WELCOME TO FLORIDA

Governor Rick Scott has a million of ‘em . . . jokes? NO! Not a jokin’ around man our Gov. These are Special deals for Special folk - corporate type folk, that is. His latest little "gimmick" is the "WELCOME TO FLORIDA" sign with his name on it. It should say: "WELCOME TO FLORIDA, CORPORATE AMERICA; HAVE WE GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!" And, I believe it should be posted alongside another sign that reads: "GOODBYE, LOSERS - TEACHERS, STUDENTS, ELDERLY, UNDER-EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED. DON’T LET THE DOOR SMACK YOUR BEHIND ON THE WAY OUT!"

Were the Florida voters asleep when this man was elected? And are we still sleeping? Something needs to be done! In a very short time, he has managed to cut jobless benefits and Medicaid reimbursement rates, and passed nearly $4 billion in budget cuts that will result in the lay-off of thousands of teachers and government employees. Not one bill has been passed to create jobs, which was what he promised to do when he campaigned. The cuts to Medicaid Reimbursements affect our elderly in a big way - and not in a good way. Nursing homes are losing their Medicaid reimbursements to the tune of $180 million – but not to worry because at the same time, a bill has been passed which lowers the minimum number of hours of direct care that homes have to provide for their residents – in other words, we’re giving you less money with which to care for your residents, but you will be allowed to spend less time caring for them.

And how about education? Have we lost sight of the fact that our children and grandchildren will be America’s leaders in the not too distant future? Don’t you think we should provide for them the best teachers and schools so that they will receive the kind of education they need to become enlightened citizens and leaders of a great country. It boggles the mind to know that we can raise incomprehensible amounts of money to fund a political campaign, but we can’t come up with enough money to keep our schools open or pay our teachers a living wage. Potentially great teachers choose careers other than teaching because they (who knew?) need to be able to pay their bills and put food on the table. When did we decide that paying less taxes was more important that educating our children and insuring this country’s future?

Oh, and yes, our illustrious Gov. returned a basketful of $$$$ to Washington, depriving Florida of high speed rail and the thousands of jobs that would have been created through that project . Way to go, Gov. – creating new jobs and all.
Time to wake up and smell the stench! Something’s rotten in Tallahassee - and it isn’t fish.
"WELCOME TO FLORIDA - WE USED TO BE PROUD"

LIFE IS GOOD - TODAY

Today, I am home trying to recover from a nasty bronchial infection - being sick makes you realize how wonderful it is to feel good!

Being sick makes you slow down enough to see the beauty that surrounds you. The tree is so lovely, but taken for granted day in and day out. Yet it never complains; just continues to provide cooling shade, nesting and perching opportunities for the little feathered singers who do appreciate it, and indescribable beauty for me to enjoy.

Being sick allows you to contemplate all the opportunities that are available for you to consider as well as all the things that need to be done that you have been meaning to get to one of these days. Also, just sitting and listening to the radio - I had almost forgotten how much I love "Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keiler. What a wonderful program.

Being sick allows you to relegate all the "cares" of the world to the back of your mind. I just don't really want to hear about the world financial issues, or political in-fighting, or climate change, or crime, or . . . anything! I can just pamper myself and not feel a a bit guilty about it.
Life is good - today.

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE . . .

There must be a good many people running around with their pants on fire these days. I know I’m not alone in wondering if any one of our "leaders," anywhere, is telling us the truth about anything. There is a disturbing lack of trust that permeates beyond borders to every part of the globe. When people in positions of power make those reassuring remarks regarding issues that concern us, we find it almost impossible to sift through the crap to get to the truth.

For instance: when we are assured that we needn’t worry about radiation resulting from damage to the nuclear plants following the Japanese Tsunami, can we believe them? When we are told that the oil that lies below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico has dissipated and that the fish finding its way to our tables is totally safe to eat, completely unaffected by the oil, can we believe them? Are we to believe that in the short time since that catastrophic spill, everything in the Gulf of Mexico waters is back to normal?

Can we believe that we’re getting the truth regarding our activities in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, and in Israel, and in Libya and in Yemin, and in other parts of the world where unrest is taking place. There is a super-abundance of "facts" - most of them conflicting - that we are being fed on a daily basis. It just depends on who is telling the story.

Can we believe that our elected representatives are working for our best interests while they bicker about the myriad of financial issues that burden this country. The only thing we can be absolutely sure of, is that they are working for their own best interests, including being re-elected. And while our dwindling "middle class" continues to carry more and more of the burden, those at the top and their corporate buddies get richer and richer. We can believe that.

