End of the Year Thoughts~~~

Well Folks,

I've been focusing on "Sweet Thoughts", "Sweet Memories" and I don't mean candy either.

I've been thinking of all the old fashioned stuff we use to do for Christmas and the Holidays, all the old decorations, ornaments, lights, movies, fun stuff.

It's all changed, got too modern for me somehow. They say that your Senior years are your "Golden Years" ----well Bull pucky----your Golden years are your child hood years, when things were simple, and brighter and maybe cleaner---unless you come from the Ghetto or an abusive family or live "in the hood" with drive by shootings.

Some one asked me if I could live my life over again where would I start and I said "When I was 4 years old, but if I could retain my current knowledge". Now why so far back, because I want to relive all the Christmas's that I had with my family and Grandparents and Aunts, Uncles, Cousins---getting a 26 inch bike when I was only 5 years old and too small to ride it and had to wait until my legs were long enough---It was a coaster bike too---loved that bike.

When some Saturday evening Mom was too tired to cook, Dad would say, "Hey just order Lola's Chicken dinner" I tell you that chicken dinner from Lola's was better than Kentucky Fried or anything you'd get in a Super Market Deli---Mom would call on the old 'western electric' dial up phone, wait 15 minutes while I got out my bike, then she'd give me canvas tote bag, because the order was always bigger than my bike basket, and an envelope with money in it and our name. I'd bicycle the 4 blocks over to the diner which was in the lower half of a Victorian apartment house, and go to the back door where people would pick up the orders to go.

Oh that smell of fresh cooked chicken, 4 ladies operated the place, 2 African American and 2 white ladies, both mother and daughter teams. I'd get that chicken steaming hot in their special bags and the lady would put it into my canvas bag, then I'd pedal home as fast as I could while it was hot.

Go up the drive way, through the back gate, run the chicken through the back porch door to the kitchen, Mom would portion out the food while I locked up my blue and white coaster bike in the garage. Then run in for dinner.

That was livin' --- that was life---- that was fun!

Problem now a days kids don't know what life and fun is all about.

And now here it is Christmas----I avoid the stores and it's commercialism, just look for those things I need to get like for ornament exchange or Christmas cards. I enjoy the smell of the Christmas trees and indulge in a Pumpkin Spice Latte, I look over holiday baking desserts like Ginger bread loaf cake.

And in my old age of 60 plus years I keep looking and finding the fun.

If you have a chance read my two blogs on "Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus"

I read it at least once a year old Church's reply and even today it still makes sense.

Santa lives as long as there is love, generosity, compassion and good will to all.

Merry Christmas to all----And a very Bright New Year.

Mean Kitty signing off looking for a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Random Thoughts~~~

Well Folks,

My brain is not thinking very well right now---going back to Standard Time is messing me up.

Plus we had a very busy time of it---lets see, well first it was Halloween, then the Giants won the world series, then we had elections (thank God! the Robo calls have stopped), then we had the Oscar Grant Riots in Oakland, then we switched back to Standard Time, and on top of that it's raining.

It's Raining!! How depressin' be different if it rained between 12 midnight and 4 a.m. but during the day?? Oh well God never listens' to me, even when I told him the seed in the Avocado was too big---he said it's fun to try and grow an avocado tree from it.

I guess he likes to tease us humans.

My Hunka Burnin' love and I are still missing our dog Beaucephus, she died 2 months ago, and we still miss her, soft warm fur, flippy-doddle ears, those soft brown lovin' eyes.

But Burnin' love has found the perfect memorial stone to put in the yard to remember her by, from the Victorian Trading Co. So we'll order it. Then put it where we've buried her.

Now Ginger is acting really strange, of course Ginger is heading towards being 15 years old, so it's not surprising. For some reason she decided to crawl under the bed and sleep there, why I don't know---seems to me it be the most uncomfortable place, but who knows what goes thru a dog's brain.

I am rip roaring pissed at the idiots who trashed Oakland again, and I'm glad that the cops arrested 152 of them---of which 56 were from out of town as far away as San Diego and Long Beach----seems they were professional Agitators---cops couldn't stop all of them, there was damage done but this time in the residential neighbor hoods and when you look at the pictures---well this is going to sound prejudice---but I call it as I see it---but the people who were doing the trashin' were Black---yup---Black.

Take a look at the photos I posted---I don't see any white bread there.

