The Travelers

These are people that I treasure...my Paul and Barbara.

They're on vacation at Yellowstone National Park. However, they look like they need a bench break...lots of walking. They took this special vacation and right before our High Holidays...a very good time because this is the Holiday that celebrates the beginning of Creation...and my niece and nephew went to see this great happening... A Work In Progress...because the beauty of nature never fades...it endures through the years...and the great majesty of it all. I know they enjoyed themselves because they sent me tons of pictures. They truly know how to vacation. Me...I'm not much of a traveler..so I do it on the discovery channel...and I still appreciate the grandness of it all.

Cutting back before a hurricane!

There was a big racket outside my bedroom window and I peeked out to see just what was going on.

It was a 'happening' all right. The 'tree clipper people' were right outside my window and they were cutting down a very huge branch of a very large tree in my backyard.

Now this wasn't just any branch. It was part of the tree...but almost as big as the tree trunk itself...and should there be torrential rains and wildly gusting winds, this could find its way right through my window.

It was so interesting to watch. They worked very hard and not a movement was wasted. They were in complete control of the situation.

Then I remembered my camera sitting on top of my desk...so this is what I got through the window. The black bar is part of my window and I captured it.

We pay high maintenance here...but it's well worth it. We're protected! In the meantime, I've stocked up on everything so that I could live a month without leaving.

I've been through one hurricane and I've learned. It's the darkness I despise most of all. When it was pitch black, I'd sing ....
'hello darkness my old friend...I've come to be with you again.

Then I'd go into a troubled sleep...but the very next morning...the sun was brightly shining...and all was right with the world.

Kevin and Cheryl

Once a year our pool is visited by two

really nice people...who come from the

far north...Massachusetts. We look so forward to their visit because they're very interesting and funny people.

Kevin is a teacher and writes books and spends a great deal of time at the library.

Cheryl is such a pleasure...always laughing...what a sense of humor.

This is what makes our pool so exciting.

Our starter-up home but we stayed over 30 years!

This is where our young-married life began...and I loved our little home. I remember carrying Jeff who was 18 months old to his own room...and telling him that this is his very own.

Well, it appears Jeff had a different idea. He wanted his crib in our room, just like it was in our little apartment.

He screamed and screamed ...and then wanted to join us in bed.

Every day I carried him and said this is Jeffy's room...all yours. Your toys are here. We have our room--you have yours.

He still cried for a month. Then Dr. Spock said you just have to let him cry...and don't give in...and finally after 4 days we had peace in the house and the bed to ourselves.

That is, until he learned to crawl out of his crib and he would go to Allen's side to get in and he was never refused.There were many times that I ended up sleeping in the crib because I couldn't sleep 3 in a double bed. Triple beds were rare in those days and it never even entered our minds.

Anyway we had big retaining walls in our driveway and in the back to hold back the 2nd terrace. The street above us was being excavated...and every night after dinner, the 3 of us would go to gather big rocks. To this day the wall is still standing.....a labor of love

.Retirement came and everyone said maybe I could buy Allen an extra couple years down in florida. No more urging...I wanted my husband to live....so we moved....and here I am.

I'm truly glad we made the move...life is so much simpler here..

Ethel dancing down the streets in Orlando!

J

Julie Childs

Ruth Fagan and I went to see Julia and Julia at the stadium theatre in Boynton Beach...so dark you could almost break your neck. I stuck close to her, I'm so afraid of falling because I suffered lots of mishaps.

Meryl Streep did an excellent job playing her, even was able to capture her annoying voice...sounding a bit like Eleanor Roosevelt. Julie sounded like she had a mouthful of marbles.


..There was lots of chopping, cutting, slicing....grilling...steaming...boiling...and lots and lots of butter... a cardiologist's dream!


It was about 7 when we left the theatre...and you'd think our appetites would have been percolating for something deliciousoso....but no....we went to Boston Market which is just a step or two above McDonald's..

After watching all that gourmet cooking, one would think that we would go to a classier place...but I guess Ruth and I are just simple folk.

. A very sweet young man held the door open for us...and we thanked him for being such a nice young gentlemen.

We made our way to the line where all the food is visible and everything looked really appetizing.

Ruth and I both opted for the meatloaf which looked so good it could have been a filet mignon. ....and we were like kids looking through the glass counter of a candy shop for all the tubs of wonderful side dishes. Such a decision!!!


Anyway..now to pay our checks. Ruth gave me a coupon which took $1.00 off an already inexpensive meal.

Standing directly behind us was the boy who was such a gentlemen with his mom...and we saw she was ordering bundles of food like for a very large family.

We asked if she could use our extra coupon...and she was so delighted...it meant $5.00 off her bill.


Ruth and I gobbled our food hungrily and happy. Our bellies were full and so were our hearts!

We enjoyed our dinner...and also the fact that one good deed deserves another.

We were just ships that pass in the night...but we felt great!

..

Meet Maiia, financial advisor!

