN!"
Oftentimes, I don't know whether he is putting me on, just being quick-witted, or a combination of both! I have researched for an hour and have found nothing to substantiate his assertion. When he reads this, he might--or might not--tell me HOW he knows!
When I worked at Rockwell there were a large number of people who had come from the Rockwell plant in Tulsa. The plant in Tulsa had downsized because of the lack of a contract and the company had a preferential hiring policy which enabled Tulsa employees to transfer to Columbus. Although they had obviously coveted the jobs in Columbus, I detected a great deal of resentment from many Tulsa transplants: it was the fact that they felt they "HAD" to be there but didn't want to be.
In my first department, my boss and his boss, both long-time "North American" employees, were from Ohio, but of the other seven management people in my department, three were from Tulsa, and three others from other aircraft manufacturers, and I, although being from Ohio, was the real "outsider", because I had no aircraft background. One supervisor, from North Carolina, who'd worked for a number of aircraft companies, said, "I'll take you under my wing." I knew I had to "get along" and "fit in", and I was grateful that I had him as an my tutor. Only later did I learn that he'd already been promised a promotion when he was hired and that he would become the Department Manager after a year. He later told me, "I was just grooming you; I knew I couldn't trust those yahoos from Tulsa and I needed loyal people." (He used the term "yahoos" a lot!)
The supervisors from Tulsa "stuck together"; they did not try to fit in; they had their own "enclave": apartments in the same complex; they ate lunch and socialized together; whereas my tutor bought a house close to where his boss lived. He laughed and told me, "Hell, yeah, I'm a brown-noser; I plan to stay around here!"
Their most obvious "non-joining" of the Tulsa supervisors was at Management Club meetings; they did not sit at the "Department table", but instead congregated with others from Tulsa who worked in other departments. There were people from Tulsa who'd been transferred to lateral, higher management positions, but there were none in the Nacelles; the only management people from Tulsa in the Nacelles were First-Line Supervisors, and interestingly, the Nacelles had the fewest number of people from Tulsa than the other sections and none of them were ever promoted. Looking back, I think it was because they saw their jobs as "temporary"; they were just waiting to get back "home".
It was just TOO easy to poke fun at the guys from Tulsa, and although I never SAID or DID anything, I was guilty, at least, of the sin of omission, as I "went along" with the jibes, and I never protested. Although we had to dress professionally, the three guys from Tulsa wore cowboy boots and large belt buckles. Although they wore the required dress shirts and ties, their slacks were "western-cut" to accommodate the cowboy boots; their very "western" looking suit jackets would be hung in the office. Whenever the guys from Tulsa would approach, others would sing snippets from an old country and western song which had a popular version in 1982 Tulsa Time. To this day, whenever I see a man with a big belt buckle, I think, "TULSA TIME".
They also had unusual pronunciations. The first time I heard one of them say "longeron", it came out something like this: "LON-GUH-RON" and when another said, "liaison", he pronounced it "LIE-UH-ZAHN". One day, in interacting with one of the guys from Tulsa, I pronounced longeron as it is in the dictionary, and the Tulsa-ite dared to correct me. I said, "Did you know that a great number of aircraft terms come from the French because of the Montgolfier brothers?" I turned and walked away. He followed me and asked, "What does that mean?" I answered, "It simply means that many aircraft terms come from the French because of the Montgolfier brothers."
He said, "I heard you the first time; I STILL don't know what you mean." Much to his chagrin, I repeated once more that many aircraft terms come from the French because of the Montgolfier brothers. He said, very angrily, "And I told you that I don't know what you mean." I said, "Look in a dictionary and you'll see that longeron comes from the French."
He never spoke to me again.