Now is that anyway to memorialize Oscar Grant, a criminal?? Why sure it is---memorialize a criminal by doing criminal activities---a become a criminal yourself---Yep! That is just perfect!

Makes me want to stay far away from Oakland because any there that was there is now long gone. It is now Oscar Grant country---it is forever going to be remembered as a criminal country---because the community could not keep it together and behave in a dignified manner.

I hope that every single one of those 152 future faces that will appear in the next upcoming "COPS" show, get the book thrown at them. And do more than just a slap on the wrist, a fine and then a few community hours.

O.K. do I sound angry, do I sound sarcastic?? YES I AM!!!

Just Take a LOOK!!! at those two pictures that I posted here---by the way the fool idiot who covered his face and the other one in the blue hoodie, they were arrested and tossed into jail for vandalizing private property and other laws that they broke, I understand that the owners of those cars are going to be sueing them and their families. Just LOVELY.

When the youngsters of any ethnic background finally wake up and understand that laws are put into place because you have to do right, be right, think right and be productive in a community so that the community can move forward to help one another----but this---THIS---trashing and memorializing a criminal is wrong in so many ways and only points up the twisted thinking that holds back people.

I am eventually going to do a proper Rant on this and I am going to include news stories and pictures just so you can see how people easily believe lies and follow "The Judas Goat into the Slaughter House."

Why?? BEcause there are a ton of fools out there and most of them live either in Oakland or L.A.

Our Princess Puppy

Well Folks,

I knows I haven't posted here for a long time, but things have been busy for me. But today, today I have to write something sad, very sad.

Our Dog passed away yesterday. No we did't put her to sleep, we were lucky in a way, she passed over as nature intended, her body just quit working and she laid down, we made her comfortable as possible and watched over her.

When they refuse water and/or very soft food you know that it. It's time.

She did that, poor thing---We had her loving devoted presense for 16 years, from when she was 6 month old.

She and My Hunka Burnin' Love looked into each others' eyes and that was it. Heck she even "called Shotgun" riding in the car, I had to sit in the back seat.

She had her own way of communicating with us, she was even better than Lassie, but Oh if my Man even so much as petted another dog and came home, she'd give him the third degree sniff and I mean right up close a personal at the personals then she'd look at me and ruff and growled and woof and give my Man an accusing glare that said "How dare you go off with another dog, a hussy at that!"

And my Man would be apologizing and saying "I'm sorry to that dog" more than he would to me.

But I didn't mind, she kept him in line. She'd even keep "evil dog" in line letting evil dog know whose boss.

But then she laid down, even evil dog was puzzed, I could see it in Ginger's eyes, "what happened? The pecking order is off kilter, why is boss dog lying down?" and Ginger would give our Princess a lick on the cheek trying to encourage her to get up, then Ginger started standing guard.

Poor thing it was the only thing she could do. And my man petting our beloved hound until she drew her last breath.

We had a spot picked out for her, her spot is carfully marked, I'm going to get a nice river rock and using patio paints that are weather resistant, paint her name and the years we had her.

She's happy and healthy now, young and carefree, playing catch with my Man's Daddy.

My Hunka Burnin' Love expects her to come and get him when it's time for him to go, and I think she'll do it too.

Right now the house is very quiet, no woof's to wake us up in the morning to let us know she's got to do her 1's and 2's. No lying down in front of the open door with the door screen latched to give friendly woof's at the mail person. No jingle of the dog tags, no sitting in the middle of the kitchen waiting for Mommy to give her treats. No more gentle licks from her soft tongue when we're upset about something.

No more playing with her German Shepard boyfriend ( he died 6 months ago), no more rolling around on the big beach towel to dry off after her bath and then looking up at us coyly. No more of those soft brown eyes that each time look at us saying wordlessly "I love you".

You know the word Dog it right for this type of creature, because Dog is God spelled backwards, and it's God's way of saying I LOVE YOU.

WE LOVE YOU TOO BABY GIRL.

Mean Kitty, crying and signing off for the day.

"WHAT IS TRUTH?" Joe Meserle & Oscar Grant.

Well Folks,

I know it’s been a while since I posted here, life has a way of getting a person involved in things and I’ve been involved, the summer is here and I’m enjoying it, but I have to say that I approached this 4^th of July with a certain amount of caution.

Now why you ask, did I look at this 4^th of July differently?

Because I was waiting, waiting on the verdict on the Oscar Grant trial.

Pontius Pilate asked of Jesus of Nazareth and Pilate’s own advisors a three worded question-----

“WHAT IS TRUTH?”