I received this letter when I came home from the pool today. We don't realize how grateful we are to be Americans until we read this from Maiia

My dear friends,
It is with the greatest pleasure that I am announcing thatyesterday at 11.30 am in Oakland Park, FL the biggest dream of my lifefinally came true. On this day together with 177
other people and their families from 44 different countries of the worldI FINALLY BECAME AN AMERICANCITIZEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE
CITIZEN OF THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THECOUNTRY OF UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES, FAIRNESS, JUSTICE AND FREEDOM WHERE
YOU CAN BE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO BE IF YOU WORK FOR IT. THE COUNTRYTHAT IS FAMOUS AROUND THE WORLD AS THE COUNTRY OF OPPORTUNITY AND
FREEDOM!!!!!!!
For those of you who have not known me for a long time it isimportant to mention that it took me 10 years from the moment I got tothis country in June of 1999 to finally become one of you. It tookcountless applications and procedures and thousands of dollars topetition for my citizenship, nothing that I would ever wish upon anybodyto go through. But it was all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyminute of it, every dollar, every tear at the immigration office, everyday of waiting for all these approvals to work, to travel, to breathefreely in this country, because there is no country like this one,anywhere!!!!! Of course, this is my opinion and you do not have toagree, but some people realize how lucky they are to be born here andthey will understand my plea. This country gave me everything and itkeeps giving me the opportunity to take care of my family in Russia whoare not as lucky as I am. But I am lucky and I would like to celebrateit and I would like you to celebrate with me!!!!!!!!!!
PS. I cannot stop crying for 2 days now, I am so happy.
I am proud to be an American and God Bless this country!


The enclosed summary, prices, quotes and/or statistics contained hereinhave been obtained from sources believed reliable but are notnecessarily complete and cannot be guaranteed, errors and omissionsaccepted.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLCMaiia HartFinancial AdvisorFinancial Planning Specialist350 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite 1200Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301954-762-3064 direct line800-327-8323 ext. 3064954-762-3069 faxmaiia.hart@smithbarney.complease visit my websitehttp://fa.smithbarney.com/maiiahart/

I can't believe I did this!

This afternoon I was thinking about tennis...that is the sport I truly love..and used to play. Jeff did too..he was on the tennis team.

My thoughts were of playing tennis with my first boyfriend...we were 13 and this continued until we were 16.

He would wait for me on Saturday afternoons when we went to visit my Grandmother in Oakland, Pittsburgh.

We played on a big cement slab...we never had a net...we used the line separating the cement...and we only had wooden racquets.

His name was Harry Schwalb and he was kind of a special boy...he painted...and he would design clothes for skinny me then. He didn't think I was too thin...just that the world was too fat.

Harry was brilliant and went to Penn State at 16. He invited me to go to his college prom...but it was a very sad year for me...My Mom died!

Anyway...to bring up the present...I thought of him today and looked him up on the internet...and since he was the same age as me, I decided to give him a call.

He remembered....and he was astonished. With all his brilliance..he's written books...his work is in art galleries...he doesn't own a computer. He asked me should he buy a desktop or laptop.

I was amazed...he writes everything out in longhand.

Anyway...it was a good renewal...and I think he was very thrilled that I remembered his entire family...and the way it was!

Meet my friends the Siegels!

The guy at the left of this picture is my friend's son whom I have loved since before he was even born. His name is Gary and his beautiful wife is Sue...and with them are their sons Alex and Arthur.

I've always been very proud of Gary....he started out working in the advertising dept. of Leader Newspapers....now he is way up there ... and he's worked very hard to get there.

I saw this lovely family 2 years ago when I went to Virginia to visit my kids...and Gary and his family drove from Murraysville, Pa. to see me.

How I appreciated that. Sue is a nurse and she and Gary fell in love in New Kensington, Pa....and Gary and Sue married when he was being transferred to another state.

Gary is a great sports enthusiast...and almost before he could read, he grabbed the sports page of the newspaper. When he speaks, his voice is so enthusiastic that it makes me feel happy.

I knew nothing about autism until I saw them in Va. and I marvel how well they cope and know exactly how to deal with their very handsome older son. Since then I listen and read everything I can about this dreadful disease and hope that soon a cure will be found. He's very high functioning and extremely bright and please God, the scientists will find out what causes one out of every 150 children to be born with this.

Don't know what made me do it!

I was talking to my friend Virginia and she was telling me that she got in touch with some of her former schoolmates online...and how much she enjoyed their get-to-gethers and reminiscing.

Well, I can't do that because most of my peers are not on a computer. So I thought and thought who do I want to call. I finally picked a girl (woman) that I started school with and graduated with.

I went to my white pages on the computer and typed in New Kensington, Pa...and there was her number in front of my eyes.

I gave no thought about what we would talk about. She answered and I started the conversation with this is a voice from way out of your past.

This is Hilda Goldsmith....and she screamed...Hilda...how are you....and then we talked for an hour and a half.

We even recited poetry together that we had learned in 7th grade.

It was a wonderful visit....I think I made myself and her happy....and it was almost like the many years hadn't passed all that long ago.

We recalled our families...and how it all was...and that we did get a good education after all.

So...thanks Virginia.

I've Become Very Lazy!

WMy good friend Virginia has reminded me that it's time for a new blog and I have so many thoughts reverberating in my ancient brain that I really don't know what my fingers are going to write about.

So...here goes!

I take such delight every week hearing and seeing Jeff and Donna's dogs. Now they'll never say their dogs are naughty ... they'll say it's all their fault.

So last Sunday when we were speaking Jeff showed me on the webcam a little gadget that he put together and he taught Bandit 4 tricks with it...and I don't know who was prouder...the dog or its owners.

Their beagle dogs are hunters so they dig lots of ditches in the backyard and Jeff had to go to Home Depot to buy dirt...so Donna could fill up all the holes ...now they can mow the lawn without fear of falling.

Jeff and Donna try to let me into their lives by explaining how everything works.....and I am constantly amazed.

