CHANNEL SURFERS

Gerald and I usually watch Jeopardy! while eating dinner., but we watch it from a recording because I seldom watch anything LIVE as Les records nearly everything for me to watch at my convenience.  I am inordinately fond of the remote control and fast forward through the commercials.  

Gerald and Les don't like to watch television with me because I am the inveterate CHANNEL SURFER!   If I am watching a program in "real time", I flick to other channels during the commercials.

The URBAN DICTIONARY (see below) posted the phrase "COMMERCIAL GAME" which means the game that they watch during a commercial break in the game they are actually watching.

I don't watch sporting events but like the Commercial Game people, I flick to other channels, so I call it my  COMMERCIAL SHOW rather than COMMERCIAL GAME.

commercial game


The game I watch during a commercial break of the game I'm really watching.
"Yeah, I watched it, but it was my commercial game."

namaste

I'm always amused when I see people reading weighty tomes in public. I think those people want to impress someone, but whom? A person who would also read those kinds of books would surely think the people were "showing off" by reading them in public. I think it's just pretentious. I guess I believe I must give undivided attention to intellectual material.

Yes, I'll read magazines at the doctor's office--I even take magazines to share at the doctor's office-- and I always have reading material in the car or purse in the event that I might be stranded somewhere, but I don't carry Stephen Hawking's books or Principia Mathematica with me. I've had some marvelous conversations with people about books they were reading.

Today at a restaurant which features a couch, comfortable chairs, and a coffee table, as well as regular chairs and tables, I noticed a young man sitting on the comfy couch, eating a scone, and drinking a latte, as he was reading a book by The Dalai Lama. (Hey, I'm observant, and yes, I listen to the orders placed by others; thus I heard his detailed la-di-dah coffee order) I told the gal waiting on us, "I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I think the scones are awful, but I do love the cream puffs."

The book the young man was reading appeared to be from a library because it had the protective cellophane wrapper I see on library books.

I said to my luncheon companion: "Watch this." When I got his attention--which was easy--after all, he obviously wanted people to pay attention to him--I folded my hands, did a quick head bow and said, "NAMASTE!"

He looked absolutely thrilled and returned the gesture.

Walking out, I felt bad--there I was making fun of his conspicuous display of seriousness--and he obviously thought I was sincere!

CAN SHE MAKE A CHERRY PIE, CHARMING BILLY?

When we were a young married couple, Gerald and I would go to the Fish And Game Lodge for a monthly potluck dinner followed with 50/50 dancing. 

Each month I would try to outdo myself with some showy dessert for the dinner.

One month I had worked on Saturday, and when I got home I was longing to lie down and relax prior to the party. I asked Gerald, "Sweetheart, why don't you go to Kroger and pick up something from the Deli?" He had a crestfallen look on his face and asked, "Aren't you going to make something?"

My all-wise mother, sensing Gerald's desire, began singing the old folk song Charming Billy: 

"Can she make a cherry pie
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a cherry pie
Charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink its eye,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother."

I got the message immediately that he wanted me to make something "special";  I spun into action--they call me "The White Tornado"--and told Gerald to rush to the store to buy ingredients I needed.  After he left for the store Mother said, "You know he likes it when you show off your cooking!"  

I didn't make a cherry pie that time, because I didn't have enough time, but I did make a Strawberry Trifle, which is a very attractive dish and usually elicits some "ooohs" and "aaahs".

In our family we have an acronym--P.I.E.--which means PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING. Growing up, if we were having company, and something my mother made didn't look "presentable" she would hide it. Of course we would eat it later, but it had to be pretty for company.

TRAPPED!

I had responded to a Facebook request from a friend to name a movie I'd seen more than three times. When I supplied several names of movies I had indeed watched more than once, the person posting wrote that she "couldn't believe" that I didn't mention The Sound Of Music. I responded that it was a ridiculous movie which I had endured watching one time.

One would have thought that I had committed blasphemy. She actually telephoned me because she was upset. I asked, "How could he have been a NAVY Captain in Austria?"

That remark unleashed a barrage of emotion from her. "Why do you always make fun of the things I love?, she asked.  I thought, but did not say, "Surely you don't think that schmaltz is historically accurate, do you?" but instead I merely said, "Surely you know that Austria is a land-locked country so how could Captain Trapp have been in a navy?"

She said that I was mean. I said, "Oh, Hell, you'll probably be telling me next that you think Gone With The Wind was historically accurate!"

She can't seem to comprehend that because I dislike something she likes that it is not an attack on her personally or a judgment of her character; I cannot understand such great sensitivity. Why on earth would she care that I don't like a movie which I consider treacly? If she didn't want my opinion, why ask?  She thinks I am "opinionated";  I told her that I think she is opinionated, but that's why I like her!

She and I agree on nearly everything which I consider important, but I am not exaggerating when I reveal that there have been dozens of incidents with her having hurt feelings because I disliked something she liked. One time she didn't speak to me for a week because I hadn't been sympathetic to a demise of a television program she cherished.

She protested, "But it won the Oscar!"   I replied, "Just because it won the Academy Award doesn't mean it's a great movie; I'll just mention The English Patient, Braveheart, and Gladiator for ridiculous winners."

I know that moviemakers have dramatic license, but there are just too many errors in the movie to be acceptable. For example: Captain von Trapp is portrayed as a cruel father, which numerous accounts, including Maria's, have disputed. There were 10 children, not 7, and Maria was hired to be the governess of one child. The Captain and Maria married in 1927, not shortly before they left Austria, as portrayed in the movie, and they certainly didn't climb any mountains to escape Nazis; in fact, they left on a train in 1938, which was two years after winning the famous competition in Salzburg.

However, in researching for this, I was embarrassed to find that I was wrong because I learned that Captain von Trapp had indeed been a Navy submarine Captain in World War I for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

To show how bad I feel about being wrong about Captain von Trapp , I actually gave her an AUTOGRAPHED, first-edition copy of Maria von Trapp's autobiography. I know you are going to ask why I have a copy of a book which I have obviously little interest in; it was a gift from someone who knows I like first editions, but I must have failed to let that person know that I like first editions of authors I like, not every first edition. I have kept the book for more than 20 years but now it will with someone who will appreciate it.