Neither Jesus nor any of Pilate’s advisors gave him an answer.

In the end Pilate asked of the near rioting crowd, whom should be chosen to be spared

They yelled out “Barrabas, give us Barrabas”, Pilate asked “what should be done with this other man” and the crowd yelled out “Crucify him”.

Now I’m not saying that either or neither man should be compared to Jesus or Barrabas, but I am commenting upon the Crowd mentality.

I’ve been asked by many friends to weigh in my opinion on this on my blog, since I had given it via e-mail to them, but they asked me to post it so they could have it to refer to their friends and nothing is lost in the “translation” so to speak.

No I’m not going to call it a murder trail as certain elements and people want to call it because although it did entail a death it was NOT murder.

So----“What Is Truth?”

To me Murder is when someone wantonly, deliberately goes out and with out compunction, consciously, deliberately takes another’s life. Like the situation in the death of O.J. Simpson’s wife----that is Murder pure and simple.

In Oscar Grant’s case it was a tragedy waiting to happen, Oscar and his friends got out of hand and didn’t comply with the Law to prevent an escalation of problems, but then Oscar had always been in trouble with the law before and his friends were not winners either.

No one deliberately set out to take Oscar’s life, he brought it upon himself.

In the O.J. Simpson murder case, one could see the situation brewing, the jealousy, the legal problems, which was a situation waiting to explode.

The Oscar Grant situation is a difficult one, it’s like the O.J. case in reverse, but the thing with O.J. is no one else could have killed his wife, and that was pre-meditated.

In the Oscar Grant case, it was not pre-meditated---it really was an accident that had a very tragic outcome.

Fact one---Joe Meserle really did not have adequate Taser training. That was a deficiency on the part of BART Police.

Fact two---the use of tasers is really much better in a highly emotional situation, because they do not kill people, and really are far better to bring a person out of control under control…

now there are people who will say that there are person’s who have died having been tased, but I can count that on the fingers of 1 hand, and the police officer has no way of knowing if the problem non-complying suspect has a medical problem, the officer is trying to get the situation under control without anyone being hurt.

Fact three---because of inadequate training Joe Meserle in a highly emotional state was not thinking clearly. I know because I’ve had that happen to me, so I can understand how one can have a sort of amnesia in a volatile situation.

This is something I have to watch out for with my Hunka burnin’ Love, he was a DOD police officer but long since retired and he has not had re-training since his Dept. of Defense Police days---I know his emotions will take over—and it takes all I can do to short of punching him in the face to get him to back down.

So constant re-training is vital whether it’s regular or BART police.

Fact 4—I do believe that the situation was elevated to a dangerous situation because Oscar Grant DID NOT comply by staying put. If he had stayed put, he’d be alive today.

Fact 5---if Joe Meserle did have proper Taser training, Oscar Grant would be alive, arrested for being drunk and disorderly and yelling in jail about police brutality and that he’s gonna sue.

If all Oscar Grant said to his pals---and you have to remember they were drunk and out of control and causing fights on the BART train something that the people forget----If Oscar just kept saying “Do what the officer says, just shut up and do what the officer says” then all they would have gotten is a fine and a few days in jail.

But you see Oscar Grant had been in and out of jail a number of times, and what happens is that you don’t want to go back to jail so you do everything to get out of being arrested even resisting and not complying---Grant was doing that.

Fact 6--You see in the video Grant getting up when it’s clear by the officers actions he’s being told to remain put.

Oscar Grant ignored what the officer was saying. That is important.

Now I saw other videos from different angles and Grant is on the ground, he is trying to get his knees under himself to stand up, when it’s clear he’s being told to remain flat on the ground---he’s still resisting.

He would not put his hands behind his back to be handcuffed---if he complied he’d still be alive----I saw in an enhancement that he did put his hand under his body but in a way not to push himself up but to reach down to ‘something’---any officer would take that as a potential dangerous situation, is it a knife, a gun? You don’t know, but you have to take action to protect yourself and your fellow officers and any innocent bystanders.

Fact 7---Joe Meserle saw Grant trying to grab something, Grant was resisting, Joe Meserle said I’m going to tase him (Grant), the other officers moved back because that is what you do if someone is going to be tased, you don’t want to get tased either…. it happens in the blink of an eye, but instead of the bang of a taser, it’s a gunshot.