We went to the Kennedy Space Center when they were here....and I imagine in another hundred years, this will all seem primitive to the folks who go to the museum.

In a way going to the moon has taken some of the romance away from this Lunar...because now we know it's just barren rock. However, what they do with their 'findings' is very interesting.

I don't know what the people who use cell phones in their daily lives would do without this handy little gadget....but thanks to space we have it.

But anyway, I don't recall that I heard any new songs about the romance of the moon.....so will they write new songs about Mars...and not the chocolate one.

I just can't get over it!

I'm sitting on the cusp of a birthday that will put me in the middle 80's...and I can't bear it...or believe it.



Always living in the present, all my events seemed to be frozen in time. Not being able to imagine Jeff or Paul being men.



Not to be able to acknowledge that I've been living without Allen for 20 long lonely years. Actually truth be told, I've been sequesered in the Peter Pan Syndrome....never wanting to grow up.



My Mother used to sing a song to me...Toyland...toyland...dear little girl and boy land...once you pass the borders, you can ne're return again.



I listened and believed in those lyrics...they came from my Mother's lips.



Well, I found out that life moves on...it's a constantly learning process...and if we refuse to move...we become stagnant.



Now my kids don't want that to happen...so they get me all this high tech stuff...and my friend Virginia just won't let me sit on my laurels...she insists that I keep my blog up to date.



So...I'm doing what is expected of me.



However, I now know that in my heart of hearts...I'm an old lady.



Somebody who also doesn't want to grow old says that today for some reason...we're 10 years younger that our chronical age.



Can that be????? Anyway...financially last year wasn't a very good year for me and a lot of others.

Fannie Mae tricked me....so did General Motors. Again I believed! I followed my greed and instinct...and it got me naught.

So now...I know that nothing is a sure thing....and we just have to roll with the times.

Speaking of which....Jerry Herman wrote a song....The Best of Times Is Now...and I do believe he is right....in fact, I know so. So..this is my wish!


Cool Graphics

Paul and Barbara know how to live!

My niece and nephew really keep themselves in terrific physical condition...and I'm so very proud of them for this since they both have full-time jobs which allow them little time to squeeze in exercise. But they do because they just climbed all the stairs up to Asheville Mountain in the Smokies....North Carolina..and they enjoyed every step. They manage to try to use long holidays to see America and I think that's great. They even went to Thomas Wolfe's house ...You Can Never Go Home Again. Paul and Barbara sent me tons of pictures which I will put in my picasso gallery and I can virtually visit all the places there. There's lots to see in the good U.S.A.

My first library was in a storeroom! written 5 years ago

We had to be very quiet...not speak a single word...or we would have been kicked out!

There were no paperbacks back then...only bound books and they were very precious.

My first document that I personally owned and was responsible for, was my library card. It was sacred. Nothing should happen to it! And if a book was overdue, I felt mortified...like I'd created a crime...all for 2 cents. The librarian took her job very seriously and, if asked, would refer you to a special section.

Besides getting a book for myself, my Mother wanted me to bring her back a novel. I recall asking for Edna Ferber....she's the lady who wrote the book that the musical Showboat was all about.

My Mother was an avid reader and during dinner she would present a book review to us letting us know what it was all about. How interested our little family of 4 was in her presentation. So, not only did we digest the best cooking in the world...and we had entertainment with it.

That was my Mother....and I adored her so much!

Now I go to a big library on Hagen Ranch Road...and what a myriad of books from which to choose....more authors than ever before in history. And most of them are very good...but we can't read everything so we must be select.

Ruth, my friend and next door neighbor, usually brings me back something that is just to my liking...no violence....no C.I.A. stuff...just lots of emotions.

Having a good book to read is such a great feeling.

As Time Goes On!

Is this what they mean by senior living....a bit scary and depressing!
.
I've been so lucky...so far! I haven't had to use a crutch, walker or motor chair.

But that isn't too say that I don't feel like an accident waiting to happen...because as I look around me...I see aging......mainly forgetfulness. Do we lose brain cells every day when we reach a certain age. Is it because we're not stimulating ourselves enough....could it be that because we're not productive any longer...we just seem to fade.




However, it's affecting me mentally. It's really getting me down....seeing my friends using equipment to get around. When I go to our pool, there are three walkers lined up by the steps because the owners aren't able to take one step without help.

We have to crawl around in between to make our way to the stairs. And many times, I haven't been able to get down the stairs because ladies are sitting there...maybe they just wanted to get their feet wet. Many conversations are being held right in that spot.

I say...excuse me...excuse me.....and they move their tush's a little bit to let me by.

This is my social life too....but I'm here for ernest exercise which I need desperately. Maybe I'm labeled a 'loner' because I go and do my thing...I splish and I splash...and kick and squat.

As I'm doing all this...I hear various conversations taking place....where they dined last night....what hurts them today....is it going to rain....and then a little gossip about someone.

I'm not imune to gossip...so I head in that area to listen a little harder. Either it's something I've heard before....or something that's unbelievable.

What really bothers me is when I hear someone lost a child. That's not supposed to happen. That is a tragedy...unexplanable.

I love to hear someone child is expecting a baby. That is what life is really all about...procreation.

Anyway, I'm beholden to God for creating my ancestors through the thousands of years...because without them....I wouldn't be! Thank you, God!

Jeff conducting our Seder

They're cleaning up after the Seder

I

Harriet Waits Patiently!

Harriet my friend who doesn't want them to miss their plane.

Jeff has one more thing to teach me!