Although I was wrong about Captain von Trapp being a captain, it's STILL a ridiculous movie!

KEEP ONLY CHEERFUL FRIENDS

From MONA LISA

MY ADVICE:

1.   Keep only cheerful friends.
The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!) 

2.  Try everything twice.
On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:
"Tried everything twice.  Loved it both times."


3. Keep learning:
Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever.
Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things. 
Watch that sunset;  that moonrise;  that snowfall.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.
Laugh until you gasp for breath.
And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen:
Endure, grieve, and move on.
The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:
Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health.
If it is good, preserve it.
If it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips..
Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

12. Wine does not make you FAT ...

- it makes you LEAN ....
(Against tables, chairs, floors, walls and ugly people.)

CRUDITES

In the 1990s I was working with a young man whom I liked a great deal and he told me that he'd just become engaged and would need time off for their honeymoon.  I told him, "Oh, that's wonderful;  I hope you'll be as happy as I have been in my marriage."  He answered, "Thank you so much;  you're the first person to say something positive!"  Since I was the only female in the department, I said, "Oh, you know how guys like to razz."  He replied, "No, it's more than that;  women I've told are negative too and one actually said that the marriage probably wouldn't last."  I asked, "Does she know your fiancee?"  He answered, "No, they've never met."  I said, "Then how the Hell could she make such an ignorant statement?"  He said, "Well, I'd told her that we come from very different backgrounds."

I asked what kind of work his future wife did and he said that she had her own catering business.  I told him that was a very difficult job and I knew as I had catered myself.  I said, "There's nothing worse than dealing with the mother of a bride."  He said, "Oh, she says the same thing."  

I asked if they saw their diverse backgrounds as a problem and he said,  "Before I met her I didn't even know what crudites were and now I'm eating leftover vegetables all the time!"  I laughed and said, "You'll be chiffonading before long!"

I attended their wedding and after he left the Company, we stayed in contact, but after a few years, mostly just by Christmas cards.  In their Christmas letter this past year, I was pleased to see that they are still married, have two children, and after years of working in manufacturing management, he is now managing the family catering business.  His wife's postscript:  "Dear Sweet Sue, we STILL use YOUR Dip Suzanne recipe whenever I serve fruits." and his postscript: "I CAN chiffonade with the best of them!"

See HOW TO CHIFFONADE video:

"WALDO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT THERE?""

One of my favorite political statements:  "Waldo, the question is, what are YOU doing out there?" 

I believe that the following story is apocryphal, but I enjoy the message.  

Henry David Thoreau spent one night in jail because he was convicted of not paying his taxes because he was opposed to slavery and the Mexican-American War.



Thoreau spent only one night in jail because his taxes were paid without his consent or knowledge.  It is suspected that his great friend Ralph Waldo Emerson paid the taxes and fine. 

When Emerson went to the jail to see Thoreau, he asked, "David, what are you doing in there?" to which Thoreau uttered his famous reply.  

In the 1960s there was a series called Slattery's People which starred Richard Crenna as a crusading politician.  The first time I heard about the Thoreau/Emerson exchange was from an episode of that series.  That sent me back to re-reading Civil Disobedience and a lifelong love of Thoreau.  

Recently I have been thinking about the quote as I ponder what I should be doing OUT HERE to defend my beloved country.

MORAL SUPERIORITY

Mark Twain: "Give a man a reputation as an early riser and that man can sleep until noon."

I am continually irritated with people who obviously think it is somehow noble to "get up early";  they always say "I'm an early riser." with a sort of moral superiority.

After Gerald retired, he said, "I got up at 4:30 in the morning for 30 years and I'm gonna sleep as late as I want."

I sleep very little. Gerald sleeps a lot. If I need to get up early, I do, but I am a night owl who spent a great deal of my work life on first shift. I was always happier, physically and emotionally, and more productive at home and at work, when I was on second shift. I could not tolerate third shift.

I am a night person; I've always been a night person. I have more energy at night. Obviously my CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS were inherited from my father who spent the majority of his work life on second shift.

I say that the only thing Mother ever taught us that was sinful was sleeping. She was also one who had the air of moral superiority of being an early riser.

I can recall when I was in school that I was telling what someone had said with Jack Paar the previous night. A teacher, hearing the conversation, had a sudden intake of breath and said, "Your mother shouldn't let you stay up late like that." My mother didn't care if we stayed up late; she was always up--usually still working--but we had better get up the next morning.

When I was a kid, I thought that my mother NEVER slept, as she was always UP--and cheerful--which was also irritating. When I was working, I would be rushing around in the morning, getting ready. I am known as "The White Tornado"! I know that Mother was always awake but would never bother me in the morning, because, unlike Mother, I am totally anti-social until I've been awake at least two hours. When I was ready to leave, she would open her bedroom door and say, "Have a good day, Hon!" By that time I could barely mumble a response, "You too--love you."

See the article Circadian Rhythms (according to ScienceDaily.com):

A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle in the physiological processes of living beings, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. In a strict sense, circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, although they can be modulated by external cues such as sunlight and temperature.

Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings. There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle.

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep if allowed to sleep and wake at the times dictated by their body clocks. Unless they have another sleep disorder, their sleep is of normal quality.

Humans have biological rhythms, known as circadian rhythms, which are controlled by a biological clock and work on a daily time scale.
Due to the circadian clock, sleepiness does not continuously increase as time passes. Instead, the drive for sleep follows a cycle, and the body is ready for sleep and for wakefulness at different times of the day.

Delayed sleep-phase syndrome (DSPS) is a chronic disorder of sleep timing. People with DSPS tend to fall asleep at very late times, and also have difficulty waking up in time for school or work which begins in the morning. Often, DSP individuals report that they cannot sleep until early morning. Unlike insomniacs, however, they fall asleep at about the same time every night, no matter what time they go to bed. People with DSPS have at least a normal - and often much greater than normal - ability to sleep during the morning, and sometimes in the afternoon as well. In contrast, those with chronic insomnia do not find it much easier to sleep during the morning than at night.

CRINGE--FAYETTE COUNTY TALK 2017

CRINGE articles have been a staple of Sue's News since 2010, when I began the BLOG.