Fact 8---the look of shock and disbelief on Joe Meserle’s face is real, it was never his intention to shoot with a gun, Oscar Grant. An accident not murder.

An accident brought upon by a highly volatile situation, by people resisting arrest, by inadequate training.

Much like Dick Cheney shooting his friend by accident while they were hunting, fortunately his friend wasn’t killed, but his friend moved into the line of fire---an accident. And Cheneys’ friend said so.

But because someone was killed and considering the highly emotional charge of the situation, to find Joe Meserle not guilty of all charges would have had Oakland, Calif. burning down to the ground, we would have had 3 days of riots like in the Rodney King case, with innocent people hurt, African American businesses destroyed by other but lawless African American’s and everyone distrusting everyone.

But Joe Meserle did no seek to shoot Grant, the situation did not qualify for 1^st or 2^nd degree murder---it didn’t even qualify for voluntary manslaughter---in was involuntary.

I know that if someone broke into my house, and I felt threatened by that person and shot him to save my life, if that person did not have a weapon in hand, even though I did not know if they did or did not have a weapon, I would be charged with involuntary manslaughter and would have to prove my innocence that I felt I had no choice. What would make my case different is that I would be protecting my life and my home during a break-in.

Personally, if I was on that Jury, I would have found Joe Meserle not guilty of any criminal charges but would hold him accountable of the involuntarily taking a life, and sue him for “damages” in a civil court, I would hold BART accountable for their lack of proper training and hold BART accountable also in a civil court. Much like Nicole Brown Simpson’s family did with O.J.

Recently a mother received an award of 5 million dollars from P.G. & E. because one of their drivers fell unconscious and his truck rammed into the daughters car burning the daughter to death. P.G. & E. said they were not responsible, but a jury thought different, this mother said it was murder, but I say it was an act of negligence for which P.G. & E should be held financially accountable and that new laws need to go into place so that P.G & E does not do that again and are always held accountable for their employees actions and health, despite what the law says about employers not discriminating for health reasons..

Now why do I say I would find Joe Meserle not guilty---because much of it was acerbated by Oscar Grant---he placed himself in danger by not complying---and Oscar Grant was no prize package either---he had been arrested and charged 6 months before because of criminal behavior. It doesn’t matter to me that his mother claims he was turning his life around for over a year---he Was arrested 6 months prior to the New Years Eve event.

And what he was doing on New Years Eve according to neutral witnesses was that he was just as much of the problem and frankly that does not indicate that he was turning around his life.

Sad to say it is the old Mamas’ cry of “My Son is a Good Boy” when he’s been found guilty beyond a doubt that he Did indeed commit the crime.

I do not make Oscar Grant a Martyr. Now If Oscar Grant was white, it would be BART and BART Police facing a law suit and not criminal charges, and we would not have had the volatile community problem in Oakland, but no, Oscar was black and someone tossed in the race card

.

I’m sorry if my analysis sounds cold, or prejudice, believe me I’m not---I’m going only by the facts and strictly by the facts.

Granted---the Jury only did 6 ½ hours total of deliberation----Grants family and the family lawyer are claiming that the jury had already pre-judged the outcome---what they don’t say (and I have been on the jury for a murder trial) ---is that the alternates also see the same evidence, hear the same witnesses and hear the same arguments by the lawyers at the exact same time as the selected jurors. The only thing is that the alternates cannot sit in with the jurors when they are debating the case in the jury room. They are left with their own thoughts.

When an alternate is brought in that alternate is brought up to speed on what the jurors have debated so far, then the alternate can ask of the juror’s questions on things that maybe those jurors had not thought of. But it seems that independently the alternate was on the same page as the remaining 11 jurors.

That is why the verdict came in so quickly. And the jurors felt that although they may have wanted Joe M. to go free---if they did that---they would be targets, and Oakland, L.A., S.F., Berkeley, Alameda and the whole Bay Area would have burned worse than the Chicago Fire and the Fire of the 1906 S.F. Earthquake.

The Jury had to find “What is Truth?” but they knew that if they did not find Joe Meserle guilty of something there would be a riot on their hands, so the Jury Gave Barrabas (Oscar Grant) to the crowd and acquiescing to what the crowd would do, gave a verdict to crucify Joe Meserle.

When I heard that the case was finally with the Jury, I meditated what would be the outcome and my thoughts told me involuntary manslaughter. I realized it was for the best, but Joe Meserle may get killed in prison, he may not live long, because it will be some criminals’ idea to get “Back at the Man”.

