The Second Hand on a Watch--an annoyance!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Second Hand on a Watch--an annoyance!

 My friend Harriet...and I might include myself also, find the second hand troublesome..it gets in the way.

However, I shouldn't complain...we've come a long way from the sun dial.  Wonder if  I'd have ever been able to figure that our.   My brain is very challenged when it comes to numbers.

No more tick tocks to listen if your watch is actually working.   I guess I look at the second hand and that gives me the nod whether I need a new battery.

However, batteries are $3 and $4 and a new watch can be bought for $10 or $12...so I guess watches that aren't expensive can be considered disposable.

About 20 years ago I bought my husband Allen a new watch from K Mart with many features, which were a pain in the butt, but I wasn't aware of it when I purchased it.   I thought it was just fantastic.

Well, between the 2 of us, we weren't very technologically-sophisticated...so when daylight savings time approached, we were very frustrated.    After many hours of Allen's working on this new device, I had the bright idea....this watch is very  inexpensive.      So...why not buy another one...just for daylight savings time.....and then we'd never have to worry about this again.

After all.....we moved to Florida to play....not to have to study the workings of this thing.

As I'm writing this, an old old song comes to mind....about My Grandfather's Clock was to large for the shelf...and it stood 90 years on the floor.   It was taller by far than the old man himself....anyway, this song must be over  100 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3tlIMJ9bK0     Jeff used to play this song on the piano.

Back to the 2nd hand.......I believe we just have to learn to live with it....it's not removable....and time is such an abstract...it moves so fast and yet so slowly.........and I'm trying to make the most of it.

Time is a gift from Our Creater and we must cherish each day.   I do !

I'm so fortunate!

My son Jeff and his wife Donna moved here to South Florida and they're only about half an hour from where I live.


Almost all my friends have gone north to be closer to their kids....but mine came here...and for that I am truly blessed.


It's so difficult to believe that I have retired children and that I have great grand nephews who also have baby sons.


My family is growing and the years are passing by.   And technology has taken over the world.   We can actually watch a war in progress via satellite.


I can see the Olympics no matter where they are in this world.   I don't understand any of it....how my kids work in their homes instead of offices for major corporations.


And when I want to see my family, they Skype me and we have a truly loving visit.   I watch them bathe their children...see their first smiles....and I can see their entire homes.


Lucky lucky me!

Another interesting story from Debbie who worked in our toy store many years ago

Web Clip

Fool.com Headlines - Facebook, Inc. Earnings Tomorrow: What to Expect - 3 hours ago

Re: this and that Important mainly because it was sent directly to you. Click to teach Gmail this conversation is not important. Inbox x Debbie Maloney <dsmaloney57@yahoo.com> 4:14 PM (5 hours ago) to me Our puppies do give us much joy.....and, at times, frustration.  As you probably know, labs are very intelligent.  And I really think that they know it.  They can really try to get away with stuff, just like a kid.  The other night Kel and I had let them out.  There are woods behind us, and many types of animals live there.  We sometimes see deer walking along, and there are quite a few squirrels, birds, and who knows what else in them 'thar woods.  Anyway, Luna had come in when we called them, and M'Hija stayed out (which, of course, she's not supposed to do:  she's supposed to come when called).  All of a sudden we heard M'Hija bark and growl at something in the woods.  Luna tried to run back out and join in the fun.  Kel caught her and stopped her from going out.  I went out to call M'Hija in.  Of course, she decided that whatever she sensed in the woods was more important than listening to her mother, so she continued barking.  I laid into one of my "mom" yells that no kid likes to hear, and she still didn't come in.  I went to get a flashlight so I could see her (black dog in pitch black - very difficult to see), and when I got back to the door to go outside, she was at the door.  I opened it and she sulked in just like a teen would do, and gave me a death glare, just like a teen would do.  I guess mommy interfered with her fun.  By the way, our yard is fenced.......we abut the woods.

Wonderful surprise email I received

 Debbie walked into our toy store and made herself right at home and got busy so we just had to hire her.  She made our lives so much easier...and this is what I received from her.


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Thu, Jan 22, 2015 at 8:58 PM, Debbie Maloney <dsmaloney57@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi Mrs. Gordon,

I just happened to see a blurb that you wrote on "Memories Only" of New Kensington back in 2010.  I thought that I would try and see if the email address you had posted was still active.

