Friday, August 30, 2013

I was gonna

I was gonna talk about how much I hurt. Arthritis is for OLD people and even though I have white hair and have a blog by the name of Confessions of an Old Lady. I don't usually even acknowledge that I have any problems.

That's just not me. But today I have some aches.

Tomorrow will be better and Sunday will be even better because we will have a house full to cook and laugh and eat and have a good time.

I am so blessed to be my age and have such good health. A wonderful, comfortable house, a husband who just took off my toe nail polish for me, and who always cleans the kitchen after I cook and I am NOT a clean up after myself cook when I am cooking for 20-50 people and then I have to be..

I was thinking about my mom yesterday and I remembered the meals she used to cook. We had waffles, and fried bologna filled with scrambled eggs.

She would cook all kinds of things. Fish of all kinds, and vegetables.  She first time she brought home some artichoke and cooked them, serving them with melted butter with garlic..

I learned to heat the syrup and melt the butter for the waffles and pancakes. \

YUMMOOOO!!

I figured out how to add the syrup and the sugar and the cinnamon to the batter.

YUMMMOOOOO-ier.

And that's where the grand kids got their cooking adventures.

It helped that all the men in the family cook and do a really good job too.

More later, Linda 

Is it GOSSIP??

I try not t gossip---but sometimes!

Well, you know, I just have to say something. I try really hard not to but SOMETIMES--

When I decided to start with this blog Our Dave asked what a blog was and then he asked what did BLOG mean.  I didn't know. I didn't know anyone who knew. I didn't care to know I just had fun blogging.

But I got curious about the meaning of BLOG.

So I did what everyone else does----

I GOOGLED it!!

Wanna know what it means??

BIG

LOAD

OF

GOSSIP!!

So I have really tried not to gossip, but just tell what interests me. What I am wondering about and what is a travesty. 

More later, Linda

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

I'm Wondering AGAIN!!

Sometimes I can think of the most strangest things.

We've been watching America's Got Talent. It's been good. Some of the people are REALLY good.

And then there are the people who audition and are not good. You know who I mean. The people who can't even hit a note. The comedians who are not funny. The people who run needles into their eyelids.

All that stuff.

It just ain't good.

Then I realize that they KNOW they are good.

Why's that??

I think it's because they just need that boost to their confidence.

So, my point is this---if they think they are good at what they do, and aren't, are those people who are good at what they do and don't think they are, are they really not as good as they think they are.

I told you I was just wondering.

More later, Linda

Monday, August 26, 2013

Yesterday in Australia

Yesterday I saw the Lane family in Australia as they had a memorial for their Christopher. I have to admire the poise and the endurance of the mother and father as they stood in front of the paparazzi and told--again---about their son.

Could I have done this? NOT!!

Do I want to be in the lime light like that? NEVER!!!

Do I admire them for how gracious they are to be so open to the world about the murder of their son?

YES!!

And the men who did the shooting are sitting in jail--no bonding out for them. They will probably never see their families again without bars surrounding them.

They better hope and pray that they don't run into some other inmate who has ties to Australia.

And then I think of the parents of these young men. And the brothers and sisters of these men. And the grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins.

It was not just the life of Christopher that changed.

It was everyone in his circle.

And everyone in the circle of those three.

What a waste---just because of boredom!!

More later, Linda

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Wanna know why I love my job?

I used to work at the towns newspaper. I would show up every morning at 7.30 -- clock in at 8 -- but I began my work then and worked until I got the last piece of ads delivered at 5.30 or 6.

My husband worked international at that time. 30 days on and 30 days off. I would take him to the airport and show up for work by noon. I always told them I had something to do.

I had asked for that time to take him to the airport as it was the last communication we had for 30 days.

This was before cell phones or even computers.

NO communication.

NONE!

NADA!

ZILCH!!

For about 6 months this went on. I had told the art director that I was taking the mornings to take Jerry to the airport and I would continue to do so because I was making it up the rest of the month. 

They wouldn't let me have that half day, so they put me on probation.

Monday morning when I showed up at 7.30, the manager came by my desk and gruffly asked why I was there.

My reply was, I'm always at my desk at this time. AND I DON"T clock in til 8. And I clock out at 5, even though I deliver until 5.30 or 6.

He turned around and left.

I found another job.

Life is not fair sometimes. We live and work and go about our business as best we can. Which brings me back to those boys. They won't have a job. They won't get to go to prom or get married. They won't see their children.