Jeff wanted to make sure I knew where he stored everything before he left.

He hopes I won't forget any of his skilled training. I hope that I don't forget either.

Jeff and Donna, both, tried so hard to make my life easier and more entertaining.

I love them so much.

We're at the airport!

Harriet arrived safely...and off the younger Gordon's go. They look happy!

Time to go home!

Donna's loading up Harriet's trunk. Jeff and Donna are going home. And as much as they looked forward to their cruise and afterwards their Delray Beach visit...they now are anxiously looking forward to homeward bound.

They will pick up their dogs from doggy hotel and be greeted with lots of doggy kisses...and they'll probably return the greetings.

They love their pets. They also have 3 cats awaiting them.

I loved having them...but all good things go home at eventide.

Arlene after our Seder

The Seder Table is cleared and Arlene is enjoying just relaxing and talking to everyone.

Arlene and Bob have 4 sons and I'm sure they remember many seders of yesteryears.

I'm delighted they were my guests because they're charming people and added a real bonus to the evenings.

See you in the pool, Arlene.

A real working vacation!

Jeff and Donna are together at my computer studying how to make my life easy with a new camera and technology to put the picture into my computer to put into my blog.

How patient they are with me....I'm an old woman and they go back and back again explaining in simple detail how to crop a picture to make it really spectacular for me.

They're leaving tomorrow and they want to be sure I know as much as I can possibly absorb without hurting my brain-power.

They're both still wiped out from last night's seder...and it was a beautiful ceremony .. and they both made it seem like it was no effort at all.

Donna's slaving while I'm playing!

Gee..it's Passover 09 and I can't believe it's a few years since Jeff and Donna do this....and with such excellence!

Passover 09

It's the middle of March and I just came from a Ladies Seder sponsored by Brandeis and conducted by Miriam Aaron, who is so capable.

I happened to be sitting next to Ronnie Weber who is very interesting.

On my other side was Donna who is Beverly Sills sister-in-law.

When Jeff and Donna visit I set up my table with a white or other nice tablecloth, good dishes, wine, and juice.

. Either one person can lead the seder, reciting each reading and making the blessings, or everyone can take turns.

The directions concerning which fruit to locate and the mix of the wines should be read aloud.

As each piece of fruit and each cup of wine is being considered and blessed, that object is held by the reader. After each blessing, the participants taste the fruit or sip the wine

A large platter is placed in front of the one conducting the Seder. This can be an ordinary platter .

Upon the plates are the following objects:

THREE MATZOS, placed in the three separate sections of a Matzoh Cover, designed by Donna... The following are placed on the table for the participants

ROASTED SHANKBONE . I use a chicken bone.

One or more dishes of SALT WATER, depending upon the number of participants.

A ROASTED EGG

BITTER HERBS, cut into small pieces or ground horseradish.


A WINE GOBLET in front of each place. A large goblet, filled with wine, at the center of the table. This is the CUP OF ELIJAH. Somehow Elijah disappoints me every year...my feelings are started to feel rejection.

CHAROSES, a mixture of nuts, apple and cinnamon, finely chopped and mixed with a little wine. I like this so much I could make a meal on just that.

If desired, for convenience, extra dishes of BITTER HERBS and CHAROSES can be placed on the table.

PARSLEY, LETTUCE, OR WATERCRESS cut into small pieces
A pillow or cushion is placed on the left arm of the chair

Passover reminds us of the Jewish people's journey from slavery to freedom, from despair to hope, from lack of insight into praise for the Divine - the same path as our own personal psychological and spiritual growth.

After the Seder is over, we all join in the singing of crazy songs.

This year I have updated and written my own plagues that exist in the here and now.

I particularly love this Holiday because it has deep meaning for Jeff who recalls his Grandparents special seders over the many years...and he tries very hard to emulate them.

Here are my plagues:
Autism

Stolen identity

Fraud

Ponzi schemes

Recession

Pedophiles

Dementia

Global Warming

Drugs
Terrorism

Meet Rebecca

Rebecca donates 10 inches of her hair to children who have cancer.

Rebecca is Abe and Rosalind's granddaughter. They used to live here in High Point....and we are very good friends. They moved to Detroit so that they could watch their grandchildren grow.

Robin and Steve are Rebecca's parents...and she has a brother Jacob.

This is such a loving family and I'm so proud to call them friends.

Rebecca reminds me of the migrant children that I read and do homework with at Hagen Ranch School.

Soooo cute!

Other Years .. other Christmases for Pat and Mike!

Hi again dear readers. I would love to enlarge this picture of Pat and Mike that I dug out of Facebook...but I don't have the know how. Can anyone out there help me.



This picture was taken quite a while ago, but they're still very recognizable and very good looking. Pat is one of my chief readers of my blog and she actually inserts comments. Her comments are better than my writing skills.

They're going to be grandparents again in March...and I wish them much joy!

Meet Nicholas who is their pride and joy. They visit here and Mike and Pat visit Nicholas.

What a nice family!

Meet Ruth Fagan

Hi...does she look like a grandmother of many? I don't think so. People who live in Florida don't seem to age.

What a Beautiful Couple

.If you look deep into the eyes of Edie and Bill Hirshhorn, you'll see what I see....kind, giving, wonderful people.

When they first moved to High Point, Edie couldn't understand why I didn't want to line-dance. I just couldn't make her understand that I have two left feet and didn't want to be embarrassed. I didn't want to fail line-dancing.