Yesterday, I was "listening in" to a conversation, which obviously was about a female two people knew in common:

#1 person:   "You know Don."
#2 person:   "No, I don't know a Don."
                                                      #1 person:   "You know, she's related to...." and then named another person they also apparently know in common.
                                                      #2 person:  "Oh, you mean DAWN!"
                                                      #1 person:  "That's what I said."
                                                      #3 person:  "No, you said DON!"

They continued with the discussion.  Uncharacteristically, I refrained from commenting but chuckled to myself how many times I've had the same discussion.

Recently an acquaintance said "bot";  I commented, "I can tell you're not from here."  She replied, "How can you tell?"  I said, "You pronounce words differently."  She asked, with obvious incredulity, "Like what?"  I said, "Bought and caught for example."  

She was defensive and said, "I think YOU say words funny too."  As I was not offended that she would think that about me,  I laughed and said, "I know;  I've been trying to escape Fayette County all my life."  After my self-deprecation, she laughed and we had a delightful conversation about differences.  

Her favorite "mispronunciation" (her opinion) by me:  FUTILE.  I maintain that I LIKE my pronunciation;   listen to the "English" pronunciation (favored by me), rather than the "American English" pronunciation (favored by her):

YOU KNOW THEY ARE ALWAYS THERE

I lost a friend.  This article is from 2012:  the last line:  "Good friends are like stars, you don't always see them but you know they are always there."




                                                                   KEEPERS OF THE FAITH

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.

Their best friends lived barely a wave away.

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee-shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress; lawn mower in his hand, and dish-towel in hers. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress.

Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away; never to return.

So, while we have it, it's best we love it, and care for it, and fix it when it's broken, and heal it when it's sick.

This is true, for marriage and old cars, and children with bad report cards; dogs and cats with bad hips, and aging parents, and grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep. Like a best friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special, and so, we keep them close in heart and mind and spirit.

Good friends are like stars.

You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

REMEMBERING RICHIE HAVENS

January 21 is the birthday anniversary of Richie Havens;  we lost Richie in 2013.  The article below was written in 2010:

                   MEETING RICHIE HAVENS
My husband and I are fans of Richie Havens; I since 1966 and Gerald since 1968. We have seen him in concert 20 times. He has never failed to deliver a marvelous performance. We first saw him in 1969; however, in the intervening years, he has gone from performing in arenas and stadiums to small venues. We were never able to talk to him until two years ago.

In 1969, there was a virtually unknown performer as Richie's opening act: Bruce Springsteen. I can remember Gerald leaning over and saying, "Boy, that guy's GOOD!" We became immediate Springsteen fans. Bruce, the opening act, received a standing ovation.

Two years ago, Richie's website showed that he would be playing at a night club in Cleveland. In my mind, I guess I was thinking that the "night club" would be similar to the Copacabana. I insisted that we would have to "get really dressed up" for the event. I made reservations for "ringside seats" and we drove to Cleveland and checked into our motel. When we told the clerk why we were in town, he said that Richie was staying there also. The clerk said, "If you don't get to meet him at the club, I'll be sure to introduce you; he stays here whenever he's in town."

When we arrived at the venue, there was no valet parking. We walked in and there were tables covered with oil cloth (and with rings from glasses and cigarette burns on the oil cloth) and guys sitting at the bar were wearing flannel shirts and jeans. Of course, I was expecting a grand stage show but this wasn't exactly the Copa. The word "dive" crossed my mind and if my feet hadn't hurt so bad from those high heels I was wearing, I wouldn't have sat down at a table in the bar.

Gerald went to the bar and asked where Richie was going to perform and the bartender gestured toward an area to the rear of the bar. We went in and found our reserved table. There were just eight tables around the stage and the rest of the area seating was just rows of folding chairs.

Did I mention we were overdressed? The dress code was obviously "early hippie";  the crowd was amazingly diverse in age; there were a number of young people as well as people of our age group. The audience was very enthusiastic.

Richie put on a wonderful performance combining both old and new material; practically all old songs received standing ovations.

I was disappointed, however, that he did not perform my favorite song, Bob Dylan's Just Like A Woman.

I had said to Gerald that we might be able to get his autograph after all these years. I had brought my copy of Richie's autobiography and Gerald bought the new CD. When we got to the front of the line, Richie said, "So you're the ONE who bought my book!" I told him that several people in line had asked about it and he should have them on sale there also, along with the CDs.

I mentioned that he hadn't sung my favorite song. He asked which one and he said I should have yelled out a request. I leaned over and whispered a secret in Richie's ear. He looked at Gerald and asked, "Are you the one?" Gerald knew exactly what secret I had shared with Richie.

Gerald said, "Yes, I'm guilty!" Richie inscribed the book, "To Sue Just like a woman A friend forever Richie Havens".  Richie and I began singing the song TOGETHER!  That made my day, my week, my month, my year, my decade: singing Just Like A Woman with Richie Havens!

Last year for my birthday, we went to see Richie at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights; he was appearing with Arlo Guthrie. Again, there was a wide diversity of age groups, which continues to surprise me, but I have also seen the same age assortment at Dylan's concerts.

There was an intermission between Richie's portion of the concert and Arlo's portion and Richie had graciously consented to autograph CDs during the intermission. Gerald bought Richie's new CD to be autographed. I have no shame--I took the autobiography and he autographed it again--I also took 13 CDs to be autographed! [I had put away all of Richie's records and since Norman gave me a car CD player for for my birthday, I had to replace the albums with CDs] I know the people behind me in line HATED me for taking up so much of Richie's time, but I know that I'm his number one fan, so I risked their umbrage.

Arlo started to perform and the people behind me were restless as they also wanted to enjoy Arlo's concert, but there I was, hogging Richie's time. Gerald, ever the gentleman, suggested that we move aside to allow others behind us to have their autographs. We went to the back of the line.

When we came back, Richie was charming and accommodating and he asked us to sit with him and we watched the first half of Arlo's performance together. When Richie was ready to leave, he hugged me and told me he'd see me the next time.

It's marvelous when a person one has admired doesn't disappoint when one meets him in person.

