Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Christmas Shopping





















Have heard some stories about how busy it is out there Christmas shopping. I am happy to report that I do not have to "wage war at the store" this year (or last, for that matter). I would not be able to handle the busy stores and they don't have carts (I use them to support me and help me to not get dizzy or for stability if I do). I have already done my shopping and will be wrapping and mailing in the next week. I have always done shopping early but the last two seasons I have made sure I was finished long before Black Friday. Happy Shopping!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas Bears




















I have a rather extensive collection of Starbucks Bearistas. I have been collecting them since the late 1990's. They do not sit as a collection in some room or in a box awaiting a profitable sale but are put out for display at the appropriate holidays and times of year. I will be showing you more of my Christmas bear collection as we can take the photos and upload them to my computer. I think they are adorable and hope you do too.

Friday, November 26, 2010

First Snowfall























Thanksgiving morning we awoke to a lovely covering of snow. There had been no prediction of snow for our area but we were thrilled that we got some. Nice to enjoy the "white stuff" for the holiday. Had an awesome dinner, thanks to John -- all I did was make the veggies and rolls. The turkey, giblet gravy, and stuffing were soooo yummy. We also had a delicious pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream -- hm hm hm!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!




















Cartoon provided by: CartoonStock.com

Have A Very Happy Thanksgiving!





















Let us each take a few moments to consider how blessed we are: family, friends, jobs, etc... and be thankful - Praise God - even when things are tough He is with us - every moment.

My appointment with the new doctor took almost an hour and a half because of my history - he is great, I am very happy!

See you Friday!


Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

New Patient




















Off to a new doctor today - General Practitioner. No choice, really. Several things have happened in my doctor's office that I am unable to ignore - both with the staff and with her. So, I have a "new patient" appointment today. They have scheduled me the usual NP appointment of 40 minutes; I have been laughing to myself ever since I was scheduled as taking my history will take that long, at least. Anyway, I am hopeful about this new doc as I have heard great things about him. It took two months to get this appointment as he only takes a couple of new patients every few months. So, wish me luck.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Monday, November 22, 2010

Work Ethic






















One of the things that appears to be missing in a lot of people now is a strong work ethic. Integrity is a dying positive character trait. It is a sad state of affairs, really; what used to be so value is now scoffed at. Everyone is out for "me". It that hurts someone else or the business you work for -- "so what". Deceitfulness, laziness, dishonesty are some of the negative hallmarks of today's workers. Then there are the few remaining Americans who still stand by the "old ways". My husband is one of them. He works hard, gives his all to his jobs (one full and two part-time) and never complains. He is loyal to each job and does not let one interfere with the others. He is a great representative for all three companies. I am very proud and blessed to be his wife.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Friday, November 19, 2010

Enjoy Your Weekend!



















Autumn in the high desert.

Tipping




















I believe in tipping - wait persons especially. John was in restaurant management for 21 years and so I have heard all the stories of waitresses working their buns off and getting stiffed - very wrong!! Anyway, we don't go out to restaurants very often and when we do it's for lunch (I don't do too well from mid-afternoon on most days) but we are always sure to leave a tip - 20% if the service is really good but never less than 10% (if the service were really rotten perhaps we would not leave one - but that, so far, has really never happened). We also make a connection with all those who serve us - it makes it much more fun for them and us.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Garden Stuff






















I have always been amused by the things people put in their front gardens for decoration. Here in the Southwest there is the obvious wagon wheels, steer antlers and such. Over the years I have seen altars to: Mary, mother of Jesus and Buddha. There are the little bridges over rock rivers, deer statues, and little animals. However, my favorite is the Garden Gnome. You must admit they are cute little critters and, besides, on their travels they might send you a postcard (for those of you who haven't seen the movie, "Amelie" - that is a very specific reference to the movie).

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Final Frontier...






















I absolutely love Star Trek - most of the series: the original with William Shatner, The Next Generation with Patrick Stewart (my favorite), and The Enterprise with Scott Bakula. These were the best of all the series. There is still one running original shows: The Universe - but it's just not as good as it could be -- we tried and gave up after about 8 shows. Anyway, space is a real mystery - fun, exciting, interesting, awesome. Have read some of our astronaut's comments about being in space and they are still in awe. Always cool to have a difficult goal: conquer space. Now, if what I just said is true, I must think about a difficult goal for myself. Hmm.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Dizzy Days





















Have had a couple of really rough days; could not even take a shower. Got up feeling "normal", for me, and jumped in the shower before John left for work - just in case. Boy, did that feel good. Hate it when I am the "Prisoner of Zenda" in my own home: no shower, no going out, feeling rotten, no fun to be with - Yuck! Anway, feeling like the usual Dizzy Dame that I am. Hope you are having a good day too.