Edie also ran a Yiddish Club here and gave it her 'all'. She made it very interesting even though she doesn't speak much Yiddish. That went by the wayside when interest waned.

Edie was also our Sunshine Lady for many years...she sent cards to everyone no matter the occassion. She just had to be notified....and it was done!

Bill sings beautifully and joined the choral group at our neighboring High Point and I went to see 3 of his concerts. Enjoyed it so much.

To watch them dance is a real treat...so graceful and they flow to the rhythm of the music....just floating.

Edie and Bill have had some serious health problems the last couple of years, but it hasn't kept them down. ....always smiling!

I just came back from our pool and they were both in the water. ...charming and happy.

Nothing will get them down....and I'm proud to be friends with them.

Stay as sweet as you are....wish we had more people like you.

The picture was furnished by Virginia ...taken on New Year's Eve.

We Buy Ugly Homes

Was it just about a year and a half ago that we would see billboards all over the highway...we buy ugly houses.

Well, now I would expect a sign to read....we'll even buy beautiful homes for very little money.

But no....these signs are non-existent...because times have changed. Yep. it all started with the housing market.

Everybody'sgreat American dream...homeowner. But who can blame. We all like to have a covering over our heads.

They made it so easy to own a home...no down payment....no nothing...just interest. That sounds so great.

But now our country is in doldrums. Banks have run out of operating capital...and they're not really interested in owning homes..that's not their business.

Maybe if I was young and had some available cash...I would fall for some of these schemes....but I'm too old to even consider for a second.

Obama has surrounded himself with some of the best heads in the country.

Can they come up with a solution...or do they know just as much as you and I.

I'm glad I own my little villa here in High Point...I have no debt. Thank G0d.

I pray every night that the unemployed with find jobs...that's so humiliating...and frustrating...and makes a person lose confidence in himself.

I would like to set the calendar back to the 90's when technology doubled and tripled our portfolios.

I guess just plain old greed got in the way...and I'm part of it. What would really make my day is to see a giant billboard.....WE buy Ugly Houses. I often wondered what an ugly house is...was the kitchen where the bathroom should be...were the stairs in the wrong place leading to nowhere. Did they still have coal burning stoves....did they have ice boxes instead of refrigerator.....rabbit ears on their tv...if they had tv.

Did you have to go thru one room to get to another one. Was it painted bright purple? What could make it so ugly. Anyway...I want to see that billboard one again...and then I'll know that times are stable.

My Sister and I!

We shared a bed, my sister Elayne and I. We wern't allowed to take toys to bed...so we made do with all we had.

MY FEET!

I was about 4 and Elayne 7...and we played 'feet'. What exciting times we had. Elayne would create a story and my feet were the characters in the play. If it was sad, I would curl my toes down. If there was happiness...I would spread my toes apart. Real actresses my feet to her fabulous stories. She was the director...and I followed her every command, because my feet were the stars of the show.

We did this for many years.

I lost my Sister when she was only 36....and we really never discussed our 'feet years'.

I haven't thought about this for years! What brought it to mind...I dunno!

My Father would yell up the stairs...all right girls....tomorrow's another day......and then we would go to sleep.

I really loved my Sister...and miss her still!

My first physical therapy today!

What do I expect? A therapist to take an old body with old bones, muscles, and nerve endings...also loaded with severe arthritis to make me the new improved Hilda.

Well, first of all, his bed, work station, that I'm supposed to jump up on was just tooo high. I tried...couldn't make it. He saw me strugged trying to heave up and I just couldn't make it.

So, he holds out his hand and tells me to put my foot on it...and then hop up. I felt like I was mounting a horse.

I was afraid I was going to break his hand...and I just couldn't do it.

Finally, he left the room and brought an aluminum stool...wonderful. Now seeing how short I am...should he have watched me struggle.

However, he was really nice. He massaged...and then used electric shock..and took any pain away with ice. He asked how I was feeling...and I was feeling great because I was numb. Um....good feeling like I was on super drugs.

He also gave me exercises to do at my doorway...very painful...and I click and click.....I feel like I'm a piece of machinery who has seen better days.

He also told me to get two tennis balls and put them in a sock and roll over the sore area.

I guess, really, it's all up to me. I'm motivated. When the weather gets a little warmer...I'll splish and splash.

He told me I reminded him of his golf trainer when he was young. I guess that was a compliment.

So.....now I've reached a new low....physical therapy....and I'm also wearing an emergency alert gizmo in case I fall.

I'm fully ready to admit I'm not young any more....even though when I go to the beach, I have the darnest urge to do cartwheels.....only in my crazy mind of course.

In the meantime I'll stay with my little migrant children...and I sit on their little baby chairs and I tie their shoelaces....and read them stories. That's where I belong....looking deep into their sweet eyes and imagine how they're going to grow up. My darlings.....

Our Money Crisis

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I guess this means I can't escape working on my blogging. However, I don't really need mobile devices...I don't go anywhere.

I got my gps to give me courage to travel...but I haven't left Delray or Boynton Beach. That shows all my insecurities.

I presume that lets me know that my comfort level is home...right here on Nesting Way.

I believe my downfall is CNBC....scares the heck out of me. God didn't give me a schedule about how long I'll be on this earth...and my father lived to be 100....but my mother only 41....so....that puts me somewhere above the middle....and the idea is to not live beyond your money.

Last year I really thought I was in 'good shape' financially....but this year....well....HELP!

I lost Fannie Mae...and I may lose my General Motors and Ford. Thank goodness I'm too old to get a job....because in today's climate I really don't know what I'd be suited for.

