Grossed out and need to vent—I just caught Mom using my toothbrush to comb her hair!

And then it is Winter.

You know.. . . time has a way of moving quickly
and catching you unaware of the passing years.
It seems just yesterday that I was young,
just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.
And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago,
and I wonder where all the years went.
I know that I lived them all...
And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...
But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...
How did I get here so fast?
Where did the years go and where did my youth go?
I remember well...
seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people
were years away from me and that winter was so far off
that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like....
But, here it is...
my friends are retired and getting grey...
they move slower and I see an older person now.
Some are in better and some worse shape than me...
but, I see the great change...
Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant....
but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks
that we used to see and never thought we'd be.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!
And taking a nap is not a treat anymore.... it's mandatory!
Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!
And so...
now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared
for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability
to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!!
But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...
this I know, that when it's over.... its over...
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...
things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done.
It's all in a lifetime...

So, if you're not in your winter yet...
let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.
So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly!
Don't put things off too long!!
Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today,
as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life... so,
live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember....
and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things
that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life is a gift to you.
The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.
Make it a fantastic one."

LIVE IT WELL!

angelhair, yes, I have seen that story in my emails. My cousin sends it to me at least once a year. It is timeless, as the message. Thank you:)
I have wonderful Cuz'ez, too, just like the Captain.
LindaHeart, Bandit loves you. He is so lucky to have you. So are WE. xoxo
MsM: Good things happen when you least expect them. Write down the job you want on a piece of paper and put it in a box. Then forget about it. No hocus pocus.
You will see...If you are doing all you can, let go, let the universe finish the task:)
Later, Gators.
PS: Thinking of Selfish Siblings, BJ, Headbanger, Deefer, Pirate, KULI, BONNIEO, along with the current regulars. Love you ALL, Mucho. xoxo

amen to that cuz ! live well , enjoy it now ! margaritta anyone ?
chtsina - bless ur heart i was trying so hard to think who eles and u got em all ! hope all is well .
bobbie lou where are u ? hope ure staying warm , bro in fla said its shivering there , all my fault i tol dhim to blow all the warm air up this way , nope its the other way around , i blew the could air down that way hee hee . cricket are u warm ? bet u are ure further south , go swimmin for me dear . i finaly gotthe woodstove going today , first time this year which is unusal cuz i always get em going by oct , but then we have had mild fall . now this is winter burrrrrr . going to get inthe teens this weekend . i shall keep the fire a strokin .
nap time is a mandtory for me now . zzzzzz xoxo

Hi all, I think we got into the 60's early this morning but other than that it's still warm here. Angelhair and Cuz, thanks for the stories and jokes. I loved them. Barb, I know you're efforts will pay off with getting what you need for work. I got an email from Lilli today and she is picking up her Bentley from having Cataract surgery, she said everything went well. They had to leave yesterday and stay over night because the Vet's office was pretty far away where the surgery would take place. Angelhair, your Cat story puts you right in there with Kimmy and Linda in the pet rescuer and natural caretaker! LOL Linda, I'll have a Margarita with you! I'll have mine on the rocks please. :) Christina....check your email :) Everything is all quiet on my front, LOL Love you all, Chirpy Cricket

Hey cuz, I really liked what you wrote.

If you liked that story you'll love this one.
The Folded Napkin .. A Truckers Story
I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy.
But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie.
He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are
homemade.
The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with.
I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks. I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot.
After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old kid in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag. If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added oncentration.
He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met. Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.
He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine.
Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news. Marvin Ringers, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table.
Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Marvin a withering look. He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?" Frannie quickly told Marvin and the other two
drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: " Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is." Marvin nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.
"What's up?" I asked. "I didn't get that table where Marvin and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pete and Tony were
sitting there when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup." She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie."
"Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Petelooked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie"scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: "truckers."
That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy. I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.
"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate your coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!" I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins. "First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern.
Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table.
Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother. "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. "Happy Thanksgiving."
Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well.
But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.
Best worker I ever hired.

Sorry to hear about Nino it is time for CLEO kitty vaccinations here, at least she is indoors...Helloo to everyone hope a good weekend is coming for everyone, very very cold here, teens at night that's -8 C for rossella :) No snow though OK by me...

Hi everyone trying to catch up after being away for a few days at my sisters' only saw Mom twice and she did not seem happy to see me-she was probably pissed that I stayed at my sister's home-she did not get a chance to to send me her zingers she is now 93 and just gets worse as she ages at least now my sister knows what hell I went through growing up-she is 7 yrs younger -my mother told my sil you have kids to do work-and she did that for sure. It seems like most of us had horrible childhodes-it probably made us stronger-I am convinced that God has a place for caregivers in heaven-he promises he has many mansions and I know there are some just for us caregivers-our rewards are waiting. Angelhair welcome -this thread started almost two years ago because of a toothbrush I had to laugh about your posting I hope you get to meet our Captian Bobby soon. You will find our motly crew your best friends we get it-the husband died 2 and 1/2 yrs. ago and this site saved my sanity the year before. We laugh together and cry together and are there for each other at all times.

