Making a Job Out of Looking for a Job

My grandsons are looking for work and having a hard time of it.

It's a difficult task to find a job these days. Soooo many out of work. Sooooo many looking for work.  Foreclosures everywhere, people struggling to eat, let alone pay the rent or their mortgage payment.

My grandsons are not alone.

Recently I wrote both of my grandsons, who are adults now, and experiencing the difficulties of finding a job in the current economy...the following:


My new roommate, who just recently got work, said she hunted for a job for four months....but she got a good job at the Walmart Neighborhood Market just 1/2 mile from our house...and she is doing good.  She said anytime she was in the car with her boyfriend,,,and saw a place that looked promising she would ask him to stop and she would go in and get and application. 

There were times when my daughter was in high school, and I HAD to support her, that I was without a job, and so sick I could barely get around,,,,,but I got the Sunday newspaper at 4 pm on Saturday when it came out, and I got out a legal notepad, and began to CUT OUT the job listings and PRIORITIZE them, gluing them to my legal pad, according to who wanted to have you come in on Monday morning and get an application, and who wanted you to come in on Tuesday and bring your resume, who just wanted you to mail in a resume, and so on and so on......

So, every Saturday and Sunday I made a JOB of looking for a JOB, and every Monday morning I was set, organized, and I 'hit the bricks.'  And THAT'S what MY DAD told me to do.......he always said,,,,,,"Keep turning over those rocks."  He meant,,,,keeeeep looking,,,,,keeeeep at it,,,,,don't give up,,,,,something will happen, if you do your part. 

During the depression I was a baby, and my Dad was jobless,,,,,,and he went down to the Union Pacific Railroad freightyards every week, he told me. They finally told him they were going to hire him cause they were sick and tired of looking at him coming in every week.  My Dad RETIRED from the Union Pacific Railroad,,,,and in his later years, he traveled everywhere for them, and had a GREAT position with them.  Funny thing - when I went to get the WorkSource link that I had told my grandsons about....there was an item about the Union Pacific Railroad right on their front page :o) Made me smile.

And as for me,,,,,,when I was just 21 years old.....I applied for a bookkeeping position at the Eugene Register-Guard, the local newspaper in Eugene Oregon.  I had an interview for the job, and a short time after the interview I called the man who interviewed me for the position.  I will never forget his name....Mr. Johnston....one of the best managers I ever knew,,,,,,,and this is what he told me.  He said, "You know, I had my choice down to a pick between two people, but Marilyn, since you took the effort and the time to make this phone call to inquire,,,,,,,You've got the job!"  I had that job for several years!  And....the experience there....fitted me for the next good job I got later!

So I told my grandsons, "You are not alone,,,,,but,,,,,,,,,YOU can DO IT!  You've done it before.  And you can do it again.  Everybody has jobs and then they don't have jobs.  But when they don't have a job....it's time to "Make Your Job 'Looking for a Job'."

I love you both.

Grandma Marilyn

The Gods of the Copybook Headings

Children used to have and use 'copybooks' to practice their penmanship. Oh yes, this was in the 'old days' my friends.  Although I am apprised that some homeschoolers are now using "copybooks" in their curriculums and bringing back the concept.  Copybook headings would often be a Proverb from Scripture or maxims, such as the one below.  

 

[Note: Reference image from - http://raisingfutureleaders.blogspot.com/2010/06/freebie-happy-scribe-month-of-june.html]

I had been prompted as I watched a Frances & Friends show on the SonLife Broadcasting Network (Ch. 344 on DirecTV in Portland Oregon :o) to check out a fellow by the name of Curtis Bowers who had apparently made a film entitled "Agenda: The Grinding Down of America."  I found a copy of the DVD at the Clackamas County Library (Multnomah Count Library didn't have it, but I have a library card for both libraries.) and have not viewed it yet, but will be shortly.  However, I did find a YouTube video of Mr. Bowers giving a presentation apparently to a group of folks in a church....in which he describes what brought him to the point in his life where he felt he had to make this film.  It was a case for him - well, you remember the adage that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing?  He did not want to be "one of those guys" who did nothing.