HAIL AND FAREWELL, MR. PRESIDENT

In his New Year greeting, the President wrote:

"It has been the privilege of my life to serve as your President.  I look forward to standing with you as a citizen."

My response:

Dear Mr. President:

It has been the privilege of my life to have had you as my President.  

I am very proud to have contributed, in my own small way, to your victories in Ohio in 2008 and 2012.

I look forward to standing with you as a citizen.

SURPRISING BOOK FACTS

THAT DOES MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE

Each time I meet a new client at The Well, where I volunteer, I ask,  "What do you like to read?"  Today, a young man was there with his mother and he answered, "Have you ever heard of  Wilkie Collins?"  I answered, "Oh, yes, of course, The Moonstone, and The Woman In White, but I don't have anything by him here, but I do have some by his great friend Dickens."  

The man answered, "It's amazing you know that;  Collins was known as the Dickensian ampersand."

Now, tell me, WHO would not be impressed with THATknowledge?   I did NOT know that, but I was taken aback that he would automatically assume that one would not know that Collins and Dickens were friends.  I asked, "Why would you think that one wouldn't know that Dickens and Collins were friends?"  He answered, "Most people would not know that."  I said, "Dickens was an admirer of Collins' father, the landscape artist William Collins." He answered, "And most people would not know THAT!"

We compared other knowledge about Collins and I asked, "Did you know that Matthew Broderick and his wife named their son after Wilkie?" He laughed loudly at that trivial tidbit and I joined in with him, laughing at myself.  I said, "I'm embarrassed I know THAT!"

Later, another person who is also a volunteer, had overheard the conversation and asked, "You probably don't get that many serious readers, do you?"

I answered, "Oh, I have quite a number of serious readers." The colleague asked, "What was that word he used?"  I asked, "You mean ampersand?  THAT does make it all worthwhile!"

MY ALL-TIME HERO

I am pleased to republish my BLOG article from 2012 and a letter from John Lewis titled

                           I STAND WITH JOHN LEWIS

Anyone who knows me knows that I always say that John Lewis is my all-time hero.

In 1961, John was one of the original Freedom Riders. From 1963-1966, he was the Chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), of which I was a member. On August 28, 1963, at age 23, he was an organizer and speaker at the March On Washington where Dr. King gave his "I Have A Dream"  speech. He was beaten, nearly to death, on March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the March From Selma to Montgomery. That day will always be remembered as "Bloody Sunday". The scars from his skull fracture are still visible today.

John Lewis was one of the so-called "Six Leaders of The Civil Rights Movement". The others were:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Whitney Young
A. Phillip Randolph
James Foreman
Roy Wilkins

Lewis was the youngest and the only one still living.

John Lewis survived many brutalities and in 1986 he ran for Congress and is serving his thirteenth term as the U.S. Congressman from Georgia's Fifth Congressional District. He has served his constituents diligently and continues the fight for the rights for minorities, women, seniors, veterans, labor, and sexual orientation.

Along with John, I am deeply concerned about the efforts to deny voting rights to minorities, seniors, the poor, and young people. Fortunately, we were able to expose and defeat the attempt in Ohio to deny voting rights. However, in several other states, there are campaigns to deny voting rights.

Below is a letter from John Lewis I wish to share.


"Dear Sue,

This is deeply personal for me.

As you know, I’ve been marching and preaching and fighting for voting rights for over 50 years. Today, we’re seeing a deliberate and systematic effort on the part of Republican officials to prevent minorities, seniors, the young, and the poor from casting their ballots.

Republican Governors like Florida’s Rick Scott and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker are trying to steal this election even before it takes place.

Voting is precious, almost sacred. It’s the most powerful instrument that we have in a democratic society. We need to move quickly to launch voter education programs and counter the powerful interests that are endangering our basic rights.

Too many courageous people have fought to secure the vote. Don’t let it be taken away:

http://dccc.org/Stop-Voter-Suppression

Thank you,

John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis
Georgia's 5th District

DAY OF SERVICE

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Today marks the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community.

The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects.

The national Martin Luther King Day of Service was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. The federal legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994. Since 1996, the annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service has been the largest event in the nation honoring Dr. King.

BLOG-OS-FEAR

I now ask permission to use the actual names of people when I reference them in my BLOG articles. One time I referenced a friend's name and it upset the friend that I had used the real name.  I corrected--by "updating"--and that article is now only seen in the revised form. 

Original articles only go to the e-mails of friends and family; all others who read the BLOG are "Followers" or look at the BLOG whenever they wish, or people who find me from Google. 

When I told my friend how many people who'd actually seen the original article, she was somewhat relieved.  She asked how I knew and I was able to tell my friend how many "hits" I'd had.  After the first year of blogging, I seldom check to see how many people read my articles.  However, I am still very interested in comments.

One of my brothers said, "Don't use MY name!" Everyone who knows me knows how many brothers I have and I'm asked frequently WHICH one it is WHEN I don't use the real name!

My best friend wrote, "Were you writing about ME?" I answered, "No, you are THE (friend) and all the others called friends are just "A" (friend) and not BEST (friend)!" She answered, "I thought maybe I had developed dementia and forgotten an incident!"

See "BLOGOSFEAR" from THE URBAN DICTIONARY:

BLOGOSFEAR--THE fear of being talked about or becoming a character in someone's blog.

When he talked to his friend, he was overwhelmed with blogosfear thinking their conversation would be published the next day in her very popular blog.

BLUE BIRD PIES

At lunch this week, we were discussing pies and I told about Blue Bird pies.  See the article below which I published in 2011;  its title is 

                               DAY OLD BREAD

 My father, my brothers Bode and Gary, and my husband Gerald all worked at Pennington Bread. The article  "A Man Lived By The Side Of The Road" at the bottom of this article was in my father's wallet.

In the days before the Bakery Thrift Store, employees could take home day-old merchandise. To this day I do not like FRESH bread because I was accustomed to day-old bread. I find fresh bread to be doughy and just too yeasty. We could never consume all that he brought home; our rabbits and chickens were fattened with DAYS-old bread and pastries. One time Mother looked out the door and saw our pet raccoon "RACKY" washing a sweet roll!  Every once in awhile I will see banana flips and have a yen for one,  but again find they they taste yucky.