This is Debbie Shelleby Maloney.  I worked for you and Mr. Gordon around 1975 or so.  I remember meeting your son (Jeff is his name, right?) and he came over to my house.  I think you know that I married my high school sweetheart back in 1978.  We have 2 girls - Erin is 29 and Kelly is 26.  We have lived in Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, New Mexico and now - Ohio.

Well, I just wanted say 'Hi".

Keep in touch 

Debbie

-- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Debbie Maloney <dsmaloney57@yahoo.com>	9:35 AM (12 hours ago)

I just took a look at your blog.......read about 10 or so entries.  You do a wonderful job.  Congrats.I love it!!!

I have thought of you and Mr. Gordon often through the years.  I guess I did kinda throw myself at you two.  Sorry about that.  I really did enjoy my time working there, and being with both of you.

Yes, I did move to Michigan right after Michael and I married.  We rented a small house on the lake, and within a year bought a different house on the lake.  I had considered going on to grad school, but never did.  Instead, (and should I blame this on you because maybe you helped to put "retail" in my blood? - just kidding) I went to work for JCPenney.  I spent 10 years working for them.  During that time, we had our 2 girls.  Well, we didn't have Erin until we had been married 7 years, and we didn't have Kelly until we had been married 10 years.  Almost a year after we had Kelly, we bought an 1880 farmhouse.  They're neat, but also a lot of work.  But we bought it so that we could have both a bigger house and a bigger yard for the girls (lake living is expensive).  I quit Penneys and went to work at a local print shop doing accounts payable/receivable, typesetting and bindery. (It was a small shop.)  I also worked for our personal accountant part time - in addition to working at the print shop.  During that time Michael went back to college full time for 3 and a half years straight - no breaks for summer.  We worked our schedules around not having to use daycare, so we could afford to let him return to school.  He graduated with honors.

General Motors had transferred Michael around to different plants in Michigan, which had all been within a 50 mile radius of where we lived, but in 1996 they decided to move him to Minnesota, which was definitely not commutable.  So, off we went to Minnesota.  We lived bout 20 minutes from Mall of America.  As Michael said, 'it's a whole different meaning of 'can we go to the mall" when they're referring to mall of America'.  Around 2004 GM decided to move his job to Wisconsin, but he commuted it daily because it was 53 miles each way, and Kelly was in high school and Erin was being seen by specialists in St. Paul.

Which brings us to why Erin was seeing specialists.  On Dec. 30, 2001, when Erin was 16 and we were still in Minnesota, she was snowboarding, wiped out, and got a closed head brain injury, cracked ribs, a partially collapsed lung, was knocked unconscious for a few minutes, and lacerated her spleen.  Because she was only 16 they decided to keep her spleen.  On Dec. 12, 2002, when she was 17, I had a County Sheriff come into my work (I worked at JoAnn Fabrics for 13 years) and tell me that my daughter was in a helicopter on her way to a St. Paul hospital.  (Yes, it was a different St. Paul hospital than the one she was transported to with the snowboarding wipeout.)  She had either hit black ice or had a blowout, they're not sure which, and had rolled the car down a hill and was thrown about 25 feet from it.  She suffered 2 brain fractures, a fracture in her ear so that she now is partially deaf in one ear, they removed her spleen, and she was unconscious and on life support for 6 days.  They didn't expect her to live and, in fact, had commented that she had died on the way in the ambulance to the first hospital.  She had to relearn everything, but she managed to walk with her graduating class 5 and a half months after the accident.  We then enrolled her in  a post graduate transition school for 3 years.  It's a school designed to help disabled youth learn to be a little more independent. 

Kelly writes her own blog, like you do.  She is thinking of starting her own business of soapmaking and/or nail polish making.  She loves reading.

Back to Michael - In October 2008 GM decided to get rid of Michael's position throughout the corporation, so he was forced to take an early retirement which also means a lesser retirement package.  After being "unemployed" for 2 years, he went to work for Cargill. Even though their world headquarters is about 20 minutes from where we lived in Minnesota, they put him in Texas.  The city is in the middle of nowhere.  OK, maybe not that bad, but seriously it is situated 50 miles north of Lubbock and 75 miles south of Amarillo.  If you want to shop, you take your pick of how far you want to drive.  After 2 and a half years, Cargill closed that plant due to the drought that Texas has been in for about 8 years, so Michael went to work for Leprino.  Even though Leprino's world headquarters is in Denver, they put Michael in Roswell, NM.  Yes, Roswell.  Home of the aliens.  So we lived there for a year and a half.  It's not the worst place to live, but, like where we lived in Texas, it's in the deset mountains and hot and dry.  

