Monday, February 28, 2011

Stocks: Ups And Downs

Anyone who has been paying attention to the news lately has been horrified by what is happening in Libya. It is tragic that violence, to try and control his people, has been used by Mr. Qaddafi. The unrest (revolution?) has caused major changes to the oil prices and to the stock market. Again, we are so dependent upon others for our oil that our prices for fuel have risen dramatically. I know there are people that do not want us to drill offshore (or onshore, for that matter) but we must be independent of the Arab oil. Doesn't matter what country supplies us over there it makes for a tricky situation. We have oil in our own country and should therefore be self-reliant. Those who state we should not drill should take a look in their garage. Is there a car there or a horse?

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Saturday, February 26, 2011

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!!

Friday, February 25, 2011

My Lawyers

Got some really good news: my lawyers says he believes I have a case for my Long Term Disability Insurance benefits denial.
Firstly, my doctor says that my vertigo is not a preexisting condition; the insurance company denied my LTD benefits because they said it was a preexisting condition. This I already knew, of course, but my attorney still has a lot of paperwork to wade through. Secondly, he believes I have what is called a "bad faith insurance claim". This is when an insurance company denies benefits even though all the evidence shows that benefits are due. My attorney has brought in a second attorney; her specialty is bad faith insurance claims. They are meeting together and will be doing research for a some time. Hopefully I will hear from them by the end of March.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Where Does All The Money Go?

It doesn't matter at what level: city, county, state, country -- there seems to be a lot of money collected and still a major shortfall for the budget. No one can, specifically, explain where all the money went. There are some banks in Switzerland that can answer that question I'll bet. I am, quite frankly, disappointed in all our elected officials, of all parties. How can they be so irresponsible and then expect us to pay more tax money for them to squander or ask us to tighten our belts and they won't. Really crazy. They have forgotten, all of them, that we the people are their employers and not their slaves. One day they will all be called into account, one way or the other.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Family

My cousin Diana posted this photo for our family on Facebook yesterday. On the left is my Uncle Warden - a dear, sweet man; my John is a lot like him in personality. Next to him is my Mum - looking lovely, as usual. Beside her is her other brother, my Uncle Huey - a very funny, if irreverent, man. And last, but absolutely not least, is my darling, and much loved, Auntie Helen. A second mother to me - especially as a teenager. I lived with her and her family for many weekends and weeks when I was in my late teens. Sadly, they are all gone now but not the memories.

Photo provided by: Diana James

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

You Have To Be Crazy!

When all is said and done, I don't think there are any politicians to vote for. I don't care what they say during the campaign it is all just to get elected. Some have no sense of responsibility or accountability. For instance, a bunch of state legislators in Wisconsin "ran away" so they won't have to vote for something they don't like. What is nuts is that they think they cannot work and it doesn't matter - they will still get paid. Tell me where anyone can just leave their job and still keep the job and get paid ---- in the government, that's where. The other thing that drives me crazy is the teachers who are protesting for better education for the students (one of the things - mostly they are protesting to not take a 2.5% pay cut -- many other people in this country have taken a much bigger hit than that and still show up for work --- and paying 12% for their medical, dental, etc... insurance --- while the national average is 23%) but do not show up for work so the students are getting no education --- does this makes sense? And, so they don't lose their jobs, they have phony doctor letters signed (by doctors who are roaming all over the place at the protests?????) so they can say they were ill. I mean, really, where is the sense, logic, accountability? I'm sorry, this is not right -- none of it.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Monday, February 21, 2011

So Much Cuteness


Dressing alike is just toooooooooooo cute! We Skyped with Misha, Alan, and Marcelle yesterday morning and just spent time watching "her cuteness" be herself. The little things are what you miss most; just being there as "life" happens. We miss all three of them very much and thank God every time we Skype with them. Being apart from everyone is extremely difficult but our technological age has made it bearable. We expect to see Misha and Marcelle this summer and are waiting patiently to hear when that will be. We will be Skyping with Krista, Danny, Bekah, and Roxie this coming Sunday - can hardly wait!!
Photo provided by: Misha and Alan

Friday, February 18, 2011

HAVE A SUPER WEEKEND!!

Parking Lot Landmarks


I know I am getting older but I really have no problems finding my car in parking lots. However, the other day I stopped to pick something up and when I left the shop I realized I had not taken notice of where I had parked. Now, normally, I park in a handicapped space so it is relatively easy for me to find my car but that day there were no empty handicapped slots available. Dilemma: where is my car? Solution: take a breath and scan the parking lot spaces closest to the handicapped spots. Yay! My car was three slots behind a handicapped spot. I know this seems mundane to you all but I was very happy that I didn't get anxious or overly dizzy trying to find my car. A victory!
Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Restaurant Staff


In all the years John was managing restaurants I heard so many silly stories. I don't know what it is about people who work in food service but they are a little crazy. John had a lot of great people working with him; he really cared about them and really had fun with them. There were also a few who were really crazy, not fun - just crazy. He had a supervisor once who was not a big fan of John's. John was a very successful manager for this particular restaurant but the supervisor was always looking to find fault. Once he told John that all the baseboards in the restaurant had to be cleaned with a toothbrush. Was this a restaurant or the military????
Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Utensils Are Very Cool

As you can see, Marcelle is doing very well using a spoon. Apparently she is equally adept at using a fork. In fact, if she is given food that usually would require a utensil and she is expected to eat with her fingers she is not a happy camper and wants that spoon or fork. Very funny, really, to be so "correct" at such a young age; she is 17 and a half months old. She may end up being the Emily Post of our family.
Photo provided by: Misha and Alan

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Smoking? What Is Smoking?