But neither will Christopher Lane. And there in lies the tragedy.  Those boys chose to kill.

Christopher did not chose to die.

Back to why I love my job.  I became a Mark Kay consultant about 15 yeas later. I can take off a half day or a week any time I want to. I chose to work a steady hour at a time and then spend time with my Jerry.

And I am NOT put on probation NOR am I fired.

I LOVE it.



More later, Linda

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Christopher Lane is going Home

There was a murder in Duncan last week. Three men shot in the back and killed an innocent man. They didn't know him. They had not had any contact with him. They just shot him.

Parents are outraged, threats were sent to the high school and the middle school. Why? The people who did the shooting acknowledged their involvement with the murder. They told the police how they had picked this runner out and decided to play God and to end Christopher's life.

We could argue til the cows come home who is to blame. But one thing is obvious to me, these three men don't care.

They don't care about the man they killed.

They don't care about the family.

They don't care about the girlfriend, or the team mates, or the people in the home close to where they shot Christopher.

They don't even care about their own parents, or siblings, or friends, or

They don't even care about themselves.

More later, Linda

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Electronics AGAIN

I just want to say this----whatever I did yesterday worked like a charm.

While I was trying to decide what to do about the printer problem, I decided to clean up the computer..

You know what I mean----defrag and disc cleaning.!!

Takes forEVER!!!

Right???

WRONG!!!!

Yesterday it took only about 30 minutes to do all of that.

I remember when I was in computer 101 and the instructor said something about cleaning up the computer. Well I thought she meant dusting and screen cleaning.

So that's what I did.

WRONG!

She asked us how long it took and I said about 2 minutes and she said----

"To defrag???"

And I said----

"What's defrag?"

We all got a lesson on the importance of defraging our computers.

And you know what???  She was right!! Computers do work better after defragging!

My computer works like a dream now. I have been so busy I had forgotten to do that for about 2 months.

Will wonders never cease?? I know that when you do something like you should life is sooooo much easier.

Defrag once a week!!!

I think that would work with all the STUFF that clutters our minds and lives too.

What do you think??

More later, Linda


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Murder in a Small Town

I never thought I would hear of someone being murdered just because the murderers where bored---not in Duncan OK.

One of the fathers is now saying that his son is innocent because he didn't pull the trigger. Well, there was things on the Facebook that told about their agenda=---kill an animal---kill a person. He might not have pulled the trigger, but he KNEW about it and he could have gone home.

Our lives are a series of choices---his one was not a good choice for those three

More later, Linda

Electronics!!

I didn't grow up with electronics. High tech was not even thought of -- well maybe thought of but not in use.

I remember when TV came to us. We thought we had been put onto another planet.

We had 3 channels. And NO REMOTE!!

YIKES!!

We had to get up and go turn the knob from one channel to the next.

WE--my brother and I--were the remote.

And we watched what the parents wanted to.

I remember the summer of the Presidential conventions. SOOOO MANY hours of people talking and posturing and going on and on about this person or that one. Conventions in those days were just that. No one started running for office until they were put before all the delegates to choose the person to run for their party.

Sounds like a good idea to me..

I remember when we got COLOR TV. 

I remember when we got a screen that was bigger than 10 inches across that round screen.

And I remember when we got out first flat panel TV.

I remember when we got out first computer way back in 1994. Jerry was working in the Gulf of Mexico and so we got a fax modem so we could communicate with each other. The only thing is the faxes went into the rig bosses office and sometimes got mixed up with the work faxes.

 And six months later the new computers had this WONDERFUL thing called the INTERNET. We had TOWERS and wires and they took up a huge amount of room on a desk.

Now I have a wireless all-in-one. Wireless printer, keyboard, and mouse.

And for a week I could not print a thing.

NADA!

ZILCH!!

NOTHING!!

I could copy and scan---but not print.

So this morning I got busy and reinstalled the printer and all that jazz. Then this window popped up and gave this huge list of doc's to be printed. I looked that window over good because I didn't believe that the list was that long.

Then the most important bit of information came into view.

Printing PAUSED.

There was a check beside that.

So I unchecked it and guess what??

I got about 30 pages of printing in no time at all.

Technology is sometimes stumped by the most simply things.

I had a glitch in my get a long and now its going.

More later, Linda

Friday, August 16, 2013

Shes's SICK!!

Today is turning out to be not what I expected it to be.I have not had a chance to talk to the lady in question because she is sick.

