Credit where credit is due

An event this week made me realize that we don't give our parents the credit they deserve sometimes. I had a rocky relationship with mine but that's not the point. They did instill in me a lot of what I am and, of course, a lot of what I am is because I didn't want to be like them. They gave me good manners. I can eat with my mouth closed, I don't pass gas in public, I treat people with respect (especially the elderly), and they instilled in me a background of belief in God from which stems my morales and values. I don't lie and cheat. I tried passing all these qualities down to my children. That's what we do as parents. Some of the bad things they did to me I passed down, too, unfortunately. I was beaten and therefore I spanked my kids when they "needed" it. I don't think I ever beat them. I think it was usually a "no" and if that didn't work then it was a smack on the hand or butt to keep them from touching things they shouldn't touch or going where they shouldn't go. It was acceptable and an expected form of punishment in the 70's. We know better now and I'm sorry we didn't then. Anyway, the event that brought this all back to me was receiving an email from my son. He's a new teacher for the inner city school system and his principal told him recently that he had a gift for teaching. That he could actually be a Master Teacher someday and that he was to tell me that I "done good instilling him with values and morals." The nice thing was......he did tell me and it made me feel so good. So in turn I need to thank my parents (no longer with us, but I feel they can still know) for instilling in me those same values and morals, oh, and for all those other good things listed above. I guess even the bad things helped make me what I am so I thank them for that, too. And, thanks, Son, for making an old Mom feel a little special.

Head Cold

My Hubby gave me a not very nice gift. He came down with a head cold the middle of the week and I got it yesterday. I tried to sleep most of today but I kept getting calls so I just gave up and made myself some chicken soup. I don't know if it helped but it was rather yummy. Got a refrigerator full of leftovers. I was a trooper, though, and marched myself into work this evening and did my job with a box of tissues at hand. I'll be back there again tomorrow!

Today was my Granddaughter's 14 birthday and with her busy schedule and my illness I wasn't able to see her. Her gift is her TEXTing which is on my cell phone plan so it's an ongoing thing so it doesn't show up in a pretty present with a bow and therefore it's sad that I don't feel I'm making her day special. I'm sure she had a great day but I miss those days when celebrations included the old folks. Oh well! I remember being 14 vividly. Very special year in my life. Met my first and only high school boyfriend who I spent the next 4 years with. Came across albums from those days recently and was taken back to that time. He was a special person and still missed. He died about 7 years ago. I can only assume it was from a heart problem but I don't know for sure. Anyway, I found out my Granddaughter has her first boyfriend now and I can only hope she has special memories of him someday the way that I do all these many years later. Happy Birthday, my precious Dewie!

Not making much headway in the reading department. I'm working on "Sashenka" by Simon Montefiore. So far, so good. Just hard to read when you're head is pounding with sinus problems.

A fun read

James Patterson writes a series of books for the younger generation which I enjoy reading. It's his Maximum Ride series. This one is "Max." I liked this much better than the last one. It was back to having more bad guys chasing the flock. Yes, the flock. The main characters are a group of genetically altered humans that happen to have wings. For the first part of their young lives they were chased by other genetically altered bad guys after they escaped from the "School" where they were born and raised. This novel had them back to being chased by robotic type bad guys. The flocks' mission is to save the planet and the discovery of nuclear dumping in the ocean by a Chinese businessman has made them a target.

Another adventure

I finished Clive Cussler's "Corsair." I've been reading his many adventures since the 90's and have read them all. I thoroughly enjoy the totally unbelievable adventures of his characters and what they get into. This one was no different. All are based on the ocean but this one took a side trip in the desert. They all start with a little historical event that in the end is solved. This one was filled with terrorism plots and an adventure in the Mid East that kept me turning the pages. His characters have more lives than "Carter's Little Liver Pills." This adventure series was about the Oregon Files which is an old freighter ship that sails under the Iranian flag as a cover. The freighter is disguised to look like it is on it's last leg but really is a state of the art sea vessel. The crew is called upon to do what other government agencies aren't capable of doing. In this case they have to verify whether the US Secretary of State has been killed in a plane crash or has been kidnapped by terrorists. They have to rescue prisoners of war with a few archaeologists thrown in to the mix. And to top it off, they have to find the second most famous terrorist of our time. All in a days work for the crew of the Oregon. Fun read!

Enjoying some time off with hubby. Rare that we get two days off at the same time and time is going quickly.