My best talent is just 'listening'...and I find that people do like to tell their stories...and everyone has one to tell.

I read and studied about money...diversification...a little risk for growth...and the world is small and very global.

I did all that....and I'm in the same boat as most of America.

I'm really banking on poor Obama. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

But when he speaks....I listen! Whoever reads this....will say she's old...should have put her money in CD's....don't know what she was thinking.

I have no sympathy for Hilda...she deserves worrying about money. Well, the true fact is...my husband and I always found it easier to earn a living than investing in making our money grow. You don't just water it like a plant....but Wall Street has let us all down.

Our President

For 2 years we have been gathering information about who should run our country.

Now that's a mighty big order to expect of anyone...other than GOD!

Well, Obama has stepped up to the plate and is going to do his very best to get us out of the jams we're in.

Guess it all started with the war that nobody wanted!

Then the Great American Dream...owning an overpriced big home with little or no money.

That's where I stepped in and got hurt. I lost all my Fannie Mae savings. Poof! Just like that!

I really truly don't understand the mentality of most CEO'S. They think they can walk away with all the money....and they do.

They accomplish. They're all super rich...and the rest of us are shumcks.

I feel frustrated like most other Americans....but what to do...what to do!

Me....I'm banking on Obama!

I wonder if anyone else remembers..or am I too old?

Thoughts drift in and out of my mind at no particular time of the day. These musings just appear.

Like for instance...the little slot that used to be on bathroom medicine cabinets for men to drop their razor blades in. Wonder what happened when it all filled up.

Did anybody's Mother make 'orange candy' out of the pealings of naval oranges and I don't know what the other ingredients were...but I loved it.

We used to take a clove of garlic and rub it on a piece of toasted rye bread...and so delicious.

We used to take our tablets or notebooks and drop ink on it and create Roarch Tests and see if we could identify what it appeared to be.

We didn't use a kazoo to make music...took a comb with a piece of tissue paper or toilet paper...and if it didn't tickle your lips to much...compose our own beautiful music.

I wonder if anyone had to wear 'snuggies' on cold days...tops and bottoms...embarrassing but oh so warm and cozy.

Just thoughts and more thoughts. My Sister Elayne and I changed our dresses when we came home from school and put on playclothes.
I wore her hand-me-downs since she was 3 years older.

We used to lie on our stomachs with the radio on to do our homework. It was such a natural position for us.

I can still smell the musty smell on trains from the upholstered seats.

Comfortable...but smelly! I can still see the conductor with his gold buttons on his vest and jacket.

Wonder why they always made men's suits with vests. Most men never wore them.

What makes these thoughts clutter my brain at this time in my life...I haven't the faintest....

Brother Can You Spare A Dime!

Is this what is happening to the world today.

We're on a freefall and nothing seems to stop it. Do we have no brilliant minds left to get us out of this mess.

Were we just taking 'the good life' for granted...and now we get this kick in the you know what.

I wonder what the people who ring the bell at 4 o'clock on Wall Street think...and they have to applaud yet.

Can you imagine standing there and applauding. I can't.

Did we reach the bottom yet...or are we still going down?

Well...one thing for sure...we're all in this together.

Now does that make you feel any better?

This is my new philosophy!

oops...now you'll know where I'll be keeping my money!

Are we becoming one people under God!

If Obama becomes our president, what does this mean to the Black folks!

That now, finally, we are all even. I don't think so! Blacks still have more menial jobs, spend more time in prisons, and have a poorer education that whites. Now, why did I capitalize blacks and not whites. Do I think of us as having no color while they do.

And their is a caste system in black black and light black like Obama. If he were darker, would he still be so desirable to us!

Maybe statisticians along the road will be able to understand these differences. And what what Hispanics...one out of every 3 people in about 15 years will be a Latino.

So..is this the new 'melting pot'. At the turn of the last century, it was the people coming into Elis Island that gave us this name.

They were given the charming term 'green horns'.

And I musn't forget the Indians...very smart people and they make excellent doctors.

When I hear a symphony orchestra, it seems the orientals take center stage with string instruments...violins, harps, and piano.

So maybe we are meant to blend into one color Under God! The sun is making me so dark, I'm almost not a cacasian.

Spelling bees seem to be won by the Viatnamese ... and so many of the products that we use are made by Chinese.

But they really all want to come to America...so we really must have something going here.

Me....I'm so proud and privileged to live here. If I had been born in Europe, I probably wouldn't have existed 60 years ago.

But I'm here...I'm happy and I'm going to the pool!

Have I been Rip Van Winkle?

I went to our clubhouse to watch the opening of the Olympics on a larger screen than I have at home. It was spellbinding and I really appreciated the time spent constructing this magnificence.

However, when the countries marched in...it was like I was on a different planet. Half of the countries I never heard of. Did the ocean open up and form more islands and then they became countries.

Did I flunk geography? Was I sleeping when the countries were formed.

Did they change the names to protect the innocent like in Jack Webber?

I can't figure it out. The folks sitting behind me went to a school in New York and they never heard of them either.

When did all these changes take place? I have an old world globe...these countries don't exist on it.

I used to collect stamps...never heard of them and I had them from all over the world.

I'm old...is it possible that I have forgotten their names. They're not so primitive....they know about the Olympics because they sent representatives.

Some countries only had one. Most of them were black. Was Africa all divided up.

How do they earn a living in these countries....are they a happy people. We know so little about them.

The longer I live ... the more confused I become.

