Sunday, November 18, 2012

Thanksgiving is Here!

Well, the election is over and it's gotten better as time has gone by......with some GOPers not re-elected, more Dems winning as slow vote counts come in, and the diversity of the Democrat wins, etc.  I really tried to be a good girl, not gloating too much or being too obnoxious.....But then Mitch McConnell did it again!  That same condescending denial of reality.....saying the election was not a mandate for the President, that the people were just giving him more time to deliver the promises he failed to deliver thus far.  If you remember, in 2008 I was forced to call his office and speak to a snippy little girl.  This year I was motivated/provoked into writing a letter.  With technology simplifying the process so much, I also sent the letter to Senator Graham and Congressmen Boehner, Ryan and Canter.  If nothing else, it made me feel better and it's sure to irritate the grunt that has to read and reply to it.

Mama and Edna, her friend and neighbor.

Our trip to NC was enjoyable but exhausting.  All of the cousins stopped by again and we made a visit to the nursing home to visit my mother's friend and neighbor, my cousin's husband, and a former neighbor. We stayed a good, long time and came away feeling glad we made the effort.  We visited my mother's friend Ruth and had dinner with Laney and Julious, as well as going to church on Sunday.  We had very little time to do anything around the house, including getting clothes together for my mother.  It was a whirlwind.

We came back to a week of dark, cool, rainy weather, the kind that just makes you want to stay in bed.  And today has been the worst...cooler, darker and rainier! It's hard to believe we were enjoying 70-80 degree weather only a few weeks ago.  I think I can cope with the cool weather if the sun will just appear again!
A warm, sunny, Sunday afternoon in Beaufort only a few weeks ago.




We also came home to ailing kitties.  As we scooped the ton of poop that had collected in 4 large litter boxes, we saw that there was loose poop in all boxes. In the course of the day, I realized that it was my dear Gabby.  He's 13 now and it's hard for me to realize that he is now an older kitty.  While he eats well and seems to be okay, he has become boney and that tender, pink nose is now covered with dark splotches (similar to all of the god-awful things that are happening to his Mama - me!).  He is a ninja kitty and it's hard to catch him drinking or pooping, but there is no more soft poop in the boxes, so I hope he is okay.  The other patient is Little Girl (Chloe)...before we left, someone was throwing up and it was a "variety" of spew with which I was not familiar.....projectile with lots of water-type liquid.  It was not until I actually saw Chloe do it that I realized it came from her.  And then, once we got home I saw her going from one litter box to another, circling the wagons, straining......and only a drop came out!  So, I took her to the vet that very day and he said it sounded like a classic bladder infection.  He gave her two shots.....that was Friday and she still is not able to pee.  A call to the vet will be my first order of business tomorrow.  She is very stoic and not appearing to be in discomfort, but it can't be good.  The vet asked me to call on Monday and let them know how she was doing, so I assumed she should be okay by then.  She isn't!  It scares me to think that something could happen to them, though I know IT is likely to happen to them before it happens to me.  They are just so loving, each in their own way, and bring so much comfort and joy into  my life.....I just can't go there a minute before I have to.

I had my yearly physical with good results, thus far.  Ive had a bone density scan and tomorrow I see a dermatologist.  Tuesday is a mammogram and it will be over.  The initial blood work was fine and am hoping all else turns out as well.

I had planned to have the bedroom carpets replaced between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but when I thought of all that will be happening - Thanksgiving, putting up the Christmas tree, three medical appointments for my mother, Christmas, etc. - I just couldn't face it.  So, instead of a Christmas present for myself, it will become an early birthday present.  I'm hoping things will settle by January.

In an effort to have a life, I went to my vegetarian group (Eating Without Meat of the Lowcountry) last night.  The group has expanded from the original 7 or 8 to almost 20.....actually more than that, 20 were in attendance last night.  It's a diverse group in age, sex, race, interests and professions.  So, it's an interesting group AND the food is good.  It's a great way to sample new things and collect great ideas.  The speaker for this meeting was a local lady who is an vedic master, trained at the Chopra Center.  She talked about Ayurveda, a Hindu system of traditional medicine native to India, a type of alternative medicine. She was very entertaining and the topic was interesting.....my brain appreciated being stimulated a bit more than usual!