It has been so long since I have actually seen someone smoke. I have not sensed that odor or seen the smoke for a very long time. I know there are people who smoke here but they do not do it in public and certainly do not do it in buildings, shops, or restaurants. John and I quit smoking in December of 1982. Difficult to believe that it has been almost 30 years since I smoked. I have quit longer than I smoked; which was 23 years. I am very happy that I stopped and I'm sure John is as well. I feel for those who still smoke and wish to quit; not an easy task.
Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all have some quality time today with those you love; when it comes right down to it that is the most important part of life - our loved ones and the time we spend with them. God loves us so much and through our loved ones here on earth we get just a wee glimpse of just how much He loves us.
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. "
I Corinthians 13
Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Friday, February 11, 2011

Frustrated Is The Least Of It!


For a couple of weeks there has been a notice on my blog (when I go to post a new one) saying that I have to change some things because they have changed something. I cannot be more precise because the notice is now gone and I don't remember the exact words. Anyway, I didn't understand what they were talking about so I accessed all their info and still there was no explanation. So, I sent at least 3 e-mails to their contact address and never received a response - very sad. How can someone do what they want without any explanation of how to do it and they won't even respond to their e-mails. Anyway, as you can see, there is no design left on my blog - I can only hope that I can still post and you will be able to see it.
So, as I am unable to access the same design company as before I just went simple - hope you like it.
HAVE A TRULY SUPER WEEKEND!!!!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Sick!

Have upper respiratory flu - yuck! See you soon.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Winter Sunrise


The Manzano Mountains are just East of our home. They look beautiful in winter when there is snow. A ray of sun promises a new and better day. We have hope each and every day that life will be better, right? But then, we should be content with our life as it is. God is good and always provides for our needs (not our wants necessarily). John and I live a very quiet life but we are happy with it. We have our lovely daughters, wonderful sons-in-law, and precious granddaughters and, of course, we have each other; we always have since we met. Most importantly we have faith in our Lord and He has never forsaken us; He gives us the strength we need to live in this world knowing we will ultimately go to His.
Photograph provided by: John

Friday, February 4, 2011

Have A Safe, Warm Weekend!


Saving Energy

We always save as much energy as we can by setting our thermostat at 61 degrees when we are asleep or out of the house; when we are home it is set at about 67 - 69 degrees, depending on how cold it is. Yesterday our new Governor, Susan Martinez, called for a State of Emergency. Because the temperatures have been so cold, colder than it has been in decades - it was 18 below zero yesterday more here - and usage of gas and electric has risen there were many people without gas. The gas company here, anticipating the freezing weather, had ordered extra gas last weekend. The gas should have arrived in plenty time to eliminate any chance of running out. However, the gas comes from Texas and they were using rolling blackouts/brownouts to prevent problems which caused a slowdown in the arrival of our gas. So, all state offices closed mid-day yesterday, all schools are closed statewide, and all non-essential state offices continue to be closed, along with the schools, today. There is a very slow warm up occurring and so everyone hopes that the crisis will be over soon. In the meantime, we are all to lower our thermostats, which we have done, to decrease the gas and electric usage. Love the snow, which is still very much present, but the freezing temps are a bit much for New Mexico.

Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Tiggy And The Cold


Tiggy, our twelve year old sweet dog, is not happy with the recent weather. It is 18 below zero this morning and we still had to put him out to do what dogs do after a night of rest. I brought him in after about 15 minutes and he was hiding in his dog house but came scampering out as soon as he heard the sun porch door open. Normally, he loves to stay outside all day and only come in for his dinner - going out again just before bedtime. But right now we keep him in when we are home. Today, however, I will be out for a few hours and so he will have to be out in the cold mid-day. Poor little shivering baby. Actually, he will just fine - he has developed an awesome thick winter coat and so will manage - there will be sunshine to bask in even though the temperature will low.
Cartoon provided by: Reader's Digest

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Snow Day

Photo taken yesterday afternoon from our front porch looking down the street. Doesn't seem like a lot of snow to some but it is very unusual here for snow to remain for this long. A couple of hours earlier the street was white with snow. Our garbage truck got stuck on the hill right in front of our driveway and had other problems making the turn at the top (2 houses away) of the cul-de-sac; poor guy. We had very high winds all night which still continue (it is almost 4:30 a.m.) and will for most of the day. We also lost power for almost 3 hours during the night; our PNM men/women were out there in the freezing cold and got us back up and running ---- thank you (it was getting pretty cold in the house). We have not had any more snow since last evening but they say we may get some more. It is very cold - about minus 9 degrees. The coldest we have every had since we moved here in the spring of 2007 was about 7 degrees. With the wind chill factor I'm sure it's a lot colder than that. A true winter experience.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snowing In New Mexico

At 3:30 this morning when John left for work there was already 2 inches of snow on the ground. He told me that the snow was actually sticking to the streets, which is very unusual here; it usually melts right away. He drove from our home into town going only 30 miles per hour. Once he reached busier streets the snow was more like slush and so it was easier for him to drive. He arrived safely at work. Hope I will be able to go into town and do the messages that I had planned for today. Little Tiggy is in the house with me as this kind of weather is a little unusual and chilly for his aging joints.