Dear friends, thanks a lot for your solidarity... Nino thanks you all! He was a very sweet boy. When he was well, every night he jumped on my lap and he wanted to be kissed. And he answered his name! We went on for 10 minutes. "Nino" "Meow" "Nino" "Meow" "Nino" "Meow" and so on. I will miss him for sure.
Angelhair, the story of your cat is surreal... Your cat has had 19 lives! When they are so fond of life, you have to love them.
Linda, I am so happy you managed to keep Bandit. I am sure he will behave better from now on! Heathcliff is slowly learning how to respect cats; when he will start to respect my furniture I will be happy.
Jen: Very cold upthere! We had a very warm day today, but the real winter will arrive soon.
Christina, I used the same strategy in the past when I wanted something - at least, similar. I made a drawing on a piece of paper of what I wanted. And then I let the piece of paper have its destiny... I didn't put it in a drawer, I didn't keep it anywhere. After a while, the piece of paper disappeared! And it worked very well when my nephews were little and my brother worked 500 miles from Rome, and I wanted him to go back to Rome to live with his children. I made a drawing of my brother with a suitcase, coming back to Rome, and his children happily greeting him. And after 2 months the firm my brother worked for, decided to move him in Rome! So my nephews had their father back.
The strange thing is that it works only if I wish things for someone else. It doesn't work if I wish things for myself. I read somewhere that the prehistoric men painted on their caves the animals they wanted to hunt, to "attract" them. It must be something like this, and it shows that we are never too far from the prehistoric men...

Angelhair, I loved the folded napkin story! Thanks for posting it. XXOO Cricket

Anytime, you have a great night.

Rossella, first, you must ask. Second, you must Believe. Then, you must Let Go.
If you believe, then it will happen. If you do not let go, you are hanging onto the balloon. You must let it Soar into the Heavens. Release it to its' Freedom.
Meow, christina xo

Have a good night everyone! Love you all! Kim

Love reading everyone's stories each night. Guess I have to tell you a cat story. I was feeding a neighbors horse for a week, and this little black cat was hanging around the barn. She kept trying to get in the truck to go home with me. There wasn't any cat food at the neighbors barn, and by the 5th day the cat was looking thinner, and more desperate, sooo I brought her home. At first my husband thought she was very sweet. But, then she knocked a pipe off a shelf, in his workshop, hitting husband on the head with it. Then, she jumped from the 2nd floor loft to the floor below, landing in the laundry basket, my husband had just picked up. Nearly gave him a heart attack. I had to rescue the cat from husband running after her with a broom. So little black cat came to live at my sisters ranch, but we had learned by then, she was better off outside. That didn't stop her from getting into trouble. She fell into the goldfish pond, then she fell into the swimming pool, then she got bit by a rattlesnake. Have you ever tried soaking a cats paw in epsom salt to pull the swelling out? My sister made me do that since I was responsible for bringing her home to begin with. Next, caught her eating a bar of rat poison. She got Vitamin K for that. Little black cat, my sister calls her Mischief, still lives here at the ranch. The dogs try to chase her, and she turns around and chases them. If someone comes to visit, and leaves their car window down, Mischief has to check it out. Lost track of how many people have driven off with her in their car or truck, but everyone brings her back. Whenever I wanted to tease my husband, I would threaten to bring Mischief home.

Riddle of the day - and it's a good one

You are on a Horse, galloping at a constant speed.
On your right side is a sharp drop off,
And on your left side is an Elephant traveling at the same speed as you.
Directly in front of you is a galloping Kangaroo and your horse is unable to overtake it.
Behind you is a Lion running at the same speed as you and the Kangaroo.
What must you do to safely get out of this highly dangerous situation?



See answer below....

get your drunk ass off the merry-go-round.

Dear Abby,

I have always wanted to have my family history traced, but I can't afford to spend a lot of money to do it.
Any suggestions?

Sam in California

========================================================================

Dear Sam,

Register as a Republican, and run for public office. You should get all the background information you need by the time the Democrats have finished digging up your past all the way back to the Mayflower and beyond.

Abby

SQUIRRELS - BE ALERT !

The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a very cold winter.
It must be true because the squirrels are gathering NUTS.
Three of my friends have already disappeared.
Are you O.K.?