Back to the basement

I purchased more plastic tubs and went back into the basement. Cardboard is disappearing but the amount of stuff doesn't seem to be going away. I can't believe the amount of stuff we accumulate over the course of our life times and of course that's added to by the death of our parents and the things we inherit from them. For ten years these boxes have been sitting down there undisturbed until a recent water line break caused us to have to move things around and disruptted what we had come to feel as organized clutter. Suddenly things were everywhere and there were more boxes than we had before. I have boxes of clothes from over 10-20 years ago. Please! I won't ever fit into them again and even if I did they would scream some other decade. Out they go! Old luggage is going out. It's in good shape but no one uses suitcases anymore. They're huge! The very last box I opened was marked sports equipment. How thrilled was I to discover the tennis racquets that my hubby and I thought had disappeared years ago never to be seen again. They're wood! Yes, wood! I've had mine since I was 16 when my then boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday. Few more years and it can be called an antique, I guess. All kinds of treasures were unearthed today. A little tin wind up tank that I remember playing with for hours when I was a kid. It is coming apart but I didn't want to mess with it since I think those kind of toys have some value and it's better to let an expert fix it up. Most of my toys disappeared but there was a metal tea set tucked away in the same box. Some very old marbles, too. It will be kind of sad when I finish going through everything. No more surprises!

I made a run to the real estate office today to grab the handful of stuff that I had in my desk and mailslot. This whole thing has triggered the feelings that I went through back in 1991 when I lost my corporate job through downsizing. I'm understanding post traumatic stress a little better now. I still haven't made a decision as to what I'm going to do. I don't want to go to the office they're moving us to but if I don't then the several referrals that I have out there will be forfeited. Should be our turn to win the lottery and then it won't matter anymore!

Out on the street again.......

My real estate office is closing it's doors tomorrow. It used to be the best agency around and then it sold to a big corporation and was put in the hands of a PA company to be managed. Needless to say with the economy in the toilet so is the office. My choices are to go to their other office further north and I just don't want to do it. They're rushing us to clear out our desk and head to the new office so that we don't have time to be called by other companies. I'm hoping someone would call so I don't have to make the move out of the area I'm comfortable in. The office that they want us in is so crowded that we'll probably have to sit 5 to a desk. I really have nothing much to move out of my desk. I never moved anything back into this office when I came back there a year and a half ago. I think most everything can go in the trash.

I finished reading "Lethal Legacy" by Linda Fairstein. It's her newest novel and one of her ongoing sequels. Same characters: The DA Alexandra Cooper and her side kicks, detectives, Mercer and Mike are on the trail of book thieves this time. They're stealing from New York Public Library and their collection of rare books. Apparently a lot of famous people have left books and maps of great wealth for many generations to this library. It was a great who dunit. I did read about men who were so into their books that they actually built mausoleums to house them and their books after their dead. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Marathon read...

I put aside Dan Simmon's "The Drood" to read Jodi Picoult's "Handle With Care." It just came out on the 3rd and I had to work that day so I didn't get to read much of it until yesterday and I just finished it this morning. Shades of "My Sister's Keeper." Change the disease but the story was there. It was a great read but I was a little disappointed after "Change of Heart." Once again, I couldn't decide if I hated the parents in this book or not. Young Willow O'Keefe is born with brittle bone syndrome. Until recently, many children did not survive this disease. Advances in medicine had made it possible for a longer survival rates. If you knew you were going to have a child with this devastating disease, would you continue with the pregnancy? If you're the healthy sibling how do you deal with the younger unhealthy child who gets all the attention? Once again, I need someone to read this so I can discuss it with them! That's the one thing about Picoult........she leaves you wanting more and they make for great book club books. I don't think I'm ready to pick up "The Drood" yet. Might have to find something else for now.

Snow

I woke up at the ungodly hour of 4:00 am and was sad to see that there was no more snow on the ground than there was when I went to bed at 11:30. Just a dusting! I read for a while and went back to bed since I wasn't due at work until tonight. The weatherman said that at most we would see another inch or so. When I next checked we had over 6 inches on the ground and the wind was whipping the drifts around. I was all set to go out and enjoy kicking around in the white stuff when the phone rang and I was called into work. Seems half the employees decided to call out today. I live 15 miles away but managed to get there by staying on the main roads which were just wet and not snow covered at all. I'll be at work till 9:15 so there won't be any play time for me. By this weekend we will have possible 60 degree weather so the snow will be gone and I'll be sad. I've waited all winter for this!