So, here I am running all over town with Jerry looking for some boards to put onto the grills.

Yes I said grills. We just have 5.

One will cook 7turkeys at a time.

One will cook 10 pounds of leg quarters and 10 pounds of ribs.

One will cook enough veggies to feed around 20.

One will cook enough to feed a family and have some for tomorrow.

We have a yearly July 4th Cook off. 

Whatever you cook has to be cooked on the grill.

YUMM OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More later Linda

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Do you WORK (YUCK) or are you Productive

I just figured out something today. There IS a difference in working and being productive.

I love my job!! I really do!

Helping people find the right foundation color, or the BEST blue eye shadow, or the most AWESOME color of red lipstick is what it's all about.

Now that doesn't sound like too much of a problem---it's all in the way you look at it.

I could have really gotten out of joint when a particular client could NOT make up her mind between one color or the other for her lipstick. Twenty minutes later she decided and I thought it was the wrong color of red for her>

How do you tell someone they would NOT like it??

This is the way I do it----IF I were to pick this is the one I would pout on you---and then I hand her the color I know would be best for her.

It always works. 

I LOVE my job. Because it is so productive.

NOW if I were a dishwasher in a restaurant----how could that be productive??

I think to make that a productive job I would have to work my buns off trying to keep up with and ahead of the need for clean dishes, and silverware.

That way I would feel good about myself.

Of course, that's just me.

But productive work is what makes you feel good INSIDE!

It's what makes you walk with a spring in your step, it makes you hum a little song, it makes you say hello to the kids you see, and the old people, it makes you open doors for young mothers with 2 kids in tow and one on the way.

It is the BEST!!

More later, Linda


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

I have decided

You know that I have been wrestling with a confrontation issue.

Well, I have decided to talk to her on Friday.

Why Friday?

This is why----I have a lunch thing with the church women tomorrow. Jerry is out mowing the lawn right now and I just feel as if I need to be here. In other words I am a chicken of the highest order.

I don't like to say things that will hurt anyone. I don't like to confront.

I haven't decided how to do what has to be done without a peace about it.

I an so confused.

What day? What time? what do I say? What don't I say?

Can anyone relate?

More later, Linda

It's a BRITISH day today!!

When we lived in Britain, we had lots of days like this. You know what I mean. Woke up to a cloudy sky. Sun is up, but it's not shining and hot!

we lived in Great Yarmouth which is on the east coast of Britain and about a 90 mile boat ride to THE Hague in the Netherlands. Right on the North sea. We could walk to the sea wall in Gorelston.

My husband decided that he would go to a 6 month school to learn how to work in the field with the oil service company he worked for. And 6 months later we found out he would be working in Africa and we would be in Yarmouth.

The first night we were there was really strange.  We were in a hotel right on the water front. Nice place--but no heat in November. Or rather, it seemed like no heat. The shower was down the hall.. They wanted to put the kids in another room down the hall, but they slept with us.

Our life away from home had begun.

Breakfast was cold toast. It was so cold that even the butter wouldn't spread on the toast.

It was so cold that I went through 3 coats that winter. I had had all 3 for 10 years and they just fell apart because I was wearing one all the time.

Finding clothes was a problem because I didn't know where to go.  So I got on a bus and went to town. Walked around until I found the Marks and Spencers and got the kids some warm things to wear.

After we got warm, we really had a good time. In fact all the kids talk about for years after we came home was how much they liked England.

And that made me happy because we were there for 6 years.

It seems like we always go for 6 years.

Six years in England.

Six years in North Africa.

Six years in New Mexico.

What a wonderful life.

More later, Linda

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Today is a MELLow day!

What THEY say is true.  When you get mad just wait a little while.

Well, it's been since Saturday and today I am mellow and not mad.

I don't like being mad. I don't like confrontation. I don't like to hurt someone back.

I do like to be on an even keel. I do like to sit and visit with someone. I do like to make other people smile.

That's what all the problem is.

I like people. I like to make them feel good about themselves. I like to see the confidence ooze from their pores.

Kids are fun to be around too. They have the most unique way of saying things.

And they like being treated like THEY matter TOO!!

Which brings me back to my friend.

And she is a friend---who overstepped the boundaries of friendship.

Tomorrow or the next day, we will have a talk.

I feel like that's necessary.

I have always felt as if I should tell ppeople when they hurt me.

I have found that it is the most uncomfortable thing to do.

But---being uncomfortable for a little while is worth preserving the friendship.