I’ve got cousins that are in the Police Force, and one or two friends, besides my Hunka Burnin’ Love---I know what they go through, once Hunka and I were stopped by CHP. All we did was have our hands were the officer could see them and asked the officer exactly what he wanted us to do. I did have to tell the officer that I have arthritis and it would be hard for me to fully comply but I’d do my best.

Well it seems that someone had falsely reported us as having a gun. We told the officer and his fellow officers they were welcome to go though the car. Of course the skeleton hanging from the side window was a bit off-putting and the fact that Hunka’s license plate holder had a cemetery reference on it.

I even asked one of the officers if I could sit on a fire hydrant because I have arthritis in my hip joint, they saw the aluminum cane in the car so they let me sit. We even had cuffs put on us; we were not arrested but told it was for everyone’s safety, we had no objections.

Once Hunka explained to them about the license plate and the stickers on the back, and they did not find a gun, they removed the cuffs, and were very apologetic and explained what had happened. We told them about the idiots that had cut us off a mile back, I even had the license plate number and description of the car---it was the one that called in a false report on us. So instead of bringing them to us to id us, they ran the plates and the ID’s of the people in that car and found that they had warrants.

Because we complied, and followed directions, the officers began to relax and gave us concessions. And the original arresting officer was black, we do not see color---we see either police blue or CHP khaki

And that is where Oscar Grant made his fatal mistake---he and his companions did not comply.

But what really burns me is the lawyer for the family of Oscar Grant making statements to incite riots---that man should be removed from the BAR. He was not part of the prosecution team---he was an outside lawyer. And I felt he tried hard to fan the flames for rioting. And that is wrong, ten kinds of wrong.

I’m sorry if my words seem strong, but I’m trying to see everything from all sides, but I cannot deny the facts. It was a very, very tragic accident.

I’m not seeing this as a black vs. white situation. When I think on the facts the images are simply gray, without color, no race or ethnicity.

The big mistake is that people (not all, but a number of people) try to play the race card, they shouldn’t, it does not move anything forward especially in understanding things. It only promotes more hatred, and that is wrong too.

And what is so very sad is that the crowd decided to not ask the hard question of themselves “WHAT IS TRUTH?” and instead yelled for Barrabas, a criminal, a person who committed crimes against the state---granted the state was the Roman Empire, but Barrabas was a known criminal who after being freed, disappeared to never be heard from again.

I’m very tired, I’ve had a long hard week, and things have been playing havoc on me because of the volatile emotions that have been flying. It’s times like these that I want to just curl up into a ball and say to the world, go away leave me alone---give me chocolate to drown my misery and nobody gets hurt.

Mean Kitty signing off, claws out in defense.

I'm tired~~~

I'm tired of being bothered by those automated phone calls that are nothing more than commercials to vote for this or vote for that.

I'm also tired because I'm going to lose another tooth and the doc has got me on antibiotics. Dang it I hate losing teeth but it's happening because of genetics.

I've got something to rant on eventually---It's about the Arizona immigration law. I got a letter from a friend of mine who is staying down there and as a former California resident she is seeing this up close and personal.

And says that all those fools and idiots in California and the rest of the world should SHUT the H$%## UP!!! Until they have been threatened by an "illegal immigrant" they don't know their asses from a hole in the ground.

I will post her letter here next time---and you folks better read it, because it will be happening to you before you know it.

Mean Kitty signing off and looking for her pills.

Proposition 16

I Hate Politics!!!!

I Hate Elections!!!!

I Hate the Politicos and Self Interests trying to MUCK Things UP!!!

And I HATE a utility company that can't do the JOB!!!

And that's YOU PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY!!!!

You put in these stupid meters and people suddenly get charged hundreds of dollars for a untility bill that not even right---but PG & E says that these are smart meteres, well it seems to me that it's pretty stupid meters.

And now----AND NOW!!! P G & E is the major backer of Proposition 16, claiming that it gives the taxpayers the right to vote----well doesn't it mean that taxpayers who are tired of PG & E from not doing their job to allow cities to get out from under the monopoly that PG & E has??

That the People have no recourse to turn too? Where I live we have a municipal owned electric company and my electric bill is very resonable, of course I don't cook with electricity nor dry with electricity nor heat my home with electricity---that's gas---and frankly my bill has been going up, even when I've cut down on the heat, I line dry my clothes, and barely cook with my stove.