Our leaders have evolved over the years from people of character, integrity, idealism and strength to self-serving bureaucrats. We can’t rely on them to listen to us and actually represent our interests. They simply do whatever they have to do, including outright lying, to get our vote. And we, average Americans, have forgotten how to think for ourselves and stand up for what we believe. We are a nation of lazy, "feed it to me" people. We allow the "news" commentators to feed us information, tell us how to think, mold our opinions, and ultimately to control our destiny. Shame on us!

It was painfully clear when Katrina hit the gulf coast, that our government was more interested in looking good in the face of unmentionable pain and devastation than in actually doing everything possible, as quickly as possible, to meet the needs of their constituents. Can we ever believe our government when a natural disaster or man-made disaster occurs? Have they ever told us right up front the painful truth about what has happened and why, in terms of government assistance? Have they ever given us the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Nonsense! They just feed us "crap" and we swallow it.

Are we so stupid, so prone to hysteria, so incapable of hearing the truth that we must be spoon-fed tiny dribbles of the truth along with large portions of half-truths or outright lies, over an elongated period of time so as not to become unmanageable? And is that the ultimate goal? To keep us ignorant so we can be "managed?

I’m sick of being fed lies and half-truths. I’m sick of not knowing who to believe, or even if anyone can be believed. I’m ready to become "unmanageable." This country desperately needs some honest leaders who care more about the health of America than about their re-election campaigns. And we need more people who will put forth the effort to learn the facts and who won’t settle for less than the truth.

Someone once said, "The truth will set you free." It’s the truth!

MONDAY BLUES

What is it about Mondays? I no longer have to go to the office on Monday morning, since most of my work is done from home these days, and the Wash-day Blues are a thing of the past (most young people have no idea what that is), and being the first day of a new week, Monday should bring with it a sense of anticipation, even excitement. Instead, it's Monday . . . ugh!

Hmmm - see, on the weekends, we keep pretty busy with yard work, family time, church on Sunday and then Sunday dinner with the kids and we have very little time to dwell on the problems of our world, our country, our state, our community, our finances, our health, etc. And then comes Monday and it all comes flooding back. There is on-going strife in Lybia, on-going war in Afghanistan, on-going bombings in Iraq, on-going nuclear danger in Japan, on-going search for folks lost in the earthquake, on-going politicking in Washington, on-going on-going on-going. It is harder and harder to maintain a positive attitude in today's world.

I'm considering turning off the radio and TV and staying off the internet for a while to see if I can be like the ostrich. He seems to be able to pretend that life is good if he can't see it; I think he may have something there! Life is good. You know what? I'm still breathing and I feel pretty good. Chocolate and red wine are still very tasty; my animals still love me and loving on them makes my blood pressure come down; the birds are still singing in the back yard and the hummingbird is still a beautiful little gem; the roses are blooming and there are tiny tomatoes on my plants in the garden; new mown grass still smells wonderful and even the weeds have pretty little flowers on them. Life is good.

Happy Monday!