Why Parents Drink
The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick. So he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. 'Hello?' 'Is your daddy home?'' Yes, he's out in the garden,' whispered the small voice. May I talk with him? 'The child whispered, 'No.' So the boss asked, 'Well, is your Mommy there?' 'Yes, she's out in the garden too' & The boss asked; 'May I talk with her?' Again the small voice whispered, No.' Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?' 'Yes,' whispered the child, 'a policeman..' Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?' 'No, he's busy,' whispered the child. 'Busy doing what?' 'Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the police dog men.' Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?' 'It's a helicopter' answered the whispering voice. 'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. 'The search team just landed a helicopter.' 'A search team?' said the boss. 'What are they searching for?' Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle....'ME'.

haha cuz, love it!

Although I agree we are never far from our prehistoric ancestors I will say it with a gleam in my eye...Yes we are never far from prehistoric men...especially like when one is in line at the DMV...I MEAN REALLY!!!

omg, Jen. The cream of society. It's a smaller slice than those who come out for Christmas shopping once a year. What rock do they hide under the rest of the time?
Today, I must have yelled 'A$$hole', and 'Whatever!' a million times. Thankfully, I was in my car with the radio on, windows up:) HaHa!!!!

Good Morning all,

Linda, I'm thinking about you and hope your bladder infection is getting better.

This year I am going to do very little in the way of Christmas to eliminate the unwanted stress. I am just going to do stocking stuffers with the immediate family. My daughter and I have a great system for getting my Grandson's exactly what they are dreaming for for Christmas. Instead of my going out and buying what she tells me they want or would like and then spending money on shipping costs and getting all the wrapped gifts all smashed up etc. I send her the money ahead of time including what I would spend on shipping and she does the shopping and the wrapping. She loves to do the shopping and like most Mothers has to do so within a budget so this makes it more fun for her as well. I get to avoid all the hassles and crazy people at the stores so this makes me happy as well. Thought I would share that with you in case there is anyone else with Grand kids at a distance. Maybe it would help relieve some of your Christmas stress as well.

Have a good day everyone,

Love and Hugs! Cricket

It ain't the heat it's the humanity....

Cricket that is a great idea less stress is best it is a win win idea. I am cutting down on gifts this year last year I was able to give more expensive gifts but can not this year and it is the idea that counts-my sister and I am giving Mom a nice gift together-plus she always complains about my gifts and will not dare to this year. Plus if the grandkids need to put the money towards what they want it will be a good lesson for them. I am keeping Christmas as simple as possible this year.

Right arm, Jen. Hey Cricket! For the first time ever I have gone before December 23 to to my shopping and it is not bad. I met a really nice woman in Marshall's yesterday and we hogged an aisle and talked for about a half hour. My arm is still sore from hanging onto my purse and my stuff. I rarely get a shopping cart. Oh no. It's like using a smaller plate so you don't eat too much. Anyway, they had fantastic cat and dog presents. Got my brother's dog some orange dog tennis balls. She will love them! Woof!
Where is rip? Carolyn? Miz? Austin? Staying warm? Shopping? Knitting? Missing you:( Going for a walk now. I had half a banana and 2 egg whites for breakfast. I am not losing weight. Going to see Mother and do her nails. Tomorrow is the home's Christmas Party. Oh, excuse me HOLIDAY Party. Just looked at the invitation. Hoping my daughter will come with me. Talk to y'all later. Have a really great day. Enjoy as much as possible. Love you ALL Mucho. Christina xo

That is hilarious!

Wait a minute! where did the comment go that I thought was hilarious?

Just checking in. Hope everyone is well. Love you guys.

hi there . ckin in too . been busy reranging the livin room around . end up puttin half stuff back the way it was . aint about to move no tv either . now my lower back is throbbin . did it all by myself . had to go for a walk . got fussy about wher eto put this an dthat , fk it and took the dogs for a walk . ah there . sis came home her eye brows raised some . tld her im ready for nap lol .
ill do dishe sfirst then take me a nappy poo then wake up and kick some more asses .
talkin about shopping is givin me stress . yuk yuk . im cranky and botchin so i shall go lay down .
love you all !!! xoxo

this is the last feat of my new dog Heathcliff (the scourge of Dog): we were in the car coming back from the walk. I was smoking. He saw a little dog walking in the street. He jumped and put his paws against my shoulders. My cigarette fell. I stopped the car as soon as I could, felt the smell but I didn't find the cigarette. I went home, took a flash light and looked for the cigarette everywhere. But I have a Chevrolet Matiz, a little car where, if you lose something, you will never find it anymore. (I used to have a Ford Fiesta and I found everything, there). I looked for the cig for 10 minutes, then I gave it up. As I am very unlucky lately, I thought it was dangerous to leave a lit cigarette butt in my car. So I took the garden hose and I flooded the car floor with 1 inch of water. (the cigarette is definitly extinguished, now). I know I am stressed out and I have exaggerated. I know I have many problems with fire lately. I know I should stop smoking. I know I should put a grid in my car so that Heathcliff doesn't jump on my head.