While we were in Texas (actually Michael was in Texas and the girls and I were still in Minnesota, getting the house ready to put on the market), Michael's father unexpectedly passed away.  Being 1500 miles away from family at a time like that is difficult.  Michael is in the Patriot Guard, and his father wanted him to have Michael lead a Patriot Guard procession for his funeral, so Michael rode his motorcycle the 1500 miles (a 3 day trip) from Texas to PA to lead the procession.  It was then that we started to think about how far away we really were.  We also learned a few months after Dad (Michael's father) died that Mom (his mother) had Alzheimer's for 3 years and Dad hadn't let anyone know.  

Anyway, we moved to Roswell and Mom started going downhill faster.  We knew we really needed to get closer to PA.  Michael accepted a position from Mauser (whose world headquarter's in Germany).  So now we live in Ohio, about an hour east of Columbus.  We're 3 and a half hours from home now.  Mom is in Stage 6 of Alzheimer's.  But we know we can get home any time we need to now.  Of course, we're readapting to winter weather.  There is something to be said about living in the south during the winter.

I've been getting into genealogy the past few years.  And I still do crafts.  We also have 2 "puppies".  We call them our Pittsburgh Puppies.  They're 3 years old.  M'Hija is a 78 pound black lab, and Luna is a 55 pound yellow lab.  Yes.....little, teeny, tiny puppies.  :)

Well, better go. 

Talk to you later,

Debbie

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.

Virginia looks so thoughtful!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Virginia looks so thoughtful!

I decided to have a neighborhood party months ago ...but didn't want to work too hard cause I'm not so young anymore.  

A good way to host a party in your home is to order salads from Wendy's.  They're delicious....reasonable...and easy to serve...right in their own containers.and so easy to clean up after.

Ordered them from Wendy's the day before...and they had them all ready.  However, I didn't use their plastic utensils.  I used my stainless forks and knives.   It looks like we're all boozing it up...but not true.   I got bottles of green tea for everyone...I want my friends to be healthy.

The reason my friend's picture is here...she helped me with everything...and I couldn't enjoy the lifestyle that I do without  Virginia.

She is my source...I call her when I'm in trouble...and I don't wish her any mishap...but I sure wish she would reciprocate when she feels the need.

Recently she invited me to go to the beach with her...and lo and behold, I fell on the way down...and embarrassingly, I wasn't able to get up.   Virginia reached out her small sweet hand to help me, but I wouldn't grab it...to bring her down with me.

Finally two gentlemen came along and each told a hand and I was upright ... like an old piano...but I wasn't feeling good about myself.   Where the heck did my balance go???

She also accompanied me when we went to Ryan and Daniela's wedding...and we had to share a big bed.  Never went to a Hyatt where they didn't have twin beds..but that's the way it was.

Anyway...I'm sure glad that she moved next door...fate has a way!

Poop

hildag3@gmail.com...it would be nice to know someone reads it I would be thrilled to hear your comments. Thanks

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Poop

As I was discussing my walk down my cul de sac with Jeff and Donna on Skype, I happened to mention that I saw a dog answering nature's call.  I explained that I stood there waiting to see if the owner would do anything about it.   And sure enough, she grabbed it with a plastic bag and that was the first time I'd ever seen that done.

I had witnessed pooper scoopers but I had no seen this before.

So...I asked my kids about it.   Do you use regular plastic bags...is it awkward to grasp it...and all kinds of delicate facts like this.

So...Jeff gets a specially-store-bought bag for just this occassion and showed me how this is handled!    While he was doing this, I snapped their pictures....because who else owns a picture...or wants to own a picture like this.

1. 1
   Poop scooping services are popping up all over the place.^[11] While this is a costlier option, it is worth the cost for some people, especially if the dog waste accumulates in a fixed place like your yard. And if there is no service in your area and you're an enterprising sort, why not start such a service?^[12] It could be very rewarding!
2. 2
   Ask dog owners you know if they know of any good "waste handling" services.
3. 3
   Ask a local landscaper or pet-sitter if they'd consider providing this service.
4. 4
   Look up a service in the Find-a-Scooper International Directory at http://www.apaws.org/search/adv/default.aspx.