More later, Linda


Monday, August 12, 2013

I am not AS mad!

I have had a chance to sleep on the problem---that always helps. And I have decided I need to get this problem settled.

At a Mary Kay party---the consultant that booked the party is in CHARGE!!

I mean she helps EVERYONE with their skin care or their spa things or whatever they are talk8ing about!!

If  were to go as an assistant to a MK party that any other consultant was mentoring at, I would keep my mouth shut, except to answer questions if anyone asked and then I would tell them what the mentor said.

So, that's what I have to tell this lady. When I'm in charge---I'M in charge.

If she wants to be in charge---then she needs to do some booking.

Now---how to tell her.

CONFRONTATION  is not one of the things I like to do.

I know!!

FEEL------FELT-----FOUND!!!

YES!!!!!

This is what I will say

I fell like you overstepped your bounds at the MK party.

I felt like you were undermining my teaching.

I have found that this leads to problems between the two people involved. So please don't do it again.

Or something like that.

I'll let you all know!

More later, Linda



Sunday, August 11, 2013

I'm MAD!!

Have you ever been so mad you could eat nails so you won't take it out on the wrong person?

I'm mad -- not just mad --  I'm MAD!!

Had an MK party planned for Saturday and one person showed. I invited all the consultants that I know of so they could bring guests. 

None of them showed. Two were out of town, but let me know -- I am not mad at them. 

So I am branching out to other places. Going to Lawton tomorrow to talk to every woman with skin that I see. 

There are women out there that MK needs or who need MK. 

And I'm gonna find them. 

More later, Linda

Friday, August 9, 2013

BUGS!!!!

Here we are watch Under Cover Boss. The one with the Orkin man. 

I just saw a house INFESTED with roaches. I mean covered. Food, under the microwave, all over the walls. 

They were every where. 

I got to thinking about our home. Why don't we have more bugs??

Ahhh Haaaaa !!

I remembered a little old lady I met in Clarindon Texas. 

She told me to put the contents of any packaged food in a jar with a tight cover. The bugs won't stay where there is no food. 

And because there is no food for the bugs---we have few bugs. 

Because there are no bugs,  we have no spiders. 

No bugs---no spiders---no scorpions. 

Problem solved!!!

More later, Linda

YUCK!!! BUMMER!!!

Yesterday I finished my color certification. I really worked hard at reading all those things we have to read and REALLY reading the questions so that I wouldn't miss any.

I finished and then this page popped up and said that I could put the color certified button on my new business cards. I was to CLICK HERE.

When I clicked here----i got an antivirus page!!

I could not get back to the MK page AT ALL!!

So what to do??

I emailed the corporate office and because by then it was 5:15, they will have to get back with me.

I am waiting not very patiently, I might add, but they do have to look around and see what can be done.

If I have to do the test again, I will, because that will only give me more info.

Let you all know that I am certified so we can have some facial fun!!

More later, Linda

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Today was MUCH better

Yesterday, among all the drama, we went to the nearest bigger town and bought us a refrigerator. Not just any fridge---this one is going into the garage!! It's not too big but it has enough room to take p the give us room in the one in the house when we have a lot of people here.

And yesterday, when Jerry went to get the pickup out of the garage---one of the tires had BLOWN out while it was just parked there. What would it have been like if he had been driving it in this heat.??

I mean really, so we talked about it and he decided to look around for some tires instead of just going to the place he always goes to.

We found the tires-----and after I wrote the check, I took a DEEP breathe and got out at the house so he could go back to the tire shop and have the new ones put on.

The tires were even more than the fridge had been!!!

I almost have a panic attack when I have to write a $20 check, much less 2 checks that total more than I used to make in six months.

It was an eye opener for me. I didn't really think that tires had gone up so much in price.

I knew groceries had gone up 3 fold.

I know that gas has gone up too.

But tires???

BUT, and this is a big one----what if he had been driving that pickup when that tire blew??

I'm happy to write the check when I think about that.

More later, Linda

Monday, August 5, 2013

It's been one if THOSE days

There used to be a comedian whose phrase was -- I shoulda stood in bed!!

I had one of those days today. We went to Lawton today to deliver product. 

That was okay. It was later in the day that got CRAZY!!

Jerry burst through the door and said -- something. I really didn't know what he said. 

I was getting an email ready to go to one of the team. 

I got to thinking -- while I was trying to scan and attach to the email -- and decided I needed to go outside and see what was going on. 

One tire on the pickup blew out INSIDE the garage. 