Pennington's route salesmen distributed Blue Bird Pies which were sold in restaurants. The pans were recycled and the salesmen were responsible for returning the pie pans. The pie pans are 8-inch heavy aluminum pans. When Blue Bird Pies were discontinued, my father brought home a box of pie pans. These are still the best pie pans and the only ones I use for pies to eat at home.

Several years ago, I was at Caesar's Creek Flea Market and a vendor was telling a woman that the Blue Bird pie pan she was looking at was "at least 90 years old", but I interjected, "But how do you know that?" He said, "Because I know when the Company was in business." I said, "But that particular pan is from the 1950's." The woman asked, "How do YOU know?" I explained that my father had worked at Pennington's and that particular pan was new when I was a kid and that I had several different designs of pans I inherited. He had a price of $15.00 on the pan. I said to her, "Call me and I'll sell you a better one for a dollar!" The vendor said that he was going to call Security and that he wanted me to leave his area. I said, "Yeah, tell them to come over here and I'll report you for fraud!"

Of course, I was kidding about selling the pan because I would never part with any of mine.

                                A MAN LIVED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD

... and sold hot dogs.
He was hard of hearing, so he had no radio.
He had trouble with his eyes, so he had no newspaper.

But he sold good hot dogs.

He put up a sign on the highway, telling how good they were.

He stood by the side of the road and cried, "Buy a hot dog, mister." And people bought.

He increased his meat and bun orders and he bought a bigger stove to take care of his trade.

He got his son home from college to help him. But then something happened.

His son said, "Father, haven't you been listening to the radio? There's a big depression on. The International situation is terrible, and the Domestic situation is even worse."

Whereupon, the father thought, "Well, my son has been to college.

He listens to the radio and reads the papers, so he ought to know."

So the father cut down his bun order, took down his advertising signs, and no longer bothered to stand on the highway to sell hot dogs.

His hot dog sales fell almost over night.

"You were right, son," the father said to the boy, "We are certainly in the middle of a great depression."

---Watson Publications.

P.S. Business IS good...ask any Pennington Bread Salesman.

PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA

Just for fun, I always say that 13 is my lucky number as I am definitely NOT superstitious.

Recently a friend told me that I was incorrect in saying that TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA is the term for the fear of Friday the 13th;  the actual correct word is PARASKEVIDEKATRIAPHOBIA.

See the article from The Urban Dictionary:  Of course, I love the last line:  "Though it has a serious use in psychology, it seems to exist mostly to provide an opportunity for people like me to show off weird words from classical languages."

Triskaidekaphobia 

Fear of the number 13.  

Strictly, the word does refer only to fear of the number 13, but it’s often extended to mean fear of the inauspicious date Friday 13th.  Every year has at least one Friday the 13th.   The word’s origins are all Greek, from tris, “three”, kai, “and”, deka, “ten” (so making thirteen), plus phobia, “fear, flight”. The word is a modern formation, dating only from 1911 (it first appeared in I H Coriat’s Abnormal Psychology). Though it has a serious use in psychology, it seems to exist mostly to provide an opportunity for people like me to show off weird words from classical languages. I'm triskaidekaphobic (no I'm not).

Hear the song TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA:

IS THE MOVIE BETTER THAN THE BOOK?

At lunch recently with a group of friends, our friend David said that he never knew of any movie as good as the book on which it was based.  I said, "The Bridges Of Madison County is a great movie and the book is very poor."  He replied that To Kill A Mockingbird was ALMOST as good as the book.  Several other books versus movies were discussed, including Gone With The Wind and The Shawshank Redemption.   I think the best example must be The Godfather.

The topic turned to favorite actors and when someone mentioned Kevin Costner, I told about my ongoing debate with my brother about Kevin Costner's acting ability.  Read my article from 2010 titled

                                                     HEART OF STONE



My brother and I have an ongoing "Kevin Costner Debate". I always rent his movies, but I invariably say, "I don't care for Kevin Costner; I think he's a very wooden actor." I usually quote Dorothy Parker's review of Katharine Hepburn "She ran the gamut of emotions from A to B." to describe Costner's acting ability, and then Les will counter with, "But you liked Dances With Wolves, didn't you?" to which I mumble, "Well, yeah." Then he'll say, "You liked Bull Durham--right?" To which I answer, "I saw that because of Susan Sarandon." Next he will bring up The Big Chill and No Way Out, both of which I enjoyed.

I rented Field Of Dreams because of the "Salingeresque" character played by James Earl Jones. Les watched it first and then Mother, Gerald and I watched it together. In the scene where Kevin Costner realizes that Ray Liotta is his father, Gerald and I both had tears in our eyes. Mother looked at us and said, "I can't believe the two of you BAWLING at a movie!" Gerald said, "Gladys, you must not have had any father issues!" She just tsk-tsked and shook her head.

After we finished the movie, Les came downstairs for our usual movie discussion and he asked Mother how she had enjoyed it and she said, "It was OK but the two of them were bawling like babies!" Les said, "Mom, you'd have to have a heart of stone NOT to cry at Field Of Dreams!"

LOCK LOGIC

I saw this cartoon on Facebook and I was immediately reminded of a friend of mine who had four locks on both her front door and back door. When I asked her about it, she answered nearly the same way as the person in the cartoon did: "If a burglar tries to unlock the doors, he'll be locking two doors at the same time!"

I asked, "What about the windows?"

MEYER VERSUS MEYER

On Saturday, as I was cooking for the Bread Of Life meal, a man came into the kitchen and asked for me:  "They told me you're the Book Lady;  can you help me find some books for my wife?"

I was able to take a break from the fruit salad I was making at the time and I accompanied him to our little library at The Well.  I asked, "What does your wife like to read?"  He said, emphatically, "She only likes Christian books."  I answered, "We actually have a large selection of those;  do you know any of her favorite authors?"  He answered, "No, just Christian ones." Pointing to the shelves, I said, "You can look at them and see what you think she would like." but he replied, "I can't read very much."  I asked, "Does your wife come here?"  He said, "She can't get out much."