Dealing with dog poop rebels

1. 1
   
   

   If you come across someone who won't pick up their dog's poop right in front of you, assert yourself.
   If you come across someone who won't pick up their dog's poop right in front of you, assert yourself. Explain to them how unhygienic their action is and how it is disrespectful to the neighborhood. As well, explain that it lets down all dog owners who get smeared with the thoughtlessness of the few who don't pick up the poop and ends up with more bans on where dogs can go. There's no need to make a song and dance but do insist, and if it's a violation in your area, contact your community association or other suitable contact and report the incident.
   • You might say something like: "Sir/Madam, I realize that it's not the most pleasant task but as dog owners we have to show everyone else we are responsible and care about both our dogs and our neighborhood. Dog poop harbors disease and people don't want to tread in it. So, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pick up after your dog, just as I do."
2. 2
   Offer the person one of your bags. The gesture is difficult to turn down because it's polite and it's showing the other person that you expect them to behave responsibly.
3. 3
   Set an example to others by being proud to pick up your dog's poop.^[13] This shows other dog owners an example of good dog ownership and lets people know that any mess around isn't from your dog.

I'm proud that my kids are good citizens!

.

      

Unregistered Comment on December 17, 2008 at 6:32 PM9

9

I used to have a neighbor with a sweet massive great dane. I adored the dog, and I think the feeling was mutual. In fact, I like most dogs more than I like most people.

His dog was constantly leaving coffee table sized lumps on my lawn. I politely asked him to simply clean up after the dog. His reply: "How do you know it was my dog?"

Never mind the fact that the neighborhood was zoned against horses, the only other domesticated animal large enough to leave such a prize. I had seen him do it repeatedly.

So. The next time I saw one, I used a plastic bag, scooped it up and left it on the hood of his car in the North Carolina summer sun. When he asked me about it, I replied: "How do you know it was me?"

Of course, the dog and I were no longer able to be friends. The really irritating thing is that he stopped his dog from using my yard after that. So it was something he could have done all along, but by choosing not to was just being an asshole.

I love dogs. I have a dog. I clean up after him every single time he goes to the bathroom. The people who don't clean up after their dogs are the first ones to complain when they aren't allowed on the beach or in parks, etc. I love their dogs, but I HATE those people.

Music that highlights the Holiday Season

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Music that highlights the Holiday Season

My musical senses tend to heighten when I listen to PBS this Christmas time of the year.   Melodies I've heard played over the years bring joy once again into my life as I lovingly recall this group playing and singing the sweet strains of familiar lyrics, digging deep into the recesses of feelings buried deep within my heart...American Folk Music..

Although she's not with us any longer, I just watched a nostalgic rerun of Peter, Paul and Mary singing one of their very favorites and mine too...Puff the Magic Dragon.  Most of their music had a distinct message of human kindness and giving....and causes, not just empty words.

This trio used to glue our little family together as we watched the two guitarists singing, playing along with Mary who was tall and stately...as the years passed, she got heavier and bigger but her voice never changed, nor did her smile.

In the decades prior to the '60s, through the work of such avatars as Woody Guthrie, the Weavers and Pete Seeger, folk music had become identified with sociopolitical commentary, but the idiom had been forced underground in the Senator Joe McCarthy witch-hunting era of the late '50s. By the time Peter, Paul and Mary arrived on the scene, for the majority of America, folk was viewed merely as a side-bar to pop music which employed acoustic instruments. At this critical historic juncture, with the nation still recovering from the McCarthy era, the Civil Rights Movement taking shape, the Cold War heating up and a nascent spirit of activism in the air, Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and Mary Travers came together to juxtapose these cross currents and thus to reclaim folk's potency as a social, cultural and political force. But few at the time could have realized how fervently and pervasively the group's message of humanity, hope and activism would be embraced. Having their music associated with causes and solutions is as natural as breathing for Peter, Paul and Mary. The music they purvey and the action it generates are equally important to them and lie at the heart of their story. Most recently, their individual and collective efforts have focused on such crucial issues as gun violence against children, the rights and organizing efforts of strawberry pickers in California, homelessness and world hunger. "We've always been involved with issues that deal with the fundamental human rights of people, whether that means the right to political freedom or the right to breathe air that's clean," Travers points out. No American folk group has lasted longer or amassed a more loyal following than Peter, Paul and Mary

They invited the listening audience to sing along with them...and I DID.