A WET MONDAY

It's raining again and the raindrops obscure my tear-stained face. My sweet Annie, whose photo you see here, has begun to show signs that she is, indeed Pit Bull, a reality I have tried to deny from the time she began to grow into the undeniable "bully" body. When I adopted Annie from a local rescue group, I was told she was a Boston Terrier mix and at eight weeks old, she certainly could have been. The color and markings were not unlike that breed and she was very sweet. She is still very sweet, well-trained and mostly obedient. When she refuses to be obedient is when she is chasing other animals in the back yard. Some time ago she caught and severly injured an opposum, which did manage to get away in spite of her injuries. Of late, Annie has managed to catch and kill four squirrels. Yesterday was the worst. I heard the squirrel squealing and I ran out with the broom and tried to make Annie drop it from her mouth. She stubbornly held on until the squirrel stopped squealing and breathed its final breath. When Annie finally dropped it, I was in tears and sick at heart. I was faced with the reality that when she has "prey" in her mouth there is no stopping her. I took care of the dead squirrel and, through my tears and utter disgust, washed the blood from Annie's face, and pondered how I could possibly live with a dog who takes such pleasure in the "kill." Because . . . if she can do that with squirrels, could she one day do it with a child? Or an adult? She has shown definite signs of being more territorial with my sixteen year old dog lately, growling and even attacking her if she tries to go under the bed to sleep; Annie considers "under the bed" to be her "den" and when she's under there no one else may enter. To be completely honest, I hesitate to stick my hand under there when she's there, although she has never shown any signs of aggression toward me. I recognize, however, that I should not even have a second thought about that and since I do, somthing is not right. When I first brought Annie home, she came down with Kennel Cough and I nursed her through that illness like you would nurse a baby. And she was my baby; she loved to cuddle and I loved to tuck her in close to me in the early morning just before we got up. She grew quickly and clearly was not Boston Terrier. She is high-strung, and a little timid with strangers, particularly men, but I never thought of that as a problem - until now. So what to do? I talked with my Veterinarian yesterday and he suggested a Pit Bull Rescue group. This makes my heart ache - how do you just give away your child? And how would Annie cope with that when she considers me her Mommy (okay, Master). Some would say I am crazy; this is a dog for heaven sake. Or even, she's killing squirrels, for heaven sake. Good riddance, too many sqirrels anyway - etc. And, I hear those arguments and understand the logic. This isn't about logic. The Vet gave me some anti-anxiety medication for Annie (maybe I need some too). We're going to see if the meds will calm her enough that she won't be so prone to have to kill any wildlife in the back yard. She will chase and the exercise if good for her, but we hope she won't be so determined to catch and kill. We'll give it a try before we make any decisions. I'm not sure I could just give her up to a rescue group. It would feel like abandonment to me. It seems to be it would be less painful for Annie (if not for me) to have her euthanized. She would never have to understand that her Mommy has given up on her and she is very smart; she would know. So, it's raining today and I'm still crying.

SIMPLE GIFTS - CONTINUED

I have discovered that it’s not so easy to make eye contact with strangers. Here’s the way it goes: I am walking toward a person in the Walmart or Target store and as we get close, I make an effort to look directly at him/her and smile. Very often they miss the smile because they quickly look away as though I might see something in their eyes that will give them away. I wonder what I might learn about them if we make eye contact. It’s an interesting phenomenon.

If I say “hello,” he or she will sometimes respond but even then without looking directly at me. When I have actually managed to make eye contact, smile, and say something, the response has been mixed. One time, I noticed the dress that a lady was wearing and said to her, “I love the colors in your dress; reminds me of spring flowers.” Her face literally lit up and she thanked me but quickly moved on. On another occasion, I caught the eye of a lady who was looking at shampoos while I was searching for my favorite hair spray. “Don’t you wish they would stop changing the packaging on these things? I don’t recognize the product I usually buy.”

She merely grunted, shrugged her shoulders, grabbed her shampoo and left. I wondered if I looked like a mass murderer or something. This is harder than I expected. I had suspected it might be just me who avoided eye contact, but I’m finding that it is rather the norm. Is this a result of spending so much time communicating with and through computers and hand-held devices that we have become more comfortable with technology than with actual human contact? Is it a trust issue? Are we suspicious of everyone? This is one instance when I wish I was more educated in the area of human psychology..

I was checking out at Publix where the cashier was a very pretty young oriental woman with whom I was able to make eye contact. Her smile was bright and genuine. I told her that she had gorgeous hair (it was the absolute truth) and she grinned and thanked me enthusiastically. I think her day was already bright, but I might have added a little ray of sunshine. I know she made me feel better simply by looking directly at me and honoring me with that beautiful smile.

A smile is free; doesn’t cost anything, does it? Well, maybe it does. For instance, if you’re having a really awful day and someone catches your eye and smiles brightly, you may have to exert yourself to return the smile. But I’m convinced that having done so, you will have released a bit of the tension that was weighing you down.

I wonder if the reason we avoid actual communication with one another is that we can’t spare the time to be civil. Our lives are unbelievably busy; complicated; demanding; frustrating; busy . . . busy . . . busy. OVERLOAD! Computers when they become overloaded simply shut down - or crash - before they are ruined. We could learn from them. Maybe we need to simply shut down on a regular basis and refuse to answer the phone or check our email or . . .

I’m old. But one advantage to being old is that I can remember when life was a bit simpler. When we received a letter from someone, even if it required a “quick” response, no one expected that response to be instantaneous. “Immediate response” didn’t mean what it does today. The person who sent the letter knew he/she would have to wait for return mail which might be two or three days, maybe even a week.

I remember “party lines.” When I picked up the phone to call someone, there might be someone else using the line (someone not living in our house). I would have to wait my turn. And unless it was an emergency (someone in our house was bleeding to death), I had no problem waiting. Most people think that we’re better off today, but I’m not sure about that. I think a lot of people feel like they have far too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

What do you think?