SO WHY IS MY GAS BILL GOING UP, EVEN WHEN I DON'T HAVE ONE OF THOSE STUPID SMART METERS ON MY HOUSE??? Answer THAT PG & E!!!

I know how I'm going to vote on Proposition 16--- I'm going to vote NO!! And if my City wants to go into the gas business I know that will mean more work for people, and we will have greater recourse incase they mess up and we'll have a quicker response to a situation.

On top of that my City can look into more affordable sources for gas than does PG & E.

Vote No on Prop 16! It keeps PG & E in business of being a monopoly!

Mean Kitty with her claws out signing off!

I'M BAAAACCKKK!!!

Ya can't get rid of me.

Again I've been busy, very busy, work, taxes, property taxes, house cleaning (with a shovel and a bull dozer).

And more work and more work.

Right now I'm ready to demand a raise, The city finance system screwed up direct depositing my paycheck, so they don't know where my paycheck is. I told Head of Finance they better cut me a check because I"M NOT HAVING MY CREDIT RATING DESTROY BECAUSE OF THEIR STUPIDITY!!!

So we shall see how all of this is going to work out on Monday, they owe me an apology and something for my stress.

In the mean time Hunka Burnin' Love and I will be going to my brother Bubba's house for Easter. He's putting a good size Ham on the Bar-be, or Ham steaks, it's goina be cold and rainy, it's been that way all week.

I want to know where did the nice weather go to.

So if I don't post for a while we'll I've been busy.

Oh and I ran into her again that Gal that looks like Ava Gardner, whoooo weee she is pretty, she was at the Gun Show a few weeks ago and bought a vintage small caliber automatic that belonged to a Madam who owned a "House of Ill repute" back in the 1920's. it was a pretty little thing.

We had a nice little chat over in the snack bar area, said she works in the City for some financial institution, I can't say which one, I mean even on the Internet you've got to have some privacy.

Well we exchanged business cards (Like the professionals that we are), and we may stay in touch. So we shall see.

When I have the time I'm going to do some links here to a couple of blog sites that I like. But right now I've got to do some shopping with what little money I can spare.

Mean Kitty signing off

WELL HAPPY NEW YEAR YA'ALL!!!

It’s me Again Folks!!

No I didn’t forget about you, I’m still a rantin’ and a ravin’. But as with all things busy, Busy.

Health wise I’m doing fine, had a CT scan for my Kidneys, it was a 2 for 1 deal, check for tumors and the stones.

I tell ya’ you do not want a kidney stone attack, the pain is something that I would only wish on Osama Bin Laden and anyone with those extremist Terrorists groups. Frankly I think they deserve the pain.

By the way do ya like the picture of Gingersnap---whom I call "Evil Dog" she looks all sweetness and light but she'll take a chunk out of ya. I'm experimenting, seems I can add images to my blog, so this should be fun.

Now back to my health, So I’m drinking water, keeping things flowing (maybe too much) gotta watch those ecltrolytes (don’t ask me to spell it).

So what have I been doing since Thanksgiving’? Well working mostly, and having family members getting’ in touch with me, seems like we’se need to be in touch, find out who we came from ya know all that genealogy stuff.

Well I found in a tiny green address book, all the basic info that my Mama wrote down, had to use a magnifyin’ glass the writin’ was so small. So now me and my Hunka are going to go to the cemetery to get some more dates and such. Good thing I know where they’re buried and also can check on the headstones.

Do you know that there are some punk kids goin’ around grafitting headstones---no respect for the dead I tell ya, none at all. But don’t worry the dead is gonna get them, ya don’t mess with them. That’s what’s my Granny told me.

Anyway getting back to the kidneys (why is it when one gets old it’s always about goin’ to the bathroom?) The doc calls me said everything is O.K. the stones are small and so far staying put, and no tumors. But it’s back in the next 6 months to keep an eye on those things. But no Barium and no dye injected. And I tell ya that’s no fun.

I had to fast from midnight the night before and then get up at “Oh My God it’s Early” in the dark, shower and dress (and it was cold too) then 2 hours before my 9 a.m. appointment drink ½ of this stuff that they call Berry Barium Smoothie, look it may smell like berries, and have a little berry taste with a chalky after taste and it maybe a little bit smoother, but it’s still no fun to drink, although the berry smell and taste did make it a little bit better.

Then we’se got to get there early to find a parking space, and now it’s an hour before my appointment and I have to drink the other half, still no fun.