Photo provided by: ClipArt.com

Monday, November 15, 2010

Angelic























We miss our granddaughters so very much. This is a photo of our youngest, Marcelle, taken over Hallowe'en weekend. She, like our other two - Bekah and Roxie, is very intelligent. She adores animals, especially dogs. When she and her mom visited us in August, she and our dog - Tiggy - got along famously. Someday I'm sure she will have a pet of her own when she her parents feel she is old enough. Our kids had tons of pets: dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, chickens, mice. At one time, we had 3 dogs, 3 cats, 2 birds, one rabbit, 2 birds, and 16 mice - we were known as "Noah's Ark" in our neighborhood. It was lots of fun though.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Enjoy Your Autumn Weekend!























Autumn in Albuquerque.

Hair Cut





















Well, had my hair cut again yesterday; I go about every six weeks. She is doing a lot better, I think. Twice in a row it seems much more what I want. It is a work in progress but she is really zeroing in on what looks nice and what I am telling her. So, this makes me happy!!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veteran's Day



























Thank you to all those have served in the Armed Forces. These photos are a tribute to those who have served in the most recent major conflicts. They served, were wounded, and gave their lives for their country. The photos from top to bottom are: the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the Gulf War, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and World War II. God bless America!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Happy Birthday Marines!
























The Marine Corps celebrates its 235th birthday today. The Marines are the first in for battle and the first to have casualties. Their bravery is unsurpassed.

This is a photo of John taken for his graduation from Marine Corps boot camp at Paris Island. The making of a Marine is very tough and many do no graduate. John feels that being a Marine is one of his greatest achievements in life. I am always proud to tell people that he is a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Sempe Fi!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Final Appeal Denied
















Sadly, my final appeal for Long Term Disability Insurance benefits has been denied. We were hopeful but were not counting on it. I will receive the official paperwork soon and then will be consulting our attorney to have him refer us to an attorney who specializes in these things. If the new attorney feels I have a case I guess we will go forward with a lawsuit. I was hoping I wouldn't have to as the stress really makes the vertigo worse but I don't really have a choice.
Happily, there is some good news! There is a state agency that helps people who have disabilities find a way to work or get retrained. I have had my initial appointment with them and they are now going through the process to see if I am eligible. If I am (pray for me) then we will go forward with the assessments, etc... I will know in mid-December if I qualify.

Cartoon provided by: CartoonStock.com

Monday, November 8, 2010

Football, Football, Football!!!























Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, Monday evening, and... coming soon, Thursday evening ---- football on television. Now, don't misunderstand me, I love the Chicago Bears and I am happy when their games are televised but there are some games that are not exactly important to us that we end up watching just "because it's on". If we added in College ball we would then have Saturday afternoon as well - which I found John watching this past Saturday. Since when does he watch College ball? And, get this, he has now started watching Canadian Football League even when the Montréal Alouettes aren't playing. What is going on? Do men just watch it all no matter what league, what team??? Really, just ribbing my husband!!!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Friday, November 5, 2010

Enjoy Your Weekend!

We All Need A Good Laugh

Remember this skit on the Carol Burnett Show? One of the funniest skits ever. Tim Conway improvises most of the skit and Harvey totally breaks up. A real classic moment in comedy. We should all laugh hard and enjoy ourselves. Laughing is great medicine for whatever ails you. Take a few couple of minutes and watch... and laugh.

Video provided by: YouTube

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Housework




















Vertigo has caused some interesting problems for us. My very dear, sweet, hardworking husband now must do almost all the housework. I am able to do light dusting and polishing, as long as I do not have to look to far up or down. I also do our laundry although getting things out of the back of the dryer can be difficult some days. Vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping are definitely not for me; all that looking down is disastrous. So, I go through life with my eyes forward - not bad, actually!

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Madame Liberty






















The mid-term elections are over. Almost all the results are in. The American people are blessed with the privilege of being able to vote. They have let their representatives know their approval or disapproval of their work - this is their job evaluation. Some, sadly, have lost their jobs and others have kept theirs. Whatever the results and however each one of us feels about those results - the American people have spoken. We can only pray that the new Congress will work together, regardless of party, for the benefit of the American people, their employers. I really think they forget who is the employer and who is the employee and that has nothing to do with party and everything to do with arrogance.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

To Paint Or Not To Paint, That Is The Question.






















When you spend most of your day sitting in a chair in the same room, in this case our living room, you have a tendency to look at everything in much more detail and with a critical eye. Vertigo has slowed down my life, almost to a halt, and so I spend a vast amount of time in a mission-style recliner in our great room. I have been thinking, and thinking, about the paint colors in that room, kitchen, dining, and entry. Because of the chair placement, I can see portions of all these areas. We have a very wide open area with gorgeous vaulted ceilings - lots for the eye to look at. I have been pondering our color choices, as John can certainly tell you, and talking about it for almost a year now. One of these days I will make a decision in the meantime; hmm...

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Monday, November 1, 2010

Tooooooooo Cute!!

















Marcelle's Hallowe'en. 'Nuf said.