SIMPLE GIFTS

This morning when I opened my bible a little piece of paper fell out. On it, handwritten was the following:

“Middle age is when the narrow waist and the broad

mind begin to trade places.”

- Bud

I chuckled as I remembered this dear man who made so many people smile with his never-ending supply of little joys to share. Bud always had a joke to tell or a little piece of paper to slip into your hand with a cute saying, maybe an uplifting verse, or even scripture and always the quotation was signed “Bud.” Most of the jokes were what we would call “lame” and folks would shake their heads and arch a brow when they saw Bud heading toward them with “that look” on his face.

Whenever Bud told a joke, he’d watch your face and say: “There! “Made you smile, didn’t I! You’re beautiful when you smile, you know.”

Or: “Made you laugh, didn’t I? You know it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown. So you might as well smile and save your energy.”

Bud was always delighted when he could make you laugh out loud at his jokes and he’d slap you on the back and remind you: “I’ve got a million of ‘em.” And I believe he probably did have a million of them. And I believe his lovely wife, Charlotte, had heard all of them a million times during their sixty years of wedded bliss. Nevertheless, she stood by his side and smiled patiently while he shared his "simple gifts."

Bud also liked to visit friends and fellow parishioners whenever they were hospitalized and bring a little happiness into their room. He was never solemn or sad, and always seemed to know the right thing to say to bring a smile to the faces of the patients and their visiting family members. More often than not, he’d bring a small bouquet of roses from his rose garden and explain that he, not Charlotte, took care of the roses. He was proud of his green thumb.

I haven’t thought about Bud for a long time. He passed away about eight years ago after a long battle with prostate cancer. This morning, he made me smile again and started me thinking.

I reflected on how that little slip of paper had brightened my morning - maybe even my day. Such a simple thing as that silly little joke became a special gift. And I began to wonder if I could find simple little things to do every day to brighten someone else’s day. I mean, I wonder if I could make it a habit to find just one little thing every day to do to put a smile on someone’s face or to make someone feel a little better about himself or herself. Might there be some little word or gesture that might help change a bad attitude or outlook.

I thought about how often I walk through a store without making eye contact and probably miss many opportunities to say “hello” and actually see a person who might need to feel “visible” that day. A simple greeting, a tiny bit of small talk (which I’m not great at) might make all the difference to someone. A genuine “thank you” to a clerk with a “You sure look sharp today! I love the color of your shirt,” can start that person on the road to a great day, maybe the best day they’ve had in a while. I have a feeling that the person who receives this little gift will pass it on several times during the day. Kinda like the movie. What was it called? “Pay it Forward,” I think.

And I thought about how many times when greeting friends and acquaintances, I say,

“How are you?” And they respond, “Fine, thanks. How are you?”

And that’s that. And off I go. But you know, that’s not that. They may very well NOT be fine - and maybe with just a little follow-up question like, “Are you? You look a little tired. What’s going on with you,” indicating a sincere interest in their well-being, will result in some meaningful conversation or at the very least, that person feeling like maybe someone really does care how they are. And that may be enough to lift their spirits and make them feel a little better. And, yes, I might find myself on the receiving end of TMI, but I’ll call it time well-spent.

And how about a hug. Okay, you can’t be hugging anybody and everybody. But hugs are so therapeutic, maybe even magic. Bud used to say that everyone needed at least five hugs everyday to stay healthy. He was a great hugger! A firm handshake can be beneficial, but a hug says I care about you, you’re important to me, I wish you well. I believe hugs could replace most anti-depressants!

I think that Thoreau’s quote went something like this: “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” Things haven’t changed a great deal since Thoreau’s observation. We tend to be so busy with our own individual and family needs and necessities that we generally have no idea what our friends and neighbors are going through or how utterly lonely or despondent they may be.

I’ve decided to make a list of little things I can do – like maybe write out short scripture verses, or uplifting quotes, or poems or “little funnies” and passing them out when I am out and about. And maybe each day trying to make just one person feel good about himself or herself by saying something nice about how they look or their smile or their demeanor or their service - just something to lift their spirits. I can’t fix the world by sharing these “simple gifts,” but if I can make someone feel better, even if only momentarily, it will be worth the effort. And if the smile is passed on, then our world is a tiny bit better – am I right?

I think I will dedicate this effort to Bud and maybe he’ll look down and see that what he started is being perpetuated. A living memorial to a sweet man who made everybody smile.