So then I go to my appointment, early because they need to find a vein on my arm (my veins are not good) but I do have to say at KP they are very, very nice to me, didn’t want to hurt me although they had to try 3 times to find a vein. Then they walk me to the CT machine room and helped me into that hospital gown, ‘cause the IV lock is in the vein in my hand (not comfortable but they taped it down good) then it’s my turn in the CT machine, first the saline, bit of a chilled rush in my hand and arm, then the dye, well they did warn me what to expect.

O.K if you’ve never had a CT scan with dye this is what happens, you get this metal taste in your mouth and then you get hot all over like having a major, Major hot flash only hotter, then you feel like you’ve got to go potty, but you can’t. So I close my eyes as the machine takes over and says “take a breath, hold, breathe” and repeats is several times and I’m moved in and out of this donut hole, Now I hear the medical Techs come in and say “You’re doing good” just a little more. Well me I’m ready to leave any time now.

But after a bit I stop hearing the machine whine, and it stops, but I’m inside the donut, but the techs come in and ask me if I’m takin’ any blood thinners, guess that important. So’s I tell them what I am takin’ and they say that’s fine we’re all done, but I’m still inside the donut, so I says to them “Can you get me out of this thing, it feels like it wants to make love to me” (Not bad for an old lady) well the techs laugh and say “Now that is a new one” and they very gently help me out of the machine and take out the IV lock, puts a band aid on it and helps me get dress.

Then they ask if I have someone with me (yeah Hunka), and tells me to get some protein into me and water, and then to go home and rest for a bit. Well Hunka takes me to breakfast and all I want is poached eggs and grits, and whole wheat toast, and O.J. I even asked for a second bowl of grits---now I rarely eat grits but I do like them and I very seldom have poached eggs, but poached eggs and not one but two bowls of grits?---man that is demanding major comfort food.! Then after that Hunka took me home and I slept the rest of the day. Even he took a nap---no fun getting’ up at “Oh My God It’s Early!”

I’m fine, Doc says I’m fine, and that is good.

CHRISTMAS---DICKENS FAIR

Christmas---I loved the Holiday season, Hunka and I went to the Dickens Fair and just had a Major good time, even dropped off a couple of toys for the Toys for Tots collection.

I’ve got to tell you that Dickens Christmas Fair in S.F. is somethin’ else. Where else can you meet Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Father Christmas, Scrooge, Fagin, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, the characters from a Jules Verne novel, and Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson all in one place? It’s great!

Ya go in and suddenly you are overwhelmed by the smells of baking, cinnamon, nutmeg, sausages, spicy tea, fudge and the sounds of people in a busy thoroughfare, sort of like walking down Diagone Alley in a Harry Potter story, but it’s Charles Dickens time. And of course Hunka was right in there all dressed up in his Cowboy Sunday go-to-meetins’ clothes, and me I’m dressed like a Frontier woman from Kansas, only we’se aint in Kansas Toto.

For a little while you forget your worries or cares, you just want to get into the fun of it. No problems of the 21^st century, just a fairy tale of what we think the 19^th century is all about. ***sigh*** Wish it were so.

Hunka and I went to Christmas eve Vigil Mass (not midnight gotta get my beauty sleep ya know), then we drove over to Christmas Tree Lane, had to park away from it because it’s so popular, so Hunka gets out my rolling Hooptie, so I can walk a bit, it was cold but the lights were so pretty. People were having their pictures taken.

CHRISTMAS—AT BROTHER BUBBA’S

We celebrated Christmas Dinner at my brother’s house, I love the way he’s got it all fixed up, the colors of the living room and dinning room, just brings out the woodwork the way it should be. And the food, everyone brought something, me I baked yams, turned out pretty good to.

My brother Bubba, didn’t want to do the Turkey bit, so he had instead a Ham from Trader Joe’s (bone in) man, it was delicious, but big well he got a 18 pound ham for 17 people, and there was nothing left, I have to say there was nothing for left overs, and my Sister in law was expecting left overs but everyone had a good appetite.

Instead of crashing out they set up a couple of tables and everyone played different games, the kids were playing some sort of weird card games and really getting into it, some my brother, and his brother in law, Hunka and a couple of the kids were playing Squeak, Me and my sister in law her two sisters and mother we were playing Mexican dominos. We played until late, only taking breaks to much on the left overs or having desert. Hmmm come to think of it no wonder there were no left overs.