Now,,,,at the end of Mr. Bowers talk, who, by the way, by every word he spoke, is a sold-out Christian, born again by the Precious Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,,,,and also by the way is a legislator from the state of Idaho,,,,any way,,,,at the end of his talk, Mr. Bowers read the following poem, writtten by Rudyard Kipling.

 Again, I found myself so taken by a poem and the power of its meaning that I had to make it part of my blog.  And so,,,,,,here is the poem -  

 The Gods of the Copybook Headings

AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place,
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

  

...And She Was Insured, Too!

The day I bought my Lincoln Town Car Cartier was a very special day for me.  It was used, but then, in so many ways, so am I. But it is beautiful...yes, to this day, still.  Today someone driving thru in my local gas station actually sideswiped my right exterior rear-view mirror while I was parked at the pump, altho upon inspection, no damage was observed; we shook hands, and departed from one another.

But this is about another story where my lovely, Diamond White Lincoln Town Car Cartier, was hit while I was parked, and a whole lot more than the right rear-view mirror was sideswiped.

It was a lovely evening, perfect weather. There was a lot going on in my
neighborhood; much of it on Mississippi Ave., which has become a haven for all the yuppies around. Lots of little eateries and places to get those microbrews Portland, Oregon is so famous for.  Two friends and myself decided to have dinner in a nearby Thai cafe.  We drove up to Mississippi Ave in the Town Car, parked on a corner across from the cafe and went inside to eat.  On our way in to the cafe we could hear voices, laughter and music coming from a nearby beer garden further down the block. Yes, an excellent night for outdoor festivities.  There would be outdoor fun going on all up and down Mississippi Avenue this night. Like I said, perfect weather.

We all went in the Town Car, parked on a corner across from the cafe and went inside to eat. We chose a table very near a secondary door which opens out onto the street away from the main entrance to the restaurant.  Shortly after we had been served our dinner selections, this very side door nearest the street burst open and a woman came in, asking in rather a loud voice, "Does anyone in here own a white Lincoln?"

Uhhhhh......I intoned, barely able to catch my breath, "I do."

The woman came to our table and said, "I just hit your car."

Now I absolutely cannot catch my breath. 

This dear woman said quickly that she had insurance and wrote down her name and her insurance company, her driver's license number, and what other pertinent facts we needed to share, and together we left the restaurant to see what had transpired.  The entire right side of my Lincoln Town Car, from the rear fender to the front fender, side rear-view mirror laying in the street, was crumpled, battered, bruised, torn-up!  The woman had an older Cadillac and had attempted to park at the rear of the next corner (I was parked in the last spot at the front of the block on the corner across from the restaurant.). Mind you, these two blocks and their combined corners were slightly offset, the one she was aiming for a little further in than the one where I was parked.  Apparently, as she began to pull her long Caddy into her spot,,,,,she just misjudged and it being twilight to dark now, she just --- well ---- she made a mess of things.  At first she was fearful, saying she would just pay for the damages...but little did she realize that she had done nearly $5,500 in damage to my car (that was the final bill).  Fortunately, her insurance company had the matter well in hand, and in the end, everything was paid for.  I have a great recommendation for body work by the way.  Bob Thomas CarStar!  Those guys are AWESOME!

To add flavor to this story, listen to this.  This dear lady told us, my friends and I, that she had no idea where to find the owner of the car after she hit it. She said she had no idea what to do...hearing all the festivities going on in the area, like I said, there were parties everywhere at all the outdoor brew fests in the vicinity...and even admitted she didn't even really want to try that hard to find the owner...since she just felt it was going to be a hopeless impossibility - BUT - she said she had ordered take-out from the very restaurant we were dining in - and something just told her to blurt it out when she came in to the place, "Does anybody in here own a white Lincoln?"

This is a pretty good sized restaurant, by the way, kind of L-shaped....and Who arranged it so that WE would be sitting right at the table nearest that side entrance door,,,,,the one I never use, by the way....I always came in the front entrance, which is all the way on the other side of the building...but for SOME reason,,,,we were seated exactly adjacent to that side entrance door!

Are you smiling yet?

Are you knowing Who my protector and provider is yet?

Amen if you said the Lord, Jesus Christ, and His Father, my God!