One of the newer, younger members of our Living/Drinking Liberally group has invited me to a luncheon for "progressive" women.  My friend Chris and I plan to attend the December luncheon.  The ladies I enjoy being with most are those I've met through DL, so I think this will be similar and worth doing....will keep you posted.

Today I finally watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Ann recommended it long before I ever heard about it here.  She said I'd enjoy it and I think I'll actually see it again before sending it back to Netflix.  It finally came up on my list several weeks ago and when I attempted to see it, the CD was faulty and the previews were on a loop...I couldn't get past them.  So, it took a second try and I really enjoyed it on so many levels.....and it made me want to go back to India!

This week is Thanksgiving and all I want to do is get it over......but, even so, there is so much to be thankful for, not the least of which are true and lasting friends.  So, I wish each and every one a.....


Thursday, November 8, 2012

It's Over........

Well, the election is over and I'm recovering from a long night.  It took Mitt a while to concede and once I'd heard his speech I had to hang in until the President spoke. While there was lots of tension at the beginning of the evening, things finally opened up and began falling into place.  It was a solid win for Obama and many Democrats seeking House or Senate seats.......all in all a much better outcome than expected.  There will be 20 women in the Senate, including a war veteran who lost both legs in Iraq (I think), the first Asian-American female Senator, the first openly gay female Senator, etc.  While things are not as good as we would like, the President has had a lot to deal with AND very little help from the opposition party.......despicable behavior at a time when our country needed everyone pulling together.  There were also lots of shenanigans going on to restrict voting rights, and my faith in mankind was restored by all those people who stood in lines for hours, jumped through the manufactured hoops and did whatever was necessary to vote.  They were truly impressive......and I'm thinking some of those nasty tactics may have backfired in a big way. Anyway, don't get me started.......but it was a sweet victory.

Our weather continues to be cool as another storm hits the northeast.  It's hard to imagine the devastation the people up there are dealing with, and they are hit again.  Even so, many of us have traveled to places where there would not be the immediate support and safety nets provided here, though I know if you're the one affected, things can't happen fast enough.  I do hope the weather holds off long enough for relief and rebuilding to happen.

We're trying to get ready to go to NC for the weekend.......my mother needs to pick up some winter clothes and it will be a chance for her to visit relatives and friends.  She mentioned taking Smokey (her cat) with us, but I immediately nixed that.  I've  given up trying to do anything with/around her house, so we'll use the time there however she wishes.  I'm getting better at choosing my battles!  Wish us luck!

My hope and enthusiasm after the election were dashed the morning after when the following comments were issued on Facebook - one by a relative and the other by a "friend" of a relative:
  •  "Load your guns and sharpen your knives!"
  •   "Anyone feeling the sudden unexplained urge to start stockpiling handguns, rifles and ammo?  Just saying.  I got this.....itch.
  •  "I remember when America was......      Fill in the blank.  You've got four years to think about it.  Oh and there's probably more then one right answer!"
These people really are living in a parallel universe. It's so hard to understand what makes their American experience so different from mine.  That kind of response to an election absolutely stuns me!  They are the same ones who want "to take their country back" from those of us who won the majority in the last election.  It wasn't a revolution, it was an election!  Get a grip,
Well, my response was this:

I very rarely post anything on Facebook but decided to do so through the political season after another relative began posting lots of anti-Obama stuff.  My theory was that 1) if she was going to do that, she should be prepared to get the other perspective AND, 2) they all tend to think alike and zealously reinforce that thinking and I thought it might be "enlightening" for her/them to discover that not everyone thinks the way they do AND they actually know some of those people!!  I alerted my liberal FB friends, telling them my plan and asking for backup if needed.......but also asking them to be gentle, because any comeback would likely be from relatives!  I mostly used cartoons or slogans, with no personal commentary, and there really was no problem (that I know of....we'll see when we go up this weekend!).......and it did actually flush out a young cousin who was also for Obama.....and feeling very isolated!  She emailed me privately for a little discussion.  So, unless someone really ticks me off, that will be my last post for a while. 

I'm sure everyone is happy the election is over (no one more so than Democrats!), so I'll leave you with some final laughs.....and I'm glad we feel like laughing!




And looking ahead.....texting Hillary.