Bubba to make up for it being a “no burn” day (ya know they did that on Thanksgiving too---lots of people yelled that it was a conspiracy, but the EPA kept saying no it wasn’t---I don’t believe them) Well anyway Bubba burned candles all in holders in the fireplace and on the T.V. he had this DVD that shows a log burning in a fireplace and played Christmas music, kept it on a loop too.

And some of those Candles smelled of Cinnamon and Vanilla, felt good.

It was nice and mellow; it seems that everyone was relieved that we didn’t do a gift exchange it felt more old fashioned, more Christmassy.

At work it was slow, everyone out of town, which was fine, but next year I’m taken the week between Christmas and New Years off. I’m doin’ it out of self defense (talk about furloughs) so I’m saving up money to cover two weeks now if they only furlough one week I’m ahead of the game, if they don’t furlough at all I’m still ahead and will just let it make interest.

NEW YEARS EVE ---was something else. I mean it was a mellow New Years Eve for me and Hunka; we managed to eat out at Ta-daaaa! Carls Jr. yeah real fancy, but it’s what we wanted. As a matter of fact we met all kinds of people there, just having a late dinner before going to any parties. I was surprised at some of the evening dresses. And no they didn’t get any sauce dripped on them

Hunka and I went home and we watched a DVD of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” talk about a story getting’ dark and complicated. But it was good. Then we switched to the Dick Clark’s New Years event---I’m sorry but Dick Clark looked Mummified, well the poor guy had a stroke and considering his age and all he’s doing well. But still he looked mummified.

About a couple of minutes before Midnight Hunka poured two glasses of sparkling cider into our cheap wine glasses and we were bundled up in blankets and went out onto our front porch. There were a couple of parties going on, and we could hear them do the count down. Then the whistles from some ship blew nearby, we heard fireworks go off, our partiers were yelling and blowing their horns and banging pots. We knew they were happy.

Hunka and I toasted each other and drank and wished each other happy new year and kissed---I know---awwww ain’t that sweet. But wait until I tell you the rest of it----and no we didn’t do the “dirty deed” we were too tired for that.

No, what happened next is that some guy from down the block at one of the parties comes running up the middle of the street blowing a whistle and wearing nothing but his tennis shoes and his tidy whiteys’ as he got near our house he stopped blowing for a few seconds and I yelled, “don’t go onto the next street they won’t see you!” I was afraid he’d get hit by a car because we maybe a quiet street but we do have a busy cross street and we didn’t need an accident to some guy wearing tennis shoes and his tidy whiteys’.

But he runs to the street end turns around and runs back, now I have to say that took courage or a lot of beer because this guy had a gut on him that was jello in motion, it was almost hypnotizing, everyone else on their porches saw him but no cops were called----after all it is New Years. And he ran back to the cheers of his party goer friends.

I looked at my Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love and said “Honey I think this New Year is going to be very interesting”.

And with that we finished our cider, went inside, turned off the T.V. and went to bed.

And so far the New Year has turned out to be Very Interesting---and its not even Jan.30^th.

So now at work they’ve were for two days upgrading the computer systems so we couldn’t do our regular work, which in a way was good, it gave me a chance to do major clean up and organizing, got ride of 3 years worth of back log stuff, shredded tons of stuff I didn’t need any more, I was goin’ to town! Told my Boss “Hey do some more of this upgrading and I can be totally caught up”

Did I make any new years resolutions---No---Why you may ask?

Simple---I made my resolutions when I got out of the Hospital last October, I said I was going to fix myself up, wear my good clothes, make up, jewelry, perfume (yea and don’t tell me they’re people allergic to it, I’m entitled to wear it) and bit by bit, get more organized, clean out Krap, even if it’s a little at a time, and work on projects, O.K. it’s going to take more than a year to get some of this stuff done, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

So why? Well my Cousin Edna sent me via e-mail this little short story called “Someday” Seems this lady was helping her late friends’ husband pack away his wife’s things. She came across all this beautiful clothing and such that was never worn. The grieving husband said “My wife would save it for ‘Someday’ to wear, but ‘Someday’ never came”.

Well I’ve got stuff I’ve been savin’ for someday, so with everything that surgery was a wake up call, my Someday is Now!! So I’m wearing it Now! Using it Now! Because if I wait for Someday, that might never come.

Just remember that Folks, if you’ve been saving something special for Someday, Don’t. Because Someday is now, and things are special now, make yourself feel special Now, don’t wait, because if you do, Someday may never come.

Mean Kitty leavin’ you with that thought.