Great fantastic memories to cling to.

Virginia made me a garden

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Virginia's 'language of flowers'

Outstanding moments in my life are surprises in my memory that I was sure would always remain with me.   For instance, when there was a big puddle in the street when I was very young, my father would take one of my arms...my mother the other, and I would be lifted happily to safe ground again.  

Another great moment in my life, when my uncle Lou,  the same uncle that was killed in world war 2,  gave me my first puppy and we instantly fell in love...I'll always remember Prince.

The day my father came home with a 2 wheel bike for my sister and me..my enthusiasm, was unparelled.  I had this bike long after I was married!

When I delivered Jeff and held him in my arms for the first time, I knew that God was watching.  A wondrous moment!

When Allen said he was in love with me and would I marry him!

An eventful moment, when Paul brought Barbara home to meet us and we knew that Paul had grownup.

The phone call from Jeff that he met someone online...and they wanted to come to visit...breathtaking!
Now I have another great event...I went out my door and lo and behold, instead of my dried up woody branches that I expected to come back to life, I witnessed 3 of the most beautiful large pots of flowers, on a bed of peat moss.

Virginia, my friend who happens to live next door, knew that my kids were coming to visit, and she did this for me.   Bunny, who lives across the way, helped her with the peat moss.   I stared and gazed, and couldn't get over this grandiose gesture, and I still can't.  What message this communicated!

It makes me believe all over again of the goodness in people ... and how they try to please.   Virginia certainly blew my mind with her loving generosity.

I will never ever forget this gesture...and I don't know how I can ever re-pay her...because to me, this was a step above anything I could ever do.

Charming Virginia created this for me...and she did it with such grace.  She never knocked on my door to say look outside...no...no...she waited!.

Time is an abstract

I'm sitting at my computer, and it's almost midnight....but  for some reason I feel anticipation.   Maybe not eager anticipation...but a feeling that we're entering a new year...and what that will bring.


The world is moving faster than my mind....and maybe Shane knows more than I do already about technology.   It blows my mind what that computer chip can do.


Would I like to go back to the old days when on the back of our school tablets, the alphababet and multiplication tables were listed.


We had no television but we did have wonderful radio with great performers, and we knew all the lyrics.    I couldn't imagine Jeff and Paul getting older and becoming grandparents for Paul, two of the most adorable male babies.  I'm so grateful that Ryan and Eric and Jeff picked wonderful wifes   I'm 90 years old now and on the down side of life...but I'm still curious what has to come. My car is acting up and since our flood I can't use the remote to open the doors and 3 doors only open.


Is it time to hand over my keys or should I get a new used one.   I like the idea of going to a super market when I feel like it.


The greatest thing I have in my life is Skype....and already Shane is growing out of that phase...he sid no more Hilda.   Can't blame my baby...it must seem very strange to him...and then I wear headphones.


All in all....I'm very fortunate.

It can't get any better!

I'm beginning to feel more complete.   My little family is growing.   To brag a little, I'd like to mention that my son Jeff and his wife Donna just moved to Florida, just 15 miles from me.  Just knowing this is such a comfort to me.


They moved from Virginia and drove in two cars, a small caravan, carrying 2 dogs.


Now they wait for their furniture to arrive so they can settle in and enjoy life down here in the sunny south.  The house they bought is really very nice and has a lot of features, including in the backyard an orange, lemon and banana tree.


My next big brag is I have a brand new great grandnephew whose name is Davis and his mom and dad are Ryan and Daniela, two of the most wonderful parents.


You all know about my little 21 month old Shane, and his mom and pop are Eric and Becky.


Thank God for Skype.   I get to see these two darlings and I watch them as they grow.   Shane is now throwing kisses my way before we hang up.


I'm so fortunate to have all these wonderful people in my life.    Paul, my nephew is coming to visit me and we have so many stories to tell one another.   We go way back.   His mom was my sweet sister who had a very short life, but she loved Paul dearly.


I'm so blessed!

It's a living breathing thing!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

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.