Picking out several books, I said, "A lot of people like Joyce Meyer."  I selected a couple of Meyer's books and then chose ones by Max Lucado, Catherine Marshall, and Frank Peretti, thinking it was an interesting group of authors.   I suggested, "Tell her to make a list and I'll put them aside for her;  will you be here next Saturday?"   He said that he would.

After serving the meal, the man returned to me and he handed a torn-out page from a paperback book and there were four books showing on the paper, with one book circled;  there was a note on the side:  "Got all but 1";  beside the circled one was written "Need" (with "Need" double-underlined).

 Slightly amused, I said, "You know, The Twilight Saga isn't exactly by a Christian writer."  He answered, "She said she'd read the first three and she wanted to finish it."    I said, "Those are by Stephenie Meyer, NOT Joyce Meyer."  He answered, "Yeah, she said you sent the wrong Meyer."

I said, "We need to look in the contemporary fiction;  we have had that series here."  As we looked at the "M" shelf,  there were two of the series, but not the fourth.  I said, "If one comes in, I'll set it aside for her."

Later, in telling  Les about the encounter, he said, "She'll probably want Fifty Shades Of Gray next!"

INAUGURAL

My brother asked, "Have you noticed how some people are pronouncing INAUGURATION?"     He said he'd heard several newscasters pronounce it like "in-AW-guh-RAY-shun", rather than like "in-AW-ghuh-RAY-shun" as we pronounce it.

I could not find any dictionary which gives "in-AW-guh-RAY-shun" as a proper pronunciation, but when I checked two online sources ("how j say" and "How To Pronounce") both sites gave BOTH pronunciations. 

Fortunately, YouTube has what I consider to be the correct pronunciation:

       

MEMORIES OF ELVIS

Elvis Aron Presley:  born January 8, 1935.  WOW!  The King would have been 82!

As the world's greatest Elvis fan. below is an article I wrote in 2013 titled 

                            MY 15-YEAR-OLD SELF

As I was decorating for Christmas, I was rearranging books in my library to make room for my "Elvis Shrine". Tucked inside my Latin II book, I found something I'd written when I was 15 years old. It was a rough draft for a contest I recalled that I had entered. Obviously I worked on other interests while I was supposed to be doing schoolwork. (In Omnia Paratus indeed!)

As an ardent Elvis fan, I listened to a local radio program and there would be contests with one of those "Be the third caller and you'll win the prize" gambits.

I was never able to win any of those, but several times, when one had to write in to the program to be able to win, I won several times. The prizes were always the same: 2 tickets to the Fayette Theater.

Elvis' fourth movie King Creole had been released and several of my classmates had gone to Columbus to see it. Imagine--being able to go to the big city--to the Lowe's Theater to see THE KING.  Full of envy, I listened to every word as they described the movie. We--the less fortunate--would have to wait for what seemed like forever for the movie to be shown in Washington Court House and even then, I wondered how could I get the money--or a way--to go.   Previously, my brother Gary and his wife had lived in town and I would go there and stay overnight and my sister-in-law and I would go to see the movies with the tickets I had won. By the time King Creole was released they'd already moved to the country.

The contest to win tickets for King Creole was announced and the contest required that one write a letter entitled "Dear Elvis" using the titles of Elvis' songs in the text. My submission was read on the air and afterwards I was teased mercilessly by my brothers and classmates about my submission. My cousin's wife took me to see the movie.

As I was looking at the rough draft, I noticed that I had the songs numbered; I didn't recall all the contest rules but it must have required a certain number of songs or number of words to be used. I cringed at what my 15-year-old self had written, but I showed it to my brother. 

He is usually caustic and sarcastic but he said, sincerely, "Aww, it's sweet; I never knew you were sweet." I answered, "I think it shows what a naif  I was." He said, "It was probably every girl's fantasy to think she was Elvis' girlfriend." I am nine years older than my brother, and although he knows me better than nearly anyone else, of course he did not remember that naive 15-year-old as he was only 6 at the time. He said, "You were so competitive that you had to be the one who knew every damn song; so you haven't changed THAT much; paragraph five is pretty good."

The following was written by my 15-year-old self--it's even signed "Phyllis"--as I was known in school: (Elvis' songs are capitalized}

Dear Elvis:

1.  In my imagination, I have YOUNG DREAMS that TOMORROW NIGHT you can put on your BLUE SUEDE SHOES and I can take the MYSTERY TRAIN down to NEW ORLEANS and we can go to the KING CREOLE night club, where we can have a HOT DOG, some TUTTI FRUTTI, and CRAWFISH, so LET'S HAVE A PARTY with MAYBELLINE, DANNY, and LONG TALL SALLY.

2.  HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY if I had ONE NIGHT with you, I would be ALL SHOOK UP, but JUST BECAUSE I gave you a TEDDY BEAR, it doesn't mean I am ALMOST IN LOVE. There might be some TROUBLE because YOU'RE A HEARTBREAKER, but THAT'S ALL RIGHT because I'm PLAYING FOR KEEPS.

3.  Elvis, DON'T BE CRUEL, because it will be THE END OF THE ROAD you FOOL, FOOL, FOOL, if I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET. I JUST CAN'T MAKE IT BY MYSELF but if we were at HEARTBREAK HOTEL on BLUEBERRY HILL, I won't be a HARD HEADED WOMAN, because I'M BEGINNING TO FORGET YOU!

4.  DONCHA THINK IT'S TIME for you to TREAT ME NICE because I'm LOVING YOU? It's NOW OR NEVER; after all, THAT'S MY DESIRE! TELL ME WHY that IT IS SO STRANGE , but IT IS NO SECRET that IT WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU so LET ME be your LOVER DOLL and that will be MY HAPPINESS!

5.  If you're worried about being a POOR BOY, I don't need any MONEY HONEY, I just want TRUE LOVE! You know, IT'S BEEN SO LONG, DARLING; this seems like a ONE-SIDED LOVE AFFAIR unless you LOVE ME TENDER. If you said WON'T YOU WEAR MY RING AROUND YOUR NECK, that's when MY WISH CAME TRUE. I said THAT'S ALL RIGHT because I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU!

6. This might be TOO MUCH, but THIS TIME I'll be THE FIRST IN LINE, but DON'T have a HEART OF STONE because you are the KEEPER OF THE KEY and I'M COUNTING ON YOU.