Are our children aware of these names. Do they ever visit the United States....are they friendly.

It's like they're from another planet. Maybe I need to go back to school?

Today we see China promoting the Olympics for grand propaganda purposes, reintroducing itself to the world for what it expects to be its dominant century. But in 1958 China wanted nothing to do with the rest of the world. Mao Zedong's People's Republic withdrew from the Olympics altogether that year in an ideological snit over the refusal of Brundage and his IOC cohorts to ban Taiwan, which called itself the Republic of China and was run by Chiang Kai-shek, Mao's old antagonist. In retreating from the Olympics, China denounced Brundage as "a tool of the imperialistic State Department of the United States."
The context was different, but the central political question as the Rome Olympics neared was the same as it is now: how should the world deal with China? The issue was debated that year by Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy during the presidential campaign, and Brundage and the IOC became embroiled in it as well. The United States did not recognize Mao's mainland government, Mao did not recognize Chiang's island government and the IOC had nothing but trouble with both. Not long after the People's Republic withdrew from the Olympics, the IOC ruled that Taiwan could no longer call itself the Republic of China at the Olympics because it did not represent the geographical entity of China. It could march in the opening ceremony only as Taiwan or the other name for the island, Formosa.
Suddenly Brundage went from being called a tool of American foreign policy to being labeled a communist sympathizer. Right-wing groups in the United States mounted an intense letter-writing campaign denouncing him. The State Department, while claiming to be free from political involvement in the Olympics, began a lobbying effort to persuade the IOC to overturn the decision. The Taiwanese, in diplomatic cables with Washington, went so far as to suggest that perhaps they should introduce Brundage, a known philanderer, to some of the "fleshpots of Rome" to help the cause. When all else failed, the United States urged Taiwan to boycott the Olympics rather than accede to the change in nomenclature, which was taken as a symbolic victory for the Reds in the cold war.

All I ever learned about China was from Pearl Buck and it wasn't very flattering about their girl babies.

Today...half of all the products we buy come from China.

My old telephone directory!

One of the last things I packed when we moved to Florida was the telephone book. I might need it!

Well, it's been 20 years now and my life has changed a lot and so has the info in the phone book. Two decades of decayed and yellowed pages of the people I once had daily interchange with.

Now it's a phone call and Christmas cards...and as the years melt into one another...it seems like light years away.

I believe I have grown in ways since we left. In other ways we were important people in our town especially to little boys and girls who wanted toys.

I don't need this book any longer. I can get all this information on my computer in a second.........anybody's number and address.

Progress has intervened and I just love it.

Why am I having qualms about ditching it. It's one of the last things I have left from New Kensington, Pa. other than my memories.

After my father moved to Florida, he would go over all the businesses in the downtown area...and he recalled them all. I didn't realize it then, but it was a memory test of his.

Now I find myself doing exactly the same thing....just thinking and remembering. It wasn't all that beautiful or great...but it was where I grew up...my childhood....my young married life.

Now I'm donating it to solid waste management...maybe it can be recyled into more paper...maybe it can enter this century.

I'm letting go.......

Reality shows

Have you noticed lately how every show on TV is a reality show?

Bad language and violence are more subdued now...and it's time for everyone to participate the way it's happening...right now.

From dog-training, apprenticing, dating, dancing, singing, cooking....it's all about being able to compete. Even dieting...getting weighed in once a week. Or even...are you smarter than a 5th Grader! And let's go a step farther...going on the Judge Judy show for a judgment. Matter of fact, I just stumbled on another about buying fixer-uppers and getting a crew to make it look like it was just built.

Now competition is a strong word. If you're in a circus reality...you can break your neck..because they're performing without a net.

But we just casually sit and watch and be entertained..

I do believe that many of these young people would never get exposure to the audiences if it wasn't for these shows popping up.

But I think that we've lost the reality to fantasy...and everything is just for our entertainment.

We simply just sit and watch. Maybe that's why we're not getting as upset as we should over the stock market. Is that just another reality show...and then they're going to make it better?

I dunno....but something better happen soon.

Or maybe it's like Shakespeare said...The World's a Stage Where We All Play a Part'. This show has no script...it's improvisation...we make it up as we go along...hopefully being right half the time.

So does that mean we're all in one big reality show on earth?

Chicken Little

How many hundreds of thousands of chickens have we tried to be creative with? I know you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition...but now I must concentrate on this chicken thing.

Each country has different cooking styles for this unlucky bird whose main reason for living is to give us eggs and then let us feed on him.

I'll tell you what really disturbs me. When I go to the supermarket and I see their rotisserie with all the chicken, side by side, with their wings at their side, roasting and rotating while their juices flow.

Perhaps I should become a vegetarian!

Dog eat dog world!

Anyhow today I'm in the process of doing something with breasts...not mine...a chicken whose fate is to be not long-lived.

Did he enjoy his little bit of time on earth? Does he have a brain.

I know he has a heart and a liver...but I've never heard of chicken brains. I've heard of cow brains...but what about this unfortunate creature.

Am I spoiling my appetite for what I am about to cook!!!! MAYBE.

My telephones

Our first phone was installed when I was 3 but I remember it.

No more running next door to make a phone call or receive one.

It was one with 2 pieces...you spoke in the speaker part and listened with the the ear phone.

When you lifted the handset, a very pleasant, non-computer voice said 'Number Please.

We had a 4-party line and if we were on too long, we heard about it from the other parties...and then we hung up fast.

Later, we got a circular number dial phone and I thought that was really 'up there'. The word high-tech did not come into being yet.