And to finish this little tale off with the perfect ribbon bow -- my Lincoln had been T-boned about a year previous. The repairs were to the hood, driver's side fender, and driver's side door.  The paint job, though particularly admirable and even explained to me how it was a 3-coat job plus clear coat (hey this is a fancy car, what can I say...Cartier is the top of the line in Lincoln Town Cars - there aren't that many of them even out there I discovered...but the Lord gave me one.)...and even though that was some find paint job -- if you looked at the side in just the right light at just the right angle - yeah, you could tell the difference between the driver's side door and front fender, and the left rear door and left rear fender.  I guess He just wasn't satisfied with that, and orchestrated another little bit of business so that the entire left side would be repaird and painted so that all the left side would match.

Ok.

That's just my theory.  But don't we know that our God really is a God of details?

I do.

 

Fear No More the Lightning Flash

I was watching The Forsyte Saga, a BBC mini-series starring Damian Lewis (Emmy winner for best actor - "Homeland").  There was a funeral depicted for the elderly uncle and I heard part of this poem, "Fear no more the lightning flash" ---- and it just struck me and I wanted to hear the whole poem. I found it easily enough so here it is.

Fear No More

Fear no more the heat o' the sun;
Nor the furious winter's rages,
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney sweepers come to dust.

Fear no more the frown of the great,
Thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The sceptre, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash,
Nor the all-dread thunder-stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan;
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.

No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renowned be thy grave!

         ~~William Shakespeare

"Find Someone To Sit With You"

I've been watching "Wallander" -

a series about a police investigator named Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh, one of my favorite actors. I just watched "Conspiracy" several days ago - the story of a meeting of high-ranking Nazi German officials who planned the "Final Solution," that is, the extermination of the Jews from Europe en total, and Germany in particular.  His character, Reinhard Heydrich, was a spot-on portrayal of a true sociopath.

But...back to "Wallander."

Branagh's character, a troubled man, policeman with a conscience and compassion, struggling to always "do the right thing" not only for himself but for others, has an aging father in the story.  His father, a brilliant man in his own right, is suffering from dementia, and as he flip-flops between reality and his brain-deprived view of what is really happening to him and around him, has these moments of true lucidity that just make you grab an extra helping of air in order to capture the moment.
                                                                                             
Povel, Kurt Wallander's father in the series, played by David Warner, an actor with over 200 movie titles to his own credits, is quite ill and has just asked his son to take him home. He doesn't wish to die in a bed alone in some hospital ward.  When they arrive at Povel's home, a lovely spot by the sea, Kurt gets out of the car and says he'll open the studio. Povel has always been a painter, landscapes were his passion, and they are beautiful paintings. He spent most of his time in the studio. But Povel says "No, ahhhh, finished. Just wanna sit." He turns to Kurt and says, "You don't look do you? You don't look at the world. You just drive straight through it. Stop. And look."  He adds, "Go on, off you go. I'll be all right." Povel heads toward the sea shore to a familiar spot, a lovely wooden bench overlooking the sea. His wife says to Kurt, "I'll sit with him." Povel turns once again and speaks to Kurt. "Find someone to sit with you. You're not strong enough to do it on your own. Nobody is. Find someone to sit with you."

You Know Jesus.....?

If it's not one thing, it's something else.  Lately almost every single morning the phone has begun to ring....8:20 a.m.; 8:30 a.m.; and so on.  I have noticed the numbers are all unknown to me. And, again, more calls throughout the day, from all these 'unknown numbers.' Well, with a roommate or two, that is bound to happen, but even those numbers that my roomies are receiving calls from become somewhat familiar after a while. 

Not the case with these.

Here's the thing.

8:20 a.m. is not my best time of day.

I need coffee and some quiet time before I talk to people at 8:20 a.m. in the morning.  I think some of you know what I mean.  Come on, I'm retired. I earned the right! Done paid my dues!

I have answered one or two of these unknown callers, not realizing what they were. I recall my roommate mentioning something like, if I didn't recognize the number, don't answer.  Hey! I gotta say....it's a lot of calls coming in from these 'unknown' numbers!  And I really don't want to turn my phone off at night. If my family called with something important,,,,well, you get my point.

So, I prayed about it.

And you know what? I think the Lord gave me a plan.  Sanctioned.  So I decided to implement it.

And now, I answer all the calls with these unknown numbers.  Turns out, by the way, they are the product of some 3rd party marketing with my poor roommate the victim, due to her having to fill out some forms online that likely were necessary to keep her unemployment $ coming in.  Lots of people without jobs right now, don't cha' know.

Anyway, now, I answer all the calls with these unknown numbers ----- uh, like this:

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm calling from rightjob.com.  Is this...?"

"Oh, hello, rightjob.com.  Uh, I have something to tell you.  You know Jesus?  Jesus?  You know, you know, the Lord?  Jesus?  Well, He told me to tell you not to call again."

"Uhh,,,,uhhh,,,,ok,,,,ok,,,,uhhhh,,,,,uhhh,,,ok,,,,I...uh...I'll make a note of that."

"Bye."

I gotta tell ya. I have noticed a significant decrease in the "unknown number" calls lately.

*S*M*I*L*E*  Thank You, Lord! 

Is There Any Other Toilet Paper In The House?

I live with two roommates, both of whom are great gals.  One of my roomies and I share a bathroom.  We have evolved to keeping a kitty for purchasing some of the essentials-in-common; e.g. paper products, including paper towels, and, of course, toilet paper.  Because I am a member at Costco, I usually pick up the toilet paper in those giant packs with 30 rolls or so, and because of my friend, Sandy, I am now a -- shall we say, fan -- of Charmin' Ultra.  I used to be the gal that just picked up pretty much whatever was on sale at the supermarket.  But Sandy, bless her heart, reframed me.  At Sandy's house the only TP in use in HER bathroom is Charmin' Ultra. I asked her one day about what she used, and she told me, "Only Charmin' Ultra." I asked why. Sandy said, "Because it's realllllly nice!"  She's right. It's nice.  Nice and soft and yea, just nice.  If this is beginning to sound like an ad for Charmin' Ultra, I have no excuse.  I began to buy Charmin' Ultra at Costco, and to date, almost, that be that. The roomies chip in to the kitty and off I go to make the purchase.  Maintaining that level of satisfaction, yes, we have been happy bathroom campers!

We were getting low on that necessary item recently, and I happened to mention I was going to pick some up soon and would be using the kitty to do so. (Oh, the kitty. Right. We each put in $10 a month. That pretty much covers our "essentials-in-common" as it were.) My roomie that I share the bathroom with said to me, "Oh, I have some in the car. I'll bring it in."  "Oh, ok," say I, and that would be that.  Or so I thought.

My roomie brought in the 'goods' in due time and put the rolls in the bathroom we share.  It was a Safeway brand.  Something 'Softly' I think it said.  In fact, I just checked (we have lots) and it says "Ultra Softly."  Ya think?

(And while I'm on the subject of "lots" - can someone tell my why every package of rolls of TP in the supermarket says things like "9 MEGA rolls = 24 REGULAR ROLLS!"  Does anybody KNOW where those packs of "regular rolls" are? Has anyone ever seen one?)

Anyway,,,,,,back to my story,,,,,I really had to VOW NOT to say anything about my reaction (uhhh literally) to this product replacement, not wishing to be unkind, and frivolous when it comes to my roomie's sensitivities .....but.....as I began to, uh, use, the new paper product available, I noticed something.  My impression regarding "Ultra Softly's" ultra-softliness went out the window along with a slightly, well, shall we say, this side of rude, remark that I really really really DID keep to myself ---- something along the lines of, "Good grief, this stuff is about one shade this side of using newspaper!"

So, I kept quiet.  Patting myself on the back for being a goooood roomie.

Until one day, oh,,,,did you see this coming,,,,,my roomie says to ME........

"Is There Any Other Toilet Paper In The House?"

I fell out laughing, high-fived her and was set free!  I was no longer able to contain myself, nor was I obligated by roomie protocol, to do so, and as I was cracking up,,,,,while I had to sadly tell her "No," and that we were confined to using up the rest of the Safeway "Ultra Softly" - unless, of course, we wished to donate the balance of the "9 MEGA rolls" to the church fellowship hall bathroom.

Which I will do Sunday.

And on the way home, I'll be stopping at Costco.

Sometimes all you need is new windshield wipers....

First of all, I want to extend my thanks to the Gresham Lions Club for my new glasses.

Whereas, with those old glasses I had, I began to notice I was have a difficult time driving at night - couldn't make out shapes very well, oh like parked cars,,,,and people (and I will tell how OLD they were -- the last time I had a prescription filled for glasses was when I was working and had vision insurance - and I retired in 1999.)  It had gotten to the point I had to quit driving at night, and frankly, for the last year, I had to miss my regular Sunday evening worship service at my church all that time.  I was on the Praise Team, and also in the choir, and the choir always sang Sunday evening, so I missed that too.  I did not like any of it one bit.

A friend suggested I contact the Lions Club.  I did.  Well, thanks to the Gresham Lions folks I am driving at night again. Yeayyyyyy !  And have rejoined the choir AND the praise team, and can regularly go to Sunday evening services.  This means a great deal to me.  Gresham Lions Club, I thank you!

After I received approval for my application, I was advised to go to the Mt. Hood Vision center for an exam and for my new glasses.  I just was to say the Mt. Hood Vision folks and Dr. Clay have been great, also.  The whole experience has been a joy and a huge benefit to my own personal quality of life.

The story below however, just goes to show all's well that ends well. 

As I began to test whether my new glasses were really helping me see better at night, I had capable friends ride along with me in my car to and from church...church being the place that I am most likely to find myself going to at night, as it happens. I told my one friend that if it rained, let's just see 'how things go' as it might prove to be a difficulty for me.  It certainly had been so in the past year.  Well, wouldn't you know, living in Oregon, it rained the third time I drove at night.  I spoke to my friend as I began to travel back up the freeway to my exit -- "hmmmmm, I think maybe the next time it rains, you should drive, hon. I'm having a bit of difficulty seeing good."  My friend replied, "Marilyn, I think maybe you need new windshield wipers! These are just smearing the rain around."   I laughed and said, "Hmmmm, maybe that's why I've been wondering about the same thing lately." 

The very next day my friend and I were together again, running errands, and as we drove by Auto Zone, I decided to pulled in and pick up some windshield wipers.  My friend told me they would put them on for me.  Sounded like a good plan!  I shopped a bit, talked to the fellow there, and with his help, I bought some really good windshield wipers.  I told the fellow I needed good ones as I had trouble with my eyes, and he showed me this one set that was "all one piece," which he said made them better.  Convinced, I bought them and he came out and put them on my car.  It was a gloriously beautiful day, the sun was shining and the sky was patchy blue with fluffy clouds; HOWEVER, the minute we drove out of the driveway, and onto the main street, it began to rain GREAT BIG OL' RAIN DROPS! Whooopppeeee I got to turn on my BRAND NEW WINDSHIELD WIPERS no sooner than I had left the parking lot!! I laughed out loud, and said I guessed God wanted to prove to me I needed those darn old windshield wipers and that I should listen to my friends.  He also proved to me once more, He indeed has a sense of humor.  Especially as it resides in my daughter.  I related my "funny story" to her and she cracked up, saying, "Good grief, Mom, all this time you thought your eyes were bad, and all you needed was new windshield wipers."


There ya' go.  My Life!

God Watches Out for His Kids....

....Even at the PDX Airport Arrivals zone !!

Ok...here's the story.

My daughter and son-in-law were coming back from a trip, arriving at the airport at a certain time. Their car was garaged at the airport, so they planned to pick it up after they arrived. I had their daughter, my granddaughter, staying with me until they got back, and the other set of grandparents had their 22 mo. old baby grandson in their care until they got back. My daughter and son-in-law asked we, the two sets of grandparents, to bring the children to the airport and meet them at the Baggage Claim/Arrivals zone when they got in. Not a problem. I've done that little routine many, many times picking up friends and/or family who are coming in from a flight from somewhere.  There's the drive-around business,,,,,you try to arrive at "about" the time they will have already gotten to the baggage claim area and meet them outside after they've picked up their bags.  Likely you will miss them first time around, or 2nd, or more, but, sooner or later you will see them and whoooosh! get your car over into the far right lane and Voila! -- get your party picked up.  It's way easier than parking and going inside the bloody airport....and you....and everyone else....is doing just that....driving around and around til your people show up on the sidewalk outside the baggage claim.

Of course, THIS little venture had a double whammy going for it -- due to the fact that we were transferring kids from Car #1 - namely "me and granddaughter" and from Car #2 - namely "other set of grandparents and that 22 mo. old baby grandson" - to their parents,,,,who would take them to Car #3.....because really, alllll they wanted to do at 7:30 pm was GO HOME with their family!  It had been five days they were away.

All this could have been a bit complicated.  Logistics.  It's all about the logistics.  Wikipedia defines "logistics" thusly: 'Logistics' is the management of the flow of resources, not only goods, between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information,transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, packaging, and often, security."  And, certainly, I had thoughts along those lines.  "Resources:"  I guess you could call we grandparents "resources" who were involved in the management and flow of goods (we had the "goods" all right - two wonderful grandchildren) between the "point of origin:" Yep, baby grandson from the point of origin of one set of grandparents' house (while Mom and Dad were away), and teen granddaughter from the point of origin of the other grandparent's house. The idea being to manage the flow of those goods from the point of origin to the point of destination (the PDX Airport Arrivals Zone) in order to meet the requirements of the "customers:" who in this case are "Mom and Dad."  These "logisitics" involved the integration of information (that means lots of cel phone usage), transportation (that means Car 1 = one set of grandparents with baby grandson in tow; Car 2 = other grandparent with teen granddaughter in tow), inventory (that means keeping careful track of the "goods" in Car 1 and Car 2), and all the rest of it including warehousing, material handling, packaging, and yes, security.  LOGISTICS!

And then the puzzle. How do Car #1 and Car #2 meet up in this cuhrazy scenario with car after car after car lining up 4 to 5 rows deep across the lanes, and Lord only knows how many in a row/line coming up behind you.  How do we? 

Well, I hadn't counted on a couple of things.  And one of them, is how PERFECTLY things can go when GOD shows up.....and.....if you can suspend all disbelief and just.....BELIEVE.......God DOES have a sense of humor!

I pulled into the line near the 'Arrivals' doors for the airline my daughter and son-in-law were coming in on....and there they were, coming out of the doors. And I looked behind me, and immediately (did I say IMMEDIATELY? YES, I DID!) to my rear .... was Car #2 with the other set of grandparents with baby grandson in tow.  And about 25 to 30 cars behind them in the line.  I shook my head once, suspending my OWN disbelief, and my teen granddaughter, jumped out of the car, helped her Dad go get baby grandson, right behind me, and we all waved our love, and .........

That was That!

I laughed and shook my head all the way down the ramp and headed home.

Some Things Never Change !

.....or should I say some people never change


The other evening I had occasion to enjoy a time with a former roommate and good friend of mine and some friends of hers at a charity benefit banquet.  It was a delightful evening....but it had its moments.  Priceless moments, mind you, but moments, nevertheless.....  

Like this one.

I had to lift an eyebrow then furrow it - the other nite when my dear former roommate and some one else at our dinner table went "off" on some kind of "special water" they were drinking that "does everything." 

Miracle water.

Alkaline water.

Ionized water.

Kangen water.

So I researched it this a.m.

It's only $4,000 to get the gizmo that does the "ionizing."  [google kangen water - then add the word 'scam']

And it's an MLM (Multi-Level Marketing).

Oh brother.

Oh and by the way you can't put it in a plastic container cause it eats the plastic.

Really?

Really.

Of course my dear friend was drinking her very special "kangen water" out of her own personal plastic water bottle.  Oooooooops!

http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

Wish I'd had my wits about me - I would have told them to make Bieler Broth.  Cheaper and it'll alkaline their systems all they need!I learned about Bieler Broth in the late 60's when my youngest daughter was about 6 yo.  You know, the stuff actually works.  If you're sick, make some Bieler Broth. What's it made with? Simple stuff. Green stuff. Green string beans. Zucchini. Parsley. Cook it in some nice water, season it a bit, and blend it up into a nice puree.  Bieler Broth!

"This simple soup restores alkalinity and mineral balance,,,,"

from http://www.threebrancheshealth.com/blog/bielers-broth-for-a-cleanse-detox/

Oh that girl, my former roomie, and her MLM's!

Love that girl, nevertheless. Gotta say. (If you're reading this hon, really, I do. But I could not pass up the opportunity to blog it.)