7.  If THERE'S NO TOMORROW, put your CRAZY ARMS around me, you BROWN-EYED HANDSOME MAN, because I JUST CAN'T MAKE IT BY MYSELF and I've GOT A LOT OF LIVIN' TO DO! I DON'T CARE IF THE SUN DON'T SHINE because I BELIEVE that you know that I will always be STEADFAST, LOYAL, AND TRUE and I'LL NEVER STAND IN YOUR WAY.

8.  I'M GONNA SIT RIGHT DOWN AND CRY OVER YOU if you say BABY, I DON'T CARE and I WANT TO BE FREE and I'VE GOT A WOMAN and WE'RE GONNA MOVE.

9.  Although I'm a HARD-HEADED WOMAN, I do UNDERSTAND, but HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL; am I OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND?

10.  I'M BEGINNING TO FORGET YOU because I'm looking at that BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY and knowing THAT'S WHEN YOUR HEARTACHES BEGIN.

11.  ALWAYS your biggest fan,


Phyllis

IS DAWN THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING?

I swear that my friend Mona Lisa thinks that Dawn detergent is the answer to everything.  As I have razzed her about her obsession, one of my Christmas presents from her was a bottle of Dawn wrapped in a copy of "28 Uses For Dawn Detergent" she had printed from the internet.  You can download it also or watch the YouTube video here:



I admit that years ago I was impressed when I saw birds being cleansed with Dawn detergent after oil spills, and that a doctor advised cleansing a wound with Dawn, but yesterday Mona Lisa called to tell me that I needed to mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn, 1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol with 1/2 gallon warm water and then spread it on my freezing door steps and walkways;  she swears they will not refreeze.  She said, "Think of all the money you'll save on salt and the Dawn won't hurt your concrete".   OK, I'll try it.  

Here are Mona Lisa's faves from the top 28 I shall also try:

1.  Make an ice pack with Dawn.  It supposedly stays much colder than other ice packs, can be refrozen, and conforms to affected areas.  This means that I could discard that bag of frozen, mushy peas.

2.  Put a drop on eyeglass lenses;  supposedly prevents them from fogging.  

3.  Apply as a lubricant to hinges, doorknobs, etc.

4.  Eliminating fleas from pets.

5.  Repelling pests from plants.

6.  Unclogging toilets.

7.  Repel ants;  spray counter tops and cupboards with solution of Dawn and water;  wipe away excess;  soapy residue supposedly kills ants.  If you see ants, just spray them.


8.  She swears that a mixture of 3 drops of Dawn in a gallon of water works better than Windex.

I'M NOT LISA

The Coordinator of a local organization where I volunteer is named Chiquita.

Today a man approached me and said, "I'm supposed to see someone named Chiquita."

He did not have a pleasant persona and I immediately disliked his demeanor.  I asked, "How do you know I'm not Chiquita?"

He replied, disdainfully, "You look like a Lisa."

Like a Lisa?  How absurd is that?

Naturally (well, "naturally" for ME), I began singing I'm Not Lisa.  Listen to Jessi Colter's version:

The man was obviously not amused and I directed him to Chiquita's office.  He asked, "Do you think she'll sing to me too?"  I answered, "I'm sure she knows all the words to her namesake song!"

Later, I mentioned the conversation to my brother and he asked, "How many times have you heard people say that someone doesn't look like a doctor, or a lawyer, or a cop, for example?"  I laughed and said, "I am guilty of that!  I actually said that someone looked like a cop!" But, naturally, (and again, it's "naturally" for me!) I knew that I was being absurdly stereotypical to say something like that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUKE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER ROGER SHIRKEY!

  

Below is one of my favorite articles I have written about him.  From 2010, it's titled:

                                                       AUTODIDACT

One of my nephews called me with a problem he was having in his manufacturing engineering class at college. I told him that I couldn't help him as I was abysmally ignorant of the area and he said that he figured I would have had that kind of issue at work. I laughed and answered, "I had engineers to figure out that stuff FOR me!" I told him that he should call his Uncle Duke. He said, "But Uncle Duke didn't go to college." I said, "Well, he's the smartest guy I know about that kind of stuff." I then told him that Uncle Duke was an autodidact and my nephew said he didn't know what that meant and I told him that it meant "self-taught";  Michael, another nephew, was visiting and he overheard the conversation.

A few weeks later, in talking to my nephew, he stated, "Boy, that Uncle Duke is smart!" He had indeed called my brother with the problem and my brother was able to help solve it.

A couple of months after that, Michael and his girlfriend were visiting and Michael was telling her about the different members of the family who were expecting to play poker that evening and I heard Michael say, "Yeah, my Uncle Duke is an autodidact!" What a pleasure to hear him explain to her the meaning of "autodidact".

It's good to know they can still learn something! It reminds me of the Mark Twain story of how at the age of 16 Mark couldn't believe how DUMB his parents were, but by the time he reached 21 he couldn't believe how SMART they had become!


FOOTNOTE: Famous Autodidacts (culled from THE AUTODIDACTS HALL OF FAME)

Louisa May Alcott
Henry Ford
Woody Allen
Benjamin Franklin
Hans Christian Anderson
Robert Frost
Maya Angelou
Bill Gates
Alexander Graham Bell
Ernest Hemingway
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Steven Jobs
Truman Capote
George Washington
Grover Cleveland
Abraham Lincoln
Walter Cronkite
Malcolm X
Charles Dickens
William McKinley
Walt Disney
James Monroe
Bob Dylan
Florence Nightingale
Thomas Edison
Edgar Allen Poe
Albert Einstein
John D. Rockefeller

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHIC AND CHI CHI

My friend Lee was wearing a gorgeous outfit and a person younger than the two of us complimented the outfit and Lee told how old the outfit was and said, ""I've got clothes older than you."  I laughed and said, "I had a picture of myself taken in this very sweater in 1981."

The picture on the left was taken in 1981 at my stand-up desk on the manufacturing floor at International Harvester.

In the picture below, I am wearing the same sweater.  It was taken in my library, using my laptop, while writing this article.   