When Jeff was on vacation from college on Chanukah, he said we're all going to Sears and he was going to buy us a 'push button' phone.

Well, I was against this but I went along. That meant he had to un-install the one we had and re-install the new one.

I really thought I would never have telephone service again...but Jeff and Allen worked on this project and when they were finished, we had a dial tone and I knew we were back in business.

Now I have 3 phones...land phone, remote and a cell phone, which Jeff and Donna have charged for me every year....and every year I have tons of minutes on it ... but I forget to use it. I just don't like the quality of it....seems like a toy phone to me.

The phone I have in my bedroom is really snazzy....it's an 'answering machine' which I think is a miracle in itself.

I have 'caller ID' which interrupts me if I'm using the phone.

I also have a 'speaker phone'....and an ID feature which lets me screen calls if I want to.

It also tells me what time the caller has tried to reach me and the day.

I think that even Alexander Graham Bell would be overwhelmed by the wonderfulness that he invented.

What a sensationl invention. And one other feature, I get to use a web-cam and to see and talk to my kids every Sunday when they give me computer lessons...all the things I screwed up with during the week. Because of the phone I have high-speed internet service...all for reading ythe silly jokes.

I'm not complaining...I JUST LOVE IT1

The Charge Card

The year was 1967 and Mastercard came into being.

Is this a friend or foe? It's ruined many people who haven't the faintest idea of spending.

It's helped me out a lot. My husband Allen insisted I use mine every so often so that I could always have good credit.

And to this day, I carry very little cash. When I go into a restaurant or a small business, I pay cash.

For everything else...that plastic card is slid into the place where it checks to see if my card is usable.

Time was when it wasn't done electronically. When we had our toy store, we had an enormous thick book about the size of our Yellow Pages, and we had to check the number by looking.

I never told my husband Allen that I couldn't see such close print so I made a pretense of looking...then I accepted.

It worked! Never did we stumble on an over-extended card.

Some customers asked if we would give them the 4 percent discount if they paid cash.

It didn't matter to us...we agreed.

I just love my credit card and if you're in a pinch the ATM machines.

It's done much harm...but much good! You gotta weigh the card or the person using the card.

window treatment

When I was in Pennsylvania we called them Venetian Blinds...do they still make them. Haven't seen them in years!


When I moved to Florida, it all had verticals...the thing to do...and so easy to keep clean.

Except for the folks who still wanted their drapes and curtains, which really makes a house a home...warm and cozy!

Which makes me remember how difficult it was for my Mother when I was a little girl.

For those who remember the wooden curtain stretchers in the 30's The stretcher had very sharp pins around the edges to hold the curtains while they dried. They were adjustable with metal clamps that secured the ruler-like frame


How hard housekeeping was in those days. How easy everything is today.

If you don't feel like vacuuming...buy yourself a little robot that runs around your house all day picking up dust.

It's a different time. Better? I dunno!!!

The Reward!

If you were very good in school, you had the honored privilege of dusting the chalk erasers outside. Now this task wasn't delegated to just anybody...you had to be on your teacher's 'best side' to be allocated this job.

I never got to do it! Could that be why all of my life I have suffered from low esteem. Sometimes the teacher didn't even bother with her big eraser...she just used the heel of her hand.

When she was in a hurry or bad mood, she'd let the chalk screech...and that's a musical note like none other.

I'll never know the answers to that. Do they still use chalk...or do they use markers now....not on a blackboard, but a green board.

Another usta=was thing in my imagination!

lazy days on the front porch

One of the favorite pieces of furniture when I was growing up was our glider on the front porch. More interesting conversations took place there and that is the spot where we were able to feel complete happiness and delight with the world.

We would swing back and forth, either alone or with a member of our family and we would just enjoy.

My Sister and I bought song sheets at the 5 & 10, about 20 all different colored sheets...and with our girlfriends we would sing by the hour.

Now that I think about it, it's a wonder the neighbors didn't complain. I'm sure that it couldn't have been that enjoyable to them....hearing silly girls giggling and singing.

We really knew every lyric to every song. This is how we spent the depression years...sipping lemonade and singing ballads. One day a boy came a callin' and we were just sitting on the glider talking and laughing. Somebody's mother sewed me a broom stick skirt that was just the rage. I was about 16 and I was all dressed up entertaining on my glider.

I got up to serve him a glass of lemonade and when I got up, little did I realize he was sitting on part of my skirt...so as I arose, the skirt just slid down and I was in my panties.

I was too embarrassed to come out again. Eventually he left...probably giggling!

How I long for my glider sometimes. When nighttime came, it never occurred to us to turn on the porchlight. We just sat in the dark and rocked back and forth. People took walks and neighbors would stop in and swing on the glider.

That was an era gone by....but the memory lingers on.

It's a living breathing thing!

A salamander was running alongside the top of my fence on my patio. I believe I sat about half an hour watching this tiny specimen creature, one of God's creations.

A little red thing would energize every couple of seconds from his throat area and I didn't know if it was his breathing, catching bugs, or a sexual thing.

One thing I do know! It reminded me of how a dynasaur must have looked a billion years ago except a lot diminished in size.

Is this part of the reptile family? Is it a bug? Whatever, he was so cute that I would never dare deliberately take him out of this world. Some people refer to them as geicos...others as lizards.

Little children when they visit from the north want to take them home with them...but I explain that it's a tropical creature.

Some people meditate...others do yoga. Me...I watch salamanders.