Time to forgive!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Time to forgive!

I'm of an age where I remember World War 11 extremely well. I do have to admit that I had never heard of Pearl Harbor until we were bombed. I actually had a wonderful uncle killed in Hawaii....

Why I'm on this tangent tonight is because I had a Japanese tasting party in my home today and it was really culturally interesting.

The hostess of our party, a charming middle-aged Japanese woman who came to visit for one week.

She wanted to shop, cook and feed us for a tasting party. Some of the ladies enjoyed the food...othes didn't.

I had the pleasure of collecting the plates with soup and noodles designed to enter my trash bag.

Most of it was very good...very healthy cooking with soy and beans mixed into interesting concoctions.

We all asked Kuniko different questions about her family life and her government. She admitted that she doesn't care for the emporer. I didn't know that he is the grandson of Hiroshima.

They watch CNN in their country and she drives a 17 year old small car. Gas is $7.00 a gallon..so I guess we shouldn't complain.

Everytime we asked her something, she thanked us over and over.

It was an enlightening day..and one I want to think about for some time.

The world has become very small...very global...and I guess we're all sisters.

Guard your chargecard!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

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.

The Written Word!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

The Written Word!

We are so fortunate.


  When I go to the library, it's like a magnificent buffet...so many books just to entertain me and also to make me a little smarter.



I just got to thinking about books because when I was very young, my first enrollment was in our free public library.


  Also my son's first connection with the outer world was his library card.

When I pick up a book, I hold it reverenly in my hands. I look to see how heavy it is...how many pages...and then I wonder about the author. Did the author think long and hard about the storyline...or just sit down and begin writing. Did he spend much time searching for the perfect verb or adjective to give the sentence the punch desired. Was it put there for shock value.



So much to wonder about and what a thrill it is to open the flap and read a little bit about the story. If it's a thriller, I immediately return it to its shelf.



After I've finished reading and digesting a good book, I love to discuss it with someone...I like to lie in bed or in the bathtub and think about it some more...such enjoyment.



The earliest dated printed book known is the "Diamond Sutra", printed in China in 868 CE. However, it is suspected that book printing may have occurred long before this date.


In 1041, movable clay type was first invented in China. Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith and businessman from the mining town of Mainz in southern Germany, borrowed money to invent a technology that changed the world of printing. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with replaceable/moveable wooden or metal letters in 1436 (completed by 1440). This method of printing can be credited not only for a revolution in the production of books, but also for fostering rapid development in the sciences, arts and religion through the transmission of texts.




So..thank God for the printing press. The Egyptians used hierglyphics which is still preserved in the pyramids today.



I believe this is the greatest time in history for upcoming authors.



First of all...they can do all their research on the internet which really lightens their load. Now, all they have to do is weave a delightful storyline around it...and there you have a novel.


I make is sound so simplistic. Who am I kidding!! And I'm also grateful for paperbacks...so much easier to hold.

Number Please!

Monday, May 26, 2008

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

Our front porch glider

Thursday, May 1, 2008

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.

Original thoughts brought back!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

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....

Can't wait till I can buy Lego for Shane and Ryan's little unborn son

Thoughts from Hilda

hildag3@gmail.com...it would be nice to know someone reads it I would be thrilled to hear your comments. Thanks

Sunday, May 13, 2007

This helped to pay our rent!

This is a Lego brick. My husband Allen and I had a toy store in New Kensington, Pa. I would say that about 25%

of our store was allocated to Lego...motorized and manuel. We carried a complete line, in fact, the only toy we ordered direct from the manufacturer...and it was made by the Samsonite people.

One brick fit inside the other and a child's imagination could conquer anything he wanted to create.

People would walk into our store and say....I have a 6 year old who has no attention span, although he's brilliant. What would you recommend I buy him.

We were considered the specialists. That's why they came to us instead of K-Mart. We gave individual attention even though our prices were competitive.

Well, we ushered them right to Lego...and weeks later, that same customer would return just to give us rave revues.

Actually we were such a good customer that the Lego People put a big motorized windmill in our big front window. It almost caused accidents.

People did a double take....was that really moving around???

Downtown Orlando has a massive building called Legoland....and it's really magical.

All this was a long time ago, in my life, but the memories are all so very clear.

I just loved that part of my life ... making kids happy~