This is my "blue week";  people who know me know that I wear the same color all week.  I began that practice in the 1970s because my work schedule was very demanding and I couldn't face making wardrobe decisions at 4:30 AM!  It made it much easier to have the wardrobe and accessories planned and hung in the closet for the entire week;   I would always say, "Ready for assembly.", a play on words for my work life, when I was ready for the work day.

I often say my closet looks like a Salvation Army store because I emulate them by having all of my clothes hung according to colors.

At a party recently a friend said,  "That's new;  I haven't seen it before."  I said, "This is an R and K Originals dress;  I wore it to a party at Rockwell in the 1980s."

R and K Originals was a brand that I thought was the ultimate in chic because, when I was a teengaer, my best friend's mother wore the brand often, and I thought she bought only "the best";  in an article about the history of the company it states:

"For the girl who knows clothes. was the motto of R and K Originals, a New York clothing company on Broadway that was established in 1932,  that sold fashionable and well-made, but affordable and moderately-priced clothing."  (The italics are mine, as I thought they were EXPENSIVE clothes!)

Obviously the clothes weren't the "height of fashion"  as I thought them to be when I was that impressionable teenager, although they were sold at Lazarus in the 1950s and 1960s and also when I bought mine in the 1980s.  See the labels change from the 1930s and 1940s (when it was "Original") to the 1950s (when it was "Originals" and the label from my dress from the 1980s

R and K Originals are now sold by JC Penney.  When I told my brother this, he said, "Oh, how have the mighty fallen!  I guess that's the difference between chic and chi chi."

NEW YEAR'S BLUES

Yesterday, I drove my elderly client to her beauty shop appointment and accompanied her inside.  The hairdresser operates the shop out of her home.  I was literally--not figuratively--SHOCKED to enter an actual HOARDERS' place.  I have seen hoarders on television, but it was indeed shocking to see it in person.   We entered through the back door and as we passed through the kitchen, a dog was constantly yapping around my feet.  I could not see any counter space because of all the stuff piled there;  the table and chairs were completely covered with paper, magazines, and food boxes;   the place where I thought the sink must be located was piled with pots, pans, and dishes, stacked up to the middle of a window.  When we went into the "salon" part, on one side of the room there were newspapers piled at least 4 feet high and STUFF strewn all over the room. There was another client under the hair dryer.  The place did not appear to be filthy, just unbelievably cluttered and dusty.

Later, I asked my client, "I can see HOW this could happen if one were alone in the world with no outside contact, but how can she operate a business like that?"  My client told me that she had been fixing her hair for 30 years and had operated a salon downtown for many years but she just takes care of several elderly clients nowadays. As my client has an immaculate home, I asked, "How can you stand to go there?"  She said it was difficult but the price was good and she liked the way she styled her hair.   

Shall I try one more time to follow my New Year's Resolutions from several years to DE-CLUTTER?  I had a modicum of success in 2016;  we had a fundraiser rummage sale to benefit our local political headquarters.  I promised Les that I would NOT bring anything back home. We packed up the remainder and took it to a local auction house. In surveying one of our spare bedrooms today, I notice we have a collection of STUFF there.

Having the wits scared out of me by the hoarders home, I began packing!  When I told my best friend about the hoarders house, she said, "The difference is that all your clutter is organized!" I said, "As Mother used to say.........".  She didn't allow me to finish, just laughed and said, "Yes, Gladys, a place for everything, etc."  (She and I call each other by the names of our mothers when we sound like them!)

Below is a BLOG article which I published in 2010 titled:

     A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE 
  

When people marry, it should be a law that one of them should possess the ability to get rid of "stuff"! Unfortunately, this is not the case in my marriage. Both of us find it difficult to discard anything. "You never know, I might need that", is a typical refrain when it's suggested by one to the other that one could dispose of something.

My brother and I were saying that we never thought that we would sound like our mother, but we do.  If I heard my mother say, "A place for everything and everything in its place" once, I heard it a million times in my lifetime. My brother and I call each other "Gladys" when we sound like our mother which happens frequently the older we get. One of my brothers is able to get rid of stuff, but another one is like me. My New Year's Resolution for this year, as it has been for the past nine years, is to "get rid of STUFF"! The past nine years have been unsuccessful, but since January 4, 2010, I have taken two bags to Goodwill!

When my husband and I retired, several people asked if we were going to "downsize" and I always answered that it would take me ten years to move. People oftentimes ask me why we live in such a large house and I readily admit that I have a bit (others say a lot) of OCD. On one hand, I can't get rid of stuff, but on the other, I can't stand clutter. All of my end tables, coffee tables and other pieces of furniture are chests--for storage--to prevent "clutter".  My husband is not bothered by clutter. When I see the horror stories on television of those "hoarders", my heart goes out to them because I think that they just need "more room", instead of my brother's opinion that they are just plain nuts. To ensure harmonious relations between my husband and myself, years ago we came to an agreement: the house is MINE and the two 2-car garages, workshop, attic, and basement are HIS as far as "clutter" is concerned. The house is free of clutter. When I go to one of his areas, I cannot stay very long because of the clutter. I have not been to one of his garages since 1984; I know there are two vehicles in there because I can see them through the door window. I've been to the basement twice this past year and to the attic once.

This past summer, he built a storage shed because he didn't have enough room for "stuff";  he did a very good job on the shed, but I do notice that some of the things he said that he was going to put in the shed are still in the yard.

On the other hand, recycling is practically a religion with him. One day in Chillicothe, he saw a 2x6x12 board fall from a truck and he ran after it, picked up the board and brought it home with him! I asked, "Are you going to cut that up for firewood?" and he said, "This is worth $30.00; if I can't use it for something, your brother can!" You just gotta love him.  After investigation, he told me it would be worth about $5.00.

Recently, Wayne, a former co-worker of mine, emailed me to ask me about the last name of the person named "Eddie" in the "RK" article. I couldn't think of it immediately, but I knew that I would have the information in file cabinets from 1982-1988. Climbing up those attic steps, I thought, "Am I out of my mind?" because I had had to take file cabinets to the attic, because I'd run out of room downstairs and they were now in his "Clutter Zone", but when I located Eddie Sharp's name and photograph, it gave me such great pleasure to e-mail Wayne with the information and to reflect on the happiest times of my work life.

SUE SAYS: