My Day

I am so grateful for my family. I was an only child so I don't have any brothers or sisters to lean on. That is why my parents, and my husband, and my sons are so important to me. They are my closest relatives on this earth. They love me and help me whenever I need them. I am so proud of them.

Colt and Don and I took the pickup truck to Scout's to get a tiller. I thought the tiller was heavier than it really was or Colt and I could have gotten it ourselves. 

On the way home we stopped at the truck stop so Colt could get a corn dog and a drink. We were across from Burger's Market on highway 136 so Don got Colt to drive across the road to pick up some boiled peanuts. I bought bell peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce. I love Burger's Market. They sell fresh fruits and vegetables and honey and relish.

At the crossroads of highway 41 and highway 136 construction is going on. Rumor has it that a Dollar General Market is coming to town. What little I know about it describes it as a Dollar General store and a grocery market combined. I hope that doesn't cut into Burger Market's business. I'm afraid it will.

Colt had to pick up his tag for his car today and go to Marietta to pay his electric bill. His birthday is next week. 

I went to the Tractor Supply store in Calhoun to buy chicken feed, and to look for hoses for an above ground pool. Scout and Kim gave us their old one when they got another one. 

I went to Home Depot, a pool store, and Walmart looking for pool hoses. I found a hose set at Walmart. A lady told me she had seen some pool ducks that hold chlorine at Kmart so I swung by there and bought the ducks and chlorine and shock before coming home. I have a feeling this little bitty pool is going to be expensive.

My parents used to have an in-ground swimming pool but they didn't really like it. Momma and Daddy can't swim and they didn't get in it very often. The only time anyone swam in their pool was when company came. The pool was a lot of trouble and Momma didn't like cleaning it. 


One time I invited several girls I knew from school. That was a disaster because one girl slathered herself in suntan oil which coated the walls of the pool which had to be wiped down at the water line. It made a ring around the pool. We never wore anything that would come off in the water. I quit inviting anyone over because I didn't want to repeat the experience. Some people don't have good pool etiquette. I should have spoke up when the girl put the oil on but I was trying to be nice. Most of the girls had never been to my house before. 

I think I've spent most of my life being the watchdog when something goes wrong. I always have to speak up. I can remember having to follow a couple of little girls when I was a little girl because they were horrible kids who rifled through my parents belongings, opening drawers and closets, and getting into everything. I would have to say, "Don't do that." or "Don't touch that."

Momma couldn't stand it when they started snooping in everything and pulling things out they had no business touching. I hated having to watch them. I didn't like being the 'manner police' but I guess that's why I'm not afraid to speak my mind today.

Momma would take me to visit their house and I had to sit still on the couch beside Momma and couldn't play with them. I couldn't get down, or look at anything. Momma wanted me to set a good example for them and impressed on me the importance of minding and not getting into anything. I knew better than to cross her.

I never did like those little girls because I had to go around correcting them. One time they dropped my big beautiful piggy bank and busted it when I was out of my room. It broke my heart. I wanted to fill it up before it was busted. Thanks to them I would never have that chance.

I used to feel so old when I was a kid. I think that is a drawback to being an only child. It's not easy being funny and silly when you have to always be on your best behavior. The only time I remember acting like a silly kid was when I would be alone watching TV in the evening while my parents were sleeping before they had to go to work.

I loved watching old movies and musicals. My favorite memory was watching Esther Williams movies. She was a famous competitive swimmer. Her underwater ballets were beautiful. I would stand on the couch and pretend I was diving onto the floor and then 'swim' over to the chair to resume my imaginary underwater ballet. I went from chair to chair to couch and back again. You would think anyone that enamored of water ballet would have learned to swim but I was terrified of water. I didn't learn to swim until I was a grown woman, even then, I could only dog paddle.

Sometimes I would wake my parents up because they heard me jumping around. I had to learn to play quietly and not 'shake the house down'.

I don't think I'll be doing very much diving in our 30" pool but I can lay in the pool and pretend I am a mermaid after we get it set up. Maybe we should have a pool party. We can take turns sitting in it. Did I tell you it's small?

I really love this warm weather. I've already got broccoli and cauliflower out of the garden and the tomatoes and squash are growing. I really, really love summer, even if it is only spring, it feels like summer to me. That's why we need a pool. It's going to be a long hot summer and I need to cool off.


Just don't mess with me or my family. We'll be chilling in the pool.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

JUNE

Ah, it's June and it's deja vu all over again. The mouse is on the wheel; what goes around comes around ... again, and again. 


Last weekend we had a cookout at my parents house for our Memorial Day feast. Momma took care of everything like she is loath to do. She is very organized so the cookout turned out very nice. She didn't feel like fixing everything so she served chips and bought potato salad and cole slaw. 


Donny, Colt and I brought Jason (one of my 'adopted' sons*) with us. Scout and Kim came, too. Momma's sisters, Patsy and Mary, were also there. I love visiting with my aunts when my parents have a party. They are fun to be around. Everyone had a good time that day. 


Daddy told us that Momma hasn't been feeling well and was having trouble breathing. We were concerned that the blood clots might have come back. 


Daddy said Momma had been sitting on a chair pulling weeds. She can't stand to see things get out of hand so she is always going around weeding by hand. Since she doesn't have the energy to get around she has taken to sitting and weeding the yard. That's how he knew she was very sick and why he took her to the emergency room. 

They went to the emergency room Tuesday. She has walking pneumonia. That is why she has been short of breath. It sounds strange to say, but I am so glad is was only pneumonia. Momma will have to rest and recuperate. That's easier said than done because Momma's a worker.

I don't know how Momma is going to be able to rest. It's not in her nature. I wish I was more like her.

Plenty more things have been going on, too. Jason's father had to go to the hospital. He has cancer. The doctors said he has double pneumonia. I don't understand how people can catch pneumonia, but it is still dangerous and needs to be treated by a doctor. When your body is weakened by disease, you are more susceptible.

**********

This weekend is the annual HIGHWAY 41 YARD SALE. I didn't put anything out to sell but if you drive by the house you can still see my Confederate flags I planted in my front yard during the Battle of Resaca. If you drive up or down highway 41 this weekend be sure to go slow and watch for cars making sudden stops in front of you. You might find some wonderful treasure in someone's front yard.

***********

Our neighbors are tearing down the mobile home on the lot next door. It had rotted down so bad they are demolishing it. I climbed on a ladder and took some pictures of it before they tore down the walls and the roof collapsed. I would post pictures but Colt's computer isn't working right.

Didn't I tell you there's never a dull moment in Resaca?

*********

Colt nearly stepped on a rattlesnake at the Bojangles in Chatsworth last week, so watch out for snakes. Summer's here whether it's officially here, or not.

* Jason and Allen were our neighbors.  They are Scout and Colt's friends.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Aaron, Dustin, Tyler, Sara, Colt, Tim, Eddie, Jimmy, Gary, Steve, Dana, Nancy, Hanna, Keegan, and Shanda

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Chase and Krista

RIP

J.L. Strickland, Mary Bell Carter, Sam Burchfield, Charlie Burchfield 

REMEMBER
THE HWY 41 YARD SALE THIS WEEKEND
June 1-2-3


AS ALWAYS
PIO

I Feel Like Singing

. . . and since you can't hear me over the internet you can just imagine me singing this . . . 

HOT TIME. 

SUMMER IN THE CITY

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting burnt and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Cool town, evening in the city
Dressed so fine and looking so pretty
Cool cat, looking for a kitty
Gonna look in every corner of the city
Till I'm wheezing at the bus stop
Running up the stairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

All around, people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come-on come-on and dance all night
Despite the heat it'll be alright

And babe, don't you know it's a pity
That the days can't be like the nights
In the summer, in the city
In the summer, in the city

Compliments of http://www.lyricstime.com/lovin-spoonful-summer-in-the-city-lyrics.html lyrics.time

Why don't y'all become a follower of Resaca Rose? If you've been here several times I'd appreciate it. 

Later, y'all. Chill out.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Weekend Review

Don has been working overtime recently. He was supposed to work 10 hours a day 7 days a week. Last Saturday he hit his knee on something and it swole up so bad he couldn't walk. He decided to take a vacation week off. By Tuesday he felt so bad that he went to the doctor. They took blood. The doctor couldn't syringe any fluid off his knee so he ordered x-rays. An observant nurse pointed out a spot on Don's knee that looked suspicious. The doctor took a biopsy. The doctor filled him up on prescriptions and sent him home.

Don and I went to the Diagnostic Center and got his x-ray. I asked about mammograms and found out you have to have a doctor's order to get one. While I was at it, I asked how much it would be if I didn't have insurance. The lady said $525, I think. I was flabbergasted! Every time you fart in a medical situation it costs you $500 dollars. Colt's episode cost over $400. Don's last medical exam cost over $500. I think that is standard procedure, or something. How in the name of heaven can you look someone in the face and charge them $500 to mash the hell out of them with two window panes that are screwed down enough to make you feel like you are going to pop and take a picture? No wonder most people can't afford to go to the doctor. The cost is exorbitant. 

Don had been hobbling around like Chester in Gunsmoke. Anybody remember him? He hasn't been able to get outside and work in the garden so Colt and I have been taking care of it. Colt planted beans and tomatoes and I planted some okra.

Don called his doctor to find out about the x-ray and biopsy. They told him it was good news. He didn't have melanoma but he does have gout and needs to be taking another medicine. I hope his knee will get better so he can walk normally again.

Friday I mowed the entire yard, back and front. I usually break it up in a two day job. It was so nice and mild I didn't get tired like I usually do so I mowed the backyard without stopping. After that I had to mow the front yard and get it over with. It didn't take very long. This weekend is the yearly Battle of Resaca  reenactment so I wanted the yard to look nice.

I must have really pushed myself because I started limping around like Don. Every time I sat down for too long my legs locked up and I couldn't walk. I stumbled around like a spastic until I worked the soreness out of my legs. Now I can appreciate Don's pain. My soreness will wear off. I'm not so sure about his.


Colt and I rigged up two flagpoles so I could put a couple of Confederate flags in the front yard for the Battle of Resaca this weekend. People coming and going up Dixie highway will see them. That was my small contribution to the spirit of the occasion. That's all for now.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Queerly The Same

The President of the United States came out in support of gay marriage today. He is the first president to openly support gay marriage. This will cause a stir in the right wing community because it is in complete opposition to their conservative views. Most people cite the bible when they discriminate, and revile gay people. Jesus never said anything against homosexuals. Gay people are bashed daily all over America.

When I was a teenager I had a bunch of male friends who took delight in baiting gay people. One of the guys was a 112 pound weakling who looked like a twelve year old boy. They used him to lure gay men away from town   to some isolated location and then beat them and robbed them. They would laugh about all the queers they rolled. I thought they were being very cruel. I didn't think it was right to beat and steal from people, no matter who they were. 

One of my friends who was involved was also rumored to be an illegitimate son of a local judge. He liked bragging about the judge being a friend of his. He said  he told the judge about him and his friends rolling queers and the judge thought it was funny. I couldn't believe anyone, much less a judge, would condone such behavior. Even though I didn't believe in or understand what being gay was, I knew it was wrong to attack people for being different.

I never realized I knew any gay people until after we graduated from high school. One girl seemed a little weird but she also chased boys so I just thought she was strange, not necessarily gay. Back in the day we didn't even call people gay. We called them queer. I found out a couple of our good friends and classmates were gay long after we got out of school. I was surprised but it didn't change my views about them. They were nice kids and, I figured, they were nice adults. Everyone seemed to like them so I don't think that changed just because of their sexual orientation.

I never understood gay people and couldn't figure out what they did with each other. It was a totally foreign field for me.

Years after I got out of school I read an article in the Dalton paper about the DOT shutting down a rest stop on the interstate because of homosexual activity. It is still shut today. I was shocked. Honestly, I figured there was only a handful of queers in our town. I couldn't understand how they even knew there was a meeting place to connect and why the heck they chose to meet at a rest area in the first place. They must have a better network than I realized.

The first person I met who was openly gay was the sister of my boyfriend. When I first saw her, I wondered if she was a boy or a girl. She was very masculine. After I got to know her, I found out she was very smart and funny. She would lecture me about how women (like me) would stab each other in the back, but men wouldn't do the same thing. She was right. 

A woman will break her neck to get to and tell someone about another woman cheating on a man, but men will deny, deny, deny any knowledge of another man cheating on a woman, even if they don't like the other guy. I wonder why that is. No, I don't. Women are jealous and catty and enjoy taking down other women. They especially enjoy gossiping about other women and sympathizing with their man if they think they have a chance of hooking up with him.

My friend, Carrie, had a girlfriend she lived with. Her friend was a schoolteacher. She taught elementary school children in the Dalton school system. I got to know them both pretty well. For some reason I have an ability to rub people the wrong way. Claudia was no exception. She never did like me. I think she thought I was a threat to Carrie's and her relationship but I was so enamored with Carrie's brother that it was obvious I was a heterosexual. 

Claudia was a loose cannon and one day she got so angry she committed suicide in front of Carrie. That is when I began to realize the differences between married heterosexual couples and non-married gay couples.

Carrie and Claudia owned lots of property together but when Claudia killed herself Carrie wasn't entitled to anything. Claudia's family got everything that had been hers and Carrie had to sell things they owned together to give half of the money to Claudia's family. Carrie wasn't even allowed to make the funeral arrangements.

Claudia's family dressed her in a dowdy old woman's dress that Claudia wouldn't have been caught dead in, except she was, because the family wanted to make a spectacle of her in her death. They joined together and wanted to make Carrie feel unwelcome at Claudia's funeral. Fortunately for Carrie, her family banned together and they all went to the funeral in South Carolina. I rode in the convoy. We were trying to cheer Carrie up and show her our support. Because of that, nobody in Claudia's family said anything hateful to Carrie.

Claudia's brother lived in Rome Georgia. Carrie and her brother and I went to Claudia's brother's house to return Claudia's personal belongings. That was an eye opener. Even though he was married and lived with his wife, he was as queer and sissified as a three dollar bill. His hateful attitude towards Carrie was hypocritical in light of the obvious fact that he was a homosexual, too. He may have blamed Carrie because Claudia committed suicide but, as God is my witness, Claudia had a violent temper and was volatile. She had threatened me several times, until Carrie stepped in and made her leave me alone. 

One time I was riding around with Carrie and Claudia when Claudia decided she was too drunk and needed to get out and walk. We were in the middle of nowhere at night and she was walking along the side of the road. Carrie was following her slowly in the car. I was sitting in the backseat wondering when the heck I could get home and away from their drama.

A cop car pulled up behind us and put on his lights. Carrie stopped the car and waited on the officer to approach the car. She explained that Claudia was a little sick and was walking to get some fresh air before he came along. He surmised that Claudia was drunk. He asked if Carrie had been drinking anything and she answered truthfully that she had been. He asked me if I had been drinking and I said no. He told me to drive them both home. 

Claudia got back in the car and Carrie told me how to get onto the interstate and head back towards home. I used to get turned around and lost everywhere I went unless I was used to the area. After the police car disappeared out of sight Claudia started threatening me and telling me to stop her car. She was going to dump me and Carrie on the side of the interstate. I begged her to just let me get to the next exit so I could at least find my way home. She finally relented and we made it to the Rocky Face exit.

Claudia drove off, leaving Carrie and me at a gas station. Carrie started walking down Shughart road and I used the phone at the gas station to call someone to come get me. Before I could get hold of anyone Carrie's younger brother showed up at Racetrack to get gas. I told him what had happened and he offered to take me home. We picked Carrie up as we headed home. Carrie was living in Marietta at the time so her brother took her home.

After Claudia committed suicide Carrie's brother asked me to watch out for Carrie because he was afraid she might hurt herself, too. We got to know each other pretty well and we realized we had a lot in common. Even though she was gay and I was not, we got along just fine. She asked me one time what I would do if she made a pass at me and I laughed and said I guess I'd have to knock the crap out of her if she did. She laughed and never did say anything else about it.

What I am really trying to say is that we are all really the same. Gay people are no different than straight people. They find us as gross as straight people find gay people. They told me that it was nauseating to watch heterosexual people making out. I can understand that. I think anyone, straight, gay, or anything else looks disgusting when they are making out.

Gay people shouldn't be judged for their sexual preference any more than black people should be judged for their skin color, or white people for the color of their eyes. 

The most heartbreaking thing I learned from Carrie's and Claudia's relationship is that when you are gay you have no rights. When your significant other is ill in the hospital, gay people are banned because they are not considered family. Gay people have no support system or any recourse when decisions have to be made for their loved one. Gay people have no rights when it comes to property, or any other legal matters. Gay people are considered non-entities when they are in a committed long term relationship. Somehow that doesn't seem fair to me.

Gay people aren't going to hurt heterosexual people but heterosexual people will willingly hurt gay people. They are not less than anyone. My friend Carrie went to college and worked for Lockheed on a work education program to become an engineer. Gay people are just as smart, and just as ambitious as straight people. They deserve the same respect.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

MAY

I believe we are headed for a beautiful, warm summer. Everything is in bloom here in north Georgia. Don's garden is looking good. He's even broken ground for another patch of garden. We like spreading them out. He's taken over Scout's job. I shudder to think what he is doing. 


I tried to get Don to put newspapers down like Scout has been doing and covering them with straw to keep the grass out of the garden, but he doesn't listen to me. He put one layer of paper down and the grass is sprouting through it. I told him I'd show him how to do it before he started but he won't ask me for help. I guess he'd rather hear me nag him after he's done. 


Scout and I had it down to a science. It's much easier than hoeing or tilling around a small garden, if you prep the area right. The newspaper has to be at least five or six layers deep and crisscrossed so there are no open places for weeds to sprout up. We spread straw around to cover the newspapers and make everything look nice and neat.


I've been sprouting seeds in my little starter kit. I have plenty of yellow tomato plants to transplant into the garden. I also started two kinds of gourds: loofah and birdhouse. I hope the seeds sprout soon. I planted some green bean seeds Don gave me and they started sprouting a couple of days later. Everything is growing in high gear. I love having a little garden in the backyard.


Today I cooked out on the charcoal grill. I had some chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing. I let the chicken cook on the grill while I prepared rice in the microwave. I pulled out the left-over fixings for a salad we had the other day. I was so proud of myself. 


My meal didn't even heat up the house. It's so nice when I don't have to crank up the oven and heat up the house. I'm trying to figure out how to get around heating the house with my cooking without giving up the convenience of eating at home.


I've read some blogs about using your freezer to store homemade frozen dinners for your family. One suggestion I really liked was to put up foods that you prepare in different ways. Freeze food that can be cooked in different ways so you have variety. Fix stuff for the crock pot, oven, stove top, and the microwave.


That got me thinking about all the different ways I like to cook food. Before I had a microwave oven, I learned to use a pressure cooker. I used to use it all the time. I liked cooking chicken breasts or stew beef because the food was tender enough to eat with a fork. The water I cooked with made great gravies and sauces. Pressure cooking cuts the cooking time in half.


I think I will try to make some meals for my freezer so I can pull something out and cook them at times like this, when you don't want to heat your house up like a coke oven.

Y'all stay cool. See ya on the shady side.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Rachel, Steve, Connie, Buddy, Edwadene, Maranda, Vivian, Junior, Madison 
& to everyone celebrating this month

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

to everyone celebrating this month

RIP

Grampa Carter, Aunt Ev

REMEMBER

The Battle of Resaca May 18-20, 2012

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Catching Up

I've been dragging around for a while with an ear ache. My home remedies aren't getting me very far. I go from boiling them out with hydrogen peroxide, to pouring alcohol down them in the hopes of drying up the sore place. I don't like going to doctors.

I hope I don't mess up the crystals in my ears. I've had vertigo because of misplaced crystals, and that is a miserable feeling. I'd just about as soon die as go through that again. I couldn't lay down because the bed was spinning, and I couldn't sit up because I felt like the whole world was spinning. It was like riding the tilt-a-whirl without any of the fun. It made me want to throw up. I don't know how anybody can function like that.


A friend who was a nurse told me about the crystals in our ears. They help us maintain balance. She told me of a remedy to get the crystals corrected. She advised me to sit on the edge of the bed and then fall to one side (left or right) and then sit back up. Then I should fall to the other side (left or right) and sit back up. I had to rest when I fell over because I was so dizzy. It was slow going, but my balance finally cleared up so I must have gotten the crystals back where they belonged. 


I was so happy with the cure for this problem that I bragged about it to everyone. When I told my cousin, Nancy, about it she laughed at me and called me Crazy Pam with crystals in my head. She thought I was nuts. I finally ran across an article about the crystals and how they affect your balance. Check out Inner Ear Rock Slides Lead To Vertigo at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103463398  for more information about those darn crystals.


People say drugs are bad but you don't need any drugs when you feel like you're in a carnival fun-house when you move your head. Ye gads! Getting old is not easy. There's always something going wrong and making you realize you are not immortal.


Have you ever stood up and noticed your skin didn't? I call it elephant skin. I look all wrinkly around my knees. It reminds me of when I used to wear hose and they would always puddle around my ankles, only now it's all down my legs. Gross!


I've always thought they should have a handbook for life. Maybe break it down by age. I wish someone had warned me of the fun facts of old age. I've got old age spots all over me, and my skin is starting to feel like an alligator's. Sometimes I have a fun evening of plucking unwelcome hairs as I peer into a small magnifying mirror. I think about the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. Something about ... 'not by the hair of my chinnie, chin, chin'. Why me, Lord?  Why me?


There are other things, more personal things, that I'd rather not discuss but believe you me getting old affects everyone. If you live long enough it will start working on you. It suffices it to say, you'll understand when you get old


I think I'll go rest now. I'm feeling old.

******

AS ALWAYS

PIO


I'm sorry. I've tried  "twenty ways to Sunday" to fix the link to the article above. 
In the mean time, I'll keep working on it. Thanks
Yeah!! I FINALLY GOT IT

This Too Will Pass

                                                           

Time is so elusive, and memories are fleeting. I'm thankful we were born in the age of photography. Cameras have evolved at astronomical speed in my lifetime. The first camera my family owned was a sleek Kodak Brownie. Now everybody has some kind of camera. Make sure to take plenty of pictures and capture the moments of your life. You'll have something to look back on and remember the good old days. 

We had a nice family dinner on Easter. I cooked ham and roast beef for the main dishes. After dinner, we went outside so that Layla could hunt Easter eggs. While Colt hid eggs, Kim and Scout went inside and made water balloons. Once someone threw a balloon and missed their target. Guess who got smacked in the puss! Yeah, right. Me! Oh well. It was all in good clean fun.

I had so much fun cooking for my family and coloring eggs for Layla. Easter wouldn't be nearly as much fun without children to play with during the holidays.

After Easter, we took Colt's car to the body shop to be fixed. He wrecked it a couple of weeks ago. Since he had to go back to Marietta, he's tooling around in the Buick this week. It's the same old, same old. I'm used to everybody borrowing my car by now. We can only hope that Colt has learned a lesson from this wreck and doesn't do it again.

I think the weather and pollen has affected everyone. Colt's been nursing sinus headaches, or migraines, and Donny and I are always clearing our throats. Talk about sounding like a couple of old farts. You should hear us. It reminds me of my grandmother. She was always trying to clear her throat.

The older you get, the more you become like the old people you used to be 'amused by'. My, how the mighty have fallen. Getting old ain't for the weak of heart ... well, maybe it is. Actually, that's exactly what it is. Getting old doesn't have to be boring though. You can always enjoy the perks of being old. You can finally be yourself. Nobody's stopping you.

The other day Kim and Layla picked me up after I dropped off my car to get the odometer fixed. We had breakfast at Denny's before they brought me home. This was the first time that we've ever been out together. I told Layla I had figured out what she could call me and Donny. I think she should call us "Mammy" and "Pappy". That's a twofer. You know what a twofer is don't you? Two for one. I wouldn't mind being called mammy. That makes me smile.

I don't know anything about this granny business but it looks like little Layla and I are going to be together so I'd like to think she likes her old granny Pam, even if she is shy around me. 

Shalom  Y'all!

AS ALWAYS

PIO

APRIL

April has always been one of my favorite months. What's not to love? Warm weather, flowers, more sunlight, and longer days thanks to daylight savings time. Everything is in full bloom. I think I even saw some blackberries blooming today. We usually have a cool spell for blackberry winter. Afternoons are in the high 70's, or even in the low 80's here in north Georgia. 


It was Palm Sunday last week, and Easter is this coming Sunday. We usually have a cool spell around Easter, too. I wonder if we're going to skip it this year. That would be unusual. It would be a foreshadowing of a long, hot summer.

I'm back on the cycle again. You know; the endless cycle. Today I took Scout to work and probably will until he gets his car running again. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing. We have more car trouble 'than the average bear' but it has a lot to do with the fact that we drive older cars. Colt is the only one with a new car, a Ford Focus.


Saturday Colt called me from Douglasville. He hit a car in the rear end on the interstate exit ramp. He was upset, but told me he could drive his car home. It took forever before he finally made it home. I couldn't see any damage in the dark but the next morning I looked out the window and saw a rope tied to the fender. Colt had tied it up so it wouldn't flop around. There is no telling how much his little accident cost. Our deductible is high and he will also have to pay his ticket. Youch! I see someone working as my slave this summer. Payback's a bitch.


I'm hoping our fortunes will improve as we move further and further away from March. I guess I'm being superstitious. You would be too, if you'd lived through some of the March's I've seen. 


Now we are in one of my favorite times of the year; the time of year when the grass and the weeds haven't gotten ahead of us yet, and we end up playing a hopeless game of catch up. That will be a good place to start using my poor old slave. "Oh, Colt, honey. Come here! I need you."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Sanna, Patricia, Susie, Debbie, Aja, Allan, and Kathy

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Myra and Noodie, Ann and Jim

RIP

Beulah, Henry, and Donna


REMEMBER
Tire Amnesty in Gordon County
April 14 and 21
7AM-1PM

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Contention

Can you feel the energy around us? Doesn't it feel like something is about to pop? I've been feeling this sense of foreboding all month long. I can feel the winds of change and discontent around me. I don't know if it's all in my mind or there is something really happening in the universe. It seems like March is a mercurial month, full of change. The grass is growing, the pollen is everywhere, and people are acting strange. 

An airline pilot flipped out the other day on a flight. He was yelling and the passengers had to subdue him. I would imagine, after 911, everybody had already decided what they would do in the event of an emergency. If the passengers on the four hijacked planes had reacted so quickly when they were threatened they might have survived. I don't think anybody else will ever be able to get away with taking over a plane again. The passengers will refuse to go down without a fight. I know I would. The airline pilot was just one example of the crazy things that are happening this month.

People used to say that if old people survived through March they would survive another year. Winters were a lot harder when my grandparents, and their grandparents, were alive. Life was harder and they didn't all have access to doctors or medicine. Doctors didn't know how to cure as many illnesses at they can now. Today we have antibiotics to fight deadly diseases. Medicine has given us a chance to live longer, more productive, healthier lives. Science and medicine has made remarkable bounds.

I have a calendar I keep birthdays and deaths written on. That's my small attempt at genealogy. My aunt Crick and my gramma died in March a few days apart. My aunt Ev died exactly 20 years after them. Donny's grandmother also  passed away in March. That seems to support the old wives tale about surviving March.

There may be a malaise across the nation because we are in an election year and the candidates leave a lot to be desired. Everything will come down to the November elections and how many people get off their butts and vote. I think there was about a 30 percent turnout for the last election in our county. Yeah, buddy. Why don't we all stay home and let somebody else pick the schmuck who represents us? I know I'll feel better if 70 percent of the electorate just sleeps on through the elections. NOT!

I admit I've become an armchair activist and I can not stand the way this country is headed. The reason we have idiots to vote for is because people aren't willing to work to change things. Candidates can't take the scrutiny of the media because their dirty laundry, and past ramblings will come back to bite them in the ass if they don't stay true to their inner beliefs. If candidates dance around and change their stance on issues to win votes, I can imagine what they will be like if they win.

I think everything is screwed up, even the internet. Everybody seems to be in an uproar about something on the internet. Right now it is the timeline on Facebook.  People are also complaining about their slow service. Everybody is aggravated about something. 

Today I had a meltdown when I couldn't find some papers I needed for income tax. I got upset and called Colt and Scout complaining about the lost paper. Naturally, after I settled down and tore the room apart I found it in an envelope I hadn't checked.

I'll be glad when March is over and we move on. This is wearing me out. Colt even had a meltdown last week and Donny and I drove to Marietta to check on him. I had to fight my fear of driving at dark because it was nearly sundown. Thank goodness, we made it down there and back safe and sound. 

I've had enough drama. It's time to relax and enjoy spring. That's why I'm glad Donny started a garden. He planted lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions and strawberries. We have lots to look forward to this summer. Gardening soothes the soul. Blesses our hearts. Now, go outside and dig in the dirt again. You'll thank me later.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Let It Out

I spend way too much time on the internet, and way too much time on Facebook. I have a handful of friends who are funny and interesting who post topics that I've really enjoyed reading. I've met some awesome friends who are advocates for unwanted animals. Some new friends are anti-circumcision. Others are advocates for gay rights. Some friends are pro-south, and others are friends of friends. I have tried to mesh friends from different backgrounds and differing views because they all have valid points and interests. 

I love my friends. I love reading and discussing different subjects. At least, I did love it until a couple of my Facebook friends who post some interesting things got into it with each other.

I followed the entire conversation and saw when they started going off the rails. One friend (K) posted something and the other (M) took offense even though K wasn't talking to, or about, M. Then the one who felt offended said something about rethinking things, which to me implied that she was considering deleting the other person. My friend must have inferred the same thing because she unfriended the other person first. She said she didn't want to continue arguing with my other friend. 

I tried to be a mediator and suggested they both cool down but the damage was already done. Instead of letting this argument roll off their backs like water off ducks backs, they both took the extreme. I guess I can understand why she went ahead and deleted the other girl because she knew that the other girl was threatening to delete her. I just can't understand how two smart, funny and independent women can act like juveniles. 

My friend (K) who deleted the other one first hasn't made another peep about the other one on Facebook, but the other one (M) posted something making fun of my friend for 'unfriending' her. She posted something about 'someone on Facebook doesn't like me' but that's not true. K did like M but she began to believe that M was condescending. She didn't want to argue with her. K told me she didn't want to be the one causing trouble between M and me, and felt it was better to leave her alone. She said she didn't dislike, or hate her; she just didn't feel right arguing with my friend. (We're kin.)

From the very start I could see trouble because my friend K is very open minded and liberal and she has a very open heart. My friend M is jaded and disgusted with people she thinks are scamming the system. Oil and water, people. Oil and water. What saddens me is the fact that I've lost two of my most entertaining friends who I dearly loved conversing with and now, I feel, it's all about me.

I always thought I was the most contentious person on the planet. I could argue with a fence post if I thought it was wrong. Now I see it's a family streak and it's not only confined to one side of my family tree. It's on both sides! No wonder I'm so feisty and never back down from a good argument. The only difference I see is that one of the two people who were arguing with each other is a health care provider. You'd think that anyone who went to school to study psychology would be more open to another's point of view. You'd also think that they wouldn't smirk about losing a decent friend. I don't know. I guess everybody has more friends than I do because I cringe when I lose another friend. 

I don't always get along with my cousins, or my friends for that matter, but I certainly don't want to "banish them to the cornfield" (thanks Connie) just because we don't agree. It takes all kinds to make up the world. If we all got along and agreed it would be a very, very boring world.

I wish you all knew how it felt to lose every single friend you have and finally be alone and lonely. Then you would understand how important I think you all are. I wish you'd realize that everybody comes from different backgrounds and circumstances and will view things differently.

I might have been callous and insensitive to people if I had to deal with deadbeats and people with mental issues every day; or I might feel sympathy and understanding when someone has hit rock bottom and lost everything of value to them and are struggling to overcome their situation. Thank god I haven't lost everything and had to start over. Thank god I don't have to deal with certifiable nuts. There are plenty of 'free range' nuts around me already. If you can't feel compassion for people you consider lesser than yourself, you certainly can't understand or appreciate the struggles they go through. If you have to act like a thirteen year old girl when you disagree with someone, maybe you need to go back and review the thread that started this whole mess and reevaluate the situation.

If this offends you, go ahead and delete me, if you haven't already. If you want to act like an adult and admit that you both disappointed me, don't delete me. I like you both. Actually, I love you both, but I am too old for this crap and I hate, hate, hate it when friends argue.

M this started when you thought K said something to you about Obama. She was not talking to you. Read the thread. K, I wish you'd waited instead of deleting M but I can understand you were trying to take the gracious way out.

K contacted me and apologized for arguing with my cousin. M hasn't done anything except put another one of her 'cute' posts about, 'if you don't like it', blah, blah, blah.

Y'all have made me so sad.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Ides Of March

Whew! We made it. I always exhale a sigh of relief after March 12-13 rolls around. Nineteen years ago we were blanketed in by a blizzard that covered the east coast. Electricity was out for days. We survived with two stinky old kerosene heaters sitting in the kitchen that were more suitable for outdoor use, and by piling in the same bed to stay warm. The boys were little then so they didn't mind. We even had a king size water mattress that was big enough for us all.

We didn't have any power or heat but we did have water. Resaca has a water tower which probably kept everybody comfortable flushing their toilets during the blizzard. We weren't able to check on anyone else because the phones were out, too. I had no idea how Momma and Daddy were getting by but I knew Daddy would have it under control. He and Momma are resourceful.

I was deliriously happy when Donny's brother, Tony, showed up in his four wheel drive to rescue us. We had been sitting at home for days. They had heat and running water. We were finally able to clean up and start feeling refreshed. The power came back on soon after we went to Tunnel Hill. That figures. We were able to come home again.

I have never seen so much snow. It was 'the Superstorm of the century' in the south. I hope we get a guarantee on that because it was awful. Nobody in the south was prepared for a storm like that. Some people froze to death in their cars. People were stranded in airports, and on highways, and wherever they were at the time. 

The storm started late the first night. I made the boys come in and take a bath, instead of playing in the snow that night. I am still reminded that they got gypped out of playing in the snow. The next day the snow was so deep, and we didn't have any heat so I didn't let them go outside and play because I was afraid they'd get sick.

Since we've passed the disaster date in March, we still have to worry about what else we might have to contend with before spring arrives and we don't have any more winter weather. 

My great grandmother used to say that the old people always said that if they made it through March they would survive the year out. I guess the weather was so unpredictable, and old people were so susceptible to illness, that there were plenty of people who passed away during the last throes of winter's steely grasp. Medicine has come a long way since my great grandmother was alive but elderly people still have to be careful and they fall prey to bronchial disease. 


The doctor had been treating Momma for bronchitis until her other doctor said she had more blood clots causing her symptoms. The GP should have made sure to rule out blood clots in the first place because she suffered an episode a couple of years ago.

If you ever studied literature you may know that the 'ides of March' refer to the assassination of Julius Caesar. Beware the ides of March* is a warning of the coming danger. When we were in high school we had one wonderful teacher who exposed us to the arts and literature and worked hard to expand our minds. (Thank you Mrs. Weit. You made an indelible mark on me.)

Y'all hang in there. Spring is just around the corner.

*March 15, 44 B.C. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Ramblin

Hello! My name is Pam, and I am a blogger. A blogger is like an addict, who sits in front of a computer screen hours on end, thereby providing their social life. I have far more entertaining and stimulating friends than I could ever have met in person. My BF and BBF* list keeps getting longer, and longer. My real life, not so much. When I am on the internet, it doesn't matter if I sit down dressed to the tees, or in my jammies. Nobody cares. I can be scarfing down a plate of chimichanga's if I want to, and nobody will know. It is the ideal world. 

People are so much friendlier; places are so much more open, and ... tolerant. No, not tolerant. Vocal and contentious sometimes, but not always tolerant. I know, I'll just say more democratic and like a republic where people are able to vent their views and swap ideas. Sometimes they're even able to bridge a gap between people. and continents, and cultures, and languages, and find out that we are all basically the same. Aren't we? We want to feel safe, and able to afford food and clothing, and care for the ones we love. Or am I a dreamer? A Pollyanna who things everything will be alright and who always looks on the bright side? Nobody ever accused me of that.

Isn't the internet wonderful? I've met people from around the world. I was in awe of people who could speak English, however broken it sounded, until Colt reminded me that they could use an interpreter. Wow! Isn't the internet amazing? It's like we are all a part of a great community and not divided by race, creed, sex, or religion. We are all anonymous but we can interact with each other. 

I've become addicted to Facebook and following threads that people post. I've met a few wonderful people that way. I love it when anybody agrees with me. I live for the times when somebody disagrees. That's when the "meow" comes out. It's like catnip. "It's on!" as they say.

The other day I was following a thread about a doctor who posted something on the internet about a patient who was on medicaid. According to him, she had a gold tooth, several tattoos, and admitted to smoking at least a pack of cigarettes a day and even indulging in a few beers and pretzels. He was disgusted because the patient didn't have medical insurance. He thought that the patient should be putting their money towards medical insurance instead of personal indulgences. He made it clear that he looked down on people on medicaid and judged them for it. 

The doctor never mentioned why the patient came to see him, or even if he was able to treat them for their condition. I don't know if he even tried. He was more fixated on what he saw and the choices the patient made. 

I thought that, if the patient had a gold tooth, they probably had some money at one time because dentists will not put gold teeth in your mouth unless you're able to pay for them. The tattoos could have been obtained when they were younger and more affluent. Naturally, I imagined some old fart like me sitting there instead of some twenty-something young chick since the doctor made no reference to the age or illness of the patient. They may have hit hard times and ended up on medicaid. Or, give the devil his due, they could be milking the system. I don't know, but neither did the doctor. 

Who's to say the patient didn't have nice shoes and a fancy telephone because they bought them second hand? Lots of people are recycling everything on the internet nowadays.

I've seen plenty of people who could do better, and make better choices, but I still don't see what that has to do with treating a patient. I used to smoke cigarettes but made my mind up to quit smoking. I had three reasons to quit smoking. One, I broke out in a sweat and smelt like a nasty cigarette; two, I wanted to quit smoking before I got pregnant; three, was because of the waste of money. It literally went up in smoke. It is very hard to break a bad habit and people sniping at you and judging you doesn't help.

The doctor made a good case for the need for Obama care, indirectly, because he thought it was disgusting that the patient was on medicaid. If everyone in America has health coverage doctors will have to treat everybody, irregardless of being on medicaid. Many doctors refuse to accept patients on medicaid because of the paperwork and the hoops they have to jump through to get paid. They are never reimbursed fully for their service. That is why the good patients who pay their bills willingly have to help shoulder the burden of the doctor's expenses.

While I'm on this rant I might as well go on and add that I think it is way past time for the medical profession to go online and have some kind of national database to monitor patients and medications. This would be a good way to make sure patients aren't doctor shopping and monitor for fraud.

Like it or not, the health care system is going to be overhauled in 2013. Some people are acting like Chicken Little, running around and hollering, "The sky is falling!" Other people are thankful because the new laws guarantee that an insurance company can not drop them because of a preexisting condition. It is funny to me that some people despise people who are poor, and don't have insurance, but the only way you can afford insurance is if you have money.

We have insurance, but it's still very expensive to go to the doctor. I don't go very often. Donny has to go two times a year because he has high blood pressure. They take blood and run tests, and it costs a lot of money. Still, it's important that he takes care of himself. He is the breadwinner. His insurance doesn't cover our dental visits though. That's where all my medical money goes. I don't want to become toothless. So far, so good. 

I don't know how people can afford health care who are really sick. We can't even afford to use it. Health care, checkups, medicines, tests. If you ask me, I think the government should regulate the drug industry more closely and bring the price of drugs way down. Until the medical community changes we will all be at the mercy of the insurance companies and our medical providers.
Till then we've always got Edgewood Insurance. Oh, no!

* BF best friend,  BBF best, best friend 

***

This weeks new habit is punctuation. How am I doing?

AS ALWAYS

PIO

MARCH

It's time for March madness. I can tell. I've been running around like a bunny on a dog track. Running around and around. I've been taking Scout to work again this week. I made Scout go to the grocery store with me one day. I don't know how it happened, but I ended up buying him a few things. Now I remember why I quit taking the boys to the grocery store with me. It's cheaper. That's why I don't take Donny, either. He's just as bad as the boys. He doesn't have a clue. Sure, he'll come home with some tasty things even though they aren't usually the healthiest things but last week he outdid himself. 

Last weekend he made the best chili. He and his friends have been swapping recipes. His recipe is simple and, according to Donny, tastes like Wendy's chili.

DONNY'S CHILI RECIPE

1 16oz jar Pace's Picante Sauce

1 10oz can Ro-Tel mild diced tomatoes and green chilies

1/2 16oz can Bush's Chili Beans with Pinto Beans in Chili Sauce

1 lb ground beef from the Green Spot in Dalton Georgia

(I think that's the secret ingredient)

I have to admit, it was pretty good! Try it. Mix it up. Let me know if you think it tastes like Wendy's. I would use the whole can of beans.

*****

I finally got our taxes filled out this week. That's something I always dread. It's a deal-breaker this time of year. Pressure is on me to get our taxes filled out in time for Colt to qualify for FAFSA. FAFSA is the Free Application For Student Aid.  Getting an education is very expensive. The Pell Grant helps. If it weren't for the FAFSA I'd probably procrastinate to the very last minute.

It looks like March is coming in like a lion. Storms are lashing all across the country. Tornadoes have been devastating whole communities. The destruction is incomprehensible. My heart goes out to everyone who is suffering nature's wrath. We are in the midst of the storm.

I hope we all make it through this night unscathed. Time to go, for now.

if you are celebrating this month

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Heather, Jami, Dana, Mike, Mary Jane, Johnathon, Jason, Alex, Patsy, Sunshine

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

RIP
Crick, Mary Bell, Evelyn, and Lela

to Vote Tuesday in the Georgia Primary
the blizzard of 3-12-93 

AS ALWAYS
PIO
******
I made a batch of chili using this recipe and found out my husband ALSO used
Carroll Shelby's Chili Mix.
4-28-12