I went back inside. 

Jerry burst into the house again!!

The garage door was acting up. 

I went back outside. 

By this time, it was 101 on the thermometer. I don't do hot. 

I went back inside to make a call to the garage door man. 

I went back outside. Jerry was just getting the spare tire on. Hurray!!

The garage door man came by. 

He parked right in Jerry's way. He couldn't leave. 

The garage door behaved itself. 

The garage door man left. 

Jerry left. 

The garage door started acting up again. 

And the green beans were still crisp when we got ready to eat. 

And through it all, I KNEW that all was good today. 

More later, Linda


I have a TABLET

Because I am not allowed to tell you the name---it has FIRE---I'm just going to call it a tablet. And exercise this morning---that's my two parts of this blog.

I had a LOT of exercise at seminar. It's almost 1/4 of a mile from the dining room to the arena where we had all of our classes this year. And all the walking to and from the bus and all the walking outside to warm up and all the walking to find a restroom--see what I mean---a LOT-a LOT of walking.

I wanted to keep it up but last week I was overwhelmed with coming back and doctors appointments and grooming appointments and delivering product and talking to new consultants, I didn't exercise.

Today I started to ride the bicycle again. I did 15 minutes, I know that doesn't sound like a long time. but I can't just sit on that bike without something to keep me sane.

Ah HA!!!

The ------ FiRE!!!

I got it up and running and found the movie thingie!! So I could watch movies. I found The Red Balloon.

Very little dialog---but lots of mystery.

You have to see it. 

I have about half seen and then I will go on to something else.

Tomorrow--------25 MINUTES!!

I'll let you know.

More later, Linda

Friday, August 2, 2013

GOOD things happenng

Yesterday, the lawn mower quit working. Now, for Jerry, that's a major problem. He loves to mow.

He even mows the ditch across the street---that's the city's job. They just skip in front of our house. I must admit it looks really nice.

Back to yesterday. He went over to our Lynn's house to mow their back yard. Got there--unloaded--pulled the starter cord---no putt putt putt!!

Keith came home and worked on it. Jerry worked on it.

No rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr AT all.

BUMMER!

Major BUMMER!!

So he came home and drug himself into the house. Part of that was because it was 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity, but most of it was because the mower REFUSED to start!!

He slept well.

Got up this morning and put on his work clothes.

Went outside to the pickup and pulled on that cord ONE more time.

It started. So he killed it and PULLED the cord again--and did it again--and it has kept on starting.

YES!!!

Good things happen----when you are expecting them too.

More later, Linda

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Their baaack!

The naked ladies are back in the same place they were last year. Right in the front part of the front yard. If they weren't so pretty I would really be wanting to move them.

They came up yesterday That was the 31 of July.

Almost 4 weeks earlier than last year.

We had a humdinger of a winter and spring last year. Lots of rain, tornadoes and ice.

Cold wind for months and just an all round mess of a weather pattern.

Today it's only been 94 as a high. Last year this time of the month it was 120. We had 120 on our thermometer for 80 days last year.

Not this year, thank you Jesus.

I don't sweat so there for I can't get out in the heat.

No sweat---no way to cool the body off. Lots of swelling of body tissues.

One time I got so hot my eyeballs felt like they were about to pop out.

I never did that again. I try to stay in as much as possible.

Back to the yard. The grass is green because we have had lots of rain. In fact the ground is so wet we have dew until after lunch. Jerry mows anyway.

And Sarah brings in the green grass and Jerry has to run the sweeper because he can't stand for the floors to be dirty.

I have learned to just let him do it, because I can't and he enjoys it.

More later, Linda

AND____

Yesterday I typed about my OCD. Sometimes we have this phobia about being around people who have mental problems so I thought I would put down all the things I have problems with so that we can realize that ALL of us have something that ain't right.

OCD or obsessive compulsive disorder is a real thing. Some people have a lot of problems with it. Some of us, only a few things bother us---like the way I HAVE to put the potatoes into the microwave.

Does that make me any less a person?

NO!

It just makes me who I am.

I got to thinking about other things about myself that is different and then I remembered all those spelling tests I took in school.

Remember them? You know the spelling list we had to memorize from first grade on until we went to college.

Yeah THOSE ones.

For years, I would just write an M for an N.

WHY??

I didn't know, but now I do. I am a little dyslexic,

And now I even type M's for N's.

Crazy? NOT. That's just me.

What about you?

More later, Linda